@KainKustomGarage I'm shocked to see the shaft went completely like it did, iv used many gas/PETROL machines and never heard of a shaft going like that, but from what u shown and I paused the bid and zoomed in on it, it shows like you said near the end of the vid that the metal had been going for a while so it shows like metal fatigue, and under UK law then the manufacturer is responsible and it comes inder warranty, and since it looks like that the fatigue was there when bought from new, in or out of warranty then MAY have a case under warranty or a claim in civil court, that shaft to me looks like it was set to fail from the date of manufacture, hope you get it sort mate, paul
Thanks for the video - same exact thing happened to mine down in GA - maybe used it 5X before the shaft failed. I was jealous that your broken shaft came out so easy from the chipper blade end compared to mine as well as how easy your new one slid into place. My unit took some 5lb sledge and some wood blocks both directions. Still, your video was very helpful. Thanks again.
I have had one of these for two years. After the first year, the shaft broke at the same location. I found a matching shaft online to replace it. These are readily available because these motors are used for go carts and minibikes. They are $30 for the replacement with gaskets and seals. I ran it for a year and the bolt holding the chipping wheel broke and the key disintegrated. Ruined the shaft again and had to replace it. I also had a rusted/burned out muffler and the safety flap on the chute broke off, not that you need it if you are bagging chips. In general, I would make sure you buy a shaft that does not have a chamfer at the shoulder, this is where they break. Other than that I would not suggest running too many 2"+ wood through it as you will be repairing it more often. IT does a decent job if you feed short chunks of 2" and smaller into the chute. I also look at other similar wood chippers. All of them use the same motor so they will all end up with the same failure mode. The next step up in cost is a large one at over $1000.
Back in the 80's I ran a lawn Service. I took the blades, and had a welder put Hard surface on the cutting edge of the blade. Made the blades go longer between sharpening. May work for the blades on a chipper.
I bought a used Earthquake chipper-shredder and the shroud came loose from the engine block. Tearing things apart to tighten those 4 bolts, I took advantage of the access to cutters and floggers, and sharpend 'em up real gud. Had to drill and tap 2 bolts and use larger bolts on the stripoed aluminum holes, and saw the crankshaft seal was leaking. Dang. But... I decided to leave it as-is, since it probably only leaks when running, which does that by 1. Splashing oil higher than level, and 2. Creating a very small amount of crankcase pressure from normal rings blowby Not worried, because the shredded wood wipes away all the leKing oil, and I will just need to check the oil level each time I use it. My repairs cost under 30 bucks for 2 taps, 2 tap drills and 2 new bolts and washers. Oh - the shroud bolts were lick-tited zon, so would not budge until I heated them with a propane torch, to loosen the lock-tite. Sharp blades are SO nice to have!
You installed a 212 Hemi engine on that chipper! Much better performance. Something about a wood chipper in the snow always reminds me of that movie "Fargo". 😉
3:18 & 3:53 The dark oxidized area on the end of the shaft is evidene that it was cracked for a while. The brighter section is the final breaking point or failure. You borrowed a chipper that was on its last leg before the failure occurred.
This just happened to mines, like other commentators i felt my unit was under powered (even after sharpening the blades). I'm already stuck with this unit, did you ever think of upgrading the motor? I'm thinking of trying out the 301cc predator (with coupons it goes down to 188$) just hopping it is as easy as the 212cc and that everything fits in place with the bigger motor.
Thanks for watching! apparently a common failure point on these. I never considered a bigger motor, I just wanted to get it fixed so my Father in law wouldn't kill me!
I bought one of these, and did something I never do, I bought the extended warranty. Good thing too because almost a year later one of the chipping blades sheared off and punctured a hole in the blade housing. Anyhow, I took it back, and they swapped it out no problem. I use it on redwood branches, about 2" in diameter. 3" will jam after a few inches. Fun machine, but my next go round I am going to scale up to 15Hp
Nice trick with that broken off bolt! I tried using screw extractors with no luck. I've been wanting to get a welder and this might be a good excuse! 😁
Strange that this long skinny shaft isn't supported by some kind of a bearing on the opposite side of the motor into the shredder housing, that would take away most of the stresses while chipping.....
Thanks .. had the exact same misfortune with what looks to be the exact same shredder, except I bought it from DR, on clearance. I figured the shredder would fail catastrophically at some point anyway. We have a small farm, so the shredder gets several years worth of abuse in a single season. I figure if I need to buy anew motor every year or two, it still cheaper,and more convenient than renting a shredder. In any case, going to poo over to HF, get me a new Predator, and resume shredding.
I would put in a different key on that shaft. That key should sheer before the shaft breaks. It’s gotta be too hard, or the shaft is too soft. Either way, the key is the “ key”…
Is this chipper the old Central machinery model or the Predator? Mine is the Central and I can't find the right fuel lines anywhere.I'm curious if the Predator engine would fit the Central unit because they look identical.
I bought one of these last month and used it for 2 weeks doing mostly mulching. Worked great for that but then used the chipper to grind up some bamboo and the exact same thing happened to mine. Sparks coming out the discharge chute and a loud clunking noise from the rotor. Fortunately Harbor Freight has a 90 day return policy so I took it back and got a full refund. Decided to go with a better quality model and bought an Echo SC 2013. It was twice the money but it's 3 times better. Been running bamboo through it with no problems. I know many people gave the Predator good reviews but you should know it's a real gamble to buy it.
The same thing happened to mine and I just re-placed The motor I’m wondering how long it will last with the replacement motor is you’re still running? Thanks for the video helped me do that job myself.
Thanks man! Glad it helped! We haven't ran it a whole lot since, so it remains to be seen, lol 😆 makes you wonder if they improved the design or if its just too much weight flyin around on the end of that crankshaft. 👍👍
They did the customer dirty with the direct drive, trying to compensate with the flail style knives. Slight offset, 2 pulleys and a belt is all it takes.
The only reason I know is there is a list of replacement parts next to the manual download on Harbor Freight's prouduct page. They need to use a motor with a bigger crank snout say 1". If someone put a larger motor one one of these it would make a killer small chipper that wouldn't break its crankshaft or stall out on 3" branches.
This is a poor quality machine. You don’t get what you pay for. Broken crankshaft, broken shredder bolts, and broken bolt holding chipper to crankshaft. Can’t get bolts to repair it from anyone and Harbor Freight is no help. Good luck.
Can't believe they just hung the flywheel and called it a day. Needs a bearing on the other side. All the shock loads try to break the crank instead of slowing it down. Just a terrible design. Will break same way again
Check your paperwork, The motor should be ran at less than half speed for 3 hours so you just killed the warranty, Don't teach if you don't know the job Still a partly ok video
My naive suburban upbringing thought this impossible until I saw this video. Thanks for the guide and the confidence that came with it!
Thanks for the kind words Sir! Glad it helped you out, apparently it's a common problem with these units!😉
@KainKustomGarage I'm shocked to see the shaft went completely like it did, iv used many gas/PETROL machines and never heard of a shaft going like that, but from what u shown and I paused the bid and zoomed in on it, it shows like you said near the end of the vid that the metal had been going for a while so it shows like metal fatigue, and under UK law then the manufacturer is responsible and it comes inder warranty, and since it looks like that the fatigue was there when bought from new, in or out of warranty then MAY have a case under warranty or a claim in civil court, that shaft to me looks like it was set to fail from the date of manufacture, hope you get it sort mate, paul
Didn’t think I’d find a video, but here we are! Thank you
No prob man!😁
Thanks for the video - same exact thing happened to mine down in GA - maybe used it 5X before the shaft failed. I was jealous that your broken shaft came out so easy from the chipper blade end compared to mine as well as how easy your new one slid into place. My unit took some 5lb sledge and some wood blocks both directions. Still, your video was very helpful. Thanks again.
Thanks Paul, yeah I got lucky I guess! Apparently a common problem on these units! Glad you found it helpful 😊
I have had one of these for two years. After the first year, the shaft broke at the same location. I found a matching shaft online to replace it. These are readily available because these motors are used for go carts and minibikes. They are $30 for the replacement with gaskets and seals. I ran it for a year and the bolt holding the chipping wheel broke and the key disintegrated. Ruined the shaft again and had to replace it. I also had a rusted/burned out muffler and the safety flap on the chute broke off, not that you need it if you are bagging chips. In general, I would make sure you buy a shaft that does not have a chamfer at the shoulder, this is where they break. Other than that I would not suggest running too many 2"+ wood through it as you will be repairing it more often. IT does a decent job if you feed short chunks of 2" and smaller into the chute. I also look at other similar wood chippers. All of them use the same motor so they will all end up with the same failure mode. The next step up in cost is a large one at over $1000.
Thanks for the info man, yeah, the muffler broke on this one too....lol
The price jumps to larger capacity are crazy
Back in the 80's I ran a lawn Service. I took the blades, and had a welder put Hard surface on the cutting edge of the blade. Made the blades go longer between sharpening. May work for the blades on a chipper.
Great idea Sir!😊
I bought a used Earthquake chipper-shredder and the shroud came loose from the engine block. Tearing things apart to tighten those 4 bolts, I took advantage of the access to cutters and floggers, and sharpend 'em up real gud.
Had to drill and tap 2 bolts and use larger bolts on the stripoed aluminum holes, and saw the crankshaft seal was leaking. Dang. But... I decided to leave it as-is, since it probably only leaks when running, which does that by 1. Splashing oil higher than level, and 2. Creating a very small amount of crankcase pressure from normal rings blowby Not worried, because the shredded wood wipes away all the leKing oil, and I will just need to check the oil level each time I use it.
My repairs cost under 30 bucks for 2 taps, 2 tap drills and 2 new bolts and washers.
Oh - the shroud bolts were lick-tited zon, so would not budge until I heated them with a propane torch, to loosen the lock-tite.
Sharp blades are SO nice to have!
Awesome Brother, sounds like you got er fixed up real nice!😉
You installed a 212 Hemi engine on that chipper! Much better performance. Something about a wood chipper in the snow always reminds me of that movie "Fargo". 😉
Oh wow! Got the Hellcat Chipper now! Love that Show, "That must be you Friend in the Wood Chipper"🤣🤣
3:18 & 3:53 The dark oxidized area on the end of the shaft is evidene that it was cracked for a while. The brighter section is the final breaking point or failure. You borrowed a chipper that was on its last leg before the failure occurred.
I know right, that's what I was thinking 😁
This just happened to mines, like other commentators i felt my unit was under powered (even after sharpening the blades). I'm already stuck with this unit, did you ever think of upgrading the motor? I'm thinking of trying out the 301cc predator (with coupons it goes down to 188$) just hopping it is as easy as the 212cc and that everything fits in place with the bigger motor.
Thanks for watching! apparently a common failure point on these. I never considered a bigger motor, I just wanted to get it fixed so my Father in law wouldn't kill me!
Did the bigger motor fit. I just bought this unit and was curious on updating it later
I bought one of these, and did something I never do, I bought the extended warranty. Good thing too because almost a year later one of the chipping blades sheared off and punctured a hole in the blade housing. Anyhow, I took it back, and they swapped it out no problem. I use it on redwood branches, about 2" in diameter. 3" will jam after a few inches. Fun machine, but my next go round I am going to scale up to 15Hp
Nice call Gus! Yeah apparently the crankshaft breaking is a common issue on these, they are fun to run though!😊
Nice trick with that broken off bolt! I tried using screw extractors with no luck. I've been wanting to get a welder and this might be a good excuse! 😁
Thanks man, yeah works most of the time😉
Jack Black teaching engine and equipment repair, diggin' it!
Ha ha! Thanks man, I'm hear to Entertain!😊
Strange that this long skinny shaft isn't supported by some kind of a bearing on the opposite side of the motor into the shredder housing, that would take away most of the stresses while chipping.....
I know right 😉
Hard to do that weld, Might came off mainly because of the heat.
Good video thanks
Thanks .. had the exact same misfortune with what looks to be the exact same shredder, except I bought it from DR, on clearance.
I figured the shredder would fail catastrophically at some point anyway. We have a small farm, so the shredder gets several years worth of abuse in a single season. I figure if I need to buy anew motor every year or two, it still cheaper,and more convenient than renting a shredder.
In any case, going to poo over to HF, get me a new Predator, and resume shredding.
Thanks man, yeah others suggested replacing the crankshaft, but the motors are so cheap it ain't worth it...😁
I would put in a different key on that shaft. That key should sheer before the shaft breaks. It’s gotta be too hard, or the shaft is too soft. Either way, the key is the “ key”…
That's a good idea, apparently a common problem on these machines...😊
Did that shaft not need greasing? I would think any case of metal on metal would cause problems.
Nothing to grease, it's bolted directly to the crankshaft 🤔
11:41 when you slide it onto the shaft I assumed that would be an area that you would want greased but I’m still learning to work on equipment 🤣
My did the same thing, I ended up replacing the crankshaft.
Oh nice, yeah apparently a common failure point on these
Very cool! 😁👍
Thanks!
definitely go back with grade 8 bolts everywhere.
For sure!
Is this chipper the old Central machinery model or the Predator? Mine is the Central and I can't find the right fuel lines anywhere.I'm curious if the Predator engine would fit the Central unit because they look identical.
Hello Michael, This is the Predator version from Harbor Frieght, I'm not familiar with the Central Machinery version, hope this helps....😊
For the algorithm.
I bought one of these last month and used it for 2 weeks doing mostly mulching. Worked great for that but then used the chipper to grind up some bamboo and the exact same thing happened to mine. Sparks coming out the discharge chute and a loud clunking noise from the rotor. Fortunately Harbor Freight has a 90 day return policy so I took it back and got a full refund. Decided to go with a better quality model and bought an Echo SC 2013. It was twice the money but it's 3 times better. Been running bamboo through it with no problems. I know many people gave the Predator good reviews but you should know it's a real gamble to buy it.
I know right! The old saying is true, you get what you pay for! We'll see how long it takes for the crankshaft to break in the replacement motor! 😆
The key on mine came out. Is there a trick to getting the key in the slot or is that as easy as it looks?
Should just slip in there once the slot is lined up...good luck man 😊
Breaking borrowed equiptment, ouch
I know right!
Iron can have weak brittle stress points,or we call it junk
I always use loctite on stuff like that.
HF stuff can be hit or miss. I am going to buy one of their US General tool chests, though.
That's for sure! As long as your not using the stuff all the time seems to be good...
Did the owner replace the clean out panel nuts with wing nuts?
Yeah, I think my Father in law put those on there...
The same thing happened to mine and I just re-placed The motor I’m wondering how long it will last with the replacement motor is you’re still running? Thanks for the video helped me do that job myself.
Thanks man! Glad it helped! We haven't ran it a whole lot since, so it remains to be seen, lol 😆 makes you wonder if they improved the design or if its just too much weight flyin around on the end of that crankshaft. 👍👍
They did the customer dirty with the direct drive, trying to compensate with the flail style knives. Slight offset, 2 pulleys and a belt is all it takes.
@@7eis any space and design updates for us diys please , I'd rather replace a belt hah
@@Hedgehodge- haven't got one of these, I guess we usually get better stuff in Europe due to mandated 2 year warranty
@@7eis yeah, US isn't "better" , I own all VWs :) I would love that, 2 year warranty, but does it make everything cost more?
I would put wing nuts on the limb tube. To make it quick to remove.
That would make it easier for sure...👍👍
Do the blades on the shredder come sharp, or dull?
Hmm...not sure🤔
Good Son in law! You borrowed it and it broke under your usage. Pay for a new one or fix it.
Thanks man! Gotta stay on the good side of the In-laws!😃
Harbor Frieght sells a replacement crankshaft for $25 for these. No need to buy a new motor.
Aww man...should have done that🤔
The only reason I know is there is a list of replacement parts next to the manual download on Harbor Freight's prouduct page. They need to use a motor with a bigger crank snout say 1". If someone put a larger motor one one of these it would make a killer small chipper that wouldn't break its crankshaft or stall out on 3" branches.
I have seen that happen once with a tecumseh engine
This is a poor quality machine. You don’t get what you pay for. Broken crankshaft, broken shredder bolts, and broken bolt holding chipper to crankshaft. Can’t get bolts to repair it from anyone and Harbor Freight is no help. Good luck.
I know right...
Weird that the woodruff key didn't shear first.
I know right? Apparently its a common failure point on those units...
Can't believe they just hung the flywheel and called it a day. Needs a bearing on the other side. All the shock loads try to break the crank instead of slowing it down. Just a terrible design. Will break same way again
I know right! Alot of weight flying around on the end of that shaft! Thanks for stopping by!😁
now i want one lol
I know, right! They actually work pretty good if you don't over do it!
Check your paperwork, The motor should be ran at less than half speed for 3 hours so you just killed the warranty, Don't teach if you don't know the job
Still a partly ok video
Thanks John, good advice for the next time it breaks 👍 apparently the crankshaft is a weak point on these...