There are many factors that influence the performance of your wood chipper blades. These range from the material you’re chipping to weather and your routine maintenance schedule. It’s a well-known fact that hardwoods like red oak and fibrous materials like palm trees can take a heavy toll on blades, making them wear out quickly. Rocks, nails, and fence posts can also decrease the life of your chipper knives in a hurry.

Follow the OEM recommendation for blade maintenance and change for your wood chipper. It doesn’t hurt to track the hours between blade changes and the types of wood you’re running through your chipper to make sure that you’re keeping up with knife changes. This type of historical information helps keep tree care professionals prepared to avoid unpleasant surprises when it comes to the condition of their blades.

Dull Blades – Know the Signs

Even with tracking chipper runtime and materials, awareness of the warning signs of dull wood chipper knives is critical. Depending on the type of materials you’ve been running through your chipper, you may need to change your blades sooner than the OEM recommends. If you’re starting to notice some of the following, it could be time to switch your blades.

• 1.  An increase in engine noise
• 2.  Rough, uneven wood chips
• 3.  Poor quality chips with a stringy consistency

Be Ready When the Time Comes

Develop a maintenance schedule and inventory of replacement knives that meets the needs of your business. ACE recommends you keep three sets of wood chipper blades on the shelf for each machine model you have in your fleet. You never know when you’ll need those backup blades on a job site.

Download the “Wood Chipper Knife Maintenance Guide” to learn more about

how to keep your equipment running in top shape.

How to Change Chipper Knives

ACE recently met up with tree care professionals from L & L Lands, LLC and Greene Tree Xperts (GTX) as they were preparing to change the blades on their Vermeer BC 1000XL wood chipper. Mike, the lead mechanic at GTX walks us through how to safely change wood chipper blades in the video below.

Blade Replacement Summary

Mike provides some additional best practices in the video that will come in handy as you switch out your blades. Steps will vary based on the OEM equipment being used. For a complete understanding of how to safely maintain the machinery in your fleet, you should refer directly to the manual for your make and model of equipment.

1. Always follow all OSHA safety standards such as using a lockout tagout.

2. Wear Kevlar® lined, cut-resistant gloves when handling sharp knives.

3. Remove the access panel.

4. Clean debris from the bolts and loosen them.

5. Remove the blade and set it aside.

6. Clean the machine's blade mounting surface so it is free of debris, nicks, and gouges.

7. Set the new blade in place.

8. Secure the blade with new bolts.

9. Torque new bolts per NASI/ASME standards
(bolts in the video are 5/8-11 Grade 8-Torque specification 170 ft. lbs., oiled).

10. Turn the anvil and repeat the steps on the next blade.

11. Re-secure the access panel tightly.

12. Start the chipper to ensure that the blades are engaging.

Where to Buy Replacement Wood Chipper Blades

When it comes to replacing your wood chipper blades, many tree care professionals may not realize that they have a choice when it comes to their knife vendor. In order to maximize the profit from your organization, finding the right supplier that is able to provide not only high-quality OEM compatible blades when you need them but that is also a true partner with cost-effective pricing is critical.

Countless tree care professionals rely on American Cutting Edge to provide them with a readily available stock of replacement wood chipper blades at a cost that is significantly less than the OEM. Securing the right blades at the right price at exactly the time you need them can make the difference between maximizing your profitability, safety, and keeping production moving. Changing suppliers can be disruptive but establishing a relationship with a true partner can be a very positive move. Don’t settle for a vendor that isn’t meeting your needs. Wood chipper blades are an essential part of your business. Having the right partner is critical.

Click here for more information about ACE’s brand of wood chipper blades, knives, and wear parts.