Parts
All Bandit products utilize high-quality and reliable components. Each vendor supplying Bandit is a partner and strvies to provide durable parts at a competitive cost. This ensures machines will run with minimal downtime all while providing years of dependable service. Listed below is an overview of the major wear parts by product line.
Bandit Hand-Fed Chipper
Chipper Knives:
Bandit hand-fed chippers feature high-quality dual edge steel knives from TKM or Zenith. Each knife has two usable edges and can be flipped once one side is beyond use.
Only Bandit knives and hardware are recommended for use in a Bandit chipper. Only then can you be assured of a quality product that fits and performs to the best standards of excellence that is expected from a Bandit chipper.
Chipper knives MUST be always kept sharp for the ultimate chipper and knife performance. The main cause of poor cutting performance is dull knives.
Dull Knives Cause:
- Excessive waste of engine
- Bad quality chips, chunks, slivers,
- Excessive strain on knives and mounting
- Excessive strain on chipper disc/drum bearings and total
- Excessive chipping vibration damaging the
- Increase the probability of the discharge plugging and decreases the throwing
- Loss of time and
The Dulling of Chipper Knives is Caused By:
- Poor quality
- Improper anvil to knife
- Force feeding wood faster than chipper will accept it.
- Dirt, grit, or foreign material on the
- Chipper knives sharpened at wrong
- Improper care of knives and knife
In many instances, a chipper knife cutting edge/point can be brought back to a good edge with a #10 flat mill file. This can reduce the amount of resharpening needed. If knives are sharpened or ground, it is very important to keep the knife angle specified in the operator’s manual.
When replacing knives, they must be replaced in sets and the knife mounting hardware replaced after five times of tightening. Resharpening knives will reduce the width of the knife. Do not over sharpen the knife to be narrower than the allowed width, or you will pack wood and potentially break the knives.
If grinding knives, they must be ground to produce a flat, straight edge. Do not sharpen the knives with a hand-held power grinder, as the knife angle can’t be held, and heat will distort the metal. Sharpening techniques should be the same as those employed for any high carbon steel cutting edge. Use a coolant and exercise care not to draw temper or crack the cutting edges by excessive heating. Knives may be sharpened repeatedly as long as their original width is not reduced to less than the specified minimum width. If a knife measures less than the specified minimum width after sharpening, it must be discarded. Inspect the knives after sharpening to ensure the knives are free of cracks. At least one set of spare knives are recommended to be on hand to avoid downtime for knife sharpening.
Chipper Anvil:
The chipper anvil is a stationary steel component mounted inside the disc or drum throat. The anvil acts as shear when each knife comes around to where the anvil is mounted.
Proper knife to anvil clearance is extremely important ensuring the machine operates at its peak level. A worn or rounded anvil will cause the gap between the knives and anvil to widen. Once this happens, machine chip quality will deteriorate. New Bandit machines today, feature a four-sided anvil that can be rotated or flipped for extended life. An anvil with all four edges used and worn must be replaced.
The anvil condition must be inspected daily, and anvil clearance must be checked on a weekly basis or when the knives are changed or sharpened. Clearance should be checked from the highest knife on the drum or disc. To learn how to check anvil clearance, please view the below video.
Chipper Belts:
Each Bandit chipper utilizes durable banded chipper belts to drive the chipper disc or drum.
New belts will stretch very soon and must be adjusted in the first few hours of operation. Adjust after one hour of operation, then every four hours until the belts quit stretching. If belts are not adjusted properly, belts will slip and glaze over potentially ruining the belt. Additionally, once a belt Failure occurs, the belts could burn and fly off.
To view how to check and adjust the belts, please view the video below.
Shear Bar (Drum-Chippers Only):
The shear bar is standard on all Bandit hand-fed chippers and is located on the top side of the drum housing. This device acts as a secondary knife and is designed to improve the chances of severing rope or line that may be accidentally drawn into the chipper drum. Bandit is the only manufacturer that offers this device, and it can be retrofitted to existing machines.
An improperly adjusted shear bar could result in the device not working if rope or line gets into the drum or can cause damage to the chipper. This clearance should be checked at every 50 hours of operation or when the knives are changed or sharpened. Below is the dedicated video on the shear bar and maintenance.
Clutches:
Most Bandit hand-fed chippers utilize an NACD over center or spring-loaded clutch to engage the disc or drum. The NACD spring-loaded clutch is a non-adjustable clutch featuring pressure plates that require no adjustments. Release levers rise to compensate as wear occurs.
Machines equipped with an NACD over center clutch will need the clutch adjustment monitored. This is done by ensuring the clutch torque falls in between the specified figures on the clutch nameplate. If adjustments are needed, the clutch nameplate will need removed and adjusted by rotating the locking ring accordingly.
The below video will give an overview of the clutch adjusting procedures.
Each clutch will require periodic lubrication. New Bandit machines will ship with a dedicated clutch manual outlining the lubrication schedule and amount.