The Wee Chipper Club

[Mick Dempsey]

Oh yeah. 
We used to load thé truck like that, then drop the sides and push it off with long hazel sticks with a fork at the end. 
Rashering was a last resort as it meant a nightmare unloading at the tip. 

[daveatdave]

with my non tipping trailer for hedge cuttings i would put a tarp down then about a foot of cuttings then another tarp and so on then 2 of us could pull each tarp off in turn.

an old waggon driver i new used a double wagon hitch to get extra pull don't know how he did it i had problems doing one even after been shown several times    

[kimtree]

does anyone know where in the UK i could get bearings for a 2010 CS100 with a serial number in the 10000 era.

It was my machine from new but i gave it to a mate who moved to Queensland about 3 years ago. Apparently the blades are hitting something when revved up. 

[woody paul]

37 minutes ago, kimtree said:

does anyone know where in the UK i could get bearings for a 2010 CS100 with a serial number in the 10000 era.

It was my machine from new but i gave it to a mate who moved to Queensland about 3 years ago. Apparently the blades are hitting something when revved up. 

Any good bearing supplier should be able to supply once they see them. 

[kimtree]

29 minutes ago, woody paul said:

Any good bearing supplier should be able to supply once they see them. 

There's none in Australia from what i've been told apparently, there are a close tolerance bearing 

[Jacktrades]

Anyone got one of the new angular looking Skarper chippers? I've read all about how they started as a rebadge Haecksler 3 but they seems to have remodelled now the c90 is discontinued? 

[green heart]

 

Not sure of any Heacksler or Scarpur dealers in Manchester/NW, so no experience, sorry.

 

But -we did have a Christmas cracker of an 'educational day' using a Forest master Professional 14hp chipper this week. Read on.. 

 

My Review/comments are moderated (for legal reasons!).. and based on a couple of decades of owning/using 4-8'' chippers for our work. 

We had also previously repaired and used a customer's (new) Forest master 6 hp chipper, which was ok-ish (considering it's size and for 'home use').

 

So after some consideration, we bought a 14hp direct drive 'Professional' unit (with less than 5 hours use), for one VERY awkward-access back garden job.

My plan was to make/fabricate some obvious improvements to the input and output shutes -something that Forest Master's Tech director wouldn't agree to consider, on a potential new 18hp machine. 

 

Once on site, mostly chipping up weeping willow, the machine (almost) lasted for just 4 hours of use.

 

In that time, we noted : 

A serious LOT of machine vibration -and noise too.

We (partially) bent/broke one blade.

Multiple engine fixings and lock-nuts rattled off/sheared off.

Multiple broken welds on the output Shute -it was unusable and destroyed in the 4 hours work. 

3 broken welds on input hopper flange welds -it actually fell apart, preventing any further safe use on our site.

So then, short and sweet !

 

And, in fair defence of this unit:

It has a VERY low centre of gravity -so is very stable.

Light enough at 120 kg, for 2 men to just get it up and down a big 45° slope.

Narrow enough to take through the customer's house doorway.

It also chipped up willow at an impressive rate, though I'd be nervous about feeding it much over 3'' diameter, in hindsight. 

I liked that strangely familiar very shiny orange paintwork.. 🫢

 

It appears customer reviews of their machines must be invited by Forest Master -so I'm unable to submit one, anyway..

Would I recommend/buy another one:  Sadly, er, not really. 

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

Willow's usually nice easy chipping, too. Not like you fed it yew or something with a bit of bite.

[nepia]

On 14/09/2025 at 13:17, kimtree said:

does anyone know where in the UK i could get bearings for a 2010 CS100 with a serial number in the 10000 era.

It was my machine from new but i gave it to a mate who moved to Queensland about 3 years ago. Apparently the blades are hitting something when revved up. 

@kimtree

I'm probably off the mark here but when the blades of my Jo Beau are worn down to the max the heads of the blade retaining bolts rattle against the anvil.  Could your mate's issue be end of life blades rather than the blades themselves hitting something?