Rankin 520 Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
General Information ................................................................................... 1 - 2
Introduction ...........................................................................................2
Symbols ..................................................................................................2
Safety Labels ................................................................................................. 3 - 4
Technical F eatures .............................................................................................5
Terminology ........................................................................................................6
Main Parts Terminology ......................................................................6
Identi fi cation Plate ................................................................................6
Safety ......................................................................................................... 7 - 10
Allowed Use ...........................................................................................7
Improper Use ........................................................................................7
Safety in the Workplace ........................................................................7
Operator's Requirements .....................................................................7
Work Clothing .......................................................................................8
General Safety Rules ..................................................................... 8 - 10
Set-Up .......................................................................................................11 - 13
Attachment to the Tractor .................................................................11
Driveline Attachment .........................................................................12
Starting Up ...........................................................................................12
Feeding System ....................................................................................13
Maintenance ..............................................................................................14 - 21
Maintenance Schedule ........................................................................14
Roller Inspection .................................................................................15
Lubrication ...................................................................................16 - 17
Blades ............................................................................................18 - 19
Belt Tension Check .............................................................................20
Torque Specifi cations .........................................................................21
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................21
Spare Parts .................................................................................................22 - 29
Chipper Breakdown ....................................................................22 - 27
Driveline Breakdown ..................................................................28 - 29
Limited Warranty .............................................................................................30

GENERAL INFORMATION
Dealer Stamp
No part of this manual shall be reproduced, copied or disseminated by any means, without
Rankin's prior authorization in writing.
Rankin reserves the right to make any necessary changes without giving prior notice, in
order to optimize the quality and safety features and does not commit itself to updating this
manual every time a change is made.
This booklet provides a thorough and accurate description of the instruction and maintenance
activities to be carried out on the chipper you purchased. We congratulate you on your choice
and urge you to thoroughly familiarize yourself with and follow the instructions contained in
this manual. This will assure you a long, safe and trouble free working life for your chipper.
Rankin shall not assume any responsibility should problems arise as a result of lack
of compliance with the instructions and/or operator's negligence.
The manual is divided in chapters and paragraphs and the pages are numbered, thus of fering
accurate and precise information.
The requested information can be easily found by searching the key words or referring to the
table of contents.
1

INTRODUCTION:
The Model 520 Chipper was designed to chip branches up to 5 ½ inches in diameter.
The chippers are assembled for operation with 540 PTO R.P.M. tractors only (rated PTO
horsepower from 25 to 80 H.P.) and supplied with Cat. 1 lift pins for tractor attachment.
The chippers can f t Cat. 1 quick attach hitch by using suitable bushings to adapt diameters of
lift pins.
SYMBOLS:
This booklet contains three "safety graphic symbols" which highlight the relevant danger levels
or important information:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
It draws the operator's attention to situations which
can jeopardize people's safety.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
It draws the attention to situations which jeopardize
the machine efficiency but not people's safety.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
It highlights general information which does not
endanger people's safety or the efficiency of the parts.
_____________________________________________________________________________
GENERAL INFORMATION
2

SAFETY LABELS
3
SAFETY LABELS:
The safety labels and the information on the machine, listed in the following table, must be adhered to;
failure to carry out these warnings can cause death or severe injuries. Make sure that the labels are always
present and legible, should this not be the case, contact your nearest Rankin dealer to replace the missing
or illegible ones.
1Attention: Read carefully all
instructions and safety rules
before using the machine. 2
Danger of hands injuries; do
not open or remove the safety
protections while the machine
is operating.
3Hooking point for the ma-
chine's lifting.
4
Attention: Read carefully all
instructions and safety rules
before using the machine. Stop
engine and remove key before
maintenance or repair works.
Wear eyeglasses or face guard
for eyes and face protection and
head guard to protect hearing.
5
ENTANGLEMENT HAZARD
To prevent serious injury or
death: Do not unbolt or remove
safety shields while engine is
running

TECHNICAL FEATURES
5
TECHNICAL FEATURES U.S. METRIC
A: 42" 1060 mm
B: 61" 1545 mm
C: 47" 1180 mm
D: 76" 1920 mm
Minimum Horsepower Required: 25 H.P. 14.91 Kw
Diameter of Material: 5 ½" max. 138 mm
Hopper Dimension - Width x Height: 27" x 27" 700 x 700 mm
Feeding System: Hydraulic Hydraulic
Feeding Opening - Width x Height: 5 ¾" x 8 ¼"146 x 210 mm
Number of Blades: 4 4
Flywheel Speed: 1600 rpm 1600 rpm
Knives Tip Speed: 8326 fpm 42.3 m/s
Flywheel Weight: 110# 50 kg
Flywheel Diameter: 20" 505 mm
Flywheel Thickness: 1 ¼"32 mm
3-Point Hitch: Cat. 1 Cat. 1
Quick 3-Point Hitch: Cat. 1 Cat. 1
Power Take Off: 540 rpm 540 rpm
Weight: 837# 350 kg

SAFETY
7
ALLOWED USE:
Rankin chippers taken into account in this instruction manual, are equipments designed to chip wood's
residuals from pruning and residuals from packaging or from other structures made of wood and free of
nails.
Any other use jeopardizes the operator's safety and the machine integrity.
IMPROPER USE:
When using Rankin Chippers, it is particularly forbidden:
- The attachment to tractors of unsuitable power or weight.
- To assemble the machine without securing the adjustment links of the
3-point hitch of the tractor.
- To chip materials different from wood.
- To introduce pieces of wood of bigger dimensions compared to the machine's capacity.
- To use the machine without having placed the relevant pins and cotter pins
where required.
- To lift the machine when the power takeoff is engaged.
- To approach rotating parts when wearing inappropriate work clothing.
- To get on the machine while it is being used or transported.
SAFETY
SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE:
Most of the accidents which take place while the operator is using the machine or the equipment or during
their maintenance or repair are caused by a lack of compliance with the basic safety precautions. It is
necessary, therefore, to become more and more conscious of the potential risks of one's action by constantly
paying attention to one's own actions and their effects.
If potentially dangerous situations are known, accidents can be prevented!
OPERATOR'SREQUIREMENTS:
All operators using the equipment must be competent and necessarily meet the following features:
Physical: good eyesight, coordination and capability of carrying out all functions required for the machine's
use.
Mental: Capable of understanding and applying the established rules and safety precautions. Users must
pay attention and be sensible for their own and other people's safety.
Training: users must have read and studied this manual, any enclosed graphs and schemes and its
identif cation and danger plates. They must be skilled and trained on any use or maintenance activities.

WORK CLOTHING:
When working and especially when executing repair or maintenance activities, it is necessary to wear the
following clothing and safety accessories:
- Overalls or other comfortable clothing, not too loose to prevent the possibility that parts of them
might be caught in the moving parts.
- Accident prevention shoes.
- Protective gloves for hands.
- Protective glasses or faceplate to protect eyes and face.
- Protective helmet for the head.
- Ear protections to safeguard hearing
______________________________________________________________________________________
Wear only personal safety accessories in good condition
and complying with the rules in force.
______________________________________________________________________________________
GENERAL SAFETY RULES
ALWAYS CONSIDER THE FEATURES OF THE AREA WHERE WORK IS TAKING PLACE:
- Having to attach the equipment on the spot, it is necessary to arrange a f at and compact
area of suff cient dimensions.
- When the equipment is running, it is forbidden to stand within the f eld of action of the chipper
or of the other accessories of which it is provided with.
PREPARE THE WORK:
- Before and when working, do not drink alcohol, take drugs, or any other substances which may
alter your capability of working with machine tools.
- Be sure to have suff cient fuel, to prevent a forced stopping of the machine, maybe during a
critical movement.
- Do not use the equipment under unsafe conditions. For instance, it is forbidden to execute
makeshift repair activities just to start working; it is forbidden to work at night with an
insufficiently illuminated working area.
SAFETY
8

SAFETY
9
WHEN WORKING OR DURING THE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES IT IS NECESSARY TO REMEMBER:
- The labels and stickers providing instructions and pointing out the dangers, must not be
removed, hidden, or made illegible.
- Do not remove, except in case of maintenance, the safety devices and protective covers.
When it is necessary to remove them, stop engine, handle with care and reassemble them
properly before restarting the engine and using the equipment.
- It is forbidden to lubricate, clean and adjust the moving parts while they are running.
- During maintenance or adjustment activities on the equipment it is forbidden to use hands for
executing operations for which there are specif c tools.
- Do not use tools in bad condition or inappropriately, for instance pliers rather than
wrenches, etc.
- When maintenance or repairs are completed check out that no tools, wiping rags, or other
materials are left inside spaces or guides with moving parts.
- While using the equipment, it is forbidden to make more than one person give directions
and make signals. The eventual directions and signals relating to the load handling must be
given by one person only.
- Do not unexpectedly call an operator while he is working if not necessary; it is forbidden as
well to frighten or throw objects at the operator, even if just for fun.
- Watch out for those who are present, especially the children!
- Always make sure that no people stand within the equipment's ray of action.
- Do not make people get on the machine.
- When the equipment is not needed, stop the vehicle's engine, park it on f at ground with f rst
speed and parking brake on, with the machine rested on the ground and PTO disengaged.
- Do not clean, lubricate, repair or adjust with the engine running and the machine lifted.
- Do not stretch your hands into the chipper while it is working.
- Short wooden parts must be pushed towards knives using longer wooden parts or by means of
proper pusher device.

SAFETY
10
- Small wooden fragments must be pushed in slowly and longitudinally in order to avoid
that splinters of wood or other material are thrown against the user.
- Do not use the machine indoors in order to prevent smoke poisoning from the engine
combustion.
- Foreign bodies, such as pieces of metal or stones, must be removed before starting the
machine.
- Remove protection cover only when the machine is completely stopped from inertia
motion and after having disconnected the drive shaft and removed the key from the engine.
- Use the chipper only when wearing proper clothing and after having worn suitable
protection for hands, eyes, ears, and head.
- During transporting chipper blower discharge tube must be oriented so that it does not
stretch out from the outline of the machine.
- When transporting chipper strictly comply with regulations of the area where you operate.
The manufacturer declines all responsibility for a lack of compliance with these instructions.

SET UP
11
ATTACHMENT TO THE TRACTOR
It is advisable to read carefully this Operator's Manual as well as the instruction manuals of the tractor and
the PTO shaft manufacturers.
All Rankin chippers have been manufactured to be attached to any tractor provided with hydraulic lift
and universal 3-point hitch.
Before attaching the equipment to the tractor , set both on a f at and smooth ground and make sure that
nobody is standing between them.
• Approach slowly
the chipper with
the arms of the lift
and connect f rst
the lower arms
and then attach
the upper third
point hitch. The
chipper is
equipped with
attachment pins of
Category1.
• Make sure you f x
the pins with the
corresponding
klik pins.
• Lock the arms of
the lift with proper
chains turnbuckle
or tensioners.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
After executing the above-mentioned activities it is
always good to check that all bolts and nuts of your
chipper are tightened strongly (refer to the torque
specifications in this manual).
__________________________________________________________ ______________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Pay attention to the tractor's front wheels grip when the
equipment is set up and lifted from the ground; if the wheels
appear to be too lightened, ballast the tractor front part.
____________________________________________________________________________

DRIVELINE ATTACHMENT
Before assembling the PTO shaft, it is very important to check out that its number of revolutions and direction
of rotation match those of the tractor. Also, read carefully the instruction manuals of the PTO shaft and the
tractor's manufacturers. Before starting work, check the presence of the safety guards on the power takeoffs
of the machine, of the PTO shaft and of the tractor. Check in particular that the safety guards cover the PTO
shaft throughout its extension.
_________________________________________________________________________________
When at their maximum extension, the safety guards' plastic
tubing shall overlap at least 1/3 of their length. When in their
maximum closing position, the minimum clearance allowed
shall be 3/4" (Fig. 1).
_________________________________________________________________________________
Check out that the PTO shaft minimum and maximum length are the
ones required by the machine-tractor coupling. Should problems
arise contact your Rankin dealer. After installation, secure safety
guards both to the tractor and the machine using the special chains
and make sure that they pivot freely. If the PTO shaft is equipped
with other safety devices, such as a slip clutch, be sure to install
them on the working machine side. As for the PTO use and
maintenance refer to the relevant booklet.
_________________________________________________________________________________
These operations shall be made only on working ground
and only after having stopped the engine, disengaged the
PTO and pulled the parking brake. If necessary, lift the
machine from the ground, but in order to avoid risks for
people, place it on supports thus preventing any injuries
that might be caused by its sudden fall.
__________________________________________________________________________
CHECKS PRIOR TO STARTING UP
Before starting the chipper check the following:
►The machine is properly connected.
►It is f rmly rested on the ground.
►The chipper is parallel to the ground in order to avoid major stress on the PTO.
►The knives are sharpened.
►The discharge tube is correctly mounted and positioned.
STARTING UP OF THE CHIPPER
When all setting up operations are completed, your machine is ready to be used.
At this point it is possible to engage the PTO and work the machine at full capacity.
SET UP
12
Fig. 1

SET UP
13
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Use the power take off only at 540 rpm.
____________________________________________________________________________
MATERIAL FEEDING SYSTEM AND CHIPPING
The shaped bar "A" is used to control the rotation of the feed roller. It can be placed in 3 positions:
- "0" Neutral position
- "1" Chipping position
- "2" Reverse position
Before starting to chip make sure the unit has reached
540 rpm PTO speed and the position control lever is "0".
•After having properly oriented the
discharge chute, open the lid of the
hopper and start the feed roller by
pushing the lever in position "1".
•Select the wood to be chipped so
as not to exceed the maximum
diameter of cut 5 ½".
•Small branches can be kept together
and put in simultaneously with their
butt end turned towards the entrance.
• Absolutely avoid pushing
the branches down the
hopper slide using your
hands. Use other pieces of
wood and if necessary,
use proper pusher device.
The chippers are equipped with a valve of formal discharge circuit, pre-set by the manufacturer, to stop
the rotation of the feed roller in case of overload. In case of jamming, move the lever in position "2" to
reverse the spin direction of the feed roller.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Make sure you only feed wood so that knives
are not damaged.
____________________________________________________________________________

MAINTENANCE
14
STORAGE
If the chipper will not be used for a long period of time, we advise to:
1. Wash the machine accurately and dry it.
2. Check out all equipment and replace damaged or worn parts.
3. Tighten strongly all bolts and nuts (See torque specif cations chart).
Make an accurate greasing and at last protect the whole machine with a tarpaulin in a building. Store it
in a dry place. Following the instruction will allow you to f nd the chipper always in good conditions
whenever you use it.
MAINTENANCE
Maintenance is a fundamental operation to extend life and performances of any agricultural implement;
taking care of the machine grants you not only a good work condition, but also a longer life of the equip-
ment and greater safety in the workplace.
The operating times indicated in this manual have just an informative character and are referred to nor-
mal conditions of use; they can thus undergo variations according to the type of service, to the more or
less dusty environment, to seasonal factors, etc.
LUBRICATION
● Grease points - use high quality lithium based grease
● Hydraulic reservoir - use 30 weight hydraulic oil
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
EVERY 10 HOURS OF WORK
- At the end of every working day it is advisable that you clean accurately the machine so that
its parts are always in good working condition.
- Grease crosses on the PTO shaft.
- Make a general inspection to verify possible hydraulic oil leaks or the presence of damaged
parts, when it applies.
- Make sure the knives are in good condition, sharpened and perfectly f xed by the tightening
bolts.
- Inspect the feed roller and clean it from the trapped wood.
EVERY 25 HOURS OF WORK
- Grease the driveshaft crosses through the special lubricating zerks.
- Grease the transmission shaft through the proper lubricating zerks.
- Grease the bearings supporting the feed roller through the appropriate grease zerks.

EVERY 50 HOURS OF WORK
- Replace the oil f lter cartridge.
- Check to make sure that the belts are tightened.
- Check that all bolts and nuts are correctly tightened.
EVERY 250 HOURS OF WORK
- Check oil hydraulic level.
- Replace oil f lter cartridge.
MAINTENANCE
_________________________________________________________________________________
Before executing maintenance activities on the machine,
stop engine, disengage PTO, pull parking brake, and place
the equipment on the ground in horizontal position.
_________________________________________________________________________________
ROLLER INSPECTION
● Unscrew the 4 screws "L" placed on
top of the chipper and remove
the cover "M" protecting the feed
roller "N".
● If necessary, check the status of roller
and remove the trapped wood.
If you need help, use compressed air.
● At the end of operation, re-position
the cover "M" and tighten the screws
"L" with their washers, respecting the
tightening torque shown in the Table
on page 21.
MAINTENANCE
15

MAINTENANCE
16
LUBRICATION
Lubricate the machine regularly with a high quality lithium based grease to keep it eff cient and extend its
life and performance.
Inject grease through the proper lubricating zerks using a pump in the following points:
- A, B (Picture 1) Transmission shaft supports.
- C, D (Picture 2 - 3) Flywheel shaft supports.
- E (Picture 4) Blower discharge tube base.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Before injecting lubricating grease into the zerks,
clean them thoroughly to prevent mud, dust, or other
foreign matters from mixing with the grease, thus
diminishing the lubrication effect.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Picture 1 Picture 2
Picture 3 Picture 4

LUBRICATION (CONTINUED)
- F, G (Picture 5 - 6) Hydraulic motor guide
HYDRAULIC OIL LEVEL CONTROL
Every 250 hours check the oil level in hydraulic tank "G" (picture 7) through the oil level plug "F".
The proper level should be about 4/5 of the tank. If it is necessary to raise the level, enter new oil through the
plug "F", having the same characteristics of the oil in the tank. The machine is supplied by the manufacturer
with hydraulic oil.
OIL FILTER REPLACEMENT CARTRIDGE
Replace the hydraulic oil f lter cartridge in the f rst
50 hours and then every 250 hours thereafter.
- Place a clean container, to collect any spilled
oil, under the f lter cartridge "H".
- Unscrew the cartridge.
- Lubricate the seal of the new cartridge with the
same oil, then screw and tighten it with your
hands.
- Check the oil level as above.
MAINTENANCE
17
Picture 5 Picture 6
Picture 7
_________________________________________________________________________________
Before injecting lubricating grease into the zerks,
clean them thoroughly to prevent mud, dust, or other
foreign matters from mixing with the grease, thus
diminishing the lubrication effect.
_________________________________________________________________________________

MAINTENANCE
18
BLADES CHECK
To assure a perfect functioning of the chipper check often that its blades are in good conditions, sharpened
and perfectly f xed by the locking bolts.
To inspect the rotor and the blades condition, please proceed as described below:
• Stop the machine.
• Disengage the PTO shaft and remove
the tractor ignition key.
• Remove the locking screw of the
f ywheel housing.
• Grab the top half of the housing by
the handles and slowly open the
cover to maximum open position.
• Carefully rotate the f ywheel checking
the condition of every single blade.
SHARPENING AND REPLACEMENT OF BLADES
A poor performance of the chipper usually depends on its blades wear. Blades are reversible and have two
cutting edges to be used before executing sharpening or replacement.
To disassemble the blades, please proceed as follows:
•Repeat previous point regarding check.
• Rotate flywheel until blade screws are accessible.
• Remove fixing screws and pull out the blade
•Rotate blade 180 degrees and replace the cutting edge intact in the slot.
•Reinsert the unscrewing lockwashers and tighten the screws with a torque wrench
per the torque specif cation chart.
•Repeat operation for the remaining blades.