Small Woodchipper Review. 18 months

A review of this Princess Auto woodchipper 18 months from new

[@chrisb4419]

Thanks for this review, Reg! I'm in the market for a machine like this, and it's really helpful to get your nuanced take. Brilliant job putting it on the muck truck! Such an Epic rig

[@63sfletcher]

Great mods Reg,mine struggles with leafier material and aluminium shovels as my Son found out😂 Warrington UK.

[@jahpedro3971]

Good update review, I bought a jansen similar size, beast of a machine, it's my go to as I only do private work, and if I need a bigger chipper I rent one, mine has similar pros and cons, very well made German machine, maintenance is similar also.

[@mreggbird]

Did you get the 1500 or the pro?

[@jahpedro3971]

@@mreggbird the 1500

[@gerritvanwilligen]

Nice to see the engineer in you an I love the mod on the 4 wheel drive. I have about the same chipper and also removed the 'lean switch' on the feeder. It was soooooo frustrating to hear the machine stop once again. The oil change after 5 hours is only after the first 5 when breaking in the engine, after that the interval is 30 to 50 hrs depending on how you use it and it's only 0.6 liter (about 56 oz), so that's pretty ok. For me personally the only disadvantage is that you have to unscrew the feeder and or out pipe to totally clean the drum when it shuts off while you're feeding it some branches. When there is any piece of wood in there the machine won't start. Re-fuel in time is the biggest piece of advice I can give to the people who use it 😃 Great review, thanks!

[@jackbrehony1]

Nice one, great review and very handy having it mounted to the buggy. If I can find a cheap buggy I might do the same. They are a perfect machine for bad access and as you said saved a lot of effort on pulling and dragging. Ideal machine for someone starting out as they are so budget friendly. Mine made me the money to buy a bigger machine in no time at all. One difference with mine is the out feed chute isn't as open which leads to clogging up with leafier material, after seeing your one I think I'll modify this

[@callie_waldschmidt]

Thanks for posting the update and I appreciate the maintenance commentary! I ended up getting the Jansen 2000, a similar machine and it rips!

[@Recoates]

@callie_waldschmidt your welcome. Good luck with the Jansen. If I could offer some advice it would be to have a couple sets of spare blades and be meticulous with the maintenance overall.

[@TheTreeTailor]

Thanks for the video. One thing that I found with mine is that it's best to transport it with the infeed hopper off. Mine cracked at the base, there are a lot of potholes around here and it would bounce around in the trailer and the weight was too much.

[@Gordon_L]

Great job on marrying the two machines together Reg , greatly enhanced its usefulness. Re. secateurs , I purchased a power pruner as DeWalt calls it , 18 / 20v platform , cuts up to 38mm , when you were talking about awkward branches not wanting to go through , I thought perhaps pruners like that would speed up production , other brands available if need be . I use mine quite often for pruning , money well spent I feel .

[@paulojanen5045]

I've been using the Tovia 25V pruner for over a year. Works very well. They are fast and easy. To via and other non-name brands came out before Dewalt and Milwaukee and others did. Tovia is one of the good ones, with detailed reviews on KZbin. I'm glad the big names have them now.

[@Gordon_L]

@@paulojanen5045 Glad you're happy with it , in my case I already had a range of DeWalt gear and batteries which made the choice easy .

[@timhelton5615]

Good to hear from you. Excellent mods to this machine!

[@jefferyturner1920]

Good to see you Reg.. Excellent mods as always.

[@coilstreeservice9398]

I've had one of these before and I have several videos of it and my modifications we did if you go back into the archives. I've just purchased another one of these but this time my modifications will be more like what you've done as I've learned that if you go doubling the horsepower which I did with the last one it eats brush with much more power but it starts cracking knives and the bearings don't last very long. It's just not meant to take a beating like that. So I think I'll maybe get an old riding mower or something to mount this one on so I can kinda drive it around like you are this time. Anyway we'll done brother!

[@Treeclimbinghaggis]

I was thinking about doing this same thing the other day!! in the exact same set up but obvs different machines... mad one!

[@dankotos61]

Nice work Reg. That's something I would have done mountain it on a buggy. I would put it on off toggle switch up by the shoot never know👍

[@bonzey1171]

Cheers Reg, always helpful

[@troyerthedestroyer]

Pretty cool little machine Reg! I was looking at these little mobile chippers for chipping on site when I found my Salsco tracked chipper. Check them out, they are an engineering marvel! I love your ingenuity!

[@anthonymoravec3599]

Great video! What tools do you use to sharpen the knives?

[@RememberTheSlapFilms]

1:05 - casually sticks his hand down the chute 😑 Reg, you're a tease.. 😄

[@benhowlett7693]

Love these style chippers! Would love a Skarper x28 but I’ll not be getting one as too much money for what it is in reality

[@mvblitzyo]

great shared information ..

[@curtislongseth9878]

Didn't know a drum option was available. My Wallenstein works great, but slower. Drag it to the tree was the selling point.

[@julianalderson3938]

Ive got a pwc winch high speed. Dont use it much cos city. But its been good. Haha one day will need an use. Bro wont let my put on chipper. An really na.cheers bro

[@julianalderson3938]

Just the way it is!

[@julianalderson3938]

Like the trolley just doin it wrong hits me shins'

[@havespurswillclimb]

Enjoyed the video.

[@jackward-ds1ue]

Bro casually leaving all those chippers on his drive. If you did that in the UK they’d all disappear the next morning 😂 no wonder you left

[@julianalderson3938]

Like it always thinkin does look bit tippy. An chain drive better. But its buetiful!

[@Sormad]

I have a tp100mobile, similar concept. Do you use wet stone for sharpening? (I see people do things different ways)

[@danbradley6553]

Me wanty !!

[@prairiemushroom]

Reg do you have a source for chipper blades? Can't seem to find them lately and PA isn't in stock it seems. Maybe this'd be a product line for a small machine shop to start milling these blades 'cuz these chippers are everywhere? Any info appreciated. really like your "crawler".

[@Recoates]

@prairiemushroom if you are in Canada, look up Range Road Enterprises. Look for and then click on their webstore tab. Type chipper blades in the search box. You want a set of blades to fit the chipper model RR403. Different machine than the PA model, but the same blades.

[@prairiemushroom]

Reg thanks for the info very much - have been in touch with Jonah there at Ranger Road and he has another order of RR 403 knives due in after Thanksgiving (2024) sometime. The RR 403 blades are a match for the PA chipper as well as the model RR 403 that Range Road sells. The chips are smaller than towbehind chippers and are really great for gardeners. This winter I have to work on the discharge chute to see if I can get it directed more into a green recycle bin kind of setup without making so much of a mess. Being able to move the chipper to the job in a small backyard, maybe european style, has saved hours of brush dragging and cleanup so far. And if you're ever in Lacombe, AB (where Range Road is) check out the restaurant Cilantro and Chive - great food and super people. Cheers mate and thanks again.

[@prairiemushroom]

Reg had another thought - I found that the chipper blade bolts are bit easier to loosen if you grind off a bit of a spare socket bottom (flatten it) used just for these bolts. A lot of sockets have a flare or indent on the bottom - not an issue for standard thickness bolt heads but a squeeker for these shallow bolt heads. Also perhaps penetrating oil is your friend. I find the grease nipple behind the belt cover on mine is a pain to get at. Aluminum infeed chute to save weight?

[@alfadoofus]

Nice mods .

[@tealjacks9125]

chineeseum specials... love mine

[@shdj1105]

Any updates on the climbing device?

[@Recoates]

Yes, it belongs to someone else now. Undergoing rigorous testing protocol at present.

[@MsLivestronger]

Came here for this question!

[@MsLivestronger]

​@Recoates you're done working on the climbing device Reg. Congratulations on selling it !! You going to get royalties when I buy one? Hope you did well.lots of work went In to that. This winter, start figuring out how to bring this machine to market on a 4x4 platform. We need the RC improvements and mods.

[@shdj1105]

@@Recoates Brilliant, looking forward to seeing it in production.

[@09Freebird]

That design is great for cedar. Sucks it right in.

[@Riverguide33]

👍

[@jeffschroeder9089]

Interesting

[@batmantiss]

A comment for the algorithm

[@nathanarievlis3985]

Looks like a peacock 🦚