I been thinking about buying this chipper, and it seems to do well for the price of it. I never thought about the crooked wood hanging up like it does..... Thanks for the time you spent reviewing this chipper..
captkirkw ~ Yep, that's why I bought it. It's not meant to clear out 5 acres. In that case, yes, you might as well start a fire or cut it up for kindling. It's for a lot or a garden. In addition to mulch, this thing will be great for processing "browns" for compost piles.
I own one of these. My suggestion is to remove the rubber guard for the leaf hopper and feed your sticks and limbs there. It is infinitely easier and effective. Simply keep your face back so bits don’t fly up and hit you. And be sure to only feed straight pieces into it. Crooked sticks can become stuck but if you cut the pieces to prevent that, it’s an easy feed
I have an older crapsman 8 h.p. it works similar to yours I just wanted to add you want to keep the chips away from your buildings because over the years I had landscaping beds and they turned it to massive carpenter ant farms as the chips break down! Good video. Now I'm getting old and a good fire ring with a barbecue grate is more my style!
i have the older version. it ran great for 3 years and i chipped hundreds of trees. i used it every weekend at my property. it beats the heck out of my hands as i dont force feed it but rather easy the larger branches into the chipper part. after 3 years the fuel lines cracked and fell apart. even after replacing them it naver ran right as i suspect some line got into the carb and despite a good cleaning it still wont run right. i was going to buy a new one but the redesign looks a lot less effective. i never had to break up the smaller stuff like that and never had engine strain or stalling. thanks for the video.
I struggled with these little chippers for years but in 2009 ended up buying a used chuck n duck chipper. V-8 Ford drum chipper for asplundh, "Whisper Chipper" that the whole neighborhood could hear. Chipping went from nightmare to pleasure!
Thanks for taking the time to show us how it really works. I bought one without seeing your review first. I bought based on a couple of other reviews. I noticed they were only feeding trimmed branches but didn't really think about it. Your review is much more honest. Still for the price it will be worth it to me.
Unless you have a 15+ hp chipper, you're ill advised to try to chip anything larger than 1.5". The HF chipper has extremely strong "self feed", which means when you're feeding thick stuff, you need to make sure it's fairly short and straight.
looking a the photos of this chipper the first thing that came to mind was.. "that little pipe is going to prevent it from swallowing anything but a perfectly straight trimmed piece of wood." Thank you very much for posting this video, it confirms my concerns and I know to look elsewhere.
Love all the haters posting opinions and rude comments about something they have never had to deal with. Like a huge pile of brush and tree trimmings they took care of themselves and would never have even attempted if they hadn't been able to practice it on a video game in their mothers basement first.
we usually with big branches we Put it in their and keep doing that. also I find that it takes branches just fine. if they get stuck pull em out and put it in the top.
I do admire your dedication. If this chipper works for you and you're happy with it isn't that all that matters. I live in the country though and mow around 5 acres. I also bush hog a few acres also. Seeing how the brush I chip bogs down the 50 hp Perkins in my Vermeer 935 I don't think i'll be going any smaller. As far as gloves where I live there are lots of briars. A nice pair of leather gloves can go a long ways protecting your hands not only from briars but, from cuts also.
It is what it is , it handled the small stuff just fine . He put large and bent limbs in for demonstration like he wanted it to break . I would give the chipper a 5 and the operator a -5. He is a man who’s glass is half empty
Yeah, an accident waiting to happen. The old Scotchmen 3HP chipper I own is half the machine this is, and I make it work, but this would actually be a huge upgrade for me.
I'm amazed at all of the people bitching about the fact that you have to a little prep work to get it to work right. Big deal, get off your ass, shut down the computer, and go and do some damn yard work and you'll find out that a machine like this can make your life a bit easier.
people commenting are forgetting how tough some species are, hardwoods can be brittle or it can be like steel wire that is unyielding and any bends make it jam and stop
I don't think junk...you cant just throw a 2 inch thick green limb in a 400 dollar chipper and expect it to be spit out. I think all the chippers exaggerate the max thickness of the cut anyway. Just my opinion.
+PERRY JONES Yes totally true! Many exaggerate, this is a cheap option too easy convenient way to get into creating mulch. Do this plus worm farming, man you're gonna have awesome soil in no time.
Hey man, I saw another video saying that the blades on these HF chippers are pretty dull stock and if you sharpen them up it works a whole lot better. You should try it if you already haven't.
Thank you! Yes I have sharpened them and it works well. I have also bought a new set so I can sharpen them when I have time and change them when needed.
I see the guy doesn't learn, you see the crotch of the branches get stuck time and time again, and the critics dont notice this either, it handled a 3 inch branch but it can't be bigger, you have to cut up your branches, i just thought gee its ok but everyone doesn't notice the problem
moral of the lesson is dont buy harbor freight equpiment small tools are ok gloves solvents nuts bolts etc but not heavy equpiment go on craigslist offer up or a swapmeet try to invest in commercial higher quality grade equipment with all sincerity i advise everyone watching this vid
Thanks for posting this. Don't let the comments get to you. It's obvious you aren't afraid of work. And you got your objective accomplished. You should feel satisfaction out of that and I'll bet your wife is happy with the yard. Obviously, you're not afraid of a little work out at home instead of paying to work out at a gym. Do any of these commenters have a chipper/shredder they 'd recommend or do they just like being negative about your choice?
Thanks for posting this. I definatly wouldnt buy one this weak/small. Kind of beats the point of a chipper if you have to do that much work to chip wood.
HEARING PROTECTION! The Top Will do the whole branch at 1:30 and a bit bigger. It will Bog down a bit but it will do it. The Main Insertion Point ( the 3") does Not Like Bends however. I am left with pieces as log as the tube because of Bends, even if the branch is less than 3", if the bend is too great, it won't feed.
Thanks for the review man but if it's not too late take that thing back and get a refund or you will end up getting hurt trying to clear jams. You would be better off with a couple of beavers.
I wonder if he went threw the 3 hr break in period at no more than half throttle. This should be performed with little or no load. Just let it run. By doing this, the compression will be better and thus better performance from the unit.
How did you get the bagging attachment. I have 1 but, need a bag. I had a bigger more powerful chipper/shredder and got rid of it, it clogged up and quit running after about 8 hours of use. It was a Merry Mac with the 4 wheels and big engine. It clogged easy and was a pain in the ass.
I agree. The whole idea of a wood chipper is so you don't have to break little twigs up like that. This just shows you that not all stuff at Harbor Freight is worth buying. A lot of it is low quality cheap stuff and people from Pittsburgh are probably embarrassed by the name Pittsburgh tools on some of that junk. If you want something that will last don't buy it from these places. Some of it does last but some of their saw blades I have seen some rather pitiful reviews on.
I'm glad I did not buy this. I thought about it... but in the end I purchased a used troy-bilt super tomahawk. After watching this video the tomahawk is a much...much better chipper.
If you have to break it up before chipping that seems to defeat the purpose of the machine. I would want to get one that won't cause me to have to do all that extra work. We have trees that sometimes fall in the winter or really windy weather. It can be a mess sometimes.
no safety glasses and you're throwing those in there you're crazy,i f you get a kickback your going to get hurt, also you should be wearing heavy-duty gloves
Harbor Freight makes some good stuff such as hammers and anvils but things like this..... well the Chinese are laughing. I thought about getting a big one to put behind my 50hp tractor's PTO. It would take something big to stop a big tractor like that. I agree about just building a fire and burning stuff up. I bought a battery operated circular saw. As I was getting into my truck a man told me "You'll be bringing it back tomorrow". Sure enough the saw didn't have enough power to cut 3 4'x1/4" plywood. I took it back and went to Home Depot and got a Ryobi. It had the power to tackle all the jobs I ask of it.
I've seen enough. Don't think I'll be buying one of those. Too much preliminary work. It also looks dangerous the way it grabs things and jerks them into the machine.
Take it back there's something wrong with it. I bought an Earthquake brand from Menards and it looks exactly like yours and has a 212 c.f. engine. It will suck a 3 inch limb through there in2 seconds without slowing down and without the bag it will throw chips 20 feet. The price is $499.00.
I dont know about that $1k more I can get a good US made DR chipper which can eat through some serious wood and have less risk of losing my fingers since they self feed.
I’m glad you had the extra k to spend. I struggled saving enough for this, and I worked it out with sales and promotion to get it for the amount that I had. I’m grateful for it and it does a great job at what I was planning on using it for. I could have bought 2 of these for a Grand and that’s on top of purchasing the original one so sry but getting an American made one just couldn’t have happened. But I appreciate the comment and i get what you’re saying. If I had the money, I might have purchased something better, but maybe not 🤷♂️
are you serious? the video, the comments, has anyone used a chipper before, you are supposed to feed the branches into the machine at a rate according to the diameter or the branch. you FEED the machine not just throw it into it all scared. Read a manual.
Mark, I've been using my chipper quite a bit lately. I'd say instead of reading the manual check out the features of a few of different chippers. You'll find out that not all chippers are capable of adjusting the feed.
Man, you scare me. Since video of this came out. Are you still in one piece ? I think you should read the manual. Instructions of what are the safe practices. That machine could turn on you. Operate with safety and it's Limitations. Good luck.
Thanks for the video. I almost bought one of those. Watching this changed my mind. Looks like to me that this is junk. Why would I need a chipper if I have to trim the branches or can not feed it with crooked wood?
Nice looking little thing but that's where the buck stops also you look like you almost lost your had a few time I think I would just burn or take to the dump or set out front for the weekly pick up nice try but no good thanks for posting
This machine is for people with too much time on their hands. And please wear ear protection. Your grandchildren will thank you some day when they don't have to scream to hold a conversation with you.
