How Often To Change Chipper Blades?

[Beast12]

Does anyone have an approximate time of how often to change chipper blades. I do understand it all depends on what you are chipping and also how much rocks and things the guys are throwing in the machine.

It is fairly easy to tell when they need to be changed on a chuck and duck chipper ("Why won't this dead Oak chip?!?!") :-D

But, with an auto feed chipper it is a bit harder to tell. So, any ideas?

-Matt

 

[Thor's Hammer]

On my big chippers, producing chip commercially, Ive been known to change them every 4 hours. On tree service work usually once a week.

 

[Husky137]

When they are dull.

 

[Xtra]

Per Morbark . . . 50 - 60 hours per side on a drum-style chipper or 25 - 30 hours on a disc-style chipper.

http://www.morbark.com/Service/Brush Chipper Knives.pdf

I check the knives weekly for chips/cracks and change them when dull.

 

[ropensaddle]

Depends on what the chipping is like but I will
get three to six months on my whisper chipper
and change when it quits taking it in good.
I will not put rakings in my chipper and that
will dull blades faster as well as muddy brush!

 

[ASD]

on our track chipper at the end of evry day or sooner if needed

on our wheeled units every 40 hr. or sooner if needed

 

[begleytree]

Depends on what the chipping is like but I will
get three to six months on my whisper chipper
and change when it quits taking it in good.
I will not put rakings in my chipper and that
will dull blades faster as well as muddy brush!

yup, when they get dull. changing blades sux imo, so why do it more often than you need to? on my disc I usually get about 3 months before its time again.
-Ralph

 

[kennertree]

I usually get 50 hours a side on my knives. Just dont throw rakings in, they eat knives.

 

[gdn]

we get approx 25hrs a side for the blades in our morbarks. if we keep chipping with dull blades they tend to shatter at points and end up in the back of the chipper truck. maybe our boss is buying cheap ones though. alot of rakings go through the machines.

our morbarks are drums, one with 4 blades the other with 2.

 

[IATreeguy]

On the Vermeer BC1000XL we can get at least 50 hours IF the rakings go directly into the truck. This machine is a bit temperamental on drum balance. We sharpen the knives only once and then replace. This is a great machine for a small operator.