Stop
Never put your hands into the hopper or chute; always shut off the engine and disconnect the spark plug before clearing a jam, and use a stick or tool to pull material out.
Symptoms
- Feed rollers stop pulling material in
- Engine bogs down or stalls under load
- Wood or leaves backed up in the chute
- Grinding sound with no material moving through
Likely causes
- CommonOverfeeding the hopperPushing too much material in at once overwhelms the blades and rollers.
- CommonWet or stringy material wrapping the blade or shaftVines, wet leaves, and long branches can wrap around moving parts.
- PossibleDull chipper bladesDull blades struggle to cut through material, increasing jams.
- PossibleDebris built up in the discharge chuteChips can pack the outlet chute, backing pressure up into the machine.
What to do
- Turn off the engine and disconnect the spark plug wire before clearing any jam.
- If the machine has a reverse feed feature, use it to back the material out.
- Open the hopper or access panel per the manual and manually pull out jammed material with the engine off.
- Check the blades for wrapped debris and cut it away carefully with the machine fully off.
- Clear any packed chips from the discharge chute.
- Feed smaller amounts of material at a time and avoid wet, stringy debris when possible.
- If blades are dull, have them sharpened or replaced by a small-engine shop.
Tools and parts
- Utility knife
- Gloves
Wood chipper bladesSearch: “wood chipper replacement blades”
When to call a pro
If jams happen frequently even with careful feeding, a small-engine shop can check blade sharpness and internal alignment.
Safety
Stop
Never put your hands into the hopper or chute; always shut off the engine and disconnect the spark plug before clearing a jam, and use a stick or tool to pull material out.