Brush Bandit anvils

windthrown

I sharpened the anvil in my Bandit 95 this weekend. I also adjusted it and it runs a lot better than before. However, the anvil is running out of length. Anyone know of a source for them other than Bandit? They want $180 for a new one.

Urban Treecare NZ

Hey Windthrow,
Try calling Wesspur, I got some bandit 90 knives off them last year, were cheapest by far, very helpful guys.

Treekiwi

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rbtree

Wesspur gets anvils from Bandit, so the price will still be high. I don't know of anyone making aftermarket anvils.....

Ask them for a price without the bolt hardware.

windthrown

Yah, so far all the anvils I have found are based on BB prices. $180 and up. There are some early model BB 90/95 anvils on Ebay that are stright, but mine is the L shaped one. Bolt HW on the later model L shaped anvils is only 2 mounting bolts, and 2 adjusting bolts. $5 worth of parts at Home Depot. Or $10 for the case hardened ones that I use.

I wonder what these anvils are made of. I have a friend with a machine shop and he can pretty much make up anything I need. I was also thinking of butt-welding on more steel, using that stuff that they fuse railroad rails with.

Tree Machine

I pulled mine, ground a consistent chamfer over the affected corner, then laid a thick weld bead over top of the bevelled corner, heavy rod and high amps(go deep). Then used the grinder again to reestablish the 90 degree edge/corner on the anvil.

I went through the same thing with Bandit....."How much for this little chunk of metal?" I have a welder on hand, so once the anvil was pulled, it was a 15 minute fix, and for all practical purposes was the same as a new anvil.

On the anvil below, we had an 'accident' involving a corona bull lopper head. Neither the anvil, chipper knives or pruner head fared very well. Sorry no 'after' pictures of the anvil repair.

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Tree Machine

I'll go ahead and say it for you....."Ouch!"

I believe just regular steel. Hardened steel would be more britttle and those chunks out of my anvil would more likely have sheared off as chips, rether than gouges, or the anvil edge (or the whole plate) would have fractured. Also, hardened steel is more of a problem with the tapping of the threads. It welded up like regular steel, but to be quite honest I am only surmising. I really don't know.

windthrown

Good idea. Maybe take it to a shop here and get the beat and rounded edge welded up, and grind it into shape filing it flat and square. Probably cost me $20. I already lengthened the anvil side of the L by grinding the inside curve of the anvi'L' into a 90 degree corner (rather than the original bent forged curve). Added another usable 1/2 inch that way. The slots for the locking screws could go even farther than that.

Tree_man_Dan

That was a pretty good picture of the mangled anvil.

I was working on a tree crew years back and we had an accident kind of like that..... one of the groundman picked up a huge turn of fir branches off a windsail prune. The only problem was, The climbers robe bag was barried under the brush and he didnt see it, And it gets better...The rope bag had a spare lanyard (wire core ) along with 2 extra caribeners and a pair of hand clippers! Yea it was quite a mess.

Turned the lanyard into 4" peices and the caribeners were in dime size chunkes. It was a 15" mobark so it didnt even slow down. Had to repalce the andil and knives, was a pretty costly screw up that for sure, was also pretty amazing to see what a chipper will do to metal like that.

I Have had a few instances with my 12" bandit wanting to take the pitch fork from me when i am pushing brush into the shoot. I guess some times it is a little hungryer than others, LOL!!!

derwoodii

I had my little bandit 65 ate its anvil. The operator calls say the machine not chewin as well as it should. I pop by to investigate and bingo er no anvil?? I asked did he hear anything or notice at all. Nup just started to not chew as good. It destroyed a new set of knifes not much else a small dent in the chute. Lucky day.

Jeff Darby

I had a re fabricated Vermeer... When I say re-fabricated, I mean it literally I replaced so much steel on it over time it was no longer a Vermeer but a " JayD "

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Sunraysia Tree Solutions

I've replaced normal rectangle anvils on bandits, even bandit said go down to any engineering shop and get them to make you one, pretty cheap

Patrick Deasey

We made up some with Bisalloy, a hardened steel. As mentioned, tapping the threads was harder work than if it was mild steel, but they last heaps better.Any small engineering shop worth their salt should be able to do it. You could also build up the the edge of a mild steel anvil with hard facing electrodes and regrind.