Additional Services
After Sales Service and Technical Support
One of the many benefits of buying a TOMCAT chipper is the excellent after sales service and technical support which is available to all our clients. Getting insightful and proper chipper advice and support is simply a telephone call away.
At TOMCAT our clients are our first priority and we strive to remain the industry leader in South Africa when it comes to service & back-up. We have also strategically set up dealers throughout the country, especially in areas where there are many TOMCATs, to assist with after sales support. Our dealers are trained by our staff so that they can give the highest level service, support and advice to our end users in the field.
We have dedicated personnel to assist with trouble-shooting when a chipper issue or breakdown occurs in the field. Since we manufacture the chippers ourselves we understand them better than anyone else so we can give you expert advice, which will have you up and running in no time. We also have an in-house technical team to assist with major repairs, services and general repairs on your machine at our manufacturing plant.
To give our customers the ultimate peace of mind we have a dedicated service vehicle with an extremely qualified technician who can assist with anything from general services to major repairs. Even something like a chipper drum replacement can be done on site, which will save you time and money. Our service areas are covered by two experienced and knowledgeable managers: Frans Greyling and Bruce Hammond. These are the areas that are actively serviced and covered by TOMCAT’s sales team:
West Africa Manager
Western Cape Province
Southern Cape Province
Eastern Cape Province
Free State Province
North-West Province
Namibia
Botswana
Mauritius
Angola
Seychelles
Kenya
Tanzania
Mozambique
East Africa Manager
Kwazulu Natal (KZN)
Mpumalanga
Gauteng
Limpopo
Swaziland
Lesotho
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Malawi
Seychelles
Kenya
Tanzania
Mozambique
We are committed to servicing your wood chippers to the best of our ability, taking care of your spares and going the extra mile when you need us. We pride ourselves on not only supplying a top quality product, but by also backing it up with the best practical knowledge and skills.
Dedicated Wood Chipper Workshop
Major Repairs & General Services
At our manufacturing plant there’s a dedicated workshop for chipper services and repairs. The workshop is fully kitted out with all the necessary bolts and nuts, hydraulic crimper, overhead gantry and a qualified auto-electrician.
The chipper workshop makes use of the equipment and skills of the TOMCAT Manufacturing section when structural repairs need to be done on the chipper. We can do the following on any size wood chipper:
- repair/fit/replace any worn parts on the structure of the unit
- service diesel & petrol engines and PTO-driven units
- hydraulic repairs & service of hydraulic systems
- drum repairs on the blade pockets
- in-house drum balancing
We can also collect your chipper and deliver it to your premises.
Bring your wood chipper in to our workshop when it’s not in use to get it ready for the pruning and chipping season. We can also collect your chipper and deliver it to your premises.
Complete Factory Rebuild
When your chipper has been around the block a couple of times and it is not performing as you remember it on delivery day a decade ago - it might be time to breathe some fresh TOMCAT life into it. As a wood chipper gets older some of the structural parts of the machine wear out and lead to poor discharge, lower production, poor in-feed capabilities and higher maintenance costs.
At TOMCAT Manufacturing we can dismantle the complete unit, repair worn-out structural parts such as the drum pockets, belly plate, in-feed hopper, feed rollers, weak anvil support area, leaking tanks, back of the discharge chute etc. without necessarily the need for a complete replacement.
We’ve got all the tools and the skills to repair/ replace worn out parts to get your wood chipper chipping like it just came out of the factory production line. Best of all we back up our work with a workshop warranty to give you the ultimate peace of mind.
Rebuilding your wood chipper is a win-win situation as it will give it another chance at chipping hassle-free and it will be at a fraction of the cost of a new replacement unit. However, the moment the rebuild costs exceed 50% of a similar unit it might be time for you to speak to your nearest TOMCATs sales representative! We will advise you on the best option in your situation.
AFTER
BEFORE
Fully Stocked Parts Store to limit downtime
A fully-stocked parts store supplies all the parts to the manufacturing department for the production of new units, as well as offering sales to existing customers. When a tradesman runs out of something as small as a washer, the whole chippers’ assembly comes to a standstill. It is therefore even more important for us as a manufacturer to keep all the necessary parts in stock in order for the product line to flow and keep producing without unnecessary delays. This is also a direct advantage for our customers as we always have stock, even if the suppliers don’t have. This limits downtime for our clients in the field when they working at full capacity and a breakdown occurs.
All the major TOMCAT wear components except the chipper blades and TRAC Unit are locally sourced from local manufacturers. There are no specially built wear components such as bearings, blade-bolts and v-belts on our TOMCAT machinery, which means our clients are not forced to buy the part from us. Bearings, pulleys, v-belts, bolts & nuts, gearboxes, clutches and hydraulics are all stocked countrywide at leading retailers, meaning you can shop around to get the best price without being forced to buy from the OEM at fixed prices.
At TOMCAT we understand that a wood chipper is a critical part of most businesses and downtime on your wood chipper must be kept to a minimum. That is why we strive to keep all the parts for our current range in stock at all times and are ready to dispatch part orders within 24 hours.
Wood Chipper Blade Sharpening Service
The key to running a smooth wood chipper operation is to keep your wood chipper blades as sharp as possible. Keeping your woodchipper blades sharp will increase your wood chippers’ performance, increase output production, produce a great looking wood chip, lower maintenance costs, extend the lifespan of your wood chipper and ensure that you get the most sharpenings out of your set of chipper blades.
To properly sharpen your wood chipper blades you should not use an angle grinder or bench grinder, but a specialised tool called a surface grinder. On a surface grinder you can set the angle and accurately measure the depth to which you have sharpened the blade. It also uses a special liquid to cool the blade down during the sharpening process.
Most authorised TOMCAT dealers are equipped with blade sharpeners to minimize downtime and increase their service offering. We offer a professional sharpening service with a dedicated machine operator to ensure consistent quality and efficient service. In the areas where we don’t offer this service, we will direct you to the blade-sharpening service nearest to you.
This is just another way in which we try to make life easier for our customers and strive to provide the ultimate service for the chipper industry.
In Field Services & Repairs
Sometimes our TOMCATs work far from civilization and taking the chipper in to our factory workshop is not the most desirable option as it wastes a lot of time on transport and travelling. To accommodate clients in this situation we offer the on-site service option to all our TOMCAT customers regardless of how far away from us you are. Our technical crew are fully equipped and experienced to do anything from a standard wood chipper service to completely replacing a woodchipper drum or even an engine on your premises.
Since we design and manufacture all the wood chippers in-house from scratch we are comfortable with doing serious repairs as our staff have got years of experience and thoroughly understand a wood chipper, especially a TOMCAT wood chipper, from beginning to end. So before taking your wood chipper down to the nearest mechanic or engineering shop, rather let the TOMCAT experts work on your chipper at a fraction of the time and cost.
On-Site Wood Chipper Product Introduction Throughout Africa
Receiving a proper wood chipper product introduction and learning how to operate it correctly can extend your wood chipper's lifespan, will reduce the risk of chipper-related accidents and chipper downtime caused by operator abuse. At TOMCAT we see wood chipper "product introductions" as mandatory and extremely important. For this reason we will never deliver a woodchipper in South Africa without giving proper product introduction to the end-user. A knowledgeable operator will maintain the chipper properly and use the chipper within the specifications of the manufacturer. Trained wood chipper operators will save you money in the long run as the component life of your wear parts will be extended. It is highly recommend to do chipper refresher courses for all your wood chipper operators and technical chipper operators on an annual basis. Product introduction certificates are issued and are valid for one year.
