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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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kleinchris
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 269 Westminster, Texas
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2007-07-30          144197

Okay all, I am looking for a wood chipper that will tear some s*** up- No other way to put it. What I would really like is a Vermeer 12" but I can't afford the $30,000. What I can afford is about $10,000. Do I have any chance of getting a PTO machine that will really produce for that price? It will be switching back and forth betreen two JD 5303 tractors. I want all the feed back I can get.

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-07-30          144198

We do a bunch of clearing and chipping work on a pretty regular basis.

IMHO, a 12" chipper running any kind of 'real' wood through it, is going to choke anything less than about an 85hp tractor.

Our smaller tow-behind units are 85hp turbo Cummins powered and when you feed stuff to them they really lug down still, and every single one of those ponies is going to chewing up wood.

A smaller PTO-driven one will work, but you may spend a bit of time waiting for it, and trimming the bigger stuff or clearing jams.

Best of luck. ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-07-30          144201

I bought a used gas 85hp Bandit 12" chipper for $9k. It doesn't have the torque of a diesel and like Murf's diesels it will bog down when feeding the bigger stuff. I wouldn't want any less power on a 12" unit. ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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kleinchris
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 269 Westminster, Texas
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2007-07-30          144202

The spec sheet says that my 5303 has 60 hp and 51 pto hp, so I am assuming I have 51 hp to work with. Anybody have a guess what size of machine I can power with that? I saw a larger machine on a web site that says it could run off of any tractor 35 hp or higher, but I imagine it's going to run alot better on a 80 hp than a 40 hp. (attachment) ....


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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-07-31          144203

Kleinchris,

The model 810 spec sheet states that this model has a feed chute monitoring system, which stops the feed roller when the RPMs drop. This is a very nice feature, and this is why it will operate with only a 35hp tractor attached.

Without the feed chute monitoring system, a smaller tractor would never be able to chew up the wood fast enough.

Your tractor has much more horsepower than the minimum needed to operate the model 810 chipper. I don't see how you could go wrong with this machine.

Joel ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-07-31          144210

Joel touched on a very good but often misunderstood point.

The ratio between PTO horsepower and implement size is NOT an absolute set in stone figure.

You can run a much larger implement than the manufacturer 'recomends' for a certain size tractor in most cases, you just will NOT be able to run it at full capacity. For instance, I have a client who uses several 20hp (PTO) tractors with 7' finish mowers to maintain a large turf area. The hook is that the ground is pretty flat and the grass is constantly being cut, so it is never long enough to present a big load on the tractor.

The same goes with a chipper, you COULD put a 12" chipper on the back of a tractor with just 50 PTO hp. But you certainly will NOT "tear some s*** up" with it. It will be slow, and will have to be constantly monitored to prevent overload or jamming up.

In our case, time is money, so I want to make sure that the chipper swallows everything that comes it's way without even pausing long enough to burp! For a homeowner that is not necessarily something they will need, or be willing to pay for either!

The bottom line is that, efficiency aside, it comes down to a purely scientific answer, X number of horsepower is only going to perform Y amount of work per hour, period.

Best of luck. ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-07-31          144216

Murf,

You're absolutely correct, Sir. The 810 chipper mounted on a 50hp tractor will certainly burp a few times when asked to perform at maximum capacity.

I read the spec sheet on the 810 chipper, and I'm impressed with the size and weight of the machine.....especially the flywheel. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the flywheel on this chipper weighs in at over 600 pounds, and has four very large and adjustable blades on it.

It's going to chew some ***t up, even with a smaller tractor attached to it. It's not easy to stop a 600 pound flywheel once it begins spinning, especially if the blades are maintained. The feed monitoring system is the key to making this machine work properly, even with the minimum horsepower tractor attached to it.

Yes, it will burp a few times on the larger stuff, but those large diameter pieces are short in length, allowing the machine to work at full capacity the majority of the time.

My problem is personal. I almost cry when I hear that someone is going to chop up a tree that's more than 6 inches in diameter. I'd give my left arm to have that firewood available for home heating. But, without my left arm, I'm not sure how I'd get the firewood into the house. There's always a catch. hehehe.

Joel
....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-07-31          144245

kleinchris, I hate to be the downer in this thread but my guess is that at times you may well be disappointed with the power. Any chance you can get a demo unit to try first? ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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kleinchris
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 269 Westminster, Texas
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2007-08-01          144278

kwschumm
I'm way ahead of you as far as expecting to be disappointed. I'm planning on sharing this machine with another guy who has the same HP tractor. We both work for Y camps and figure the only way we can get our bosses to spring for something like this is to split the cost and spend about 1/3 of what we want to. On the plus side, somebody above metioned the 500 lb fly wheel and I'm guessing thats about the same size that comes on a 12" Vermeer. I'm so confused! Could be a great machine, or it could wind up sitting on my tractor while I spend all day cleaning out clogs. ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-08-02          144286

The purpose of the flywheel is to even out the power, it acts as a sort of reservoir, the momentum of that big mass spinning along helps to keep the speed up while feeding material in the chute.

While the momentum does help with momentary loads, it doesn't change the basic and underlying fact that it takes X amount of horsepower to do Y amount of work.

I would suggest that the chipper will work fine as long as nobody gets too carried away stuffing material into it. If it bogs down, stop and let it catch up, that's all.

We use chippers and tub grinders extensively ONLY because in our case there are few viable alternatives.

We do however, wherever possible, make alternate methods known and recommended to our clients. For instance, we often suggest that a small fenced off area be created near the road where the public is invited in to cut up wood we stacked there for firewood, thus limiting the amount we need to chip up. Bear in mind, our largest chipper will take an entire tree, up to about 3' in diameter.

We also often suggest contacting local logging contractors and sawmill operators, many smaller ones will come out for just a couple of trees. What they don't want is offered to local firewood producers. Why pay to cut and chip material that can be sold even if only for a few bucks.

Finally, a word of advise, anything less than a BIG chipper can be slow at dealing with very much brush. I have a small PTO chipper that I rarely use, mostly because what would take a day to chip can be burnt in an hour, and with a whole bunch less aggravation, a fire rarely jams up. ;)

Best of luck. ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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botics
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2007-08-02          144297

I am kinda in the same situation although I keep coming back to Bearcat. Some may say they are not that good or they have their issues, but I cannot tell you how many times this week I have personally spoken to the service department and engineering department for Bearcat.

I have left a few messages and all phone calls were returned in a timely fashion- and my questions were asked. There is something about the Bearcat product that keeps me coming back for more. I have owend the 72854 and I must say that is an impressive unit. I currently am looking at the 73554 and the 76854 (16 blade 9" unit)...

I know it is just a matter of days but I will be bringing home another Bearcat. ....

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PTO chipper for John Deere JD 5303

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kleinchris
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 269 Westminster, Texas
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2007-08-02          144300

Has anybody ever seen a county/state road and bridge crew using a PTO powered chipper? I figure that those guys wouldnt mess with a machine if it didnt produce. ....

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