Getting the best out of your woodchipper requires frequent care and maintenance. This means paying close attention to your knives, anvil, belts, shear bars, and clutches. Neglecting these parts could result in equipment malfunctions, costly repairs, and unsafe working conditions.

WARNING: Make sure you’re following all pre-maintenance shutdown procedures outlined in your manual. Failure to do so could result in serious injury or even death.

Knives

Keeping your knives sharp ensures a smoother chipping experience and saves you money on costly repairs. Chipper knives must always be kept sharp to ensure optimal chipper and knife performance. Failure to keep your knives sharp results in under-performing, dull knives.

Dull knives cause:

• Excessive waste of the engine.
• Bad quality chips, chunks, and slivers.
• Excessive strain on knives and mounting.
• Loss of time and money.

When replacing your knives, make sure you do so in sets, replacing the knife mounting hardware after five times time of tightening.

Anvil

The anvil is a metal bar positioned inside the chipper’s disc or drum throat and serves like a pair of shears as the cutting action. Keeping your anvil in good working condition ensures a high-performing chipper.

A worn or rounded anvil will cause a gap between the knives and the anvil to widen. Once this happens, chip quality will decrease. Your anvil’s condition must be inspected daily, with anvil clearance being checked on a weekly basis, or when the knives are changed or sharpened.

Belts

It doesn’t take long for new belts to stretch out, as they often require adjustment within the first few hours of operation. You should prioritize adjusting belts after one hour of operation, and then every four hours until the belt stops stretching. Improperly adjusted belts can lead to slippage or glazing – damaging your belt and causing equipment malfunctions.

Shear Bar (Drum-Chippers Only)

Bandit woodchippers feature shear bars located on the top side of the drum housing. Shear bars act as a secondary knife and are designed to improve the chance of cutting rope or line that may be drawn into the drum.

An improperly adjusted shear bar causes serious damage to your chipper, especially if the rope or line gets into the drum. Your shear bar’s clearance should be checked every 50 hours of operation, or when the knives are changed or sharpened.

Clutches

Check your clutch daily for proper lubrication and tension adjustment. Regularly adjust and lubricate your clutch based on its manufacturer’s manual. New Bandit equipment always ships with a dedicated clutch manual outlining the lubrication schedule and amount.

Need an Adjustment?

Cal-Line serves all makes and models to provide quick and efficient service. Our hardworking and factory-certified technicians are committed to providing you with the kind of care that improves your whole operation. Whatever the part or service you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.