I trimmed quite a few low hanging and/or dead branches around the lot, got a small little pile, and then finally decided to pull the trigger on the HF Gas Wood Chipper (Item #62323). Got a 20% coupon for that specific chipper so I got it for $399 ($489 reg). Called around the two local stores for about two weeks but they never know what's coming on the truck and you can't ship to store so I just decided to pay the extra $90 for shipping. Got it delivered last night at 9:30pm, spent about 40 minutes putting it together. 10 minutes was spent trying to find a nut and a bolt (different sizes) that were missing from the hardware kit. There was a rip in the bag and as you can tell from how it showed up here the box had taken a beating. Filled it with 5W-30 synthetic oil and let it run for about an hour without any load, half throttle. I ended up getting just over a cubic yard of mulch/wood chips. I figured this was a great way to get rid of all the chips/strips/debris from using the axe and splitter. I made a compost pile one year ago but using the chipper will definitely help speed up the process when composting. I found that burning those chips and stuff was kind of difficult because a) it was green and b) if it sat outside for any amount of time it would get rained on and was too wet. For both these reasons burning ended up looking like I was trying to send smoke signals. The good: Eats anything small Can shovel in all those chips and debris I mentioned earlier. You have to have a large thick stick to help move the smaller stuff down the chute. Super easy to setup. Seems to sip gas The bad: Bag broke ripped in 15 minutes. By the end of the day it ripped all the day down the seam. Seems to get jammed a little bit more often than you'd think. I probably had to stop working a dozen times today to unjam it. Nothing was that difficult to unjam but it just kind of broke up my rhythm a bit. Loud. I was wearing my chainsaw helmet with ear muffs and the metal screen to protect my face and protect it sure did! First 8 cubic feet of mulch. Second pile that is half done. Love this garden cart from Rubbermaid. 8 cubic feet and easier to maneuver than a wheelbarrow. Bag barely holding together A piece too big for the top chute was buried inside a scoop so I had to remove the 3 10mm bolts in the back to clear it out. Feeling the blades I was suprised at how dull the blades for the chute are. One is curved, the other is flat, and they all rotate freely on that allen bolt. Final pile of mulch/chips.
That's a nice looking pile of mulch for sure. Here's the chipper I just picked up, bit bigger, but I paid more too.
I've used mine quite a bit this spring. The area over the septic field is lousy soil, so I have been shredding random yard waste and charcoal from the burn pile and mixing it up. I use it as a top dressing and figure it will be a good improvement. Mine is a bottom dump, so I have to kick the mulch out every few minutes. It makes a fine shred which should break down sooner. But yeah, I ran a lot of bark and small sticks through.
Thanks! Let me guess..........$15k! Dealing with the black locust saplings is a real PITA because of those brittle thorns. Man those things hurt! Yeah, I have a whole bunch of extra 44 gallon trash bins I had used to store the kindling in before getting my IBC totes. I think maybe if they used a stronger thread it wouldn't have ripped so easily. I might try to get my wife to sew it back up.
funny you posted. I was going to suggest he give you a call and borrow yours. amateur cutter tool rental service!
I did. They aren't accepting phone calls for support. So I emailed 'em. Hopefully they send a new one but I will definitely pick up some fishing line and have the wife do some work for me.
My original post was from the end of May 2020. It is now mid-October and I've had it with the chipper. I've had to: 1. Replace the muffler twice 2. Had the engine flood. 3. Had the 4 bolts that holds the engine to the flywheel come undone. Not an easy fix as you'd have to take the whole thing apart. 4. Returned the unit Sep-8-2020 and got a new unit no charge. I bought the extended 2-year warranty for $129 at the time. 5. Today, with 1.4 hours on the hour meter, it looks like the main drive shaft came undone and the unit was vibrating like crazy and wobbling all over the place. Returned it for a full refund. 6. Had the original bag rip within 15 minutes. Didn't even bother using a bag thereafter. I really liked using the unit.......when it worked. It would eat small branches up no problem.....and since I use larger stuff for firepit wood, I never really tried to push it to its supposed 3" max limb size. Since getting the replacement, I've used it maybe 2 or 3 times........so this is getting ridiculous. I can't be draining the fuel and oil and getting a unit every month. Disappointed. Now I'm thinking about getting a belt driven one. The direct drive ones don't seem like they are going to hold up. Lesson learned. This was from today. Before: After:
Very unfortunate situation. I have the same model and never had any problems whatsoever. Mind you I probably use it for a few hours at a time once a month. And like you, I don't run anything too large through it. There are certainly better options out there. They tend to start around $2K and go up from there. Another option is to just make a pile over time and then rent a larger unit for the day and call it good. I hope you find a good solution!
That's no good. Sounds pretty frustrating. I just checked FB marketplace for chipper shredders. They are out there. There is a machine like mine listed for $250. I plan on aerating the lawn this weekend and spreading mulched leaves out.
Yeah $2k is a bit out of the budget. I'm on a mission to try and minimize the purchases and use what I have. That said, I don't have any spare wood chippers in the basement I can whip out! I don't like renting and around here the prices are outrageous (like the prices of almost everything around here). What chipper do you have? ############### Well I went to Home Depot to get a few things and then I screeched my tires so to speak because lo and behold, right there at the front of the aisle was a Champion chipper/shredder. Similar specs, also direct drive, for $499. I got a manager over and told her "I want to play a game..........called let's make a deal!" and pointed out that one of the bolts that holds the top chute was snapped off. Both of those bolts are welded into the chute so removing and replacing would be a pain. I said "How about $425?" and she came back with "Can you do $450?" and I said "Ok." She starts wheeling the thing to the register and I immediately notice that the right wheel is wonky and wobbling all over the place. I said "I'm think $425 is looking pretty good right about now" and she went and got manager approval (took like 2 ms). When I got home, I saw that someone had chucked a Ryobi 5-in-1 pressure washer head into the chute that was down by the blades along with a used tissue. What is WRONG with people? Lucky for me I noticed before trying to start it up! I'm not thrilled about the wheels. They are pretty crappy. Cheap, flimsy, plastic with no metal hubs, just plastic....
These things are all junk. I wasted my time with an 8hp craftsman. Would rather burn or poke my eyes with the sticks it clogs with. Hope your 3rd round beats my experience.
