YARDMAXYW7565 Chipper Shredder, 3" Diameter, Briggs & Stratton, CR950, 6.5HP, 208cc

This is the first major item as far as expense that I have purchased online at Amazon. I did several hours of online research and this little jewel as stated by reviews from numerous websites is a good bang for the buck. I'm a bit older so it took me a little while between reading the directions to ensure I didn't miss anything; actual assembly in total about 3 hours. I plan to use it today to chip up fruit tree branches; depending on how it operates and if the seller provides me replacement items mentioned in "CONS" will likely bump it up to a "5". PROS: Definitely beefy! I read some reviews talking about big, bulky, hard to move... In my opinion its built right, and relatively easy to move and looks to be very mobile; maybe others did not tilt it far enough down ensuring based cleared the ground. It is built very solid, great heavy duty commercial level paint one would see on farm equipment. I am excitedly looking forward to using it today. CONS: Two of the bolts stripped, one was part of the 9 nut/bolt assemblies for connecting the larger housing to the smaller. The 2nd and more important one was the was the larger nut/bolt assembly that is critical to holding the large funnel to the chipper. The 1st of two large bolt/nut assembly no problems, but the second one started and got as far as the bolt coming even with the outside of the nut then just spun and it should have tightened to the point there was 3/8 inch or so of the bolt sticking beyond the nut. Additionally, several of the bolt/nut assemblies did not have a lock washer despite the directions stating otherwise (had 2 washers, just no lock washers)...this is a concern since this thing likely will be vibrating a lot, hence the need for lock washers. I have spent my life working on machines and definitely did not over torque. My opinion is the bolts are not made of very strong metal hence why two of the stripped. Despite these couple of negatives I think this thing will be considered an excellent purchase and last a very long time. FOLLOW UP TO ORIGINAL: Ok, so I fired this up it took a few minutes to engage the clutch without stalling the engine...likely my fault. After using I would agree with the reviewer that stated use it on seasoned wood clippings as the fruit tree trimming I put in the chute frequently clogged it and stopped the engine. I had to loosen the large nut w/phillips head screw retainer to allow me to flip the exit funnel so I could get to the material that clogged the machine about 10 times. A bit frustrating, but LIKELY due to the fact that the trimmings were green and small resulting in spitting out 8-12 pieces of the smaller branch ends. My intent was to just let it spit the chips on our garden, and till them into the soil to decompose. However, looks like it may be somewhat problematic for the tiller...we'll see. I still give it a 4+ because anything from 3" down in diameter except for the 1/4" clippings did fine. I have rented a commercial chipper before and it did much worse than this little guy. I again reiterate this thing is very easy to move around and I did so parallel to my garden area to ensure chips were evenly spread...simple to do and feel this machine is a keeper....starts very easy as well.

Update 2 years later.Still 5 stars.Still very easy to start. I keep it in a garage when not in use, so no rust and very little maintenance.Found that newly cut pine bows and small pine trees go through very easily. Oak and maple take more time. I do not chip anything that is stringy like junipers as they get caught around the flywheel.Still on the original blades but its probably time I sharpen them or buy new to replace.This machine gets used for about 4-6 hours every 3 weeks and looks also new still.Moving it around is still a chore but doable. Luckily my 16 year old son moves it for me and he doesn't seem to mind.Overall good investment so far. If goes for another couple years, I'll feel like I got my money's worth.Purchased early this year. Have been using every weekend for last 3 months.ProsPackaged very wellEasy to put togetherExtremely easy to startChips green pine/maple/oak branches very easily up to 3"+Shreds dry leaves, twigs, pine cones, etc.. without any clogging (just don't put too much in at once)Tank of gas will give hours of workVery sturdy, heavy, solidly built, thick metal and good finish (does make for a con though for move-ability)Pro and ConChips dried pine/maple/oak branches but bogs down on anything over 2" (always give time for flywheel to speed back up)Clogs but if you take your time and feed properly you shouldn't have any issues (i removed the safety flap)Moves around but not real easy (flat level land is great, anything with rocks or roots will be difficult)It isn't that loud (i don't use hearing protection and its fine), but if it bothers you, please use hearing protectionConsStringy type branches can wrap around flywheel and its a tough job clearing out (have to use long needle nose pliers)Not as powerful as I would like for dried branches 3-4"Wish it was a little easier to move (or some type of attachment to pull with my tractor)All in all, I really like this chipper. Have been cleaning up a couple acres (mix of pine, oak, and maple trees). No real complaints. I immediately removed the safety flap inside the discharge chute. I managed to clog it once more, but I was just being impatient and put too many wet pine bows in at the same time. It does matter how you feed branches. Can't really explain, but after you used it for a couple hours, you will get the hang of it. Once I got through the learning curve, I can now take care of a huge pile of large branches in an hour or so. So much better than trying to burn everything or wait for the semi-annual town pickup or taking to the town dump.

This is the 1st wood chipper I've ever used, so, I can't compare with other models. I tried chipping 2” diameter branches -- worked, not perfect. Dirty job and very noisy. Reason I got it was: it took a long time to dump trimmed tree branches every year - trash company takes only 1 yard waste bin every other week. It took a long time to dump the branches.Generally, it kind of works. (1) Anything with long fiber easily jammed the blade side rotating axle and causing engine to stall. This is a design mistake — Stanley wood chipper didn’t have this problem. (2) Cutting blade and the anvil has a large angle. This is another design mistake.Overall impression of the chipper: sturdy but have design mistakes. The company shipping folks did excellent job on packaging.

I've had this chipper for several years and it works ok when used correctly. HOWEVER... Customer service is terrible. I broke a part on the chipper when I was working it to hard and need to replace the part. I contacted customer service and they refused to sell me a part because I didn't register the chipper when I bought it, and because I couldn't provide the serial number on the machine. It's tough to provide a serial number when the mfgr puts the number on a paper sticker that faded after several years of use (see picture). Funny thing though, I can easily buy an engine part from Briggs without having to show my papers.Yardmax customer service is terrible, the chipper is ok, buyer beware.