Bandit 1390 Good news Bad news???

[JSL]

I am thinking of buying a new bandit 1390. It will be replacing a 250xp with a JD 125. Any one out their have a 1390 with high hours that can attest to reliability, performance, etc. My other machine is a 2001 and I have had no problems at all with 2500 hours. I was going to go with the 97 HP Perkins. They claim it has more torque than my JD. Any thoughts or experiences would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Thillmaine]

1390 is a bit undersized. They say its equivelant to the older 1590. 1590 is the way to go. 2005-2010 ish> lower to the ground, chips a lot, okay on lawns. Ours got stolen, so sad. we demoed a new 1390..no match for the older 1590.

 

[brendonv]

Ive got an 2007 1290h. Same as an older 1590 with a different infeed chute. Same parts manual otherwise. I love it. Will chip big if needed, and just demolishes tree tops and whole trees.

 

[bushwackertree]

We have the 1390 HD with the 142hp Cat and we love it. Ours has the winch and lift/crush. We replaced our bc1500 with it and haven't looked back. As for performance it's an animal. I not sure about the 97hp on this model( our 990 has the 99hp kubota) I would really look at anything 125 and up. Keep the knives sharp and anvil adjusted and it will eat 15" all day.

Cheers
Ben

 

[nuthin_special]

We have a 1390 that has been mostly great. As soon as the knives get at all dull it chips poorly and the chute plugs. Really annoying. Am I missing something here? It is a beast of a machine though, built to last.

We also have a Vermeer 1400 which I have absolutely hated in the past but it has been working great lately and chips problem free even when the knives a a bit dull.

 

[BIGTWIG]

Is your anvil adjusted to the right clearance right nuthin_special?

 

[nuthin_special]

Yes the anvil is adjusted correctly after each knife swap.

Vince

 

[brendonv]

Somethings not right. Mines never come close to plugging. Dull or sharp.

 

[nuthin_special]

Not sure what the problem is, the dealer here can't help since they've only ever sold three of them. their tech guys hardly ever work on them.

v

 

[TreeLogic]

I borrowed a vermeer chipper once (never again) and the chute clogged like nobody's business. There were a lot of dents in the chute. I would make sure there is nothing inside the chute that debris could snag on. When the blades get dull, the chips get stringy, and they're much more likely to grab onto an obstruction. Just a thought.

 

[BIGTWIG]

Vince,

Mine has plugged in large rotten wood if I don't open the trap door. Other than that, haven't had any problems.

Perhaps another idea would be to make sure the autofeed is programmed correctly to the right RPMs, maybe it isn't turning on fast enough, and the feed wheels are outpacing your drum as it slows down in bigger wood, therefore not throwing chips as far.