Bandit 65

C

Chum

Location
Grand Marais, MN
Just wondering if I'm the only one who has a solid-mount for the hydraulic pump that's belt-run off and below the disk shaft?

There's no adjustment on this mount, I have to "turn-on" a new belt by advancing the disk by hand and that limits me to a standard belt that's useful for only three-four hours of chipper use until it stretches and no longer gives me enough pressure to power my intake feeder wheel.

1999 Bandit 65 - my manual shows a shaft-mounted pump directly linked to the disk shaft, reality is mine's not like all the cool pictures in that book.

Argh.
 
You, or some other creative weldor, could setup an idler to be a tension adjuster. All newer cars with serpentine belts use them. A trip to the salvage yard, or my backlot :), should find one with an easy to adapt mounting.

Could you slot the mounting holes for the pump?

What about a call to the dealer to see if they have a solution? Of course, that's not as much fun as cobbling something together on your own, right? DAMHIKT
 
Call bandit directly and have your serial number on hand. The parts dept guys are great, Service is very good too.
 
Re: Bandit 65-OT to Eric E

Thanks Eric, I have an e-mail in to Bandit but there's not much they can do I believe. This looks like a factory mount from the welding beads and paint, and no other model 65's seems to have it. It might've been the first off the line, problem fixed right soon afterwards. I'll see when he calls.

Tom, the mount is (get this) 5/8ths plate steel!! It does have slotted mount bolt holes that could allow for adjustment, but the pump housing hole is perfectly round, the pump fits tight into it and there can be no movement up or down to tension the belt. Crazy. I've installed three different pulleys of various sizes on the shaft and find my intake feed rate is too fast (way too fast) leading to increases on tension for the belt/pump...one of the root problems. I can easily weld me a "Reed brackett" to hold a tensioner onto the belts but the entire engine/hydraulic/disk system drive safety housing is limiting my options - I don't want to make the whole chipper more dangerous 'cause of that.

I can cut through 5/8ths and make a fairly clean hole (4" dia.) to expand my adjustment tolerances but this pump demands I make it a machine-shop perfect half-round fit. To machine this hole I'd have to cut-off the plate mounted on the chassis frame. On and on, eh.

Also some clauses in my insurance dictate pretty specifically about modifications to equipment. Picky picky huh? I also think a chipper in particular should be kept to factory designs, even if some fits are badly thought out. JMTwoCent'sWorth.

Other than that I have to relay that of all the chippers I've been intimate with, this Bandit's one of the best I've used. For my purposes. It does eat 4" dead live oak with a vengeance and the chips are marketable then some. I'm blowing into my pick-up bed that's completely open, no mess other than dust. My bed dumps now too. Just the two of us, I'll never go back to high production headaches, although they're still calling.
 
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