Which Forst Chipper

[tree-fancier123]

4 hours ago, GA Groundcare said:

I would stick with genuine blades, what happens if god forbid one comes off and hits someone? We had a tracked Jensen in a few years ago that took a blade out, it went straight through the hydraulic tank, out the machine and kept on going. 

It occurred to me a while ago the use of thinner plate around a rotor housing so young people don't have to take a trailer test is not exactly helping safety in the event of a problem.

Problems seem extremely rare given the number of machines in use - and given the volume aftermarket blade manufacturers do! If manufacturers wished to build a machine that didn't split open like the ones below, I wonder how thick the rotor housing and first part of chute would need to be? My guess is 3/8" plate for rotor housing and first part of chute. Maybe the increased thickness would mean towing around an extra third of a ton. Maybe good for hire machines where punters perhaps more likely to pick up some woody crap with a bolt in it and chuck it in the hopper.

[GA Groundcare]

Interesting report! Is the top write up and anvil damage from that TR6 or have they just used a library picture to show what a wood chipper looks like....

 

We have had a few SafeTrak's come in that swallowed a track clip and subsequently failed. The actual chip chamber has some dings and dents that needed dressing out then replacement blades, bearings etc and some times the flywheel needs reworking but in all fairness for what has just happened its often not "that" bad.

[tree-fancier123]

12 minutes ago, GA Groundcare said:

or have they just used a library picture to show what a wood chipper looks like....

I thought it was just a stock photo they used, as the damage is in yellow paint

[Gary Prentice]

7 hours ago, GA Groundcare said:

I would stick with genuine blades, what happens if god forbid one comes off and hits someone?

OEM is no guarantee whatsoever. I've seen both after-market and genuine , blades and anvils, fail in a number of different machines. Last one was a Forst anvil.

 

To the OP, while the machine is under guarantee just bite the bullet though, you'd get little sympathy in the event of a blade failure using either after-market of home-made . 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Gary Prentice

[ForestryFinance]

£250 to be sure of 3 whole years of warranty (parts and labour)? 

 

Bargain

[Mick Dempsey]

I had a side anvil holding plate come free from the weld and go through the machine once.

Bit of a mess, but a huge majority of the time these things go out the chute, albeit a bit noisily.

[dig-dug-dan]

8 hours ago, GA Groundcare said:

I would stick with genuine blades, what happens if god forbid one comes off and hits someone? We had a tracked Jensen in a few years ago that took a blade out, it went straight through the hydraulic tank, out the machine and kept on going. 

 

Their warranty T's & C's are copied below.

Warranty:

• A 3 year or 1000 operating hours (whichever occurs first) guarantee

Restrictions:

• Genuine Forst parts must be used during the warranty period – failure to do so will invalidate the warranty
• Service and maintenance must be carried out as stated in the user manual
• Bearings are restricted to 700 hours or 3 years which comes first
• Wearing parts are excluded such as blades, belts, anvils, tyres, brakes, lights, hitch, feed rollers and paintwork
• XR8 Track base restricted to 1 year warranty

But that specifically excludes blades, so if one shattered, would a claim be valid?

[Ty Korrigan]

I once had an anvil fail on a new chipper with 1hr on the clock.

 I can still hear the dingdingdingdingdingding in the dark watches of the night...

 Stuart

 

[Jcarbor]

So you’ve just bought a brand new chipper and going to get some made? Why not just buy genuine blades from forst? One thing I wouldn’t use is patten knives!

Forst back up is fantastic, but you will need it!

Yep you certainly do need it a North Yorkshire tree company has found out on numerous occasions
I wouldn’t go near a Forst with its boiling bearings and electrical glitches.

[Jonny69]

8 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

Not sure if you appreciated the research and technology that goes into the metallurgy of wood chipper blades. It’s not simply a case of going to an engineer and having them cut a chunk of steel using your existing blades as a template 

Hate to be 'that guy'. But it would be really simple to get a new knife tested tested, find out exactly what it is and get a load of new ones ground off a bar. I am certain there will be better products out there for chipper knives but they are probably prohibitively expensive. Metals such as inconel would be great to use in machines but the costs would start to get silly, where the costs outweigh the benefits.