Adventures in Machine Maintenance

Recently I made my way to our local Home Depot for some item that I can’t actually remember if I bought or not. On my way into the store this Troy Built shredder chipper was sitting outside with a price tag that was about 67% off of it’s regular list price. I was intrigued but suspicious. I found a salesman who explained, in a convoluted way, that the price was real; the machine was new, not refurbished; and he had just put it out on display a few minutes ago. Well, I couldn’t resist. I had been wanting one for a long time but was unwilling to spend the money that this machine normally costs. Fast forward to a few days ago and I was happily shredding leaves, twigs and vines to my heart’s content when all of a sudden it came to a screeching stop. I couldn’t pull the cord to start it up again and I had fears that the engine had seized up. After mulling it over I decided to try to take it apart to see if I could figure out the problem before taking it all of the way to Manchester for (expensive) service. This was a big step for me as I do not consider myself adept in any way when it comes to mechanical things.

Well, this looks a bit easier than it was. The bolts were in difficult places to get to and the flange required tipping the shoot to a certain angle to remove it. Once inside I found that those vines I though I was shredding were actually creating a stranglehold on the flywheel. So after extricating the offending vegetation (I did disconnect the spark plug before starting!) I then attempted to put it back together. With my grandson Aidan’s help, and an extended search for the last hex nut and washer, it was back together; with no parts left over! All that was left was to see if I could fire it up and make it work.

Success! To my utter amazement it started and worked without a problem. With this little success I might be emboldened to venture further into the world of small engine repair in the future. It appears that the only thing I had to fear, was fear itself!