None of wood chippers are really designed for vines or limbs with long strong fibers just under the bark. Best to use is a rotor chipper. Rotor chippers are what the big industrial chippers are. If you feed the vine and pull back on it, it will cut. But it is push pull type action and it takes to long. Basically, holding tension so the vine stays stiff like it was a limb. There is adjustments on the blades to move them closer to the barrel. Which is what is nice about the rotor chippers. You can chip at different sizes. Big chips for the mulch. Rotor chippers are pricy $4000. Except there is the Powerhorse 400 Rotor 4" chipper with electric start. $900. Don't get the one with the additional side feeder. Get the one that does not do leaves, just a wood chipper. If it does not say rotor chipper, those other discs blade chippers by Powerhorse tend to suck really bad. I can't say where to purchase on here. It will pop up when you search.
I bought this Harbor Freight chipper shredder last summer. It work well as could be expected. brought it out of storage a couple of times since new. No problem. used it again a couple of days ago, was running fine. Then all of a sudden it went to banging and clanging and it shut it off quick as I could but they don't stop instantly. once it stopped I pulled the cleanout cover off after I unplug the spark plug wire and couldn't see any obstruction. I ran my fingers around and the whole flywheel assembly wiggled. I pulled the larger circle loose and removed the hopper and larger housing and as I expected, the crankshaft snapped. on further inspection I found one of the cutting blades had snapped. That was the clanging I heard. Naturally this is only the 2nd season to use it but since the machine is only covered for 90 days I'm SOL. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I guess I should have used better judgment and not bought Chinese junk. By the way. the crankshaft that they used looks way to weak and small for all the weight it has to turn.
I have the old model Harbor Freight chipper/shredder (the yellow model). I found it only takes a few days for freshly downed limbs to dry out enough to work in the chipper, I'm in a dry climate so results may vary
Looks like you should of put that through the chipper schute . I have run lots of branches through my chipper and never had that issue. Run branches through the chipper schute. Twigs and leaves go through the big schute.
@@JoediyLab If you have a half inch twig with a quarter inch twig growing from it and one of the flail blades hits that point it will dig in and wrap the whole lot around the flails there is nothing wrong with the machine it will do what it says in the manual. If you do a video on sharpening read up on pairing the flails for balance also reducing the weight of a flail will reduce its ability to cut at the given speed no matter how sharp the edge is, E = M C squared.
with the Harbor Freight wood chipper. number one .the wood chipper blades inside or ships with Dell blades. and they become very Dell in a short matter of time when you get this from Harbor Freight they are dull right off of Jump Street. they use mild carbon steel to make these blades .you can go to a machine shop. and spend very little money. first you want to pick up steel that is harder than mild carbon steel. then the machine shop will bend them at the angles that they are opposed to be. and they will put a to angle razor blades sharpening on them. and that will eliminate the problem with your chipper. Now. if you think you're capable of bending the angle and sharpener them. you would save you a couple dollars but if you get to steal and go to machine shop and give them the original chipper blades that were in it. it will not cost you that much money and that chipper will run for a long time. the problem with the chipper would be fixed. when you put a wet branch in there and the blade and branches wood not clogged the machine up over and over. Have them remade and be over with it no more clog machine and it would be hassle free God bless
fun one, yes that would be a cool mod. I think we could reduce the clogging quite a bit. My income from RUclips at this moment does not give me enough funds to purchase a 350. So tell all of your friends to subscribe and watch. I will put that on the list of cool mods to do in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hey joe. First of all, thank you for posting these informative videos. I have a question.....Do you think that will happen if I try to chip pine tree limbs? Fresh,of course. I have a bunch of pines that need trimming. I actually did purchase the shredder, haven’t opened it. Contemplating returning it if it’s going to do that crap. Thanks
One thing I found out is the top hopper limit is 1/2" branches. If you go much larger than that use the lower shoot. I have heard from several viewers that they were able to use the lower shoot with wet branches. I used the upper hopper and had issues. Also my branches were a bit larger then 1/2". Even after opening, you can still return the unit if it does not meet your needs. I have done this several time. No issues from the cashier at the several HF's that I use.
@@jjwick6033 Hey did you the HF chipper on pine? I'm going to be clearing 2.5 acres soon and was thinking this might work for the underbrush but also the limbs from the pines I'll be felling.
You seem like a Handy Person. Why not cut a larger inspection hole large enough to be able to get to the cutters. You would have to tap some new threads for the bolts. I would replace the bolts holding the inspection plate with bolts with wings. Then all you would need is a large screwdriver to loosen them up.
@@JoediyLab Your welcome. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a chipper. Been watching videos. Seeing if a larger Hp. Would work better. Was surprised to see Troybilt 10 hp. chipper has to be forced fed Sells for $ 850. Was not impressed at all. Watched a number of videos about it everyone had to be force fed.
It may be a stupid question, but couldn't you just remove the small cover and use a pruner to cut the obstruction into small pieces, levering the cutter round with a lever?
Yes, that may work, But the cutting blades extend into the wider section of the shredder and I found it easier just to remove the larger cover. But your idea is worth a try, Thanks for the tip.
Why do you remove the hopper? I just remove the entire unit for clean out. Also looks like the branches are close to or over the 1/2 inch size that should not be put through shredder. I have no issues with green cedar through chipper and small limbs 1/4 in or smaller, through shredder - fresh cut tree. Try not taking hopper off....makes clean out easy. OH and never drop something over 1 in into shredder, it jams right now, ask me how I know.
You can pull the smaller cover without removing the hopper. I had a large amount of branches and had to remove the entire cover. For that you have to pull the hopper. Thanks
It is August 31. In April I bought one and paid for a 2 year warranty. It worked great until a week ago. Did everything but did not work so yesterday I took it back for a warranty exchange. They exchanged it then asked if I wanted another warranty. I said I was only 1 month past the 90 day warranty and should have23 months left. NO NO NO! The 2 year warranty allows you to use it one time in 2 years. So I had to pay $129 for another warranty. What a crock of shit. well today I assembled my new one and went to start it and the cord will not pull. The store I went to has no more (they only stock 1 or 2) so I now have to drive much further to get one.
This video does not cover the biggest challenge, which is replacing the blades. They are mounted on the opposite side of the rotor assembly vs the side shown on the video. Access to the mounting screws is very difficult and the screws can be damaged.
Hi, The chips that come out of the shredder are pretty course. So I do not think it would mulch leaves very well. Thanks for the question. But I will try it and post the results. Thanks Joe
It should, but you will have to more than likely have to cut into small enough sections to to go down into the area where the blades are. You also will have to use a stick to push the brush down so the blades will grab the brush.
any branches that are fibrous may wrap the fibers around the blade shaft. Then you have to take the covers off to clear the shaft. I was able to cut a section of 2 x 4 that was cut down. but pine wood is not fibrous. Thanks
You might try to put the limbs in the chipper side instead of the shredder side. The limb that was in this video should have been put in the other side
Dude, why would you not show that that’s very important to show that dude. Come on now if you can’t do video do it right because you gotta show the whole thing man
Bought this shredder - what a piece of junk. First time - didn't work. Exchanged it - missing parts. Exchanged it again - faulty operation. Went to return it, they wanted a $30% restocking fee that no one told me about. Manager hung phone up and told me I as dishonest and refused to give me her boss' number. I will NEVER buy anything from Harbor Freight again - cheap tools that break and aren't worth saving $10. By the way - bought both shreders they offer - the small one is weaker than a paper shredder the bigger one is unsafe and very hard to operate - especially since they don't tell you you have to hire a professional mechanic to install the high altitude kit. This company is very dishonest.
Yes, some items are just not worth it. Some items are ok if you are not a professional, My HF compressor surprising has held up a long time. But I now purchase more items from other stores. I still purchase a few things, but not many. Thanks for the feedback.
Thank you for sparing us the boring parts of removing every single nut and bolt, It was a great vid!
Thanks
None of wood chippers are really designed for vines or limbs with long strong fibers just under the bark. Best to use is a rotor chipper. Rotor chippers are what the big industrial chippers are. If you feed the vine and pull back on it, it will cut. But it is push pull type action and it takes to long. Basically, holding tension so the vine stays stiff like it was a limb. There is adjustments on the blades to move them closer to the barrel. Which is what is nice about the rotor chippers. You can chip at different sizes. Big chips for the mulch. Rotor chippers are pricy $4000. Except there is the Powerhorse 400 Rotor 4" chipper with electric start. $900. Don't get the one with the additional side feeder. Get the one that does not do leaves, just a wood chipper. If it does not say rotor chipper, those other discs blade chippers by Powerhorse tend to suck really bad. I can't say where to purchase on here. It will pop up when you search.
I bought this Harbor Freight chipper shredder last summer. It work well as could be expected. brought it out of storage a couple of times since new. No problem. used it again a couple of days ago, was running fine. Then all of a sudden it went to banging and clanging and it shut it off quick as I could but they don't stop instantly. once it stopped I pulled the cleanout cover off after I unplug the spark plug wire and couldn't see any obstruction. I ran my fingers around and the whole flywheel assembly wiggled. I pulled the larger circle loose and removed the hopper and larger housing and as I expected, the crankshaft snapped. on further inspection I found one of the cutting blades had snapped. That was the clanging I heard. Naturally this is only the 2nd season to use it but since the machine is only covered for 90 days I'm SOL. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I guess I should have used better judgment and not bought Chinese junk. By the way. the crankshaft that they used looks way to weak and small for all the weight it has to turn.
I have the old model Harbor Freight chipper/shredder (the yellow model). I found it only takes a few days for freshly downed limbs to dry out enough to work in the chipper, I'm in a dry climate so results may vary
Thanks Ira, great tip
Looks like you should of put that through the chipper schute . I have run lots of branches through my chipper and never had that issue. Run branches through the chipper schute. Twigs and leaves go through the big schute.
Thanks for the video. There are no such videos for my Earthquake chipper, but the Harbor Freight is very similar.
Thanks, hope it can help you
Along with oversized/wet materials in the top hopper, I suspect that dull flail blades contributed to the issue as well.
Yes, this summer I am going to do a video on sharpening the blades and re-testing.
@@JoediyLab If you have a half inch twig with a quarter inch twig growing from it and one of the flail blades hits that point it will dig in and wrap the whole lot around the flails there is nothing wrong with the machine it will do what it says in the manual. If you do a video on sharpening read up on pairing the flails for balance also reducing the weight of a flail will reduce its ability to cut at the given speed no matter how sharp the edge is, E = M C squared.
Nice video - thanks for taking the time to post. How do you attach that *^(^ bag? Mine will not stay on.
with the Harbor Freight wood chipper. number one .the wood chipper blades inside or ships with Dell blades. and they become very Dell in a short matter of time when you get this from Harbor Freight they are dull right off of Jump Street. they use mild carbon steel to make these blades .you can go to a machine shop. and spend very little money. first you want to pick up steel that is harder than mild carbon steel. then the machine shop will bend them at the angles that they are opposed to be. and they will put a to angle razor blades sharpening on them. and that will eliminate the problem with your chipper.
Now. if you think you're capable of bending the angle and sharpener them. you would save you a couple dollars but if you get to steal and go to machine shop and give them the original chipper blades that were in it. it will not cost you that much money and that chipper will run for a long time. the problem with the chipper would be fixed. when you put a wet branch in there and the blade and branches wood not clogged the machine up over and over. Have them remade and be over with it no more clog machine and it would be hassle free God bless
Thank you for sharing 😊
Thanks
they say in the directions not to use wet wood. they even recommend letting branches that are freshly cut to sit and dry out for a days or so.
Yes, I'm letting you know I'd like you to mod something. I want to see a Chevy 350 on that shredder. No more clogging.
fun one, yes that would be a cool mod. I think we could reduce the clogging quite a bit. My income from RUclips at this moment does not give me enough funds to purchase a 350. So tell all of your friends to subscribe and watch. I will put that on the list of cool mods to do in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hey joe. First of all, thank you for posting these informative videos. I have a question.....Do you think that will happen if I try to chip pine tree limbs? Fresh,of course. I have a bunch of pines that need trimming.
I actually did purchase the shredder, haven’t opened it. Contemplating returning it if it’s going to do that crap. Thanks
One thing I found out is the top hopper limit is 1/2" branches. If you go much larger than that use the lower shoot. I have heard from several viewers that they were able to use the lower shoot with wet branches. I used the upper hopper and had issues. Also my branches were a bit larger then 1/2". Even after opening, you can still return the unit if it does not meet your needs. I have done this several time. No issues from the cashier at the several HF's that I use.
Cool,thanks for the info! Just checked out some of your other videos..... Love the the HF reviews and demos. Good stuff! Just subscribed.
@@jjwick6033 thanks
@@jjwick6033 Hey did you the HF chipper on pine? I'm going to be clearing 2.5 acres soon and was thinking this might work for the underbrush but also the limbs from the pines I'll be felling.
You seem like a Handy Person. Why not cut a larger inspection hole large enough to be able to get to the cutters. You would have to tap some new threads for the bolts. I would replace the bolts holding the inspection plate with bolts with wings. Then all you would need is a large screwdriver to loosen them up.
Great idea, thanks for the tip
@@JoediyLab Your welcome. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a chipper. Been watching videos. Seeing if a larger Hp. Would work better. Was surprised to see Troybilt 10 hp. chipper has to be forced fed Sells for $ 850. Was not impressed at all. Watched a number of videos about it everyone had to be force fed.
It may be a stupid question, but couldn't you just remove the small cover and use a pruner to cut the obstruction into small pieces, levering the cutter round with a lever?
Yes, that may work, But the cutting blades extend into the wider section of the shredder and I found it easier just to remove the larger cover. But your idea is worth a try, Thanks for the tip.
Could you have fed that green branch through the chipper?Without a problem was it too big and green to go through the top shredder
The top feeder is for small branches.
@@JoediyLab Only up to 1/2" MAX...
Yeah, I just bought a new one and I looked at the.
Shredder blades and they are so dull.
Belt sander will fit that quick, Thanks for the comment
Why do you remove the hopper? I just remove the entire unit for clean out. Also looks like the branches are close to or over the 1/2 inch size that should not be put through shredder. I have no issues with green cedar through chipper and small limbs 1/4 in or smaller, through shredder - fresh cut tree. Try not taking hopper off....makes clean out easy. OH and never drop something over 1 in into shredder, it jams right now, ask me how I know.
You can pull the smaller cover without removing the hopper. I had a large amount of branches and had to remove the entire cover. For that you have to pull the hopper. Thanks
I just open the small access cover and use hand clippers to cut up any green vines. Let them dry for a week and this thing eats them up no problem!
It is August 31. In April I bought one and paid for a 2 year warranty. It worked great until a week ago. Did everything but did not work so yesterday I took it back for a warranty exchange. They exchanged it then asked if I wanted another warranty. I said I was only 1 month past the 90 day warranty and should have23 months left. NO NO NO! The 2 year warranty allows you to use it one time in 2 years. So I had to pay $129 for another warranty. What a crock of shit. well today I assembled my new one and went to start it and the cord will not pull. The store I went to has no more (they only stock 1 or 2) so I now have to drive much further to get one.
Ouch, Yes that is painful to have to pay for another warranty. Good luck
How big is it? Will this fit in an SUV?
It fit in my Toyota Rav4 just fine
Maybe of you didn't put the branches in backwards?
I would have put that size of branches in the front chipper and not the top hopper
Thanks for the tiip
This video does not cover the biggest challenge, which is replacing the blades. They are mounted on the opposite side of the rotor assembly vs the side shown on the video. Access to the mounting screws is very difficult and the screws can be damaged.
Yup, I am getting ready to do a video on blade sharping.
Hi Joe, can you melch leaves through the top?
Hi, The chips that come out of the shredder are pretty course. So I do not think it would mulch leaves very well. Thanks for the question. But I will try it and post the results. Thanks Joe
Hi , just added a new video showing a test run mulching some greens and light twigs and dried grass
Will it handle dried tumbleweeds also
It should, but you will have to more than likely have to cut into small enough sections to to go down into the area where the blades are. You also will have to use a stick to push the brush down so the blades will grab the brush.
Does anyone know if this chipper will handle bamboo up to 1 1/2 ''.
any branches that are fibrous may wrap the fibers around the blade shaft. Then you have to take the covers off to clear the shaft. I was able to cut a section of 2 x 4 that was cut down. but pine wood is not fibrous. Thanks
Mine will eat Bamboo up to 2.5" all day long!
You might try to put the limbs in the chipper side instead of the shredder side. The limb that was in this video should have been put in the other side
Yup I learned that years ago. Thanks
More Hp, sharper blades.
Yup, getting ready to do a blade sharping video
Dude, why would you not show that that’s very important to show that dude. Come on now if you can’t do video do it right because you gotta show the whole thing man
What did you want to see?
cheezy set up-poor design
Bought this shredder - what a piece of junk. First time - didn't work. Exchanged it - missing parts. Exchanged it again - faulty operation. Went to return it, they wanted a $30% restocking fee that no one told me about. Manager hung phone up and told me I as dishonest and refused to give me her boss' number. I will NEVER buy anything from Harbor Freight again - cheap tools that break and aren't worth saving $10. By the way - bought both shreders they offer - the small one is weaker than a paper shredder the bigger one is unsafe and very hard to operate - especially since they don't tell you you have to hire a professional mechanic to install the high altitude kit. This company is very dishonest.
Yes, some items are just not worth it. Some items are ok if you are not a professional, My HF compressor surprising has held up a long time. But I now purchase more items from other stores. I still purchase a few things, but not many. Thanks for the feedback.