Patriot Products CSV-2515 14 Amp Electric Wood Chipper/Leaf Shredder Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, it is not a gasoline engine so it is not going to have the same power due to the limits of amperage typical households can supply. However, even with these power limits I was very impressed with the power this electric chipper has. I was able to chip wood up to 2 inches in diameter with no problem except that the chipper pulls the wood into the machine faster than the machine can handle. So when chipping thick branches it is important to grasp them firmly and pull back when the chipper starts to pull them in too quickly. Be prepared, it pulls hard! If you are patient and feed at the correct rate you should not have any problems with clogs.
If the unit does clog the engine pulls too much power and your breaker will trip, which did happen to me a few times before I learned what the machine could handle. This chipper needs its own 20 amp dedicated circuit or it will trip the breaker when it starts. I live in an older house with older wiring that is mostly 15 amp, which could not handle the current. Luckily, the circuit my refrige is on is a 20 amp circuit that is close enough to a door so the extension cord can reach, but now I have to unplug the refrige when I want to run the chipper. (i'll fix this inconvenience by running a new 20 amp circuit to an exterior plug) So you should plan to put in a dedicated 20 amp circuit if you don't have one before you purchase this.
This chipper is very solidly built. If it does clog the plastic leaf bin is sturdy enough so that the entire unit can be upended to clear the chips, but it is heavy so be careful flipping it. The chipper cone isn't too hard to take off either in case wood gets stuck there. Since it is electric you just flip a switch to turn on and off, which is much more convenient than a gas engine. It is also much quieter than a gasoline engine, but you still should wear hearing protection when using it (no complaints from the neighbors so far).
The wood chips it produces are very fine, but the shredder doesn't work that well on green stuff. In fact, the shredder part is the easiest to clog. I tried a palm frond in the shredder opening and it clogged the machine. So now I just have to pull the fronds apart and put them through the chipper. It seems the shredder isn't much good for anything but dry twigs and leaves. But that is no biggie as it is not hard to feed most stuff into the chipper.
I bought this unit when I read the poor reviews for the cheaper electric chippers (free shipping if you order direct from their site). You get what you pay for. Patriot sells a quality machine that you can buy replacement parts for and that can be serviced. The other cheapo chippers don't even sell replacement blades! What do you do when your blade wears out? Don't buy a foreign-made piece of crap that you'll just end up throwing out. No regrets with my purchase.


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Our most popular model! This Electric Chipper Shredder is the only one of its kind on the market today. Our unit will chip branches up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. It is also ideal for shredding leaves. There are no hassles with gas or oil. It turns on with the flip of a switch. It can be used inside your garage, basement or hothouse. This environmentally friendly workhorse has no ugly fumes. It plugs into your standard 110 volt outlet. You will need a good heavy-duty extension cord of less than 100 ft as this unit draws 14 amps of electricity. The electric chipper shredder weighs less than 100 pounds and comes with large wheels for easy transport around your home and yard. See for yourself why this valuable yard and garden tool received the National Home Gardening Club Member Tested Seal-of-Approval. We are also excited to report that in the summer of 2009 our electric chipper was rated a "Best Buy" by Consumers Digest magazine. This honor is given to less than 3% of the products tested and our chipper has received this honor for a SECOND time. This unit comes complete with a 2-year warranty, a collection bag, and safety goggles.

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Ames True Temper 1914000 Adjustable Thatching Rake with 54-Inch Wood Handle Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading a few reviews at other sites, I went out immediately to get one at my local hardware store. Despite not dethatching my grass for four years, it works quite well. I imagine with less thatch, that one could zoom through their yard. The thatching side works great and it does seem to work best when you use short and quick strokes. The otherside is meant for raking the thatch away, this works very smoothly. All in all, I'd say it's a good design and well worth the money and effort if you enjoy your yardwork.

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Ames 1914000 54" Handle 15" Head 19 Tine Lawn Groom Thatch RakeThe True Temper thatching rake is an all-purpose lawn rake. The curved tines are designed to clear dead grass (thatch) clippings from the lawn. This will allows air, sunshine, water, and fertilizers in to keep the grass healthy.Ames 1914000 54" Handle 15" Head 19 Tine Lawn Groom Thatch Rake Features:; Self-cleaning tine crimped on one side for scratching and loosening soil prior to seeding; Other side runs parallel to ground picking up litter and lifting low lying crab grass runners; Adjustable head; 54" handle, no replacement handle available; 19 teeth; 15" wide

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Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator Review

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(More customer reviews)My Turf Hound Aerator was purchased in Feb. 2008. I waited until after the rainy season to aerate my lawns in April and May. Very easy to use: grab the top handle and step on the bottom crossbar to punch holes in the lawn (with the two sharpened tubes on the bottom). That facilitates air, water, and fertilizer to reach the root systems for greener lawns.
Some things I've noticed (as have others):
Works best in semi-moist soil. Too dry and cutting becomes difficult; too wet and the soil plugs get stuck and don't come out the top of the tubes.
Try to step in the middle of the crossbar so the cutting tubes are perpendicular to the ground for even holes, less bending of the sharpened ends of the tubes, and less clogging.
When the sharpened ends of the tubes get bent, the soil plugs don't come out. Simple solution: don't try to pry out the stuck plugs with a screw driver, that may roughen the inside of the tubes or bend the cutting edges. Rinsing with water doesn't push out the stuck plugs either. Rather, go to a patch of lawn with slightly moist soil, step a few times and the moist plugs are pushed out. Now turn the aerator over and tap on the crossbar with a rubber mallet to get the remaining soil plugs out.
When the sharpened ends do get bent from tough soil/grass/rocks, I use an 10" old steel tubing just slightly smaller in diameter than the cutting tubes and tap it through the top with a rubber mallet. That straightens out the bent edges somewhat uniformly.
The Turf Hound Aerator does have a lifetime exchange guarantee so one can get a replacement at the cost of shipping it back to the manufacturer.
One last note: I DON'T leave the extruded soil plugs in my front lawns because they resemble dog doodoo and some thoughtless neighbors may mistake them as an invitation to use my front lawns as a pet porta-potty.
Check out my lawn in the customer submitted pics. Good Luck!

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Use the Hound Dog Products "Turf Hound" to makes room for grass roots to grow thicker and healthier, for a thicker, healthier lawn. The Turf Hound removes 4-inch plugs of turf to loosen compacted soil and break down thatch, allowing for the free flow of water, air, and fertilizer to the roots of your lawn and curing its trouble spots. It is the secret solution to having golf-course-quality turf. The Turf Hound's unique U-shaped handle is designed for easy stepping and comfort; it also features a rust-proof finish and durable, lightweight construction for long-lasting wear, as well as a large footstep for greater ease. The Turf Hound comes with 4-inch steel coring tubes. A limited lifetime warranty is included.

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Earthway 1001-B Precision Garden Seeder with 6 Seed Plates Review

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(More customer reviews)While this is a good tool on the whole -- and not too expensive either -- it still isn't for every gardener nor for every purpose in the garden. To remove all doubt, perhaps it should not go without saying that this is not a tool for making hills for melons, squash, or zukes. It will not help you with transplants such as tomatoes, nor will it handle seed potatoes. No, this seeder is for rows of things like beans and corn, and in these cases it shines. I still think, however, that you have to be planting a pretty big garden to make it worth your time to set-up the Earthway seeder, learn to use it, store it, and maintain it.
On the pro side, for instance, I used my new Earthway seeder to plant more than 700 row-feet of popcorn. Wow! The Earthway seeder practically paid for itself that day, since it allowed me to plant the entire plot in less than 45 minutes and with no bending over! I also used it to plant plots of field corn, beans, and beets.
Here are my notes, for what they're worth:
1.) Have freshly tilled, fine, debris-free soil. It is difficult to push the seeder through crusted soil or anything with too many lumps in it, and you won't get those perfectly straight rows if you're struggling just to move forward. Also, too much surface trash will be a problem for the little chain that drags behind and covers the seed. Hint: do "dry runs" with the seeder at the proper depth, but without seed in the bin. This will give you a sense of how well it's going to work before you commit your seed, and it helps to mark your rows in advance too.
2.) Have enough seed, and watch the seed plate closely as it turns. If the seed bin gets low, the pockets in the seed plates will often fail to scoop up the seeds in a regular fashion. You'll end up with a lot of skips. Of course, if you're not buying your seed at least ¼ pound at a time, I'm not sure why you'd want this tool anyhow.
3.) Select your seed plate carefully, and if needed test it with the seed before use. (Attach a plastic bag under the seeder or something.) For example, I had a limited quantity of small soup beans. I popped in the bean plate and made two rows. Before the end of the second row, however, I was out of seed, which should not have been the case. I didn't figure this out till after the seeds sprouted: that seed plate scooped up those small beans two at a time and double-planted the first row, leaving insufficient seed for the second row.
4.) If you are considering the Fert-A-Ply attachment for the seeder, re-think that. I did not realize till the attachment arrived that I could not use it at the same time as I planted -- meaning that it took re-configuring the seeder and another full set of passes to apply an amendment to my rows. Also, the construction and the few moving parts of the attachment are extremely chintzy. I could not get mine adjusted well and used quite a bit more expensive material than I intended.
5.) The assumption for the Earthway seeder is that your seed is dry. If you like to soak your seeds before planting, or if you want to wet-innoculate things like green beans before planting, I don't think this is the tool for those cases.
6.) I have not tried the seeder with pelleted seeds of any kind, but I bet it would work well for that. Again, pick your seed plate carefully.
7.) Of course, straight rows are an advantage for mechanized cultivation equipment in your garden or even for zipping through the rows with a wheel hoe or high-wheel cultivator. Even if you're not obsessive about straight rows, however, this seeder still can be a time- and back-saver.
I hope this helps you to make a more informed choice.

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The Earthway Precision garden seeder provides a more efficient way to seed large vegetable gardens and flower beds The seeder comes with six standard seed plates for seeding sweet corn, bean, peas, carrots, beets, and radishes: install the appropriate plate, and it will automatically space seeds at the ideal length. It also opens, closes, and packs the soil, and even marks the next row ahead of time. The seeder is made from tough, weather-resistant materials for years of trouble-free operation. Assembly is required. Additional seed plates are available for purchase separately.

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Swisher Seeder Spreader Utility Attachment 10272 Review

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(More customer reviews)Great Product. Beats everything else I looked at, regardless of price. Uses quality materials and robust engineering. Flow control is easy and the handle is large enough to grab with gloves on. Mounts fairly easy and required no extra parts. Works very well.

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The Swisher ATV seeder and spreader attachment allows you to broadcast dry goods -- such as grass seed, fertilizer, salt and sand -- quickly, easily, and consistently. The universal fit of this attachment lets it mount easily onto any ATV. The volume and spread can be manually adjusted; spreads range from 4 to 6 feet wide, and a unique spinner disc and vented cap design provide consistent flow and even material distribution. This tool is made with a heavy-duty ball-bearing motor, a sealed lid to keep out unwanted moisture, an 8-inch easy-to-fill opening, and a clear 15-gallon and 150-pound capacity poly tank hopper which allows you to see the level of the contents. This product includes all wiring and mounting hardware needed.

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