i got one of these good little chippers.I like the fact you can take it through garden gates on jobs if it is easier to take the machine to the material rather than vice versa.The blower throws quite a way if you don't put masses through and slow the revs down .Got to do the chipper blades next time i get rained off .Shredder blades could do with reversing as well .May get that done by the agent workshop .we shall see .Good vid thanks for posting .
Thanks for providing insight into how sharp those blades should be for better cutting performance. I bought a new Bearcat 70380 back in 2002 and replaced the blades a couple of times over the years but periodic sharpening makes more sense. Just a matter of finding the time!
I used my friends bearcat pto chipper on tractor a lot . Same design 5” with shredder . He complained how it didn’t stay sharp long . After using it first time I removed blades and hollow grinded them . Instead of straight edge very slight curve on edge . Was like a whole new chipper after that . Chipped anything much easier and stayed sharpe long time and pulled wood in much better . I do planer blades the same .
My cousin Nani has 1 down in Kukui...I learned that the branch shredder doesn't do well with Hau (How) unles you remove the bark. Hawaiian's used Hau bark for making rope & cordage the fibers get wrapped around the shaft and we end up frying belts. I now cut the branches up into short chunks & drop-um through the hopper. The Bearcat has it's weaknesses but we need it down in Kukui to make mulch for or Taro...the downside to me is less than the advantages...good video... Aloha, Chief
If you look at the place the blades are attached you can see a very small lip where the bottom edge goes. I think it is there to help with alignment but I find iinstallation is still a pain. I spend more time trying to reinstall the blades than actually sharpening them. The best method so far is to hold the blade upside down and use a short small stick in the hole nearest the edge of the chipping disk. Once the stick is in the blade hole you can rotate the blade around and use an awl through the shredder removal hole at back to hold the blade against the disk. You then fiddle to get the bolt in the other hole whole adjusting alignment with the stick. It would help if I had about 4 hands. It is still a challenge but its the best I've come up with so far.
www.crary.com/BearCatProducts/media/Manuals/Chipper-Shredders/Instructions_70085_Chipper-Shredders_17956-05-02-2018_0-Current_--1565727506677.pdf blower kit part number 70251
I have this model and have been trying to figure out how to change the flailers (the shredding knives). I see a hole on one side where I can push the rod out, but there is no corresponding hole on the other side for the rod to exit. If you can give me some help I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi jeffpicks, The unit works great, its just that I had one of the blades in backwards. Ever try to split wood with the back end of the axe? :) Now I haven't checked clearances as the unit worked from the start, but what part is the anvil? Its been some time since I've had my head inside the thing. I don't remember what that is.
Do you mean what grit of stone to use? I think if you finished off with a 1000 that would be sufficient. I have a 1000/4000 Japanese wet stone that I use. I recently picked up a DMT 3 stone kit which performs well on some framing chisels I use so I will try the chipper blades on those net time. I always recommend an operator resharpen with each use (4-6 hrs).
The chipper played Will dull a sharp edge really fast. That's a little Overkill most people just file them. Best blade on a lawn mower is used to file on. You can get spoiled with a grinder and take too much off it's hard to keep the angle
I don't think using the stones you used is overkill. I call it very good attention to detail. Chipper blades should be as sharp as they can since they go through serious punishment so the sharper the better. It is easier on your engine and cuts your work time down significantly. I used to take mine to a knife maker who used honing wheels to sharpen blades to a mirror finish. He worked on a set of chipper blades for me and there was a huge difference between what he did and the factory edge.
Start to finish, taking out the chipper blades, sharpening them and re-installing them takes 30 minutes. If you have a grinder/machine that can sharpen the blades quickly, you'll be able to cut your time in half. - Jim
hi jim, thanks for the video. just bought one of these chippers and my blades look like they have never been sharpened. any tips on how to remove the inner serated blades? i dont mind taking them to a shop but i dont have a pickup so i'll need to remove the whole rotating thing i suppose... any tips much appreciated.
Swinefeaster X You don't need to take the rotating thing (called the hammermill) out. You will see that those serrated knives and the steel spacers that separate them) are mounted on a long bolt. There is a hole in the orange steel cabinet that lines up perfectly with the long bolt. You have to loosen the bolt and slide it out carefully through that hole but not all the way out because its not necessary. You can pull on the long bolt from underneath the engine mount. Be careful as each steel collar and serr knife comes off. Remember their position on the bolt and the orientation. Its possible they've never been turned around so you might get away with simply flipping over the knives for this maintenance session.
Jim Barry Thank you Jim that makes a lot of sense. I think I found the hole, but rotating the hammermill doesnt tell me what type of bolt it is. Do you know what kind of tool I need to loosen this bolt?
Hi William, More or less. Its does its job, but when using the 1" screen to break up the pieces in the hammer mill, the chute just above the impeller does have a tendency to clog easily. Especially with green fir boughs. I suppose if the material was dryer and broke up easier, there may be less clogging. Our solution is to just slow the pace on infeeding a bit to allow for material to clear. I don't use this unit much now, because we have a 8" Bearcat model.
vectra123 You can. Check with your local dealer. Be prepared to pay A LOT. Mine was priced at about $800 CAD (about $678 USD). The mesh grate on mine has 1 inch holes, so if you feed too fast or too slow the chute has a tendency to block up. Keep a wrench handy as you will be shutting the machine down and removing the pipe on the blower unit from time to time. I think the fix for that might be to get a mesh that's a bit smaller, like 3/4" diameter.
also can u tell me have the 2 blades got to b a certain degree wen u sharpen them or just sharp to the touch as mine don't pull the wood through u sorts have to push it hard foor it to bite on the wood
vectra123 You need to sharpen them better, especially if the wood is green. High moisture content makes the wood softer. Just use the same angle that the blades have on them.
cheers am in the uk I have purchased a praxis stump grinder on ebay cheap but its missing the grinder wheel and carreirs is their a place in the us that do spares for these don't mind second hand
i got one of these good little chippers.I like the fact you can take it through garden gates on jobs if it is easier to take the machine to the material rather than vice versa.The blower throws quite a way if you don't put masses through and slow the revs down .Got to do the chipper blades next time i get rained off .Shredder blades could do with reversing as well .May get that done by the agent workshop .we shall see .Good vid thanks for posting .
Thanks for providing insight into how sharp those blades should be for better cutting performance. I bought a new Bearcat 70380 back in 2002 and replaced the blades a couple of times over the years but periodic sharpening makes more sense. Just a matter of finding the time!
I sharpen them every 8-10 hrs nowadays. It performs way better, and easier on all the moving parts.
I used my friends bearcat pto chipper on tractor a lot . Same design 5” with shredder . He complained how it didn’t stay sharp long . After using it first time I removed blades and hollow grinded them . Instead of straight edge very slight curve on edge . Was like a whole new chipper after that . Chipped anything much easier and stayed sharpe long time and pulled wood in much better . I do planer blades the same .
Posting from England. Great video - thank you. I was dreading this job but your vid encouraged me and it turned out to be really simple.
My cousin Nani has 1 down in Kukui...I learned that the branch shredder doesn't do well with Hau (How) unles you remove the bark. Hawaiian's used Hau bark for making rope & cordage the fibers get wrapped around the shaft and we end up frying belts. I now cut the branches up into short chunks & drop-um through the hopper. The Bearcat has it's weaknesses but we need it down in Kukui to make mulch for or Taro...the downside to me is less than the advantages...good video...
Aloha,
Chief
I definitely need to sharpen my blades. My model 80 goes way slower than that. Thank you.
You bet
If you look at the place the blades are attached you can see a very small lip where the bottom edge goes. I think it is there to help with alignment but I find iinstallation is still a pain. I spend more time trying to reinstall the blades than actually sharpening them. The best method so far is to hold the blade upside down and use a short small stick in the hole nearest the edge of the chipping disk. Once the stick is in the blade hole you can rotate the blade around and use an awl through the shredder removal hole at back to hold the blade against the disk. You then fiddle to get the bolt in the other hole whole adjusting alignment with the stick. It would help if I had about 4 hands. It is still a challenge but its the best I've come up with so far.
Nice video mister, now I know how to sharp my chipper blades. Thanks you very much
Do you have a part number for that discharge chute I cannot find that anywhere?
www.crary.com/BearCatProducts/media/Manuals/Chipper-Shredders/Instructions_70085_Chipper-Shredders_17956-05-02-2018_0-Current_--1565727506677.pdf blower kit part number 70251
@@WoodchuckCanuck Thank you for responding. Looks like they may have discontinued it.
I have this model and have been trying to figure out how to change the flailers (the shredding knives). I see a hole on one side where I can push the rod out, but there is no corresponding hole on the other side for the rod to exit. If you can give me some help I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
The hole you see, under the engine mount, is the only hole. You push out the flail rod through there and put it back in the same way.
Hi jeffpicks, The unit works great, its just that I had one of the blades in backwards. Ever try to split wood with the back end of the axe? :) Now I haven't checked clearances as the unit worked from the start, but what part is the anvil? Its been some time since I've had my head inside the thing. I don't remember what that is.
very good video, I'm from Brazil I'm doing a crushed twigs, where I could buy some razors, thanks
i see you can turn the blades how do you get that dam shaft OUT
In line with the shaft is a hole in the cabinet.
what would be the ultimate grit for chipper blades?
Do you mean what grit of stone to use? I think if you finished off with a 1000 that would be sufficient. I have a 1000/4000 Japanese wet stone that I use. I recently picked up a DMT 3 stone kit which performs well on some framing chisels I use so I will try the chipper blades on those net time. I always recommend an operator resharpen with each use (4-6 hrs).
The chipper played Will dull a sharp edge really fast. That's a little Overkill most people just file them. Best blade on a lawn mower is used to file on. You can get spoiled with a grinder and take too much off it's hard to keep the angle
I don't think using the stones you used is overkill. I call it very good attention to detail. Chipper blades should be as sharp as they can since they go through serious punishment so the sharper the better. It is easier on your engine and cuts your work time down significantly. I used to take mine to a knife maker who used honing wheels to sharpen blades to a mirror finish. He worked on a set of chipper blades for me and there was a huge difference between what he did and the factory edge.
Start to finish, taking out the chipper blades, sharpening them and re-installing them takes 30 minutes. If you have a grinder/machine that can sharpen the blades quickly, you'll be able to cut your time in half. - Jim
hi jim, thanks for the video. just bought one of these chippers and my blades look like they have never been sharpened. any tips on how to remove the inner serated blades? i dont mind taking them to a shop but i dont have a pickup so i'll need to remove the whole rotating thing i suppose... any tips much appreciated.
Swinefeaster X You don't need to take the rotating thing (called the hammermill) out. You will see that those serrated knives and the steel spacers that separate them) are mounted on a long bolt. There is a hole in the orange steel cabinet that lines up perfectly with the long bolt. You have to loosen the bolt and slide it out carefully through that hole but not all the way out because its not necessary. You can pull on the long bolt from underneath the engine mount. Be careful as each steel collar and serr knife comes off. Remember their position on the bolt and the orientation. Its possible they've never been turned around so you might get away with simply flipping over the knives for this maintenance session.
Jim Barry Thank you Jim that makes a lot of sense. I think I found the hole, but rotating the hammermill doesnt tell me what type of bolt it is. Do you know what kind of tool I need to loosen this bolt?
Swinefeaster X Hi, I did a short video to help explain it. Removing serrated knives on Bearcat Chipper
I was able to run my small 5.5 hp chipper on half to three quarter throttle and go through 2 inch branches like a hot knife through butter.
Jim, are you happy with Bear Cat and the blower?
Hi William, More or less. Its does its job, but when using the 1" screen to break up the pieces in the hammer mill, the chute just above the impeller does have a tendency to clog easily. Especially with green fir boughs. I suppose if the material was dryer and broke up easier, there may be less clogging. Our solution is to just slow the pace on infeeding a bit to allow for material to clear. I don't use this unit much now, because we have a 8" Bearcat model.
what happened at 18:35 when the chipper didn't self-feed?
If you watch after that you will see that the belt clutch was still disengaged, so the rotor disc was not turning.
can u buy the blower atacmeant for these bearcat as mine has not got one the chippings come out on the floor
vectra123 You can. Check with your local dealer. Be prepared to pay A LOT. Mine was priced at about $800 CAD (about $678 USD). The mesh grate on mine has 1 inch holes, so if you feed too fast or too slow the chute has a tendency to block up. Keep a wrench handy as you will be shutting the machine down and removing the pipe on the blower unit from time to time. I think the fix for that might be to get a mesh that's a bit smaller, like 3/4" diameter.
also can u tell me have the 2 blades got to b a certain degree wen u sharpen them or just sharp to the touch as mine don't pull the wood through u sorts have to push it hard foor it to bite on the wood
vectra123 You need to sharpen them better, especially if the wood is green. High moisture content makes the wood softer. Just use the same angle that the blades have on them.
cheers am in the uk I have purchased a praxis stump grinder on ebay cheap but its missing the grinder wheel and carreirs is their a place in the us that do spares for these don't mind second hand
vectra123 Hi, I am not familiar with that brand. Go to their web site and see who their US dealers are.
I edited that part out :)
agreed!
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