With warmer temperatures approaching, it's time to get your wood chipper ready to go for the spring season.

Thankfully getting your chipper started should be easy, and here is some guidance to the proper and routine maintenance required to ensure operator safety, good chipping results and prolonging the life of your investment.

Before we begin, it is important to never remove or install blades, conduct any maintenance, or make any other adjustments while the tractor engine is running. Always shut the tractor's engine off, remove the ignition key, and disconnect the PTO shaft prior to carrying out any of the aforementioned procedures. Consult your tractor’s manual for safe shutdown procedures to prevent accidental ignition. The entire <owner's manual> must be read and understood before you start using the machine highlighting with utmost importance of the safety and personal safety guidelines.

Always operate the machine with all safety devices and guards in place and in working order. DO NOT modify or make changes to safety devices. DO NOT operate the machine if any safety devices or guards are missing or inoperative.

Thinking about using your Wood Chipper to make quick work of your brush piles laying around? Do you have a plan for this spring of where you'll use your piles of wood chips? Wood chips are great for garden beds, walking trails, or mulch. You'll also need a plan to ensure your Wood Chipper is in working order and ready to take on the task and we are here to help you with setting up a routine maintenance plan.

First, make sure nothing has seized by hand spinning the flywheel before it is connected to your tractor. Ensure the flywheel housing and discharge chute are clear of debris (needles, leaves etc). It is recommended that the general condition of the wood chipper be examined before it is used each time and follow the below Preparing For Spring: Routine Maintenance Guide.

Inspection before use:

• PTO Shaft - Ensure that the PTO Shaft is still greased, intact, and not cracked. Be sure to disconnect before servicing, adjusting, installing accessories or attachments, or storing. Such preventive safety measures reduce the risk of starting the power tool accidentally.
• Bearings - Check each grease point prior to use and add grease as needed. All bearings come pre-greased and do not require greasing on the initial start-up. Do not add grease to these points on a new wood chipper. The wood chipper will either have six (6) or eight (8) Zerk fitting grease points:
  • One (1) infeed roller bearing
  • Two (2) flywheel shaft bearings
  • Three (3) on the PTO shaft
  • Two (2) pump shaft bearings (WC88 Only)
  • Note: Over-greasing can damage the bearing seals.
• Blades - Keep sharp and clean. Properly maintained wood chipper blades are less likely to bind and make feeding-in brush easier. You can get to the blades by opening the upper flywheel housing using a 24 mm socket/wrench to remove the M16 X 40 mm bolt and flat washer securing the upper and lower housings together. Always replace the M10 lock nuts with a new set when changing or reversing blades.
• Fly Wheel - ensure that it is free-spinning before it is connected to your tractor.
• Bed Plate - For ideal chipping performance, the gap between the bed plate and the blades should be set to 1/16-1/8” (1.5-3 mm). Failure to set the proper gap can lead to poor chipping performance and/or clogging.
• Cleaning and Lubrication - Use only soap and a damp cloth to clean your wood chipper. Many household cleaners are harmful to plastic and rubber components on the wood chipper.
• Drive Belt - Check the condition and tension of the drive belts after every 30 hours of operation. The belts should not deflect more than ¼” (6 mm) when firm pressure is applied. If the belts are too loose, adjust the tension. The belts are self-tensioning via two extension springs.

You can contact us by completing the Technical Support Request form on our website. Our tech support team operates Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM Eastern Standard Time. https://woodlandmills.com/contact/ or call us at 1-855-476-6455 (Press 2 for Tech) for assistance.

Check out our guide on preparing your Portable Sawmill here.

You can also refer to our guide on preparing your Stump Grinder here.