Dode's New Woodchipper

[Dode]

Posts 1 and 2 were taken from another thread and put here....by TEX. So, now I have a chipper thread.

I hope you get your chicks today and that they're OK!

My wood chipper arrived this morning..... I'm so excited! I finally get to demolish 3 huge brush piles into mulch. Naturally, it stormed all last night and the piles are now wet. That's ok, a few days to dry out will give my injured leg time to heal some more.

[Dode]

How the heck does anyone put a dead body in a chipper? Customer reviews AND the instruction books says the chipper will clog up with anything moist put in the leaf hopper. The guy who ran his wife through one, must have been using a monster chipper. This one is only 205 cc. and only takes limbs up to 2.25". At any rate, I got it put together and she's ready to fire up. Btw, the stray kitty is still crying and won't come to me..... so wild. Mostly a white calico. I doubt that it belongs to the neighbor.

[Tex]

Post up some pics.



Tex

[Dode]

Thanks, TEX.... Now I have to hobble out there and take pics of the darn thing.

I just read my last post.... it sounds like I'm trying to catch the kitty to put in the chipper.....NOT TRUE!

I am definitely going to start using paragraphs.

[Dode]

The story of the chipper acquisition:

I have three HUGE brush piles to eliminate. Usually, I burn them every Spring, but haven't for the past three years, as I was overcoming an annoying illness. Also, I need a ton of mulch for the flower beds, etc. The last time I bought mulch, I got a dump truck load of it delivered. Then, I spent days shoveling it into a yard cart and then depositing it on the beds. I am hoping to bypass the dump truck load of mulch and all the shoveling. This chipper has an elevated discharge chute that will put the mulch right into a barrel for me and then I can drag it to wherever it is needed.

I was perusing Lowe's online one evening and saw that they had a Stanley 205 cc chipper for a special price of $489 AND no financing for a year. I looked at the specs and read the reviews. I pulled up Youtube videos of it, too. I decided it had no more problems than the Troy-Bilt 205 cc; which dumped the mulch right on the ground or into a bag, that would surely need assistance.

Lowe's online did not say the chipper was not in stock. I drove the 40 mile round trip to get it. That's when I found out that I had to 'special order it'. Did so and put it on my Lowes card for the no interest financing. 11 days later they called and told me they could not get it. I would have to cancel the order and buy one of their other (more expensive) ones. Missouri statutes calls that bait and switch and false advertising. Next, I went to Lowes on a Saturday, so I could speak face to face with a manager. No manager there on a Sat... what? Then, the following week, I played telephone tag for 8 phone calls trying to talk to the manager. Eventually, I got hold of her and she was adamant that Lowes couldn't get the chipper. I told her that Amazon and WalMart was able to get one. Still, she was unfazed. I told her I would be happy with a comparable substitute for the same price. They offer a Brushmaster 208cc that looks identical to the Stanley, just a different color. Nope, she couldn't do that. I told her that I couldn't believe that she was, in effect, sending me to a competitor.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-CH2-208cc-6.5-HP-Gas-Heavy-Duty-Chipper-Shredder-w-2-1-4-in.-Feeder/37469473

http://www.lowes.com/pd_665814-41344-CH6___?productId=50377880&pl=1&Ntt=wood+chipper

I returned home and looked at the WalMart site. They had 2 in stock and would deliver to my door for a dollar more than what I paid at Lowes. No taxes, so it made the price equal. I don't like the idea of having to buy it from WM, because I am actually purchasing it from a sub retailer. If anything goes wrong, then my only recourse is to deal with a recommended repair shop.

It weighs 70 lbs. I tipped the box on its side and opened the bottom flaps, then tipped it back upright and pulled off the box. Removed all extraneous styrofoam, plastic and straps. Pulled out the instruction book and had a good read. From the online reviews, I knew that some of the holes wouldn't line up, so I had my awl handy to help with that. Reviewers had, also, complained about not knowing where to put in the oil, as the instruction manual showed nothing about it. Well, it's gotta be on the engine somewhere, right? It was easy to find and they supplied a long flexible funnel for the job. Not a problem. The rest of the screwing together of parts went fine, but slow, due to the soreness of my right hand from the scooter accident.

As soon as the tablet is charged, I'll get those pics posted.

[myakka]

Ahem........ par-freeze the body before chipping. I mean..... I have NO IDEA!!!!!

[Dode]

Huh? What...... uh, oh, the BODY!!! LOL I thought you were talking about something I needed to do to the chipper before I fired it up for the first time.

This is the murder I was referencing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Helle_Crafts

When an angry hubby buys a chainsaw, a big freezer and rents a big azz chipper, that's when it's time to leave town asap.

[W.Lynn]

Ahem........ par-freeze the body before chipping. I mean..... I have NO IDEA!!!!!

That's thinking, I knew there was something I liked about you.

[Dode]

Caught the kitty and, yes, I will be starting the chipper soon. Two totally separate issues.

CalicoKitty2.jpgCalicoKitty3.jpgCalicoKitty4.jpg

[Zef_66]

So you posted pictures of the kitty, but not the chipper? WTF?

haha, just kidding ya.

These are very small residential chippers. If I had a bo...um, something to dispose of and was going to use a chipper, I would get one of the large, industrial sized ones. We used a "smaller" industrial one a couple years ago. It had a 4 cylinder diesel engine and could chip trees up to 6" in diameter with no problems.

This is what I am talking about:

RC12 Act1 sml.jpg

[Dode]

Oh, yeah! I think that is what the wife killer rented in 1986 (the rent was $900).

All I have is a 'kitty chipper'. I have to stop making those jokes..... that really is bad.

I have tons of mowing to do before the rain hits in a few hours, but will try to get a pic of the itty bitty chipper when I go outside.

[AD]

Where is the kitty from?

[Dode]

The kitty showed up after a bad rainstorm and spent a couple of nights next door, in the bushes. I started feeding it yesterday morning, and this morning, it was hiding in MY bushes. I had my windows open, so she followed my scent..... yeah, I really should bathe more often... lol.

[Dode]

This is exactly how I got Jasper two years ago.... horrific rainstorm, kitty in the gutter pipe at the street, I fed him for a couple of days, he made his way 150' up to my house and I snagged him. He is the best cat I've ever had.

Little Miss Kitty has to go to the shelter on Monday.

I think I'll go out and do a test pile of small limbs with the chipper. I need ear gear, gloves, barrel, snippers........ oh, yeah.... instruction book. This is my first time with a chipper.

[AD]

No keep her!!!! Have a heart. She found her way to you for a reason. You need her!!!