Am I the only one who got burned buying a cheap $150 chipper shredder off Facebook Marketplace?

Picked up a used Yard Machines chipper for $150 last spring, spent $40 on new blades and two hours trying to get it to actually chip anything bigger than a twig before it clogged and bent the shaft, has anyone else learned the hard way that you're better off just renting a proper 6-inch drum chipper for a day?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosejackson4h ago

Nah, you're looking at it wrong. Those little $150 chippers are perfect for people who know what they're doing and don't try to shove big stuff in there. I've had a used Craftsman for three years now, cost me $100, and it chews through branches up to an inch thick all day long. You just gotta keep the blades sharp and feed it slow, stop trying to jam a whole bush in there like it's a commercial unit.

karen2754h ago

Right? That's exactly what I've been saying. My brother gave me his old 5hp Yard Machine like four years ago and that thing still runs like a champ if you just keep up with it. I swear half the people who complain about these just feed it wet leaves and expect it to turn them into dust. Just take 5 minutes to sharpen the blades at the start of the season and feed stuff in at a steady pace, it's basically free mulch forever.