Troy-Bilt chipper

I've heard that if a chipper does not have at least 10HP it is better left to leaves. Does anyone have experience with the Troy-Bilt 47258 Super Hawk chipper. All I know about it is it has an 8HP motor, and electric start. Can it handle 3 branches. What else can you tell me? I have an opportunity to buy a used one and would like to know. The Troy-bilt web site no longer lists it. If the current owner is saying it will cut 3 limbs, take one with you and try it. Lots more than horsepower to consider. I borrowed one (Troy-bilt) and it worked fine. Owner was not pleased with how often he had to sharpen and replace blades. I never believe all the hype on what a chipper will cut. Good luck. It probbaly won't do it to your satisfaction, but I like majak's suggestion. I had a 6hp chipper once that would barely chip a 1 stick, and I had to feed it so slowly it was a joke. Not to mention I couldn't even hold on to the stick for long because the vibration of the stick would make my hand go numb. I have an 8hp, ele,start myself. I found that after a chipper is used awhile, they will cut 3 limbs, but what you need to do is, remove the bottom cover and if the shredder is jammed with wood shreddings, clean it out, grease the bearings, if it`s has an 8hp it has grease fittings. When using the side chute,(first check to see if the chipper blades are gummed up with sap. don`t use too much pressure to where the engine bogs down, but if it doesnt cut to your satisfaction, move the limb around, say, corner to corner, turn the limb while your doing this, you`ll find a spot. TroyBuilt equipment, especially older model equipment is built strong. Also make sure the belt is in good condition and not too loose. The old Troy-Bilt Tomahawk and Super Tomahawk chipper/shredders (big box design about the size of a 3 drawer file cabinet) were made from a design by W.W. Grinder Co. who got bought out by GardenWay around 1980 +/-. I have one of the first ones sold by Troy-Bilt (still had W.W. Grinder decals on it) and it came with a 4 HP Tecumseh motor. It will do 3 branches. Can I force material in fast enough to bog down the motor and stall it? Sure can! But if I let the machine work at it's own pace, it will chip all day. The shredder hopper on the top will do up to 1 but it's happier with 3/4 and smaller. If my little 4 HP motor were to crap out on me, I'd definitely try to get a 6 or larger to replace it, but since it's been working ok as is for over 20 years I'm pretty happy with it. You won't see these on Troy-Bilt's website as MTD did not take these when they aquired GardenWay. Murray was building them for a while, but now Murray is gone too. Parts show up on Ebay pretty regular. The shredder knives are reversable to expose new cutting edges as is the chipper blade. And they can be sharpened. Also heed the advise above about cleaning off any sap or resins to improve performance. Having used mine for over 20 years, I'd definitely look for a another one if I needed to. My brother just bought a used one with a 8 HP motor and improved drive becuase he liked mine and that one became available to him. His has an engagement lever, mine had a centrifugal clutch. If you have never used one of these, the chipper chute on the side is set up so you gently push material in and it chips off the end, kinda like an electric pencil sharpener. It will never pull you towards the cutter. The shredder hopper on the top does tend to yank stuff right out of your hands, so use a loose grip and keep your distance. In my opinion, it yanked less than other types I have used and the cutters are pretty deep insidefor safety, another reason I bought mine as at the time I was also looking at Kemp and McKissic. I hope this helps you out. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have such a bleak impression of chippers just yet. I suppose mine was just not as well designed maybe? Funny, I've worked on several chippers, but only used one. It was one I bought from a guy who came in with it for sale. Said he needed gas money, and I could have it for $10. I got it, fixed the carb, and tried it a time or two, then pulled the engine off and scrapped the rest, lol! I can't remember who made it, but it had a 6hp tecumseh on it.

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