Chipper Servicing

A common question asked of me is “when should I service my chipper?”

Generally, we see a brand new chipper at 50 hours for its first service, at which time we change the engine oil and filter, the hydraulic filter, check for any leaks or potential issues and adjust the clutch.

After that it’s common for a lot of the industry to work on 250 hour intervals. However, 250 hours for one owner is a lot different to 250 hours for another owner who is always flat out.

I see a lot of machines every three months with 300+ hours (100/month) but it may take some operators a whole year to achieve the same hours.

It was just a few years ago that diesel utes had a 7000–10000km service interval under normal driving conditions and a chipper’s life is far from “normal”.

A chipper works in a very dirty and hostile environment and is always running at maximum RPM.

If we drove our diesel utes at full speed and maximum RPM for 250 hours we would likely have covered about 35000km!

With this in mind, Tree Care Machinery (TCM) has always advocated for 100 hour engine oil and filter changes and 250 hour major servicing intervals.

The daily checks on oils, coolant, air filter condition and belt and clutch adjustments remains the responsibility of the owner/operator and the importance of these regular checks cannot be ignored if your chipper is to survive between services. Air and oil filter changes are inexpensive and great insurance against premature wear and tear of your chipper’s engine.

When TCM changes your oil and filters we get a chance to look over the machine for other defects, check that the clutch and belts are adjusted correctly and discuss any issues with the owner or operator.

A chipper is a significant investment for your business and should be cared for accordingly.

Feel free to call the workshop at TCM on (08) 8277 8700 for your service requirements as we have 38 years of wood chipper repair experience between us.

Garth Jones – Workshop Manager