RE: (ET) wood chipper DC or AC

["Chris Tromley" <chris_t microtrac com>]

Robert Winfield wrote:

> Anyone have any larger size electric wood chippers
> they like?
> I have a Xantrex 1,000 wt inverter 12vDC in 110vAC out.

Hi Robert,

I have a Patriot 1.5 hp electric chipper/shredder/vac that I like.  (See
http://www.patriot-products-inc.com/products.htm#eleccsv.)  But then, I
have nothing to compare it to.  Since most gas chippers are around 5 hp
minimum, this one seems to do very well.  It takes up to 2.5" (straight)
branches.  I also like the fact that you can turn it upside down to help
clear the occasional clog, which you can't do with a gas chipper.  I
haven't used it yet for shredding leaves or vacuuming.

1.5 hp is the largest you can expect from a 110 V plug-in chipper.
That's 1100 W, or 9+ amps from the wall.  Probably more in my case,
since I'm using two long cords (against recommendations).  One of my
outlets with an old 15 A breaker won't support it.  Another outlet will,
but nothing else can be run on that circuit.

I've thought about mounting it on a cart with a 4" hose to the mower
deck, the outlet emptying into a big bin for collecting leaves in the
fall.  So I'm definitely interested in driving it from an inverter.  It
looks like 1000 W won't quite cut it for this unit.  Experts, is it
better use something like a 1500-1800W inverter for a device with a 1100
W nominal rating?  The motor is rated at 3450(?) rpm (measured 3600 rpm
with a cheap mechanical tach) and has 2 capacitors on it.  Will it do OK
with a cheaper modified sine-wave inverter, or do I need a full
sine-wave?

I suppose you could adapt a 1.5 or 2 hp 36 VDC motor to the chipper.
But that's more work, and I like the idea of having an inverter anyway
to run a string trimmer in the areas the mower won't reach.

Another thing to consider is that, neglecting losses, a 12 V input
inverter will draw 83 amps to make 1000 W.  That's a huge drain on only
1/3 of your pack.  I would only use a 36 V input inverter to keep the
pack balanced.

Groping for answers,
Chris