This month we put to the test a Morbark Beever M15RX Brush Chipper.
After talking to Stuart from Global Machinery Sales, we had the opportunity to have a look over the Morbark Beever M15RX Brush Chipper. The machine looks very well built, which is typical of a Morbark. They are very popular in America and have a reputation for being built to last, and they are becoming more popular in Australia these days.
The first thing I noticed was the silver panels in the feed hopper. This is technology that’s been in the U.S. for a while but now being introduced to us here in Australia.The system works by shutting the feed rollers off if you reach too far into the hopper. They have sensors on either sides of the infeed hopper and you wear a wrist band that sets the sensor off stopping the rollers. If it’s done by accident, there is a box outside the hopper that you simply tap the wrist band in front of and it resets the rollers back into motion. The good thing about these bands is that they can be attached to several different things, for example anywhere on the body, winch cable, lifting chains or even the climbers rope if he is working above the chipper.
This is a great safety feature that would prevent anything entering the hopper that shouldn’t.Looking around the machine I also noticed a load of QR codes that can be scanned and they bring up the relevant info on that part of the machine. For example, there is a QR code above the clutch that we scanned and it brings up info on how to adjust the clutch yourself. This is a fantastic feature for any owner operator and operators who like to take care of equipment.
The machine comes with a couple of different chute options. The one we tested had the palm chute on it. We didn’t have any palms to process but I was told by the rep that this chute was designed in Queensland and is almost impossible to block. The only downside for me was that, because of the design, you couldn’t lift the chute up or down. I have been told that the other chute option adjusts up and down, so you can go with whichever option you need.
The Morbark Beever M15RX is a 15 inch chipper that weighs about three and a half tonne which is a good size behind
a lot of tree trucks. When we fired it up it sounded like a weapon, mainly thanks to the 142hp CAT engine. The machine had the auto feed set on the tame side but if you wanted to adjust it, simply scan the QR code and the steps pop up for you, easy done. I left it as it came for the test drive.
With the auto feed set to tame and feed rollers that generate more than five tonne of pulling force this machine pulled the forky/crotchy stuff through really well! We barely cut anything.
I was really surprised how well it pulled the heads that we winched into the hopper straight through. I expected to do more cutting at the back of the machine. We didn’t just use this machine for 15 minutes. We ran it all day!
I would really love to try the other chute option from Morbark. Everything they are doing with this machine is fantastic.
The M15RX is one of the best machines in this class, it certainly keeps up and holds its own.
For more information visit www.morbark.com