Monday 17 November 2014

TIPS ON BOLT MAINTENANCE

Everyone knows that blade maintenance on a wood chipper is crucial. Most chipper operators ensure that the blades are always as sharp as possible and they clean the knife bed before they put the blades back on the drum. However, they seem to forget and neglect the MOST important thing…..the bolts! When the bolts come loose or break off of the drum it can have horrific consequences. Sometimes the machine can even be written off depending on the size of the machine and so forth.

Here are some tips to ensure this never happens to your wood chipper:
  •  ENSURE the thread of the bolt is clean before you put it back into the knife bed.
  •  ALL the bolts should be the same length.
  •  BOLTS should never be more than 10mm out at the bottom of the knife bed, but it must be visible at the bottom.
  •  ALWAYS torque the bolt according to the manufacturer’s instructions – 130Nm or 245Nm.
  •  NEVER torque the bolt more than 8 times. The head of the bolt stretches and this can cause it to break off. Rather throw it away.
  • NEVER use 8.8 bolts when the specification is 10.9. The bolt cannot handle the strain and tension and will break at some stage.

-          PLEASE phone us today with your TOMCAT Serial Number if you have lost your torque setting or if you have forgotten the correct setting and we will gladly assist you.

We hope these tips will keep you chipping!

Incorrect Blade Bolts

Correct 10.9 HT Bolt


New HT Bolt

Wednesday 23 April 2014

See you at NAMPO 2014!

Tomcat Chippers is getting ready to have some fun at this year’s NAMPO expo! Organised by Grain South Africa (GSA), the NAMPO exhibition is the biggest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere - spread over 24 hectares (80 hectares for the demonstration area) and attracting over 500 exhibitors and 80 000 visitors! 

This year’s Expo takes place from the 13th to 16th of May outside Bothaville in the Free State. We will be arriving with a large selection chippers and stump grinders and there will be a great deal of new machinery on the stand as well.  

Come visit us at stand 202, chat to us or see a live demo of what our chippers can do. We are looking forward to seeing you there!



Wednesday 15 January 2014

J Haskins & Sons show off Tomcat Chippers in Botswana

This month we would like to feature one of our Tomcat agents in Botswana: J Haskins & Sons, and commend them on their excellent work in promoting our brand in their area.

Technical manager David Sautereau (from the Gaborone branch) and his team attended the Botswana National Agricultural Show from the 27th August to 1st of September 2013. Not only did they invest many hours of  hard work into this venture, but generously donated prizes for the livestock and crop competitions. Their efforts definitely paid off - the show was a great success and the team had an enjoyable time with all the farmers and visitors.

We are proud to see a company like Haskins doing so much for Tomcat Chippers in Botswana and are looking forward to more exciting developments!

To find out more about J Haskins & Sons go to: www.haskins.co.bw