Got a wood chipper

[SHOZ]

I forgot to say I have to put it together when it gets here. Comes in a crate and should be here mid week. I really did not want Lowes to assemble it, don't think it was offered as it couldn't be transported like that. And it will give me a better understanding of the thing.

10w50 or 10w30 they say, so either 5w40 I have in stock or start with another grade. They want at least SJ grade.

 

[oil pan 4]

I have tons of yard waste from my trees and bushes and high weeds. I use to burn this but the last three years have been making piles of the stuff on my collapsing pond bank. I've been lucky as the ash trees are all dying and the local tree services will gladly dump their chips usually as otherwise they have to haul them somewhere a pay.

But I will continually need to be replacing the mulch that is the final layer of the bank piles. So I ordered a DK2 Kinetic 9.5-HP Gas Powered 277-cc Kohler 5-in Steel Gas Wood Chipper from Lowes. Hope it last as it will get a workout. Not necessarily 5" logs but plenty of smaller stuff.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DK2-Kineti...Kohler-5-in-Steel-Gas-Wood-Chipper/5013805503

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I'm working on a 7hp dk chipper. It's kind of junk. They made the cutter blades out of "carbide steel" (chinesium) and they broke.
I've never seen Dr power woodchipper blades break like that.
I even repowered a 6.5hp Dr chipper with a 15hp engine and it just dulls the cutters faster.
The dk blades are still kinda sharp but they're in pieces so the additional hardness is moot.

 

[oil pan 4]

I forgot to say I have to put it together when it gets here. Comes in a crate and should be here mid week. I really did not want Lowes to assemble it, don't think it was offered as it couldn't be transported like that. And it will give me a better understanding of the thing.

10w50 or 10w30 they say, so either 5w40 I have in stock or start with another grade. They want at least SJ grade.

Wood chippers don't run the oil too hot so no need to break out the 50 weight.
Only way you might be able to get a wood chipper hot enough to need 50 weight is if you set it next to a pile of brush and have 2 people feeding it during the summer.
Then if you plan on using it in the winter and if it gets cold there then select a 5w or 0w oil.
Once the engine oil hits around a thousand cP you'll rip the pull starter off the engine before it starts.

 

[SHOZ]

The motor has a three year warranty. They spec Their brand 10w50 for a 300 hr oil change and the 10w30 for 100 hr. No filter. Change after first 5 hrs unless using their premium 10w50.

 

[oil pan 4]

The motor has a three year warranty. They spec Their brand 10w50 for a 300 hr oil change and the 10w30 for 100 hr. No filter. Change after first 5 hrs unless using their premium 10w50.

No filter? I wouldn't run any oil for more than 50hrs on a no filter engine. Probably get some quarts of Walmart supertech and change the oil at 1hr then again at 5hrs.
Wood chippers break and dull a lot of stuff. I recommend buying more blades now, at least one. The blades for the 3 inch 7hp dk chipper were only $40 each but it's going to take a week for them to come in. With a dk and those ridiculously hard steel Chinesium carbide blades I wouldn't recommend chipping dry hard wood.

 

[SHOZ]

Put a hour meter on it and was looking for the gear box drain but apparently the motor is of newer design that the parts illustration. The 2:1 gear reduction is intergraded into the motor and shares the engine oil. Took the belt guard off and got the info from them.

The blades are reversible.

 

[IndyIan]

I have tons of yard waste from my trees and bushes and high weeds. I use to burn this but the last three years have been making piles of the stuff on my collapsing pond bank. I've been lucky as the ash trees are all dying and the local tree services will gladly dump their chips usually as otherwise they have to haul them somewhere a pay.

But I will continually need to be replacing the mulch that is the final layer of the bank piles. So I ordered a DK2 Kinetic 9.5-HP Gas Powered 277-cc Kohler 5-in Steel Gas Wood Chipper from Lowes. Hope it last as it will get a workout. Not necessarily 5" logs but plenty of smaller stuff.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DK2-Kineti...Kohler-5-in-Steel-Gas-Wood-Chipper/5013805503

​

Usually some sort of vegetation with a good root structure(not 2" tall grass) holds steep slopes far better than a slope with no vegetation IME. We paddle down a few rivers and its always the guy that cut all the trees and is trying to build some sort of retaining wall system, that has his bank falling into the river, and the untouched natural bank beside his property is holding up fine.
Also I've seen a lumber mill dumping bark down the river bank slope killing all the vegetation and that section is eroding far faster than the natural banks.

 

[SHOZ]

Usually some sort of vegetation with a good root structure(not 2" tall grass) holds steep slopes far better than a slope with no vegetation IME. We paddle down a few rivers and its always the guy that cut all the trees and is trying to build some sort of retaining wall system, that has his bank falling into the river, and the untouched natural bank beside his property is holding up fine.
Also I've seen a lumber mill dumping bark down the river bank slope killing all the vegetation and that section is eroding far faster than the natural banks.

My bank is very steep and has eroded from years of surface run off as well as the pond level too high. The bank face is basically no slope and 90 degrees. I've stopped that for the most part. The worst now is underground spring when the water table is high. The bank is all clay fill on top of the original black sandy topsoil. Really screwed up the drainage for the yard 200 ft slope towards the pond.

The bottom of all this is tree trunks and power line poles. This is topped with brush and sticks weaved all together. Then covered in mulch. It all acts like a beaver dam in reverse. Really filters and starts to build up soil directly under it and the uphill. It's like a 25 year project as it all slowly decays.

Legally I cannot bring in fill as it's in a flood plane. I can use fill taken directly from the flood plain. But the bank was disappearing. it's HOA property and once it was gone then it's my dirt into the abyss. The wave action on the wet ground due to the spring was really damaging. But has been buffered by the trees and limbs at the waters edge.

Wood bark and mulch is normally very anti weed and stops a lot of sprouting but does retain moisture.

 

[oil pan 4]

Put a hour meter on it and was looking for the gear box drain but apparently the motor is of newer design that the parts illustration. The 2:1 gear reduction is intergraded into the motor and shares the engine oil. Took the belt guard off and got the info from them.

The blades are reversible.

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If it has the same carbide blades as the smaller dk you will want to buy another set. For the smaller dk one order is one set. When I bought a set off the Lowes website it wasn't clear and was wasn't 100% sure if I was getting 2 blades or 2 sets. So I ordered 2 so I would at least have 2 blades for sure. Nope 2 sets. That's fine as I wanted a spare se on hand.

 

[SHOZ]

If it has the same carbide blades as the smaller dk you will want to buy another set. For the smaller dk one order is one set. When I bought a set off the Lowes website it wasn't clear and was wasn't 100% sure if I was getting 2 blades or 2 sets. So I ordered 2 so I would at least have 2 blades for sure. Nope 2 sets. That's fine as I wanted a spare se on hand.

Did yours chip or just get dull?

 

[SHOZ]

The Kohler engine manual is not much good either. A good 3/4" thick but numerous languages. Only 10 pages in English. At least it's still in the front.

No specific oil volume. Just says fill it to the max level on the stick. Two sticks and two drain plugs but to fill and drain neither good. If you tip it on thee intake chute it puts the engine bottom vertical so one of the dipstick tubes will work good as a drain. I put in 800 ml.

Much discussion on the air cleaner but it's not a lot like mine. Just a element with a foam cover. Has a cover you rotate for winter use. Sucks up hot air from the muffler. The muffler is on top and somewhat dangerous position for neglectful hand holds. I was going to take it off and strip the spark arrestor out. Paint the top of the muffler shield red.

Probably be after frost until I start trimming again.

 

[oil pan 4]

Did yours chip or just get dull?

They broke and it's not mine just something I was working on.
Someone was probably putting new Mexico kiln dried elm in it.
Oh and the muffler broke off it. I had a straight pipe. For something else that firt.

 

[SHOZ]

Had to go to the Koehler site to get the service manual for the motor. It indeed shows the oil fill amounts and better diagrams. Takes 1.1L and you tip the chipper on the intake shoot. One dipstick hole for draining and the other is used for filling. Why they have a dipsticks I don't know as you basically fill till it runs out when level.

The warranty registration is quite difficult. Still haven't found the Kohler link. Did find the DK2 one.