The Wee Chipper Club

[nepia]

I'm on my second M300 and the new ones have quick release ejection spouts.  There are two 13mm bolts to remove manually in order to fold the infeed chute forwards to access the drum.

 

The distance the material will throw depends on a few things; those machines will easily make 3m with steadily fed dry material but if you poke a large wet branch in they will understandably bog down and throw less far.  The governing factor is operator-led, not machine-led.

[doobin]

The chinese ones with the engine on the same level as the drum are all a couple of bolts to flip the spout up and unblock. Mine likes Leylandii as it's pretty straight- just need to be careful on really leafy stuff as this is the time when it will block, as it gets the the soft leafy bits once it's chewed the wood up. Throws it OK, looses a bit nearer to the machine on leafy stuff as mentioned above, but then I think they all do that. They all work on exactly the same principle.

 

I don't use it all the time though. Never seen one of the 'pro' drum chippers in the flesh so can't say if they're worth double the money, they could well be if you use it every day.

[Gardenscape]

I'm waiting to see if Jo Beau have plans on mounting the M400 on its own trailer. I really want them to do it. I have the M400, love it, but fed up of loading it on and off the trailer. 

[Gardenscape]

On 20/11/2019 at 15:12, nepia said:

My suspicion is that the fault is mine via overtightening the bolts with an impact wrench; I've gone easier on the replacement bolts!  I'll still use the wrench though; the socket doesn't round the bolt corners.

The blades are original bought from Global.  They've always had elongated outer holes; the centre hole is round which centres the blade fine.

You do realise that the bolts need to be torqued to the correct specs in the manual. If not it they will crack to bits. 

[Dan Maynard]

I'm waiting to see if Jo Beau have plans on mounting the M400 on its own trailer. I really want them to do it. I have the M400, love it, but fed up of loading it on and off the trailer. 

I'm going to say M500 - pulls itself up the ramps. Otherwise it's the electric winch.

[nepia]

6 hours ago, Gardenscape said:

You do realise that the bolts need to be torqued to the correct specs in the manual. If not it they will crack to bits. 

Well that's the theory but my recent experience described was the first such in nigh on 8 years of operating two M300s.  The first six years or so I rounded bolt heads and my knuckles with a 17mm (I think) ring spanner; it's only the last couple of years I've used the impact wrench, now a bit more gently than before.

 

I like the idea of correct torque but physically achieving it...

 

[doobin]

Try a torque stick on your impact wrench. Best of both worlds. 

[Nikos Papadopoulos]

anyone tried to reduce the noise-dB ?

[nepia]

29 minutes ago, doobin said:

Try a torque stick on your impact wrench. Best of both worlds. 

Never heard of it; I'll look into it.

Thanks.

[Gardenscape]

4 hours ago, nepia said:

Well that's the theory but my recent experience described was the first such in nigh on 8 years of operating two M300s.  The first six years or so I rounded bolt heads and my knuckles with a 17mm (I think) ring spanner; it's only the last couple of years I've used the impact wrench, now a bit more gently than before.

 

I like the idea of correct torque but physically achieving it...

 

Just use a torque wrench to tighten them up. Think they are 61kN on the M400, so not overly tight. I use an impact driver to remove them, using a wrench is fiddly as the socket does slip and that's the issue you are having with rounding them off.