Got our Brush Bandit this week!

We sortof traded in the Morbark. They offered $12,000 on a trade in. But they also offered to sell it on 0% commission consignment. They're thinking they can get $17,000 for it if I'm willing to wait, which I am.

So that's what we're going. Waiting for Cal-line to find a buyer. They just shipped it up to their NorCal office this week.

Anyone want it?! I'll sell it for $16,000 to a tree houser!


love
nick

Haha, hope one of bad competitors buys it. I'll smile everytime I see it

When you see it, you'll know it was ours. Pretty sure you're not gonna ever see another Ice Blue Morbark!


love
nick

I call that baby blue but if ice blue feels more manly, go ahead, I won't tell many people...

Merle Nelson said:

OMG Cory what's a person to do? Try and get most accurate info from someone (clutch manufacturer ?) because overheating it to to point of damage was said to be fairly easy and $700 or 900 in parts with labor and down time on top of it.

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WTF, anything on a machine that requires specific and uncommon procedure needs to have a big bold decal. But beyond that, nothing on a chipper that is used by tree people should be so delicate.

DMc said:

.. .nothing on a chipper that is used by tree people should be so delicate.

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Agreed. It is hard to believe, for example, that the chipper should'nt be roaded with the chute backwards. Lotta chippers are lucky to not be roaded with the chute sideways, clipping whatever as they travel down the road.

Amen brothas

DMc said:

WTF, anything on a machine that requires specific and uncommon procedure needs to have a big bold decal. But beyond that, nothing on a chipper that is used by tree people should be so delicate.

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Dave, you should see all the labels, instructions, and warnings on my Bandit. No special starting procedure or delicate parts that I found yet, but dang if they didn't label it!! I don't look forward to buying the sticker kit when we re-paint it!



Congrats on the new iron, Nick.
I think you'll love it.

Can't drive it with the chute backwards? That's ridiculous.


love
nick

A simple after market support is worth the money, IMO. The SPs BB250 had a cradle like the boom on the bucket truck. Crank the chute down into place, no bouncing.

Yeah bounce was the thing they thought was causing more breakage when transported in a backwards position. That is, they said that with the chute aimed backwards it had the bulk of it behind the wheels and was experiencing more bounce than when aimed forward. Of course if a persons truck can't work with that then it can't. I would take the principal at hand and find a work around, along your line of thinking Sean.

The info I am referring to came from CalLine Equipment. They put on a program called Chipper Safety Training that had a lot of good safety tips and info and then about half the day was tips and info on chipper maintenance. I found it very useful and well put together, and, bonus - about 6 ISA CEU's.

They had parts such as burnt up clutches laid out on tables to illustrate their points and so I tended to take a lot of what they had to say to heart.

SPs' cradle was built after the first cracked, I think.

Clutch engagement:

Cory is probably right that different clutches have different protocols to keep them in the best shape. It was delivered at that Chipper Safety class to do it this one way. Bumping ten times was a surprise to me as I had always thought of engaging clutches on older chippers I was used to as just getting the chipper head spinning with as few 'bumps' as possible. If an engine would have taken it in one motion I would have done that like on a vehicle but, as it wouldn't I usually brought it online in 3 or 4 'bumps.'

My Bandit 90XP has a Twin Disc clutch. Tried looking at the owners manual-no recommended start up procedure. Went to Twin Disc's web sight and their own Youtube vids-no recommendations. Called Twin Disc to inquired and was handed over to an engineer. Asked him about engagement procedure and the first thing he wanted to know was my specific clutch/PTO numbers. Gave him all that and long moments of silence later I tried telling him I just wanted to know general best practices. My engine has 50 horse power, some guys chippers have 250 HP, I just want to know what's best for the clutches in general. Long moments of silence later he asked for my contact info so he could look something up and email me something. (I resisted saying, "You've never engaged one of these clutches have you?")

He did correct me about the second time I referred to the clutch as 'ceramic'. He said they are not ceramic they are composite. Ok, his email came through.

"Merle,

I have included some reference material from our conversation earlier today. I would recommend to continue to bump the clutch up to speed (3 bumps should be sufficient). Generally a clutch this small is on drills and other types of machining equipment which can be engaged in one action. For a wood chipper however, you have a lot more mass that has to get up to speed to it will generate more heat to get there so bumping to would be the best method for now. Ensure that you keep the clutch adjusted properly to maximize the life of the clutch. Adjustment procedures are in the manual"

In our conversation he said the clutch will engage in one motion, the only reason not to do that is if it is killing your engine. So between his verbal thoughts and his email I would say we need to decide how best to work the balance point between the mass of steel we are trying to spin up to speed and killing the engine. (I just think he underestimates what it takes to get our chippers from zero up to idling revs. But that is me.)

Cory, on a finer point of heat build up, when CalLine recommended around 10 bumps in that chipper class I roughly equated it to braking when going down a long hill. If I brake for 3 or 4 periods of longer duration to get down that hill at a safe speed I would expect that to produce and store more heat in my brakes than if I 'pumped the brakes' 10 times in going down that same hill. Shorter periods of time and allowing them to cool for moments in between equals cooler brakes. Does that make sense? And do you think it roughly equates to how clutch would build up heat?

sotc said:

I call that baby blue but if ice blue feels more manly, go ahead, I won't tell many people...

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Willie, have I told you lately that I love you?

In a totally manly way, of course.


You simply have a way with words that gets me.

Merle Nelson said:

Bumping ten times was a surprise to me as I always thought of engaging clutches on older chippers as just getting the chipper head spinning with as few 'bumps' as possible. ?

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Same here, Merle.

So the engineer agreed 3 bumps approx should be good, true?

Funny you mention the braking on a hill analogy, I've never been sure of the correct answer there. I'll google it.

Re clutch bumping, couldn't you argue that 10 little bumps could = 3 big bumps, because it will take X amount of friction to get the drum turning, so if each consecutive bump adds some rpm to the drum, the total amount of friction created will be the same with either method?

You could argue that. I just think the less slipping, the less heat caused, the less duration at one time the better. I THINK I can slip it less with more bumps and it will cool just a little between bumps - but not sure.

He said 3 bumps but..... I think he is not personally, functionally, in touch with what it takes for an engine to bring the hundreds of pounds of 'flywheel' steel up to speed. You and I knew more about that in the first handful of times we fired up a chipper - I suspect. Otherwise he would have said do this and do that without any hesitation. And my chipper will have to be slipped a LOT more if I did only three bumps.

I have gone down hills and followed people who rode their brakes near non-stop and I was off and on mine. Pretty soon I'm smelling linings from their truck. I have done similarly and thought I was pushing my brakes pretty hard and smelt other peoples and then stopped and felt mine to be only very warm but not smoking hot. I'll be interested in your google results. Always like learning how to do something better.

Set a target speed. When you reach it, brake until you have dropped five miles per hour. Rinse and repeat. That is what is taught in the CDL books.

That makes sense, Dave.

The G search was kinda inconclusive. We all know not to ride the brakes down a hill.

Thats a clear simple rule.

Its gotta be to be taught.

stig said:

Willie, have I told you lately that I love you?

In a totally manly way, of course.


You simply have a way with words that gets me.

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like I love steak?

Gen. Douglas MacArthur said something like, 'It is not enough to give instructions that can be understood, you must give instructions that cannot be misunderstood'

Seems to me that glazing would be the issue. And that is avoided by
a) a smooth(knowing when/where the start of engagement is) firm bump(you want some engagement being firm with it allows less slipping) less slipping = less glazed over.
Keeping the adjustment correct is likely the most important on a over center style lock in engagement.
And congrats Nick! Hope this one serves you better.

cory said:

That makes sense, Dave.

The G search was kinda inconclusive. We all know not to ride the brakes down a hill.

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You would think Cory. My rope man is also the guy that drives the chip truck. He's been complaining that his brakes get hot all the time. Mechanic checked everything and nothing was bad. He told him to learn how to brake properly and downshift once in a while.

Man, Rich. What a hard-ass...expecting people to do things the 'right' way, rather than damage another's expensive stuff!