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 | Jeff B
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2001-03-02 24924
I'm looking at purchasing a PTO driven chipper for my TC33D. The models that I'm considering include the Bear Cat 74554, Vermeer BC606 PTO, Danuser 2469P, Befco BM6 800, and Valby CH 160. Does anyone have comments on any of these units? -JeffB
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| Dave Wells
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2001-03-02 24932
Jeff,
I have a Bearcat model 70554 Chipper/Shredder. As I recall, it's the same as the 74554, except the 74554 is a Chipper only, whereas the 70554 is a Chipper/Shredder. I use it on a JD4100Hydro, which is a 20HP Engine /16HP PTO machine. I also have the single speed blower option for the 70554. I purchased the unit last September (2000) and consequently I haven't used it a lot yet. But I can tell you a few things about it. First off, it's a solid, heavy duty unit. I think the flywheel is about 140lbs - a lot of energy there to insure that it doesn't get bogged down when using it. There are two blower options available - a 1-speed and a 2-speed. I have the 1-speed, and I have used it to shred and blow straw over a freshly seeded area. As I recall, it would blow the straw about 20-30 feet pretty easily. There is also a vacumn kit available for it, but according to Bearcat, if you want to use that option you really should get the 2-speed blower. And in order to use the vacumn, you have to have one of the blower's installed - the blower is what actually creates the vacumn. I haven't done much chipping with it, and what I have done is small stuff - I don't plan to chip 5" logs (we call that firewood!) with it, even though it would handle those. The real benefit of that much capacity is that you don't have to trim branches as much - a real time and labor saver. I think the unit is "rated" for a 16HP PTO minimum - if you get the 2-speed blower, you might need a little more PTO HP to run it. Mine with the 1-speed blower runs okay with my tractor - it takes it a minute to come up to speed, and of course it also takes a minute to slow down after you stop the PTO. One thing I don't know about is whether or not it would be worth getting an "overrun clutch". I don't think that an overrun clutch for the PTO is very expensive, so I'll probably get one this year, thinking better safe than sorry. Bearcat also has different sized output screens available for it - allows you to change the size of the chips you create. I haven't priced those yet - the standard screen works just fine for what I want. Also, it looks like replacing the screen would take a little effort - it's bolted into the bottom of the frame. From reading other posts on Chipper/Shredders, a hydraulic infeed is really nice - and really expensive. I don't think that option is available for these units. BTW, when I priced the units, the price difference between the two models was only $100 - in other words I got the shredder for an additional $100. I would definitely suggest that you consider getting the 70554 Chipper/Shredder over the 74554 Chipper, if you can get it for that little a price difference. A few things to note: a "pushblock" for helping feed material into the shredder was not included - it was a purchase option. Given that Bearcat provided safety glasses, I think the pushblock should have been included for safety reasons. The chipper feed tube doesn't have any kind of flap to prevent material from being thrown back out - I cut a couple of pieces of thick rubber and made my own. Finally, I would have designed the ouput tube a little differently, to make it more easy to rotate and to tighten down once set. Keep in mind that Chipper/Shredders can be EXTREMELY dangerous, so make sure that you get into good safety habits with it. Overall, I'm satisfied with the unit, and given the same situation again, I'd buy it again. Hope that helps - Dave Wells ....
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| Chris in IN
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2001-03-02 24935
I have a Befco chipper shredder.It is just like the BM6 800 except mine has a shredder unit mounted on the back. They no longer offer the shredder. I bought it last spring. It was used but like new. I have been very happy with it. I use it on a John Deere 4400. I have seen the Danuser units at shows & they look like nice units also. ....
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| Glenn
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2001-03-03 24950
I have a Valby Model 140 chipper which I use with my John Deere Model 670 tractor (18 HP; 16.5 HP PTO). The Model 140 is direct drive; the Model 160 has a belt to incease the rpms of the disk. This is desirable; the Model 140 will plug up rather easily because the disk is not turning fast enough to really throw out the chips and brush. It never clogs with chips; only with juniper needles, leaves and vines--and then when they are damp and/or moldy. Other than that I am pleased with the Valby. It is really heavy duty: thick steel plating, super-heavy roller bearings, 220 pound disk, two 4 x 8 inch knives, low-mounted chute (much safer), very nicely assembled (everything positioned correctly and the welding excellent), knives easily changed. This is actually a small commercial machine. I have cut large limbs and small tree trunks up to 5 inches easily. I don't have a power feed so I control the intake rate by hand; naturally this also means that I have to stand there and feed everything and this really slows things down. I estimate that the machine will pay for itself in about a year (calculated on the basis of renting a chipper locally for $100 a day and not considering hiring anyone to help). I will never wear out this machine; it's bulletproof. I mount it on the back of a Quick Hitch and because of the 600 pound weight of the chipper the front end of the tractor becomes very light even with 200 pounds of suitcase weights on the front. ....
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