Bandit 1590XP indeed wheel maintenance

D

David Benton

Location
Baton Rouge
So our bandit 1590 now has a large gap in between the feed wheels. Large enough to where it does not grab smaller branches. Also, a lot of the “blades” on the feed wheels are damaged. My questions is, when do you have to replace the infeed wheels and is there any way to tighten up the gap between them? The springs are currently loose but the upper feed wheel has a hydraulic ram that pushes it down all the way. Could there be an issue with the lower infeed wheel?

I can take pictures of it tomorrow.
 
Check the bearings. Especially the bottom. If they are worn gravity will create a gap, not sure it would be very big without wear being blatantly obvious. Also make sure there is nothing stuck between the bottom of the top feed wheel carrier and it’s stops. We often find debris will pile up in the course of a day. Maybe even clean it up real good and do a thorough inspection to make sure something isn’t broken or bent out of place. If you do end up rebuilding the wheel @Trevor Balgavy used to carry the weld on blades.
 
Assuming your chipper is setup the same as my woodchuck, your springs should have some tension on them, this helps the top feed wheel get a good bite on smaller debris. If you run the hydraulic does the gap close? If so you should be able to rule out wear on the feed wheels and debris build up. Although it might still need some grease to help it move freely when not relying on the hydraulics.

I just reread your post and noticed the edges of your feed wheels are damaged, (in my mind when you said "blades" I replaced it with disc knives, now I know what you mean) it sounds like you will be pulling it apart to either weld and grind the edges or to install replacement parts. Just clean and inspect everything as you go, you should be able to find the problem.
 
Jehinten said:
Assuming your chipper is setup the same as my woodchuck, your springs should have some tension on them, this helps the top feed wheel get a good bite on smaller debris. If you run the hydraulic does the gap close? If so you should be able to rule out wear on the feed wheels and debris build up. Although it might still need some grease to help it move freely when not relying on the hydraulics.
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The bandits are designed with the vertical slide box so the springs are not under tension at the bottom. Gravity is supposed to supply the initial down pressure for smaller brush. One other thing I forgot to mention is check your slides. They are supposed to be oiled daily and if the pads are worn may bind if not oiled properly. I just use a can of spray chain lube to get them every 8 hrs or so.
 
I stand corrected on the spring tension. I figured they ran the same design more or less than what I have used.

Any luck looking into it? And knowing that they rely on gravity for that initial pressure, then it almost has to either be an obstruction or lack of lubrication that is keeping the wheels from closing. The only other reason I can think of for that problem is if the top feed wheel is all the way down, but the bottom feed wheel has dropped for some reason. Just look at your slides to see if the top one is bottoming out to determine that.
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
Check the bearings. Especially the bottom. If they are worn gravity will create a gap, not sure it would be very big without wear being blatantly obvious. Also make sure there is nothing stuck between the bottom of the top feed wheel carrier and it’s stops. We often find debris will pile up in the course of a day. Maybe even clean it up real good and do a thorough inspection to make sure something isn’t broken or bent out of place. If you do end up rebuilding the wheel @Trevor Balgavy used to carry the weld on blades.
Click to expand...
So, I figured out the lower bearing is busted. A lot of play and it appears it needs a new lower bearing kit. Have you replace these before? If so, how difficult is it?
 
Jehinten said:
I stand corrected on the spring tension. I figured they ran the same design more or less than what I have used.

Any luck looking into it? And knowing that they rely on gravity for that initial pressure, then it almost has to either be an obstruction or lack of lubrication that is keeping the wheels from closing. The only other reason I can think of for that problem is if the top feed wheel is all the way down, but the bottom feed wheel has dropped for some reason. Just look at your slides to see if the top one is bottoming out to determine that.
Click to expand...
I think it is normal wear in combination with a failed lower fees wheel bearing. Have you ever replaced one before?
 
David Benton said:
So, I figured out the lower bearing is busted. A lot of play and it appears it needs a new lower bearing kit. Have you replace these before? If so, how difficult is it?
Click to expand...

No I have not, but I believe there is a set screw that holds the drum shaft in place and 4 bolts on each side to get the bearings off. The passenger side will also have the drive motor which will need to be disconnected but I don’t think that is a huge deal. If you don’t intend on taking the feed wheel out make sure the bottom clean out door is closed so I’d doesnt drop out (I’m not sure if it will or not). It may be easier to open it, clean it out and close it again so you have room to move the wheel around if needed during reassembly. You should do a video on this repair and share it so the rest of us have something to watch to get us through it :).
 
David Benton said:
I think it is normal wear in combination with a failed lower fees wheel bearing. Have you ever replaced one before?
Click to expand...

I have not replaced that bearing myself, but I did have a machine shop do some similar work for me. The previous owner ran my chipper with a homemade keyway that wasn't cut correctly and had to have the shaft remachined as well as a new hydraulic motor. The shop's rate was about $1,000 which was well worth it, considering renting the same size machine is $400/day while mine is being repaired. Although I am pretty good at repairs, I am finding that often times it's better to let someone else take on the job. If it looks like more than you want to get into, you might be surprised at what someone would be willing to do the repair for.
 
You're looking at $160-170 for both bottom feedwheel bearings depending on the year. They're really not too bad to change either, a little heat on the inner bearing race will help if they're rusted right on there.
 
I know on my 1890. Debris gathers right above the top feed wheel and loses its ability to lower all the way. It gathers right under the plate that the piston attaches too
 
Use a new tapered feedwheel coupler pin, possibly a jb coupler...bit pricey... $200 plus just for the coupler...about $35 fir the new pin/kit. Done many...both old style and new with the threaded tapered pin which is a nice design if you dont have the "removal tool" which i swear was the best deal bandit ever had.
 
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