Are Timberwolf chippers really that good ??

[White Noise]

HA yeah, drill a hole in the outer casing and tap a thread that will take a grease nipple.

 

Job done give me £90 + VAT per bearing, guaranteed to last longer* than a standard bearing.

 

 

 

 

 

* May depend on the weather and or seismic activety.

 

50/50 Partner

[TREE-SURGEON-ESSEX]

:001_tt2:I have a 24hp 150 6 inch, love it better then the diesel 150 in so many ways only downside is 11hp less which only notices above 4 inches.

 

Im told the bearings on my little 24hp should last alot longer then the diesel 150 as the diesel 150 will keep chipping on blunt blades whereas the 24hp will make it clear its time to change the blade and sharper blades work the bearings less.

 

So bearing failure is alot to do with crews not looking after the company chipper putting crap through them including metal, remember most crews wont own up to it so the rep for crap bearings is more to do with lack of care. These may be tough machines but they dont like being abused.

 

I know alot of schliesings which fell apart from being abused one was new when i got my 8 year old tw24/150 and its been heavily rebuilt twice now mines still not missed a beat ?.

 

Bad TW no bad operators imo

[Theocus]

I have just got rid of my 150 dbh, it was a great machine and a bargain when i bought it. It was sold with 480 hrs on it and i had not needed to replace the bearings, the fins were starting to wear a little and the shear plate needed adjusting. The engine was solid and always worked. The brakes needed replacing twice due to cable seizures and overheating.

I now have a vermeer bc200xl and that is a great machine but a little heavy in comparison.

[Dean O]

Its frustrating that timberwolf themselves seem to be aware of what many of us see as the largest problem with this brand.

Having spoke to both timberwolf and green mech at the show with an eye to buying - although having ever used a green mech before i found myself swaying towards the new quad chip.

however in the real world there is no dealer back up in my part of the world at the moment and this could be an issue.

[armchairarborist]

mines got less than 350hrs on so fingers crossed.. or is it worth changing them before they go? i think the manual says something like change every 2yrs if its getting constant heavy use..

Edited October 3, 2010 by armchairarborist
no reason given

[daveindales]

Iv'e had my 2001 entec for about five years now. No problems with the bearing yet. Been a great machine. Mine's the 25hp petrol one. Would buy another

[benedmonds]

Did you see this thread?

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/large-equipment/18752-very-scary-expensive.html

 

To be fair to TW they were very keen fix it and find out what went wrong. We had it back on the road in a week (about £3k bill). The housing is thicker now..

 

They provided a comprehensive report which told us very little.. I'll dig it out and post the findings

[Tree cutter Stu]

Did you see this thread?

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/large-equipment/18752-very-scary-expensive.html

 

To be fair to TW they were very keen fix it and find out what went wrong. We had it back on the road in a week (about £3k bill). The housing is thicker now..

 

They provided a comprehensive report which told us very little.. I'll dig it out and post the findings

 

did they do the work for free or did you foot the bill ???

[tommer9]

I think the bottom line is that they are a budget chipper, and that is why you see so many of them around. When they are working they do a very good job, but being budget they are ineitably going to have problems. I dont think that a comparison to the likes of much heavier and much more expensive machines is realistic. For what they cost, they are a very good machine, and like all budget machines, maintainence is paramount, or repairs will be regular and costly.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I think the bottom line is that they are a budget chipper, and that is why you see so many of them around. When they are working they do a very good job, but being budget they are ineitably going to have problems. I dont think that a comparison to the likes of much heavier and much more expensive machines is realistic. For what they cost, they are a very good machine, and like all budget machines, maintainence is paramount, or repairs will be regular and costly.

 

Good post tom

 

Timberwolf along with a lot of other manufacturers have a lot to contend with.

 

Firstly they have to try to build a machine to satisfy a budget, which is difficult, then they have to build a machine that is robust and reliable and keep it sub 750kg which is extremely difficult.

 

If the rules change and the tow limit was raised to 1000kg it would take a huge amount of pressure off manufacturers and give us a more substantial and reliable machines for our money

 

At the end of the day you get what you pay for, simples

 

Just to add, if the chippers were serviced as they should be then the bearing problems would be picked up on the service schedule.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Dean Lofthouse