Yard Machine Log Splitter

Review by joew : It does what it is designed to do.

Bought mine six years ago and could not be more satisfied. Engine starts every time - what a blessing. Racking in leaves with the shoot lowered is great. And it chips small branches very efficiently. Want more and have unreasonable demands on a garden machine go and rent a professional chipper. And wearing out the wheel axel (one reviewer claims) - must have been towing it around the neighborhood. Such a person hould be arrested.

Review by NC Gardener : Happy with product

I bought this product this past spring to replace a very similar Craftsman chipper that was 10 years old that was worn out, which had replaced the previous chipper that had also worn out after 10 years (I'm guessing I have averaged 15 hours of use per year for an average of 150 hours of use per chipper). The biggest changes in the units has been redesign of the engine air/fuel ratio control system (probably to comply with federal air pollution control rules) and the shredder chute. I agree with some of the detailed comments by Thomas Mcclelan about the product, but my overall assessment is much more positive. 1. The engine on the MTD chipper is very easy to start (the engine on the previous chipper had become almost impossible to start) and has enough power to chip 2" limbs efficiently. 2. The plastic shredder chute is in several ways better than the metal chute on the previous chipper (for example, although perhaps not intentional, their is a rounded bowl at the bottom of the chute hinge that catches gravel and pebbles that were in the debris; catching this material reduces that chance of dings in the shredder bar and improves the safety of the unit). It did take a few uses to figure out how to load the shredder chute without periodic plugging, but with a little experience it works fine. 3. I agree that this is not the Cadillac/Lexus/Mercedes of chippers, but compared to the price of larger machinces, it meets my needs very well. I have roughly a 0.5 acre yard that is roughly 1/3 native woods, 1/3 grass, and 1/3 perennial borders. With the exception of an occassional tree or branch that exceed 2" diameter, it does a good job converting yard waste into mulch for the perennial beds and composit pile.

Review by M. Streck "AMSDAD" : Mixed Bag

I purchased this brand of chipper 6 years ago or so. I chewed up a mound of limbs 10 times a year or so. It was a work horse for the first few years, but it's falling apart, and I need to get a new one. Last year, I replaced a plastic hopper that cracked in half. This year, the internal metal components were shredded, and its beyond repair. Is this normal for a chipper? I don't know, but will take my chances on a new brand this year. My other beef with this chipper was that it gets plugged up pretty easily, and its a real SOB trying to unplug it. (Imagine your self laying in a pile of shredded leaves with a hammer and screwdriver drying to knock a branch loose.) On the bright side, the price is real attractive. But, you get what you pay for.

Review by paul moran : pretty impressed

I use this machine almost on a daily basis now. My property is surrounded by many trees and shrubs so I perform a lot of trimming and pruning. I have also started to clear out my stone garden that I never knew I had until I was informed by an older woman who knew the area well. It has shredded much ivy, branches, leaves and weeds that I pulled from around the property and continues to get the job done. I had to buy the oil dip stick which it did not come with but that was trivial. I am pretty impressed with it's performance and I think I should have bought the larger model. This would allow me to chip larger branches.