MechMaxx P4205 Wood Chipper

Introduction

Your new wood chipper is constructed with premium materials and engineered for safe, efficient operation. With proper use and maintenance, it will provide years of reliable performance.

Prepare to experience the durability to take on any job with the ease, portability, and convenience of your new Wood Chipper!

MAX performance, MAX Value, MAX Support that's Wood Chipper

• Enhanced design features come standard
• Engineered for the best user experience
• Quality metal parts are used instead of plastic
• A robust warranty supports all products
• Budget-friendly prices make it practical

Specifications

Overall Dimensions

The wood chipper has the following approximate dimensions:

• Length: 99.4 inches (2526 mm)
• Height: 72.0 inches (1830 mm)
• Width: 41.2 inches (1047 mm)

These measurements are illustrated by diagrams showing the machine from the side and front views, with dimension lines indicating the overall length, height, and width.

Safety

The rating plate on your machine may include symbols that provide important product information or usage instructions. Always read and understand the operator's manual before starting and using the unit.

General Safety Rules

• Be thoroughly familiar with the controls and their proper operation. Know how to stop the machine and disengage controls quickly.
• Read and understand the engine manufacturer's manual.
• Provide this manual and safety training if the unit is loaned, rented, sold, or used by someone other than the original purchaser.
• Always use the correct machine for your job.

Personal Safety

• Do not permit children to operate this machine.
• Keep children, pets, and other people away from the work area.
• Do not operate under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or medications that impair judgment.
• Dress properly: wear heavy long pants, boots, and gloves. Avoid loose clothing, short pants, or jewelry. Secure long hair. Keep hair, clothing, and gloves away from moving parts.
• Protect eyes, face, and head: always wear safety goggles or safety glasses with side shields.
• Wear appropriate hearing protection.
• Always keep hands and feet away from all moving parts and pinch points.
• Do not touch hot parts; allow them to cool before maintenance.
• Stay alert and use common sense.
• Do not overreach. Wear protective footwear.

Inspect Your Machine

• Check your machine before starting: ensure guards are in place, all nuts and bolts are tightened.
• Never operate a machine in need of repair or in poor mechanical condition. Replace damaged, missing, or failed parts. Check for fuel leaks.
• Ensure the engine switch functions correctly.
• Remove keys and wrenches before starting.
• Avoid accidental starting: ensure the engine switch is off before transporting or performing maintenance.
• If the machine vibrates abnormally, stop the engine and check for the cause.

Engine Safety

• Use on or near unimproved land only if the exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester.
• Never start or run the engine inside a closed area due to deadly carbon monoxide fumes. Operate only in well-ventilated outdoor areas.
• Do not tamper with the engine to run it at excessive speeds.
• Keep a Class B fire extinguisher on hand in dry areas.

Fuel Safety

• Fuel is highly flammable; take precautions.
• Refill or drain fuel tank outdoors in a clean, well-ventilated area. Do not smoke or allow ignition sources nearby. Never fill the fuel tank indoors.
• Keep grounded conductive objects away from exposed electrical parts to avoid sparking.
• Always stop the engine and allow it to cool before filling the fuel tank. Never remove the cap or add fuel while the engine is running or hot.
• Loosen the fuel tank cap slowly to relieve pressure.
• Never overfill the fuel tank; leave space for expansion.
• Replace fuel tank caps securely and wipe up spilled fuel.
• If fuel is spilled, move the machine away from the spillage area and avoid ignition sources until vapors dissipate.
• Wash skin and change clothes immediately if fuel is spilled on you.
• Store fuel in approved containers in a cool, well-ventilated area away from ignition sources.
• Never store fuel or a machine with fuel inside a building where fumes can reach ignition sources. Allow the engine to cool before storing in an enclosure.

Specific Safety Rules

Identify hazards and take preventive steps. Possible hazards include moving parts, thrown objects, machine weight, and the operating environment.

Prior to Starting

• Thoroughly inspect the work area for debris.
• Operate on flat, level ground.
• Ensure the feed hopper and cutting housing are empty and free of debris.
• Check oil level, nuts, bolts, and tire pressure.

Operation Safety

• Never place any part of your body where it would be in danger if movement should occur.
• Keep bystanders and pets at least 75 feet away from the discharge chute and feed hopper.
• Never place hands, feet, or any body part in the chipper hopper, discharge opening, or near moving parts while the machine is running.
• Keep the discharge area clear of people, animals, buildings, glass, or anything that could obstruct discharge.
• Wind can change discharge direction; be aware.
• Use a small-diameter stick, not your hands, to push materials into the feed hopper.
• Keep your face and body back from the chipper hopper and discharge chute to avoid injury from accidental bounce back.
• Never reach with your hands inside the feed hopper past the rubber flap.
• Keep combustible substances away from the engine when it is hot.
• Do not tilt the machine while the engine is running.
• Never operate without the feed hopper or discharge chute properly attached.

Operating Zone Diagram Description

A diagram illustrates the "Operating Zone" around the wood chipper, emphasizing safe distances from the feed hopper and discharge chute, and indicating areas to avoid contact with moving parts.

Feeding Materials

• Feed only clean materials. Foreign matter (soil, sand, grit, stones, metal) will damage knives.
• Avoid feeding pine needles, flax, and cabbage tree leaves as they can wrap around the rotor shaft.
• Avoid feeding short, stubby pieces of wood; feed them with longer pieces.
• Prune to suit the machine's capabilities.
• This machine is self-feeding; do not force branches. Allow it to feed automatically.

Unclogging

• Never allow processed material to build up in the discharge area.
• Never attempt to unclog while the engine is running. Immediately shut off the engine, wait for the cutting disk to stop, then remove material. Inspect for damage and loose parts.
• Whenever leaving the operating position or removing material, shut down the engine, ensure it's off, and wait for all moving parts to stop.
• Before opening the cutting disk housing, ensure the engine is off, the disk is stopped, and the belt drive is disengaged.

Moving

• Move the machine at least 10 feet away from refueling points before starting the engine.
• This chipper is for movement by hand only. Never attempt to tow on public highways.
• Always stop the engine before moving the machine. Watch out for sharp objects that could pierce tires.

Machine Use and Care

• Position the machine so it cannot move during maintenance, cleaning, or adjustment.
• Always use the correct machine for your job.
• Do not adjust engine governor settings or operate above recommended speed.

Maintaining Your Machine

Maintaining your Wood chipper will ensure long life to the machine and its components.

Preventive Maintenance

1. Turn off the engine. Ensure it is cool.
2. Keep the engine's throttle lever in the SLOW position and remove the spark plug wire.
3. Inspect the general condition: check for loose screws, misalignment, binding, cracked or broken parts.
4. Remove all debris with a soft brush, vacuum, or compressed air. Lubricate all moving parts with premium quality lightweight machine oil.
5. Replace the spark plug wire.

Never use a pressure washer to clean your Wood chipper. Water can penetrate tight areas and cause damage.

Shut down the engine, wait for all moving parts to stop, remove the spark plug wire, and wait five minutes before performing maintenance.

Regular Maintenance Checklist

The service intervals shown are maximums under normal operating conditions. Increase frequencies under extremely dirty or dusty conditions.

Grease the Inside Bearing

1. Loosen the lock nut that holds the discharge chute.
2. Slide down the fixing plate under the lock nut.
3. Open, then grease the inside bearing.

Knife and Wear Plate Inspection

Routinely inspect knives (for sharpness) and the wear plate (for edge condition) to ensure your wood chipper is operating at full efficiency. Dull knives or a rounded wear plate will decrease performance and cause excessive vibration.

If the machine's cutting disk strikes a foreign object, or if the machine begins to make an unusual noise or vibrates excessively, immediately shut off the engine. Allow the cutting disk to come to a complete stop. Switch the engine to "off" to avoid accidental start. Then perform the following steps:

• Inspect for damage.
• Repair or replace damaged parts.
• Check for any loose parts and tighten to ensure continued safe operation.

Knife Removal and Replacement

This Wood chipper has two chipper knives mounted on the cutting disk. Replace dull or nicked knives when the machine loses its self-feeding action.

1. Remove the discharge chute.
2. Rotate the cutting disc until the blade is visible from the feed hopper side.
3. Remove the bolts and nuts that fix the blade.

Be careful and wear gloves when working near the knives.

4. Remove dull or damaged knives. Inspect the cutting disk slot and mounting area for cleanliness. Ensure knives can mount flush against the cutting disk. Remount new or sharpened knives with edges facing up.

If the cutting disk surface is not cleaned properly and knives are not mounted flush, they could crack when hardware is tightened.

The clearance between the knives and wear plate should be approximately 0.04 inch at the closest position to the rotor shaft and 0.12 inch at the farthest position. They are tapered slightly to allow for movement as the disk bites into wood.

Ensure all locknuts are tightened properly. Turn the cutting disk with a long wooden stick to ensure it rotates freely.

Belt Adjustment

The belt should deflect 3/8" under three pounds of pressure. Adjust as follows:

1. Remove belt guard.
2. Loosen engine bolts.
3. Tighten or loosen the nut until correct tension is achieved (as shown in Figure 1).
4. Retighten engine bolts.
5. Check alignment of the clutch with the drive pulley using a straight edge (as shown in Figure 2). Correct alignment by moving the rotor pulley. Do not adjust by moving the clutch on the engine shaft.
6. Replace belt guard.

Belt Replacement

1. Follow belt adjustment directions.
2. Remove old belts and replace with new ones. Always replace both belts as they come in a matched set.
3. Set belt tension and alignment.

NOTE: Check and re-tighten belts after the initial break-in period (one hour of use).

Centrifugal Clutch Tech Tips

The clutch shoes and springs are wear items. If performance decreases, they should be checked and replaced. The clutch provides load-free starting and allows slippage under overloading to protect the engine.

The clutch engages around 1,000-1,200 RPM. The proper rotor speed is 1,500 RPM ± 200 RPM at full engine RPM.

Do not tamper with the engine's governor setting. Over-speeding the engine is dangerous and will cause damage.

Do not overload or attempt to chip material beyond recommendations. Personal injury or machine damage could result.

If the machine jams, stop it immediately. Clutch damage is not covered under warranty.

Storage

If the Wood chipper will not be used for more than 30 days, prepare it for storage as follows:

1. Drain the fuel tank completely.
2. Start the engine and let it run until it stops to ensure no fuel is left in the carburetor.
3. Drain the oil from the engine while it is still warm. Refill with fresh oil of the recommended grade.
4. Allow the engine to cool. Remove the spark plug, put 60 ml of SAE-30 engine oil into the cylinder, and pull the starter rope slowly to distribute the oil. Replace the spark plug.

Remove the spark plug and drain all oil from the cylinder before attempting to start the unit after storage.

5. Clean the outside of the Wood chipper and keep air vents free from obstructions.

Do not use strong detergents or petroleum-based cleaners on plastic parts.

6. Store the wood chipper upright in a clean, dry building with good ventilation.

Do not store the wood chipper with fuel in a non-ventilated area where fuel fumes could reach ignition sources. Use only approved fuel containers.

Troubleshooting