Save McCulloch MCS2001 14-Amp Electric Chipper/Shredder

I had read the reviews here before purchasing the product so the poor and confusing assembly instructions were not a surprise. As an individual who only looks at instructions as a last resort, I was able to assemble the unit with only a few glances at the diagrams. In the event of doubts, the written text proved to be of little help.

After completing the assembly I turned on the power. It made a bit of noise and tripped out. I reset the thermal switch and tried a couple more times with the same result. I then removed the Top Cover Assembly and by hand-cranking the blades found that the two pieces of curved metal flanges at the bottom of the cutter base (for ejecting the shredded material) were hitting the head of the hex screws that attached the flat plate to the top of the motor housing.

Seeing that the hex screws were not flush with the base as they should be, I removed them, took off the star washers that had been bent concave (and should not have been there in my opinion) and reinstalled the screws. With the screws now deeper into their groove (although not quite flush with the plate) this increased the clearance somewhat but they were still binding, so I filed down those two flanges to get another one-sixteenth of an inch of clearance. There was still a very small amount of binding so I made up a washer using a thin piece of kevlar material and then I had suitable clearance.

I then reassembled everything and the results were the same as before.

I am now suspecting the start capacitor and wondering why they would pack the unit up at the factory without once testing to see that the motor worked.

Once again I removed the Top Cover Assembly, removed the cutter base, removed the flat plate attached to the top of the motor assembly, and what should my eyes behold?

The axle with the armature is just dangling into the motor housing!

There are supposed to be three machine screws that fasten the top of the motor housing to the main body. ALL THREE OF THE SCREWS were left out at the factory.

I found three stainless steel screws of the correct size in my garage and screwed the top housing of the motor into place. After reconnecting the top of the motor housing back to the bottom side of the flat plate, the axle now protruded up enough that there was lots of clearance between the flanges on the cutter base and the flat plate, so there was really no need to remove the star washers, file the flanges, or make a washer of any kind.

After putting the Top Cover Assembly back in place the motor turned up to speed just as it should and I cut one small twig with it.

I don't know how well it is going to work for its intended purpose, but I will rethink Mccullough for any future products if my experience is indicative of the quality control practices of their Chinese factory.Get more detail about McCulloch MCS2001 14-Amp Electric Chipper/Shredder.

Lowest Price Duracell 813-0281-07 100 Watt Pocket Power Inverter

The unit is well made and the long cord adds to its flexibility. The cord is actually 35" long.
It powered my Dell Studio Laptop with Earthmate GPS unit flawlessly on a recent 1000 mile trip. It didn't get overly warm and it is quiet.
The laptop is rated at 75 watts.
On/off button means you don't have to unplug when you stop.
With this unit you only need an AC charger for your cell phone.

I am very happy with this unit.Get more detail about Duracell 813-0281-07 100 Watt Pocket Power Inverter.

Poulan ES350 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw Decide Now

Being born and raised in Florida I've been through a dozen or so Hurricanes. Since there is always power failures who in their right mind would own an electric chain saw? Well me for one LOL. Three things are a must if using electric tools.
1. A heavy duty extension cord
2. A gas generator
3. A Heavy duty 12 volt power converter.

I use the power converter via the charge system on the F 150 pick up. This is used in remote locations when the chain saw is needed. The generator is used when main power is down in the house. The generator is only used during storm conditions, which is wired into the house wiring.

As for the saw its a great unit. I've been through electric chain saws in the last twenty years. Most.... for the most part have served well.
The main thing to remember with any saw is the sharpness of the blade. I for one always resharpen the blade and clean the unit after each use. Drain the oil after each use, wipe off any sap with wd-40, and sharpen the blade. You'll get a decade or so out of an electric saw that is used on a regular basis.

The Poulan Electric 16" 3.5hp Chainsaw is a well made unit and I'm totally satisfied with its performance! Don't forget eye protection with this and any other power tool.Get more detail about Poulan ES350 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw.

Makita BUB182Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower (Tool Only) Order Now

This is not a heavy duty leaf blower, and once you accept that....it is a great tool.
During the week I keep it in my truck to clean up job sites, clean off my miter saw and blow out the truck bed at the end of the day.
On the weekends i clean the deck and driveway of grass clippings and debris...all with no cord hassle or 2 cycle racket.
I love the thing. Get more detail about Makita BUB182Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower (Tool Only).

Reliance Controls PB30 L14-30 30 Amp Generator Power Cord Inlet Box For Up To 7,500 Watt Generators Buy Now

This Reliance Controls PB30 L14-30 30 Amp Generator Power cord inlet box with "male end" connects up to a 7500 watt generator power cord "female end" to your home. The weather proof box mounts directly to a wall and works great to connect a generator to your home. The item arrived quickly and was exactly as expected.Get more detail about Reliance Controls PB30 L14-30 30 Amp Generator Power Cord Inlet Box For Up To 7,500 Watt Generators.

Schumacher SC-600A SpeedCharge High Frequency Battery Charger Get it now!

Great little battery charger for use in car battery.Charge quickly for low battery,need a quick charge to start the car.Get more detail about Schumacher SC-600A SpeedCharge High Frequency Battery Charger.

Poulan Pro PP125 17-Inch 25cc 2-Cycle Gas Powered Straight Shaft String Trimmer With Split Shaft Immediately

The Good: Great concept to have interchangabe attachments. It cost way less (initially) to get this unit plus a few attachments versus buying everything separate. The pull start was relatively easy and never took more than a few pulls.

The Bad: I purchased this unit and used it about once or twice a week during the summer to blow off the drive after mowing and to periodically edge, and use the line trimmer around the edge of the property. In the fall, I used the unit twice to blow leaves. In all, I would have to estimate I had only about 20 to 30 hours of engine run time on the unit. During the second blowing of the leaves, after about 3 minutes of use, the unit started to bog down and then quickly stopped. I attempted to restart, but the motor had completely seized. I let the unit cool for a day and tried again to no avail. I contacted Poulan who directed me to a local servicer (who was very easy to work with).

He said he had to contact Poulan to see if they wanted to replace the unit or have him repair the existing one (since it was well within the 2 year warranty). Poulan asked him to disassemble my engine to determine if there was signs of excessive heat, indicating that I had used an improper fuel/oil mixture (which I hadn't and was irritated that they wanted to pay their servicer to prove me wrong versus just honoring the warranty to begin with). They finally agreed to the unit. The servicer then started to rebuild the unit and found additional parts "melted" in the clutch area that he hadn't found during the motor tear down. He again contacted Poulan who finally issued a replacement unit but would not offer a full 2 years on the warranty for the new model (only what was left on my original warranty).

The servicer also explained that gas powered trimmers like these are rated for a certain # of hours of runtime before they begin to fail. This particular model was only rated at 50 hours. So for my usage, it is likely to "expire" after 2 years - right on time with the warranty to expire. The servicer indicated other brands like Echo have a 300 hour engine life. Of course they come with a larger price tag.

Bottom line: Be wary of the warranty and expected usage. If you aren't going to use it that often, or extended periods of time, this unit will probably do you fine. I'm still debating what I'm going to do when the replacement finally dies and is out of warranty. The options are to buy a new Poulan interchangable trimmer so I can continue to re-use my existing attachments every 2 years ($120 roughly), or to invest in something like Echo equipment, which are more expensive and I'd have to buy 3 units to replace this one. Tough call.

As a side note, from what I understand, several manufacturers use the same engine. I can't verify, but my old Craftsman convertible trimmer (which used the same attachments) had an identical engine (I think) and I had similar issues with it after a couple years.Get more detail about Poulan Pro PP125 17-Inch 25cc 2-Cycle Gas Powered Straight Shaft String Trimmer With Split Shaft.