Vermeer 1250 Chipper Feeding Problem(s)

[StihlRockin']

The vertical feeding wheels on my chipper seem to have no power. It's suppose to be able to take logs up to 12", but I never go that large. When I'm chipping brush the rollers often stop completely when too much brush is being feed or too large a branch. Trust me, I'm coming no where near it's capacity. It's become so bad that an operator has to sit there and back out the branch and re-introduce about 25% of all brush being fed in. Even small and medium branches with forks in them don't feed well and all forks have to be cut off now.

As you look into the shoot/hopper you will see the vertical rollers spinning. There's an adjustment for speed from 1-10. I have it set at about 7.5. The left roller is the one that spreads. The right side sits stationary.

Also what frequently happens is the rollers turn, but don't seem to grip the brush. Which brings another question:

Do the blades on the rollers need to be sharpened a bit? If so, to what specifications?

Hydraulic reservoir is almost full, so there's ample fluid. Pulley belt up front of engine is tight.

What could be the problem? Is or are there adjustments that can be made? If there's something wearing out, what could it be?

StihlRockin'

 

[old_soul]

We have a 1250 it does the same thing sometimes. Usually when the knives are dull. Try putting on a new set of knives and see if that helps. When this machine is dull it never wants to feed right. I've noticed over the years. Wood, trunks will still chip fine but the brush feeds just as you describe


Also maybe feed roller spriing needs tightened at top of rollers.....

 

[CalTreeEquip]

Could be a couple things. First turn up the feed rate valve all they way, that is max power and will probably fix the problem. Next check the bearing on the left side, if its worn you could be loosing power through friction. Next, your control valve, pressure relief valve or even the pump could be worn. Have a pressure test done on the hydraulic system, that will tell you where you are loosing power.
As for the feed drum blades, the sharper they are the better they will grip. If there is little or no edge then they are not going to work very well.
You can sharpen them with a 4.5" grinder I think but I have never had to do that.

 

[StihlRockin']

I've thought of some of those troubleshooting tips and will take care of them accordingly. As for the more technical issues, I'll have to talk to a Stihl mechanic on the phone to get further technical advice... like what pressure is needed to assume the pump is good and how to test, etc.

The blades on them were dull, very dull. The chipper has 2 8" blades and 2 12" blades. I'll change them out with sharp blades. As for the roller blades, they are very dull as well and we'll see about getting my side-grinder in there and touch them up a bit. I wasn't sure, but it seemed there was plenty of room for adjustment on top of the roller pulley wheel. I'll tighten it up and see if that helps.

Thank you again for your assistance in my on-going problems. LOL!

StihlRockin'

 

[Gregory B]

I've thought of some of those troubleshooting tips and will take care of them accordingly. As for the more technical issues, I'll have to talk to a Stihl mechanic on the phone to get further technical advice... like what pressure is needed to assume the pump is good and how to test, etc.

The blades on them were dull, very dull. The chipper has 2 8" blades and 2 12" blades. I'll change them out with sharp blades. As for the roller blades, they are very dull as well and we'll see about getting my side-grinder in there and touch them up a bit. I wasn't sure, but it seemed there was plenty of room for adjustment on top of the roller pulley wheel. I'll tighten it up and see if that helps.

Thank you again for your assistance in my on-going problems. LOL!

StihlRockin'

 

[Gregory B]

What solution did you ever figure out to your Vermeer 1250 not feeding properly?