Well I'm hoping it does.....except I need to fix the wheels before it just keels over. They made the wheels really skinny and the axle is very short which makes it hard to find a decent replacement wheel.....The hub is going to have to be like 2.5" I think. I will measure. The HarborFreight one didn't clog much at all but then again I wasn't feeding 3" branches in it. Only on super long thick branches it would stall the engine every once in a while....and the trick there was to hold the branch and just chip a bit of it instead of just letting go. Was very happy with the output of the chipper as well. Sizewise it was perfect. I'm using it in my compost piles, as a floor for my garden bed, and as mulch on top of the garlic I just planted.
Go to your local hardware & buy a length of whatever diameter round bar stock is on the chipper. Cut to the length you want & make your own axle. Fairly easy & inexpensive.
I think a chipper is a "go big or go home" item. I bought mine used for $1800, and it has an 18 hp twin B&S. If the engine ever dies, it is going to be replaced with the biggest engine I can bolt right up to it.
I had one just a tiny bit bigger than that, without the chipper tube on the side. Just massive angry, hungry flails. Traded it in for <something-or-other> and always wished I still had it.
I don't need anything bigger. Plus budget restrictions. This will get the job done and hopefully it won't break down on me. Tried the champion out this morning and it seems pretty powerful. Slightly bigger engine at 224cc vs 212cc but it feels way sturdier. The HF one had much better pneumatic wheels that locked in position. The wheels are just crap on the champion.
This ^ ^ ^ The small homeowner models are just a poor excuse for a chipper. Its not that "bigger" in and of itself is better, its just that the bigger more expensive ones are a better design, and designed to run hours on end regularly without causing trouble...because the likely commercial user is not going to put up with plugs and breakdowns, etc...its gotta do the job that it was advertised to do...which the ones you buy at the local hardware/big box/farm store very often don't...or if they do, not for long...just seems to be the nature of the beast unfortunately. Some tools you can skimp on, just seems that chippers aren't one of them
I don't need one to run all day long. While there is the occasional jam that is usually my fault for not paying attention to what I'm thowing in there. Yes, it would be nice to not have to think about wlit and just be able to throw whatever you want but that's out of my budget. This serves its purpose....but even the cheap homeowner version shouldn't be falling apart like the HF one did. Well here are the pics to show you it's not that easy. The axle is welded to the brackets so it's not a matter of just replacing the round stock. I'd have to fabricate a new bracket and axle. For now I will measure and find out if there is a replacement wheel I can slip on. And here's the 5-in-1 pressure washer head someone chucked into the chute.
The shaft only has 1.25" of room for a wheel. And the wheel is held on to the axe via a bolt that threads into the axle....leaving even less room to work with. I might have to find a piece of hollow steel stock that has an ID of 1/2" and an OD of 3/4".
Haaaaa! Sorry, but the last pic showing the tipped in wheels cracked me up. Gotta be a better wheel out there. Geez! Good luck.
Can you possibly find a sleeve/bushing with same OD as the axle? If so you could use a longer bolt & wider wheel.
If you really want to laugh, watch this video of me moving the chipper. Doesn't get much more stupider than that. Dropbox - 2020-10-15 08.16.53.mp4 - Simplify your life That's what I meant to say instead of "hollow stock". However, I'd still only have 1.25" of support and I'd have to figure out how to secure it.
I could get a longer M8 bolt, get or make a bushing (I have a drill press but I lost the damm chuck so I'd need to buy a chuck), and the just use a washer on the outside between the wheel and the bolt.
And since everything is metric on this thing (and my splitter) I'm going to guess the axle is 13mm, not 1/2".
I don’t know what your welding and fabricating skills are, but if they’re nonexistent, get a piece of 5/8 round stock, a set wheels, u bolts and fix it up.
I'm a noob. I have a HF 225 amp stick welding machine. I have 6013 and 7018 rods in a bunch of sizes. I've done some MINOR repair work to my Sienna fuel door and also recently welded two benches whose support rods (legs were all 1/2" round stock) were broken. I was practicing my beads a few weeks ago. Sadly I haven't practiced since then. But this is where I'm at. I guess I could cut out the stock rod, bend the sheet metal back a bit, and put a 5/8" round stock in there like you said. This was 3/32" 6013 I believe on a piece of scrap 1/4" plate. I have like 1.5 hours of welding total in my life so........just about zero.
It needs to be 12" in order for the unit to be level and the only 12" wheel at HF has a 2.5" hub. I need to extend the axle.
Find a 12"diameter log, slice off some cookies, drill axle holes...the Flintstones would be proud! or you could get fancy like this guy...
