Vermeer BC700XL Chipper.

Steve Mack

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New England Region, North NSW. Australia.
Anyone tried on of these yet? http://www.vermeer.com.au/new-equipment-details.php?ProductID=896&CategoryID=78

My chipper is still in Sydney and I needed one yesterday so I hired on of these, unfortunatly I didn't run it before I got to the job.

Started up ok but the feed roller wouldn't work, thought it was just me at first but ended up taking it back. Left there with the mecanic scratching his head.

Nice little chipper though, infeed is 8", a lot better than the old 6". Be a perfect size for me here, not that I'm planning on buying a new chipper.

Can't do that job till next week now so I'll have to wait and see how it goes then.


Please don't turn this into a Vermeer knocking thread, we've been through that before.

Armidale trip 7 April 17 027.jpg
 
It looks compact. Nice for going into tight places. Put a good size tire with swivel on the tongue jack and two guys can push that back into places where the brush is.
 
Don't Greenmech sell chippers in Oz, they're rebranded as something else.

They have machines that'll knock spots off that, too heavy, too gutless.
 
I know nothing about the newer BC7 but we have been using the BC6 for the last 16 years. Super simple machine with low parts count. It has never let us down and makes great chips with that 90 deg cutting disk. The small engine just sips gas even though we had the auto feed removed after we first demoed it. It can work hard if you let it.

IF, all you need is a small chipper, they work well.
 
Mick, what makes the greenmech so much better?

Because you'll get more horses for the same weight.

25 is just not enough, I know I've had 2x25 hp machines, they're ok but slow you down.

I look at a lot of machines and I reckon the US manufacturers make top heavyweight equipment.
When you have to operate to weight or power restrictions you miss by a mile.

http://www.greenmech.co.uk/products/quadchip-160/

This is under 750 kg, (no idea how many groats, lambs tails or whatever you guys use to measure weight that makes) on a turntable 35hp kubota diesel, great machine. Not made to the same standards build wise but performance wise light years ahead.
 
Wow, that Greenmech looks like a tidy package. How on earth do they get it so light!!
 
They have to, the law says that to pull a trailer more than 750kgs you have to pass another test, so, as this industry uses younger people for the most part without the relevant licence, manufacturers know that these sell well.

They use lighter components I guess, I had a sub 750kg chipper, with the same motor for 15 years, sold it for £3000.

The new (ish) Timberwolf has a 8.5inch letterbox opening, still under 750kg, I used one in the UK recently. Brilliant bit of kit.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lBucZKrSM-Q
 
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  • #12
Wow, off topic after four posts. That must be some sort of record, thanks Mike.

I know you've had a good run with yours Dave.

What I really wanted to know was has anyone run one of these, seeing as I didn't get to yet. It was a fuse evidently, that's what I thought but couldn't find where it was.

Got it booked for Monday so I'll see how it goes then. There was a guy using it one street away a few months ago on a big fallen tree, I was really busy here and by the time I got there he was gone but he sure put some stuff through it. Big pile of chips.
 
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  • #13
Well I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy one. But it went alright, once you get used to the stupid safety bar and the knives were blunt. Crap chips, so I had a look and I'd say someone fed a few rocks through it. I've never run a chipper that blunt.

Never been one for hiring stuff, last thing I hired was a jack hammer about '79. That wasn't blunt.

About six hours just chipping, fair bit of dead wattle (that's hard) and a mix of other stuff and it went alright considering. Tows well, you wouldn't know it's there.
 
We've been at Agfest today, massive field days event, the manufacturer of my chipper Chipstar has a stand so we went along to talk to them.
Met the owner who is also the builder and head mechanic, I showed him pictures of my 150 MX and he was happily able to talk me through setting it up properly,the pulse emission counter it probably not set right,which leads to the revcounter not displaying correctly, going to set that them he'll talk us through setting the autofeed properly, and. By the way, the knives in it are too small.
He was very happy to help us get everything right and will even send us the hydraulic schematics. Pretty nice of him considering my unit is a long time from being sold out of his factory!
I had tried in vain to getthis info before over the phone, face to face did the trick! It was with the $50 entry fee to the show just to meet them and talk
 
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  • #18
Glad you got that info, you should notice a big difference when you get it all sorted.

I've said it before but if I was buying another chipper it'd be a Chipstar.

I can't go to those shows anymore unless I win the lottery.
 
Yeah, bring a bit of. Cash for little things and leave the plastic at home!
 
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