DR Power 8 FPT - Manual (Page 14)

14 DR ® CHIPPER/SHREDDER
Read and understand the warnings listed in “Chapter 1 General Safety Rules” before operating this CHIPPER/SHREDDER.
The Chipper Hopper must be securely bolted to the side of your DR CHIPPER/SHREDDER before using the machine!
Processing Material
 Your DR CHIPPER/SHREDDER can process dry or green material.
 Green material will process quicker and easier than dry material.
 Soft wood processes easier than hard wood.
 Your operator experience will teach you how different materials chip/shred and how fast you can process different materials.
 Most materials process well with the standard screen provided with the DR CHIPPER/SHREDDER.
 It is best to trim off any side twigs from the main branch that you are chipping.
 When chipping branches, sometimes a tail will remain at the end of a branch. To avoid this, rotate the branch while feeding it
into the Chipper Hopper. Rotating the branch as you feed it into the machine will improve chipping performance.
 Use caution with small diameter green saplings and branches less than 1" in diameter. Chip these grouped or bundled together
to provide support for each other. If the material is 1" or larger, feed only one at a time into the Chipper Hopper.
 Make sure the DR CHIPPER/SHREDDER finishes processing material in the Hopper(s) before shutting the Engine off.
Using the Chipper Hopper
The Chipper Hopper is mounted on the side of the machine and is designed to chip the larger, heavier materials that the Shredder
Hopper isn’t designed to handle. The revolving Chipper Knife mounted on a flywheel turns branches fed into the Hopper into
“chips”. The Chipper can chip twigs and branches ranging in size from 1" to 3" in diameter. Cut your materials into manageable
lengths of no more than five or six feet long
before feeding them into the Chipper Hopper.
 Feed the branch into Chipper Hopper keeping the branch at the same angle as the Chipper Hopper.
 As the branch becomes short and is at the outside edge of the Chipper Hopper, finish processing it by pushing it in with the
next branch.
 Do not force material into the Chipper. If the machine does not chip well, the Chipper Knife may need sharpening or replaced,
or the gap between the Knife and the Wear Plate needs adjusting. See page 21.
 Extremely hard knots will not process very well. Push any short stubs that have not self-fed through the Chipper, with the next
branch to be chipped.
 Overloading the Chipper Hopper will cause the rotor speed to decrease. If you hear the Engine RPM decreasing, stop feeding
material into the Chipper Hopper until the Engine has returned to full speed.
 NEVER allow processed material to build up within 3" of the Discharge opening. Move the DR CHIPPER/SHREDDER or the
pile as needed. Failure to do so could result in unnecessary jamming of the machine.
 To move a pile of processed material, first shut off the Engine, and use a spade, rake, or long handle tool; NEVER use your
hands or feet!
Never throw remaining stubs or knots into the Shredder Hopper; damage will result.
If you jam the machine and do not stop the Engine, it can damage the machine. This damage can be costly and not covered
under warranty. See “To Free a Jammed Flywheel” on page 16.