GreatCircleUSA Wood Chipper Shredder Mulcher Heavy Duty Gas Powered 3 in 1 Multi-Function 3" Inch Max Wood Diameter Capacity EPA/CARB Certified Aids in Fire Prevention - Building a Firebreak

This is a well built, solid machine with a strong engine, good design for chipping and mulching, and it does handle up to 3" as advertised. That said, it took me several days to get the hang of it--Engine:1. Others say there is no easy way to turn the engine off, but my machine came with a switch that does kill the engine.2. The engine is moderately loud so if you have good hearing, wear ear plugs. If you wear hearing aids (like me), take them out. The engine is considerably LOUDER if you have the top hopper open. I recommend you close it except when you need to use the hopper or you want to "blow out" the bag. More on that later.3. Starts easily, but if the engine is cold (this is the first time you are running it today) set choke ON and speed LOW and pull the cord. If engine is warm already, you can skip the choke. After a couple seconds, set choke OFF and increase speed to desired level. DO NOT LEAVE THE SPEED AT LOW. The engine is not happy at low speed. That said, maximum speed is not required. I prefer a little lower speed so there is a little less vibration when pushing branches into the chute.Bag:1. Others say the bag is too small and difficult to attach and I agree. The bag fits around a rectangular port and they provide two knob-screws to secure it, but you must be sure the bottom of the bag opening is going over the metal protrusion and also you must cinch the drawstring tight and use a decent clip to hold it. I used these clips: "DYZD Plastic Cord Locks End Spring Stop Toggle Stoppers Multi-Colour" which cost $6 for a set of 10. You only need one, so you have 9 more for other uses.2. If you are using the bag and the some stuff gets stuck at the front of the bag, you'll notice a change in sound as the machine bogs down and you'll see chips/mulch going sideways instead of in the bag. Usually when this happens, you can simply open the top hopper slider for a couple seconds. When you open the hopper, the machine becomes a strong blower and this can often clear any blockage going into the bag. If that doesn't work, lift the bag off the ground and shake a little. Worst case, remove the bag and clear the blockage directly.3. After a couple days of use, I got tired of constantly starting/stopping the chipper to empty the bag, so I built a box! See picture. Now I run for over an hour before I have to stop and empty the box with a shovel :) It never gets clogged and the machine never bogs down.Chipper Chute:1. True to advertising, it will handle wood up to 3" in diameter as long as its straight enough to fit down the intake tube, but I find it more efficient to cut/saw anything over 2" into 18" lengths and stack it, then run an ad in craigslist for "free wood" when the stack gets big. People come immediately.2. Keep in mind you will need to pre-process most limbs and branches before you feed them into the machine. Any branches too large to bend parallel with the limb will need to be cut off first. Crooked limbs will need to be cut into sections small enough to feed into the intake tube. I got some "Fiskars 32-Inch PowerGear Bypass Lopper" for $5. They have a decent lever design so it's easy to cut anything up to 2". Pretty amazing. Of course, if the side-branches are very small, you can use normal clippers or just tear them off with your hands.3. NOTE: The chipper chute leads to sharp metal blades that look like a beard razer blade. They can get dull and need to be replaced. I've used the machine around 10 hours / 4 gallons of gas and the blades are still OK, but I see GreatCircleUSA sells the replacements for $25 on amazon.Top hopper:1. The top hopper is for leaves and small twigs. However, if you put a large amount all at once, they might not fall in, so you'll need to shove them down with a medium-size stick/branch. I typically just nudge once side down to get them started. The machine likes to grab them all at once and pull them in, so I don't recommend putting things like ivy into the hopper unless you have already cut it into short lengths.2. NOTE: The top hopper leads to large free-spinning metal whackers with a similar design as a garbage disposal. These are not sharp and probably never need to be replaced, but if you accidentally put a rock in here, those whackers will take a serious beating before the rock finally falls into the bottom well or gets kicked out. If you hear a rock banging around in there, stop the machine, remove the 6 bolts to remove the hopper assembly, and extract the rock with some grabbers. Also, if you put branches in here or dense ivy or other things that can get tangled up in there, it can wedge the machine and stop it. Again, you'll have to remove the 6 bolts to remove the hopper assembly and clear it.FINAL NOTES:1. Use a chair! Otherwise, you are constantly stooping over to push things into the chute, and your back will hurt. I like to pile things up and then feed the machine from my chair. See picture.2. Wear gloves! The machine grabs most branches and pulls them in, but if the branch has leaves or bends you will have to shove it, and it will be vibrating like crazy.3. It paid for itself quickly, as it costs $400 to rent a chipper for a week and I have used it for 6 weeks. The build quality is solid and it will last for many years.

I read review after review before settling on the GreatCircleUSA Wood Chipper Shredder/Mulcher. I easily put a full week (and no, I don't mean off and on during a week; I mean I easily put 168+ hours) into researching wood chippers/shredders/mulchers. I quickly learned that these things went up in price a lot since last year. But, I have 8+ neglected pines (ranging from 40 to 80 feet high) in the back yard and a 40' tall Japanese Maple in the front yard that need a lot of dead wood removed. Renting wasn't an option at $100-$150/day... neither was spending $1000+. My neighbor had a TAZZ K32, which he was kind enough to let me use to chip a 40' tall Japanese Maple in my backyard last year. I didn't want to abuse our friendship by asking to borrow it yet again. Based on his machine, my wants were simple -- min 3" intake; min 7HP 212CC engine (another 'handy' brand I seriously considered touted a 212CC engine... dig further into the engine maker. It isn't 212CCs); 3600 RPM unloaded speed, min; both gas-line shutoff and on/off switch; throttle lever (I don't want the chipper running at full speed all the time); mulching hopper with slide guard and vacuum port on back (JIC); an included chip catcher bag with strap (I wanted an attached pole to keep the bag aligned with the chute, but not a necessity); and, air-filled wheels (not solid, hard rubber or plastic). The GreatCircleUSA met most of my needs and will likely meet yours (if you're realistic). Please read on.Pros: Packaging was amazing. I was worried after reading all the reviews. Something must've changed... because they really went above and beyond in packaging -- including thick Styrofoam, wood framing around the hopper, everything wrapped in plastic, and a nice, thick rubber mat to protect the hopper and engine that I'm sure I'll find a use for). Install wasn't awful (but, please see Cons)... patience is definitely a virtue (as is having the right tools). The machine met most (but not all) of my wants (to save you read time, I won't rehash them). Startup was easy. Add gas (making sure you also added oil to the oil fill, and do not add oil in the gas). Cold start... turn on the gas line switch, move throttle to mid, turn choke level to run, move the On/Off switch to On, pull starter cord 3/4 of the way out, let it run a little to warm up, move throttle to full. The machine spun up easily (and I love that it has an On/Off switch... and a fuel line cut off to clear gas out of the carb). Warm start, turn everything to On, move throttle to run, and pull the starter... easy as pie. Started the first time, every time. Re: the engine... it's stroooong. I fed everything up to a three inch, green pine and seasoned dogwood limbs into this thing. It chewed through 2.5 inches and below without a hiccup. At the 3" mark, I had to feed the limbs about 6", back off (allowing the chipper wheel to speed up to max), feed it, back off, repeat. It probably could've taken the full limb length, but not without dying in the middle or toward the end. I have a fire pit. 3" and more is burn wood. So, I won't be feeding many 3 incher's in the chipper. I tried the 3" just to test it for this review - and it worked just fine (as long as you're reasonable with your feed). This machine made short work of a pile behind my shed that was easily 10'x5'x4'. My wife literally said to me that she couldn't believe how fast I went through the pile. Yes, I had to process some of the limbs to allow them to fit in the chute; but, it was expected. Short of a few larger clipped limbs that needed chute-fed, the hopper made the rest of the disposal easy. Remember, the hopper is only for twigs and small brush. Be reasonable with your feed and it works fine. Re folks stating that the limbs vibrate your hands like crazy... umm, yeah... shredding involves pushing a limb onto a spinning surface with knives that chip away at the limb. Get some work gloves (and a push stick to keep your hands away from spinning knives) put your big boy/girl pants on, and go to town (safely, of course). There's gonna be some vibration, even more the closer you get to the end of a limb (completely normal and understandable).For how strong it is, the machine is surprisingly quiet. No... obviously not whisper quiet (use hearing, hand, and eye protection, BTW). But, my wife even said, compared to my neighbor's TAZZ, this chipper is much quieter. The body is strong too, as are the j-hammers and knives. I checked each before full assembly... all were sharp and ready to go. the rubber protectors over the hopper and intake are nice (especially the intake, which, like most chippers, tends to bounce the last bit of limb around in the intake for a little). By comparison, my buddy's TAZZ shoots the limb nubs out of his intake (kind of dangerous actually). The chip catcher bag is also great. Other reviewers mentioned that the bag is made us substandard materials. I'm here to say that it isn't. The bag is well constructed of a thick, adequately-ventilated material with reinforced stitching on the loops and zipper. Shredded material moved to the back of the bag easily. The zipper is built equally well, no snags or tears. Emptying was a snap. I was impressed. I even overloaded the bag once and it held up (but, please see Cons). FWIW, the mulch chippings were consistently about 1/2"x1/2". Finally, the machine came with a good bit of documentation and a serviceable spark plug puller (gapping recommendations in doc), in case you don't have one on hand.Cons: I thought the wheels were air-filled rubber. They aren't. They're hard, air-filled plastic (don't get me wrong; they're durable and will likely do the job for some time... but you can't fill them with air and they aren't soft rubber, which makes the execution feel cheaper than it should at this price point). At least they're easily replaceable (set on cotter pins) if need be. Next, the chain holding the intake chute cover came off when I pulled the cover off to use the chute. Meh execution, but not a deal breaker. I fixed it in no time with some needle-nosed pliers. Next, the bag, which sells on AMZ for $75 on its own, should have a cincher on the strap. I knew what to expect based on another reviewer. Although you can easily create a slipknot in the bag tie that will keep the bag on the shredder while in use, get this cord cincher (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FH9DYU6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It keeps the bag on nice and tight and makes shredding life oh so much easier. Finally, the assembly instructions are sufficient, but barely. Thank the powers that be there are pics. But, the instructions don't clearly label which bolts need installed where (GreatCircle USA needs to add an included items key and use that key in the installation instructions).General: The body and engine are made in China. Best I can tell, the engine is a Chongqing RATO Holding Group 210S (snowblower engine) with the electric starter removed. FWIW, RATO engines are generally rated well... like all things, depending on user care and use. GreatCircleUSA's return policy is 30 days (from the date of your purchase). It took a week to get to me in Pennsylvania, from Canada. So, take that into consideration. Warranty support is a 3-year limited from the date of purchase (customer pays return shipping). I haven't needed it yet. So, I can't speak to it. Next, yes, the oil fill (there are two ports) is difficult to fill. I filled mine before installing the chute. However, this is typical for shredders. Get one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-10704-FloTool-Spill-Measu-Funnel/dp/B000EH4V0Y/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=oil+spill+saver&qid=1592855394&sr=8-8) off Amazon. I had one on hand; it works great to control oil flow and lessen spillage. Next, the bag did not come with a bag bar. I knew this going into the purchase (confirmed by no welds appearing on the chipper body in the AMZ pic) and can't complain (although the instructions actually show a bag bar in Figure 7... really!?, hoseteasers!). TAZZ makes a retro-fit kit for their machines, but I don't know if it will fit the GreatCircleUSA shredder. To that end (as seen in the pics), I used a metal painter's pole wedged under the extended hopper guard. I used this setup for three hours. It didn't fail once. If the setup does end up failing, I'll get metal hanger straps or cable clamps and secure the pole to the hopper using the built-in hopper bolts (do this only at your own risk, and very carefully so as not to obstruct the hopper or cause the hopper bolts not to have enough 'bite' and come loose during operation). For now, the paint bar worked. Next, not a big deal, but the engine oil instructions could be confusing for some. One manual says to use 4-Stroke 10W-30 for 32 Degrees and up; 5W-30 for 25 and below. The engine manual says that's fine but recommends 4-Stroke 15W-40 for -10 Degrees to +85 Degrees. I only plan on using this in Pennsylvania in the Spring, Summer, and Fall and had 4-Stroke 10W laying around and used that with no problem. Finally, one reviewer mentioned the product coming with safety glasses, a packet of engine oil, and a funnel... I didn't get those (possibly mixed up their product reviews?)Recommended Purchase?: With the above in mind, yes. I know I have to change the oil again for the next use (break-in period); but, this thing is a beast... as long as you use it as intended and are reasonable with what you feed it and how you care for it. For my part, I don't regret this purchase one bit and really enjoy shredding and chipping with this machine. If I have a reason to change my review, I'll do so. 'Til then, happy (and safe/responsible) shredding. :)