Chipper!

Almost, that is. Some repairs are needed.

This post may not be of interest to most people, but I had been looking for a chipper for several months and I am going to outline how I came to get this particular rig.

An on-line auction was based out of Canyon, TX which is about 12 miles south of Amarillo, TX. I had seen this chipper in the auction catalog. On the day of the live auction I bid; my winning bid was $2,000.00 but with internet buyer’s fees and taxes the total came to $2,455.25, plus there would be the cost of getting the chipper home.

Auction house in Canyon, TX

I drove to Canyon on Sunday and stayed overnight, planning to tow the chipper home on Monday. Monday morning I arrived at the auction site office, took care of the paperwork, then went to their lot to hook up to the chipper. That is when the difficulties began.

Hooked up to chipper. Note almost flat tire on chipper

One of the tires was flat and would not hold air after it was inflated. Luckily there was a tire store on the other side of the interstate from the auction house. I was able to – slowly – drive over to the shop and get a used tire mounted…another $33.00 and a delay in getting on the road home.

Getting tire replaced

The trip home was uneventful but long, 11 hours of driving. I arrived late Monday evening. (I had arranged to take Monday and Tuesday off as vacation days.)

Tuesday I began making repairs. First, the ball coupler, part of the hitch, had been incorrectly assembled – it was a replacement for the original – and this had made hook-up difficult. I was able to reassemble the coupler correctly. Then on to the next project – the trailer jack.

The handle had been bent making its operation very difficult. I was able to remove the handle and straighten it out with the help of my shop vise and a hammer. Jack mechanism was cleaned and lubricated and the jack now works very well.

Then on to the lights. I had used my magnetic light kit to provide tail, running, turn, and brake lights on the way home but I wanted the original lights to work as they were intended. Repairs were made to the wiring harness and now all the original lights work OK.

Having downloaded a service manual from PowerTek, the manufacturer of the chipper, I went though the maintenance check list and did a preliminary examination of all the working parts, including the chipper blades, or knives as they are known. All components look to be in good condition.

The chipper was missing a battery so I used jumper cables and the Ford F-150 truck to provide battery power. The chipper engine fired but would not keep running. I removed the carburetor top plate and quickly came to the conclusion a carb cleaning and rebuild would be needed. Parts are on order (two separate kits, one for the carb, one for the choke) and I hope to complete the rebuild next weekend. Combined total for the two parts kits came to about $85.00 with shipping.

So now I have my chipper…if I can rebuild the carb and get the engine running! I still need a battery but will hold off buying one until I have the engine repairs completed. I hope to report, in my next post, that the rig is ready to go to work.

The chipper, a Power Tek model 727, is still in production. A link to the Power Tek chipper page is here. The rig has the specifications I was looking for, and I really hope it proves to be of value when we again resume the clean up of The Lot later this spring.

Chipper at home. (Yes, it will get some paint.)

ATV News: Yesterday, Saturday, I went on my first ATV club ride of the year. Twenty-two machines met just west of De Beque and we put in an all-day, 69 mile ride. That doesn’t sound like a lot of miles but trust me, this is a long ATV trip! (Particularly riding in the dust thrown up by 22 ATVs.)  Small white flowers are in bloom and it won’t be long until full spring arrives on the high desert.

We visited two lookout points, one over the Colorado River and the other over a wide canyon. The trip gave me the opportunity to introduce myself to many more club members and see local country I hadn’t visited before. Below is a photo of me taken at one of the frequent rest stops. I am in the blaze yellow vest.

Jerry with ATV group on Saturday, March 18 riding in Wild Horse Mesa

Over the spring I hope to attend more of these group ATV rides. Most are held on weekends.  Over the summer I plan to be at The Lot which will limit the number of rides I will be able to attend  but until then I’ll make the rides I can.

Later today I get to tackle the job of replacing the hood over the stove. Oh Joy! Then off to do grocery shopping.

Last weekend we took the winter mulch off the 5 flower beds. Neighborhood apple trees are in bloom and our lilac bushes are sprouting green leaves. Spring is certainly on the horizon.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

First the purchase, then the parts.  The regular “machine routine,” always expensive.

Happy Trails.