Re building a hydraulic in feed on an old chipper.

[Goose IBEW]

I have got my old Badger chipper running pretty good over the course of the winter. So good in fact, I am confident in deeming money spent on rebuilding the infeed system to be a good idea.

The in feed rollers are shot, at one point, someone tried to build up the points with welds but never re ground the welds to new points. It also looks like the shafts that go through the in feed wheels are scored from being run in bad bearings. The lower hydraulic motor flops around and both of them look like they have had hacked welding repairs in the past. Can you measure these in feed wheels and buy generic new ones with the shafts and bearings as a kit? Worst case, I can tidy up the points and put new shafts through the drums I have. That way I can size up the bearings to the new round stock that I use.

Once I get the in feed rollers rolling properly, I need to address the hydraulic system. Like I said, the lower motor flops around and I haven't taken it apart to see if I can even figure out the proper way to attach it. I also need a new speed control valve as the one on there apparantly broke and has been bypassed. I would also like to put a pressure gauge on the hydraulic system so you will be able to see when an adjustment is necessary.

If anyone has had a similar scenario, I would be appreciative to hear how you went about fixing these problems. Thanks in advance.

 

[imagineero]

You'll get better advice if you post some detailed pictures showing the rollers, motors etc.

Shaun

 

[2treeornot2tree]

your gonna spend a fortune buying a complete kit. you can buy new teeth bars for your rollers for pretty cheap. i replaced mine 2 years ago. cut off the old ones, weld on the new ones. You can fix the shafts by welding the indents, and grinding them back round.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

I have done alot of projects to my old chipper. I built fenders, intake table, electric winch, hydraulic down pressure cylinder, and shorty will be adding a discharge chute crank. Its a labor of love. I like to be able to fabricate and make things better then they where. If you cant do alot of the stuff yourself, its gonna cost you a boat load. Heres a few pictures.

 

[Goose IBEW]

Here is a video I took today. You can see at the 38 second mark, the bottom wheel just stops. This happens so much that its a hindrance to production. Both the upper and lower wheels will get hung up.

The top hydraulic motor is very secure so when I disassemble it, I will rebuild the lower one to mimic what the upper one has as far as a connection goes. I am hoping that I can remove the drums, install new axles on them, get new pillow block bearings for them, grind the welds down to points on the teeth and attach the hydraulic motors the correct way. Once that is done, I was going to have my local hydraulic shop go over the system and install a new control valve.

Any insight on this is much appreciated.

1987 Badger chipper, worn in feed. - YouTube

 

[2treeornot2tree]

It looks like mount for the bottom motor needs to be tightened or fixxed, which when you do so, i bet it will fix the problem of the wheel stoping. I have a funny feeling the wheel is stoping because the shaft is moving enough to disengage the keyway and the motor is still turning.

 

[Goose IBEW]

Thanks, just knowing that you can buy the teeth will save me plenty of work. I am well versed with welding and fab work so nothing here really frightens me. The bearings and hydraulic motors will be new to me, looks kind of simple though.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Thanks, just knowing that you can buy the teeth will save me plenty of work. I am well versed with welding and fab work so nothing here really frightens me. The bearings and hydraulic motors will be new to me, looks kind of simple though.

I would fix the wooble issue first, then if the bottom wheel still stops, let the hydraulic shop rebuild the motors.

The bearings are pretty easy, you will probably have to cut off the old ones with a torch.