I have this Harbor Freight chipper as well as a drum chipper (chuck & duck!) that is powered by a 6 cylinder gas engine. The drum chipper is pretty impressive but even it will stall if I try to feed it a 16 foot long, 4 inch hardwood branch. I mostly use the HF chipper for smaller jobs when I don't want to listen to the screaming drum and in places where I can't tow the big chipper. Both machines work great within their limitations.
Why not cut that bigger stuff into firewood! I have one and it works just fine! One must be smarter than the machine. For yard work this is perfect. Keep limb loppers handy to clip any crotches out so it feeds better.
Bernard frith, I have to cosign what you said. I've used mine quite a bit and only ever choaked it down twice and I have run everything less than firewood through it
This chipper/mulcher is amazing. You have to wear gloves and there's a learning curve. You have to prepare your branches for chipping and you have to "stir" debris placed in the hopper. It's slow and time consuming, but gets the job done and is worth it. This unit is intended for suburban properties of less than an acre and is great if you have pine. The mulcher obliterates pine cones and blue gum burs, along with twigs, sticks, leaves, pine needles, etc. The chipper doesn't like angled or bent branches. It will chip 2.5 inche diameter wood, but you will need to cut you branches into about 8 inch logs if it's 2.5 inches and hard wood.
Had an issue with mine. Had a plugged jet on the carburetor that I couldn’t clear. Found a replacement carb on Amazon that included six gaskets, carb, on/off switch, fuel filter, capacitor, mount, spacers, spark plug, and new air filter for $13.95. Shipped to home for free in two days. Will by another for backup. Heavy gloves to save hands helps lots. I use the heck outta mine.
Mine worked ok for 2 inch branches that I kept the length under 4 feet. I filled the attached bag without an issue. The only issue I had at the end was a 2 inch branch with a large nub that jammed into the metal throat and became stuck. Had to remove the metal throat and give the branch a wack from the other side to free it up. The unit is decent. Just have to understand its limitations.
Feed it correctly and it will work. You can’t just toss big sticks into a mini chipper and let it ingest it suddenly like a $70K towed tree service chipper.
I've run mine 3 times now. It does beat your hands up pretty good. It transmits a lot of energy through whatever you are putting into it and if you are holding it with your hands, it hurts. I've noticed after 3 sessions or about 8 hours of work, it's not cutting as good as it did out of the box. I'm guessing that the blades need to be sharpened already. And yes, if you have a limb that's crooked, it wont fit even if the diameter is under 3". Overall, I wish I had bought a larger unit. It's a lot of work trimming things down to fit and I leave a lot of material on the ground because it simply wont fit.
I'm so glad I got rid of that and bought a bigger pto machine. Not so much that it was the HF machine's fault, it was my fault for buying such a small unit and thinking it would work for me.
first time seeing your channel and i just bought one of the wood chippers. Mine works just fine and seems like your whole video is just you complaining you have to work. I dont think its the machine. Its the operator who wants the wood chipper to cut,go pick up and shred the wood by itself.Mine will do all that then go get me a beer after it gets done. Better take yours back
"complaining that you have to work" is so laughable it hurts. No one, and I mean NO ONE, chooses to own a homestead/live a homsteady lifestyle, is afraid of work. The fact is, and like I said in the video, the machine is fine for people who have little sticks to shred. I even said I bought the wrong machine. At the same time, the machine is worthless for anything appreciable in size or not pencil straight.
@@JohnWCH Fact is YOU bought the wrong tool for the job you wanted it to do and then made a video titled its junk. The wood chipper works just like its supposed to but you chose to make a video bashing and to tell people not to buy it. I bought mine to run cedar thru it and it eats green wood just fine ,i cant be happier with it. Reviews for the chipper speak for itself. People know its limits. As for you complaining ,come on man watch the vid. You sound like a kid that's mad he has to do some chores before he gets to play is video games. Sell the chipper and buy you a bigger one but even it will have its limits. There is work involved no matter what.
I have a DR chipper. Same thing really. It seems to me that the feed rate into the chipper is too high. If the chipper took smaller slices, it would not stall out on bigger branches.
Just picked one up yesterday with a 25% off coupon. $450 for it, not bad. Are your blades dull? Ran mine yesterday out of the box and was pretty impressed
Had a similar experience - pretty impressed overall, but I do agree that you have to 'baby' it a bit on the larger diameters. i.e. if you have a longer than 3-4ft long branch that is >2-2.5" diameter it could stall if you just let the branch go which is annoying. However, I've had good experience with those if you feed them gradually
I had one and it took longer to chip up things cleaning out stuck branches and clogs. Having to trim every branch of most all the limbs to get it through the narrow chutes make it crap
Ok, first thing: I never pay full price at Harbor Freight - they always have deals and coupons if you just have patience. I paid less than $450 for mine including tax. Second: Read the manual - Yes, this machine will chip/shred limbs up to 3 inches. However, it clearly shows in the manual that those 3 inch pieces need to be cut down to 10-12 inches in length. ANY chipper/shredder that says 3 inch max will bog down if you try to run a 5 or 6 foot limb through it. Even the Champion with the bigger engine will bog if you feed it long pieces of 3 inch wood. Third: Any brand of these machines will "beat you up" if you're not wearing proper protection - gloves, ear and eye protection, etc.
All these Chinese chippers are made in the same factory with different color paint job and labels slapped on them. I bought a $400 version on Amazon and payed $60 for extended 3 year warranty. After that I will either replace it with another cheap chipper or upgrade to a larger chipper.
Something must be wrong with that chipper just saw a video and it was doing way bigger branches like a champ. Even the small ones was having trouble going thru. May be a defective item. Sucks tough
I would have liked to have seen the shredder part being used for the smaller branches. From other videos out there, most will put the twigs and anything less than 3/4" in there.
The way to chip larger diameter branches on these small chippers with an aggressive self-feeding action is to feed it into the chute and let it chip 10" at a time, holding back the branch the whole time to prevent it from feeding too aggressively and stalling the engine. Then feed another 10" again and pull back again, then feed again, etc. Pulling back lets the rotor regain momentum to take another 10" bite without stalling. With each bite, you should also rotate the branch. I personally would never buy this chipper, not because it stalls. I believe the stalling was caused by incorrect operation. Rather, I would never buy this chipper because the chipper chute is too narrow. Most tree branches are crooked or forked and do not fit into the narrow chute without pre-pruning. I would only buy a chipper with a large chute opening. Affordable (around $500) chippers with a large chute are EFCUT model R0 or Gardenbeaut model R30.
Just cut the 3" diameter branches into 2 or 3 foot sections. Whatever works. No big deal. If it's worthless to you, I definitely will give you $0 for it. Deal?
You cant just drop large branches into these smaller machines and expect them to not choke out...only 6.5 hp...and not a real heavy flywheel...and..WEAR GLOVES
The 3" chippers should be called 2" chippers. The 207-226cc engine isnt powerful enough for anything bigger - especially green hardwood. If you try and go up in size to a 4-5" chipper with a 420cc engine you will spend 3x the money. Champion makes a 3" chipper with a 338cc engine thats pretty good but is still double the price of this.
Just remember, you get what you pay for! I don't care how much your coupon reduces to purchase the Harbor Freight Chipper/Mulcher. ITS NOT WORTH IT! I had mine for one year and it worked ok. It DOES NOT TAKE 3" limbs...... The shaft sheered the following year and of course i did not take the extended warranty. The Customer Service line is a joke. You have to have a lot of time to stay on hold until anyone answers. Once answered, the Customer Service rep. stated i could purchase another shaft for it. I did and it was not really that expensive. They also sent it pretty fast. Well, that was a joke. You literally have to be a small engine mechanic with all the tools to tear the entire engine apart to install the new shaft. A friend told me it was cheaper to purchase another engine with the shaft. So, i called back, waited an hour and they took the part back. I ordered the engine for $120 but now the shaft does not smoothly fit the hub. Very long frustrating time latere, i sold the entire piece of crap on Facebook to someone for $50 and bought a REAL CHIPPER!. BE CAREFULL GUYS!
@JohnWCH no one cares what I use as long as job gets done correctly. I've not had a single problem this video said. All small business have to start off with what they can get. At the time this is what I could get. Years later still use it for storm clean ups and leaves. Year after year. When it goes out. Then I will upgrade to a hitch mounted with option for hose. Until then it'll keep making me money 😉😀
The throat on it is too small to get anything with a bend or twist in it thru. If you have a smaller yard with straight limbs/sticks it's good to go. It's outgunned on my property.
Mine works fine. Wear gloves and feed it correctly and it will work as advertised.
I have this Harbor Freight chipper as well as a drum chipper (chuck & duck!) that is powered by a 6 cylinder gas engine. The drum chipper is pretty impressive but even it will stall if I try to feed it a 16 foot long, 4 inch hardwood branch. I mostly use the HF chipper for smaller jobs when I don't want to listen to the screaming drum and in places where I can't tow the big chipper. Both machines work great within their limitations.
Why not cut that bigger stuff into firewood! I have one and it works just fine! One must be smarter than the machine. For yard work this is perfect. Keep limb loppers handy to clip any crotches out so it feeds better.
Bernard frith, I have to cosign what you said. I've used mine quite a bit and only ever choaked it down twice and I have run everything less than firewood through it
One must be smarter than the machine. That's funny but true.
This chipper/mulcher is amazing. You have to wear gloves and there's a learning curve. You have to prepare your branches for chipping and you have to "stir" debris placed in the hopper. It's slow and time consuming, but gets the job done and is worth it. This unit is intended for suburban properties of less than an acre and is great if you have pine. The mulcher obliterates pine cones and blue gum burs, along with twigs, sticks, leaves, pine needles, etc. The chipper doesn't like angled or bent branches. It will chip 2.5 inche diameter wood, but you will need to cut you branches into about 8 inch logs if it's 2.5 inches and hard wood.
HOW MUCH IS HARBOR FREIGHT PAYING YOU TO SAY THIS?!
I JUST BOUGHT THE CHIPPER 3 DAYS AGO WORKS FINE WATCH YOUR BRANCHES THICKNESS AND TRIM AND TAKE YOUR TIME
Had an issue with mine. Had a plugged jet on the carburetor that I couldn’t clear. Found a replacement carb on Amazon that included six gaskets, carb, on/off switch, fuel filter, capacitor, mount, spacers, spark plug, and new air filter for $13.95. Shipped to home for free in two days. Will by another for backup. Heavy gloves to save hands helps lots. I use the heck outta mine.
Glad it works for you!
🤣🤣🤣 green oak in a harbor freight saw seems like hauling a dump trailer full of rock with a ford F150
Mine worked ok for 2 inch branches that I kept the length under 4 feet. I filled the attached bag without an issue. The only issue I had at the end was a 2 inch branch with a large nub that jammed into the metal throat and became stuck. Had to remove the metal throat and give the branch a wack from the other side to free it up. The unit is decent. Just have to understand its limitations.
Feed it correctly and it will work. You can’t just toss big sticks into a mini chipper and let it ingest it suddenly like a $70K towed tree service chipper.
It may be fine for some, just not for me.
I've run mine 3 times now. It does beat your hands up pretty good. It transmits a lot of energy through whatever you are putting into it and if you are holding it with your hands, it hurts. I've noticed after 3 sessions or about 8 hours of work, it's not cutting as good as it did out of the box. I'm guessing that the blades need to be sharpened already. And yes, if you have a limb that's crooked, it wont fit even if the diameter is under 3". Overall, I wish I had bought a larger unit. It's a lot of work trimming things down to fit and I leave a lot of material on the ground because it simply wont fit.
I'm so glad I got rid of that and bought a bigger pto machine. Not so much that it was the HF machine's fault, it was my fault for buying such a small unit and thinking it would work for me.
first time seeing your channel and i just bought one of the wood chippers. Mine works just fine and seems like your whole video is just you complaining you have to work. I dont think its the machine. Its the operator who wants the wood chipper to cut,go pick up and shred the wood by itself.Mine will do all that then go get me a beer after it gets done. Better take yours back
"complaining that you have to work" is so laughable it hurts. No one, and I mean NO ONE, chooses to own a homestead/live a homsteady lifestyle, is afraid of work. The fact is, and like I said in the video, the machine is fine for people who have little sticks to shred. I even said I bought the wrong machine. At the same time, the machine is worthless for anything appreciable in size or not pencil straight.
@@JohnWCH Fact is YOU bought the wrong tool for the job you wanted it to do and then made a video titled its junk. The wood chipper works just like its supposed to but you chose to make a video bashing and to tell people not to buy it. I bought mine to run cedar thru it and it eats green wood just fine ,i cant be happier with it. Reviews for the chipper speak for itself. People know its limits. As for you complaining ,come on man watch the vid. You sound like a kid that's mad he has to do some chores before he gets to play is video games. Sell the chipper and buy you a bigger one but even it will have its limits. There is work involved no matter what.
Well said, if you wanna play, ya have to pay, in this case the pay is the hard work it takes to upkeep your property, !!!!!
Glad to see someone else rocking the XM3’s for ear protection outdoors. I have the XM5’s but honestly the 3’s are more comfortable
I have a DR chipper. Same thing really. It seems to me that the feed rate into the chipper is too high. If the chipper took smaller slices, it would not stall out on bigger branches.
Totally disagree, it works great if you don't beat on it.
Ok
I can see what the problem is, you don't know what you are doing.
Ok Boomer
@@JohnWCH he probably get 10 times the work done each day that you do...
That's a statement any intelligent person can agree with.. tho he was good at whinning , b$itching and complaining
For 600 what compares?
Just picked one up yesterday with a 25% off coupon. $450 for it, not bad. Are your blades dull? Ran mine yesterday out of the box and was pretty impressed
Had a similar experience - pretty impressed overall, but I do agree that you have to 'baby' it a bit on the larger diameters. i.e. if you have a longer than 3-4ft long branch that is >2-2.5" diameter it could stall if you just let the branch go which is annoying. However, I've had good experience with those if you feed them gradually
I had one and it took longer to chip up things cleaning out stuck branches and clogs. Having to trim every branch of most all the limbs to get it through the narrow chutes make it crap
Agreed. Trimming every "y" and cant out of a stick is annoying and slow when you're looking at a giant pile.
So go buy a 70k dollar chipper then
Ok, first thing: I never pay full price at Harbor Freight - they always have deals and coupons if you just have patience. I paid less than $450 for mine including tax. Second: Read the manual - Yes, this machine will chip/shred limbs up to 3 inches. However, it clearly shows in the manual that those 3 inch pieces need to be cut down to 10-12 inches in length. ANY chipper/shredder that says 3 inch max will bog down if you try to run a 5 or 6 foot limb through it. Even the Champion with the bigger engine will bog if you feed it long pieces of 3 inch wood. Third: Any brand of these machines will "beat you up" if you're not wearing proper protection - gloves, ear and eye protection, etc.
You can't just toss wood that size into the little wimpy chipper. Feed it slowly. Do not use choke to start after its warm. 3in and up is firewood.
No need to worry or to give unsolicited advice; this machine is LONG gone.
@@JohnWCH I don't want other people getting the wrong idea that's all. Unsolicited lmfao
@@JohnWCH its not unsolicited you posted a video and enabled comments and you clearly dont know how to use the product...duh
All these Chinese chippers are made in the same factory with different color paint job and labels slapped on them. I bought a $400 version on Amazon and payed $60 for extended 3 year warranty. After that I will either replace it with another cheap chipper or upgrade to a larger chipper.
Oh I upgraded alright: ruclips.net/video/eo3CexFa1rE/видео.html
Something must be wrong with that chipper just saw a video and it was doing way bigger branches like a champ. Even the small ones was having trouble going thru. May be a defective item. Sucks tough
I would have liked to have seen the shredder part being used for the smaller branches. From other videos out there, most will put the twigs and anything less than 3/4" in there.
There’s nothing wrong with the machine, it’s the technique that needs a lot of help
This chipper is Awesome!! Love mine!!!
enjoy it!
For what you were chipping -----> Get yourself a burn pile going brother!
Bought a real chipper. No more issues.
The way to chip larger diameter branches on these small chippers with an aggressive self-feeding action is to feed it into the chute and let it chip 10" at a time, holding back the branch the whole time to prevent it from feeding too aggressively and stalling the engine. Then feed another 10" again and pull back again, then feed again, etc. Pulling back lets the rotor regain momentum to take another 10" bite without stalling. With each bite, you should also rotate the branch.
I personally would never buy this chipper, not because it stalls. I believe the stalling was caused by incorrect operation. Rather, I would never buy this chipper because the chipper chute is too narrow. Most tree branches are crooked or forked and do not fit into the narrow chute without pre-pruning. I would only buy a chipper with a large chute opening. Affordable (around $500) chippers with a large chute are EFCUT model R0 or Gardenbeaut model R30.
I went with the $3000 range for the replacement.
Those were made for bamboo.
You need an industrial one. I wish my backyard was a forest.
ruclips.net/video/eo3CexFa1rE/видео.html
Just cut the 3" diameter branches into 2 or 3 foot sections. Whatever works. No big deal. If it's worthless to you, I definitely will give you $0 for it. Deal?
Upgraded so I don't have to deal with it again. You can't pick them up on marketplace for cheaper than the store
You cant just drop large branches into these smaller machines and expect them to not choke out...only 6.5 hp...and not a real heavy flywheel...and..WEAR GLOVES
I'd rather drop myself into this machine than use it again. It's long gone.
The 3" chippers should be called 2" chippers. The 207-226cc engine isnt powerful enough for anything bigger - especially green hardwood. If you try and go up in size to a 4-5" chipper with a 420cc engine you will spend 3x the money. Champion makes a 3" chipper with a 338cc engine thats pretty good but is still double the price of this.
Lol gotta use a coupon. I paid like half that for mine.
POS to me… you saved me time and money!!!
Just remember, you get what you pay for! I don't care how much your coupon reduces to purchase the Harbor Freight Chipper/Mulcher. ITS NOT WORTH IT! I had mine for one year and it worked ok. It DOES NOT TAKE 3" limbs......
The shaft sheered the following year and of course i did not take the extended warranty. The Customer Service line is a joke. You have to have a lot of time to stay on hold until anyone answers. Once answered, the Customer Service rep. stated i could purchase another shaft for it. I did and it was not really that expensive. They also sent it pretty fast. Well, that was a joke. You literally have to be a small engine mechanic with all the tools to tear the entire engine apart to install the new shaft. A friend told me it was cheaper to purchase another engine with the shaft. So, i called back, waited an hour and they took the part back. I ordered the engine for $120 but now the shaft does not smoothly fit the hub. Very long frustrating time latere, i sold the entire piece of crap on Facebook to someone for $50 and bought a REAL CHIPPER!.
BE CAREFULL GUYS!
mine works really well if you use it correctly. i disagree that you are using it correctly.
@@HomeAloneGaming1 did you invent this machine? You seem really offended and left 3 comments. Thanks for the engagement.
I don't think any of these puny homeowner chippers are worth a crap no matter what brand....
Hear, hear!
Works great for me. Cut it at the bends. Throw it in. Made me thousands back for my business. Maybe learn how to use it properly. 🤷♂️
If you showed up to my house with this thing for your business, I'd kick you off the property. Thing was worthless and I have since properly upgraded.
@JohnWCH no one cares what I use as long as job gets done correctly. I've not had a single problem this video said. All small business have to start off with what they can get. At the time this is what I could get. Years later still use it for storm clean ups and leaves. Year after year. When it goes out. Then I will upgrade to a hitch mounted with option for hose. Until then it'll keep making me money 😉😀
Wear gloves. Feed it in slower. Enjoy it. Make it last.
It's long gone
This dude just whined for a whole video. Want a whiney burger burger with some French cries?
Cool comment from 2001. What's a "whiney burger burger"?
@@JohnWCH it was so bad you need a double
Now I really want one, not sure why it wouldn't be good for chipping trees though 🤔
The throat on it is too small to get anything with a bend or twist in it thru. If you have a smaller yard with straight limbs/sticks it's good to go. It's outgunned on my property.