YARDBEAST 3514 429cc 14hp Wood Chipper

We did a lot of research before we chose this chipper. We bought it through Amazon because of its return policy, in case we made a mistake, and its reliable delivery system, especially for something this large and heavy. BTW, the driver and freight company were wonderful to work with. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars for "easy to assemble" because although it is a simple and straight forward assembly the heavy weight of the chipper means you really have to think through your process. Being by myself, I used a light weight scissor jack to elevate the chipper for connecting the wheels. We chose the four wheel model because we want to clean up some narrow walking trails. Although the machine is heavy, I've been able to pull it everywhere I needed and I'm 66 years old. If I reach a point where that isn't practical, there is a conversion kit for pulling it behind small tractors and riding lawn mowers.Once assembled, the chipper started and performed flawlessly through 5 hours of operation. We're cleaning up storm-downed trees with various size branches. It's apparent that the chipper was designed for branches within its specifications. It takes them and chips them exactly as advertised. It is not a leaf shredder and the chipper performs best when most of the leaves are removed. (We mulch ours with a rough finish mower.) The design of the chipper is simple enough for me to perform upkeep and maintenance. The materials are appropriately heavy, well designed and finished. We have 8 acres with lots of trees and walking trails and I feel confident that we will get many years of service from this machine.2021 Update- The tires have not held up. One was flat when it arrived and the company promised to send a replacement but it didn't. So, I had to buy a replacement at the local farm store. Recently, we had freezing weather which caused two of the tires to collapse and not hold air. So, I had to replace them, too. I went a head and bought the fourth tire because I want to be ready when it collapses. The machine itself has performed well but the tires are sub standard as well as my first, and so far only, experience with their customer service support.April 2021 - the fourth tire went flat and would not hold air so I have to replace it, too. Since I hand pull the chipper and it’s only been in our yard and no evidence of puncture, I can only surmise that the tires themselves were very poor quality. I’ve down graded the rating because it’s ridiculous to pay this much and the tires haven’t held up at all. Replacing all of them in 6 months of yard work and they are not easy to replace. No response from the company at all.

I’ve run it over 40 hours. No issues except the vibration causes the hardware to get loose. I highly recommend checking and tightening bolts, belts, etc., every few hours of operation. Pay attention to the belts, keep them adjusted properly. Change the oil per OEM recommendations and you shouldn’t have any issues. It’s top heavy. Be careful when moving it about. With that said, it has chipped everything that I’ve been able to feed it. If the branch fits, it will chip. Dry branches, freshly cut branches; Pine, Red Oak, White Oak, Hickory, Poplar, Maple……..it may bog down slightly on a large branch but no worries, it will get it done.

I bought this hand towable chipper to compliment my big 12" capacity chipper. It's form factor is easily maneuverable down the wooded trails on my property that I'm clearing. Assembly, including adding gas and oil, took about 30 minutes with no special tools needed; just screwdriver and wrench. Amazingly, it cranked on the very first pull even without a bulb to pump. The disc is belt driven. Clutch engages/disengages smoothly automatically. No adverse vibrations. Chip size is between dime and nickel size. Build quality is robust. Good welding. No non-sense design. Not that it really matters, but I also was impressed by the paint job. In full disclosure, I've only tested it for a few minutes on 3"ish dry shrub. It performed flawlessly, though. Perhaps I'll be updating this review after LOTS of chipping (I'm clearing 40 acres).

Probably the most powerful machine out there that can be maneuvered by hand. Easily outperformed my old 8 hp Bearcat. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the engine barely slowed down as it chipped maximum sized branches and saplings (mostly madrona, fir, cedar and alder). The centrifugal clutch is also a great improvement over the belt and pulley system of the Bearcat. My major complaint is that attachment of the axles and wheels was difficult due to the weight of the machine and cramped access to the fasteners. Also, the instructions should include a better illustration of the installation of the tongue assembly

Great value for the price. Only thing found upon arrival was that one tire valve was loose (which I tightened and there was an extra brand new bolt down where the grinder was (which I removed by turning the entire machine over). That bolt might have caused major problems if I hadn't noticed it before beginning the grinding process. Starts quickly every time. Quite satisfied with this product.

Used this chipper for the first time today, a great machine, very happy with how well it works strongly recommend.