vermeer 600 won't keep up

[Definitive Dave]

Bought used very inexpensively and had rebuilt by a local rental company that owns 4 of them and maintains them religiously. Took it to Vermeer for a check up and to fix a slow feed problem that turned out to be an old part from a different model.

So it runs great chips up a storm all year so far.
On the last job it seems to chip strongly, but as the larger branches (4-5" stuff) are about half way in the engine doesn't run stronger to keep up the blade speed it actually seems to drop to an idle until you baby step the branch the rest of the way and then it slowly comes back up to speed.
a complete WTF moment for me
rented a 1000xl to finish job (wow what a beast) and am renting it for another job tomorrow, but any ideas what is going on with the ol Vermeer? It has the Honda engine and when Vermeer looked at it this spring they said it was a first rate rebuild, as good as they would do and wanted to hire my local guy
Dave

 

[loghogbaby]

Isn't the 600 a 6" gas and the 1100 a 10" diesel?

 

[AKDoug]

You are checking your hydraulic fluid and changing the filters, right?

 

[Definitive Dave]

Isn't the 600 a 6" gas and the 1100 a 10" diesel?

yeah my 600 is a 6", the 1000 is a 12" diesel, it is a beast, but a bit pricy for the smallish amount of tree work we do

 

[Definitive Dave]

You are checking your hydraulic fluid and changing the filters, right?

We check all the fluids daily (when we use it), about 10 days use since spring, hadn't thought of the hydro filter(s), how often do they need changing?
Dave

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Been a long time since I ran a 600, but it sounds like your autofeed isn't working right if it keeps trying to feed when the rpm's drop. We had that problem on a couple of 1500s. Jeff

 

[TRISTATEFORESTRYEQUIPMENT]

a 600 is a typical home owner rental machine,
now for the bc1000, it may seem like a beast next to your 600 but do some research before you ever attempt purchasing one,. those machines are the worst machines on earth once they get about 1000 hours on them they fall apart. good luck


thanks joe

TriState Forestry Equipment - Home

 

[CalTreeEquip]

I have never heard anyone refer to the BC1000 as a "beast". However I have seen plenty with 3000 or 4000 hours on them and they seem to hold up ok. Having said that I never buy one without inspecting the engine and drum first.

Don't know what's wrong with this BC600 but hearing that its lacking power is about typical.
The 24 hp Honda is just about the worst engine ever. I won't buy anything with them anymore unless I'm figuring on replacing it with a Kohler.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

Don't let people scare you off a BC1000 especially an older one. Iv'e put over 1500 hours on mine and it has over 3,000 hours with very few problems. Its been a great chipper. Just keep up on the maintenance.

Mike

 

[UpperCanadaTree]

Check that the governor is working properly. Broken spring, linkage fell off etc. That could be a cause of the problem.

 

[Torquin]

I'd be looking at the fuel filter first, and maybe the fuel pump, then the governor. It sounds like it isn't getting enough fuel when it counts (under load), for one of those reasons.

Chris