2012 Vermeer BC1000 User Questions

[MaryT]

I have recently bought a 2012 Vermeer BC1000 49HP chipper. In needing to put together a rough estimate of yearly costs, I have a few beginner operator questions. Of course, I realize all of this varies per chipper and as chipper itself wears and blades dull, so what is an estimate or best guess of the following:

With a 25 gallon diesel tank, after how many hours will it run before it needs a refill?
How often will I need to replace engine oil?
After how many hours of use will I go through 7 gallons of hydraulic fluid?
How many hours does it typically take to go through a 14.1 oz tube of grease?

If anyone has an average for a similar or same chipper, please let me know what your experience has been.

 

[Serf Life]

Gal/hr? 100 hrs oil or yearly. Yearly hyd change, 20hrs? Best guesses for your calculations. Factor in possible new clutch or whatnot for added expense, tires air and fuel filters... Knife wear is so dependent on who’s running it etc, anvil life too. Replace knife bolts every 3-4 turns?

 

[Reach]

Fuel burn varies greatly based on how you use it - we don’t run anything that small, but our Bandit 1590 with a 142 HP burns 2-7 gallons per hour depending on load.

Check the engine manual for maintenance requirements, that will tell you how often to change engine and hydraulic oils. As for grease use, that all depends on how often you actually grease the chipper and how much you shoot into it - my employees vary in how long a grease tube will last, but grease is a minimal expense compared to depreciation, repair parts, knives, and fuel.

 

[27RMT0N]

I have a 2008 BC1000 with the 89hp Cummins diesel. I bought it something like 4 years ago now and due to abuse from the previous owner, it required a lot in repairs to get it dialed in, but since then has been perfect just following the maintenance schedule in the manual. I'm a one-man business and am pretty much the only person who runs and feeds the thing, so it is probably cared for better than most machines. Oil changes, knives and especially grease are such minor costs in the scheme of things I don't even pay attention to them. Fuel is highly variable depending on usage and I also feel is a small expense given that I don't put huge hours on mine, maybe 300 hours since I bought it. Overall it has been a great machine for me, although I've got my eye on a 12" Bandit with a winch in the near future.

 

[MaryT]

Thanks All, I appreciate the helpful information.