Champion Power Equipment

I purchased a Champion Rear Tine Rototiller (Model 100380) on 02/05/24 from Acme Tools via the Web.

I have seldom made a review of a product that has had this many issues; indeed, only one or two products have fallen into this category in my long buying history.

The rototiller was received days ahead of the scheduled delivery. The shipping crate was built with risers (feet?) on each edge, so it was easy to slip the forklift attachments of my front-end loader under the crate to unload it from the freight truck. The tiller was reasonably well packed and received undamaged. I will add that it’s pretty (the yellow and black color contrast.) Okay, that’s about the end of the good!

I brought the tiller pieces into my (heated) shop for assembly. Right away, I noticed something odd about the rear gearbox – the one that drives the tines. The gearbox shaft was not centered. The right tine assembly had (what I deemed to be) a rather large gap between it and the gear box. I had difficulty installing the left tine assembly. The pin would not go entirely through the hole. I noticed the there was a burr on the exit hole of the tine assembly, so I removed the burr. I was able to tap the pin in place and that should do it. Right? Unfortunately, no! The left tine assembly was so close to the gear box that it was catching on the retaining bolt heads that secure the seal retainers/dust cover. After making several measurements of the tines and gear box shaft, I concluded that not only was the gear box shaft not centered, the hole placements were wrong – regardless of the shaft centering. Totally not machined correctly! Realizing that there was a warranty, I decided to call customer service.

I waited about 45 minutes until a customer service rep was able to take my call. I guess that’s not bad in this day and age. Champion describes this as their bilingual service center. While one of those languages purports to be English, it’s not any English that I can readily understand. Maybe it’s my 73 years old ears, but I could only catch about every third or fourth word with any certainty. About another 45 minutes later, I thought that the problem had been adequately described and some solution agreed upon. I understood (apparently incorrectly) that I was being emailed a work request for my nearest authorized warranty service center. Imagine my surprise when a couple of days later I received via email (along with other misc. documentation) a shipment notice of a gear box! Well, okay – that should solve the problem. Being a fair mechanic (albeit, not my occupation) and a self-taught amateur machinist, I felt fully up to the task. Imagine my surprise when USPS arrived with a rather large and heavy package. Champion had shipped the entire “under-carriage” of the tiller! Yep, both front and rear gearboxes, and all that connects them.

Well, I hadn’t counted on that happening. I could have taken it to the warranty service center and blown the morning, but I figured it would likely take several trips to solve any additional troubles that I felt were certain to come along. So, I decided to handle it myself. I had to remove the upper and lower clutch housing covers and remove several pulleys, idlers, belt guides, etc. Note: When it is time to replace the belts, it will not be a 5-minute task! I hope these serpentine belts wear much better than traditional V-belts. Anyhow, the main idea here was to remove the pulley that is attached to the input shaft of the gear box assembly. Fortunately, after removing the pulley retaining bolt it required only the application of a plastic tree felling wedge and a mild hammer tap to pop the pulley loose. (This pulley uses a straight square key to mate it to the shaft.)

After filling the gear boxes with oil, it was “only” necessary to reverse the previous procedure. Note: The replacement gear box(s) assembly that I received differs slightly from the original defective unit. Primarily, there are no drain plugs (or tapped holes in which to insert them) on the gear boxes. Hence, there is no easy way to change the gear oil should there be a reason. This brings up another issue concerning the Operator’s Manual. The manual shows a break-in oil change plus periodic changes of the gear box oil. In another place it states that the gear oil should never require changing unless contaminated. What a contradiction! I subscribe to the latter instructions.

After some effort, I was able to return the tiller to the state it was in when I first began the original assembly, except this time the tine assemblies actually fit correctly!

I would like to report that this was the end of the troubles, but it was not. When I first received the tiller, I had noticed that a bolt was missing from the rear (tine) gear box end-cap. The rear gear box cover is part of a unitized weldment that includes the guide assembly for the depth gauge and a plate that allows insertion of two bolts into the gear box endcap to help the rigidity of the unit. Apparently, the reason for having only one bolt installed is that the manufacturer was unable to get more than one hole to line up. The plate that is supposed to attach to the endcap is slotted, said slots being rather long and wide. I considered my options to remedy this and resorted to a large vise and two-pound hammer. I was able to move the plate enough to get both threaded holes in the endcap exposed (just barely) enough to take two bolts. However, one of the welds intrudes into the area where the flange of the left bolt needs to seat. So, I still need to do a bit of weld grinding. Also, this mounting plate has a good 1/8” gap between it and the rear cap of the gear box, so I will need to shim this area to keep from bending the weldment and pre-stressing the cast iron gear box.

At this point I decided it was about time to test the engine. Having first performed an initial adjustment of the forward and reverse clutch belt tension, I proceeded to fill the crankcase with the provided oil. This proceeded without incident. I then added gasoline to the fuel tank, a bit more than I first intended, but no worries. After I set the gasoline container down, I became aware of a sound like soft rain. Much to my horror I saw gasoline pouring from the engine and rototiller frame. I checked the fuel valve to make sure it was shut off. It was. I tried to siphon what gasoline I could from the tank but most of it ended up on the driveway and my shoes!

Well! At this point, common decency prevents me from writing what thoughts were running through my mind, and what words were emanating from my mouth. After collecting myself, I decided that I must have yet to endure more punishment for some past sin and began to remove engine parts to see if I could find the problem. It seems that someone failed to connect a fuel hose to the gas tank outlet. It was there, but the end that should have been connected to the tank showed no signs of having ever been expanded and was in its virgin state. It became obvious that the fuel hose must be connected to the tank first and prodded along a tortuous route to the carburetor while the tank is lowered into place. This I managed to accomplish and then put all the pieces back together. At this point I tried to start the engine. It started the first pull! Something has to go right eventually!

I let the engine run unloaded for about a half hour, varying the speed occasionally. I then drove it around a bit (without tilling) to test the clutch/belt adjustments. Another note: The instructions in the Operator’s Manual concerning the belt tension adjustment make no sense to me. I adjusted both the forward and reverse belt tension by the “seat of the pants” method. I basically increased the belt tension until the belt wasn’t slipping when I held the tiller back until the drive wheels broke traction. I then added just a bit more tension. I will recheck the tension when I am actually tilling.

I thought this was the end of my review since I had only the tine cover shield left to install. Well, such was not the case! Actually, I ground the weld mentioned above before I tried to install the cover shield. I had placed the depth gauge all the way down to elevate the rear of the tiller to save wear and tear on my 73 years old back while I was grinding. When I finished, I noticed a pond of gear oil laying on the plate where the fill plug/dipstick is installed, said oil dripping onto the driveway. This plug/dipstick also serves as a breather and has holes near the top. The gear box oil was at the full mark when I started. Not anymore! It was about halfway between the full and low marks. The breather holes need to be higher if one fills the gear box to the full mark. It doesn’t take much of a downward incline to the front of the machine to dump gear oil. For now, I am leaving the oil at about the halfway point of the safe region. I may see if I can figure out a better solution later.

Now, on to the tine cover shield. I couldn't get the holes to line up with the bolts and captive nuts at the mounting points. There are generous slots in the cover shield, but they weren’t generous enough. Using a large adjustable wrench with a piece of pipe added to the handle, it took several bending tries to get both the front and rear mounting points about where they should be. Once I had the rear nuts installed on the captive bolts it required some knee pressure on the top of the shield cover to insert the front bolts into the captive nuts. Hopefully, the cover shield won’t need removed and reinstalled frequently because it will be a pain.

SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS

I was going to be charitable and give this rototiller a 2 Star rating until the gasoline deluge occurred. Following that incident my charitable spirit went away. I downgraded my rating to 1 Star. The overall issue is the lack of Quality Control. Even a visual inspection would have caught some of the most glaring problems. Leaving a bolt out because it can’t be inserted due to misalignment is not okay! The incorrectly machined tiller shaft was the real killer here. I am sure production numbers of this rototiller don’t justify the use of 100% CNC machining or robotic assembly. However, I would assume the use of fixtures and at least one or two quality checks would have prevented most of the issues that my sample exhibited. That’s a shame, because this rototiller has the capability to be a very decent machine if these issues were to be addressed! I generally like the overall design. Considering the amount of work and time I invested after spending the largest part of a $1000 bill – well it just wasn’t a great purchase! After working on this tiller for 16 days (and counting) I could have nearly built my own machine from scratch. I know that China can produce some decent equipment. Unfortunately, the rototiller I received is not exemplary of the finest workmanship!

I just received my new tiller from the store an I am ready to start tilling up a garden spot and get some seeds in the ground.

I do Laser engraving and i go to Flea Markets to sell my stuff. i bought this so i could work on items while I'm at these Flea Markets. it works really good, it will run my laptop, engraver, and exhaust fan.

I was able to purchase my Champion 100592 duel fuel generator at Home Depot on 8/5/20 right after a strong storm knocked out power to much of the north East. I was very happy to see how easy right out of the box it was to put the wheels on and basically be ready to run once I added the oil and gas (not included)... once done the generator started with one easy pull and ran beautifully and smoothly. Plus it was much quieter than our previous generator and with 7850 W start up plenty of power to run most of the big items in our house ie fridge freezer some lights fan ect.

We get a lot of power outages over the winter, up to 4 hours or so. Had to replace our unsafe wood stove with an electric fireplace which works great. What to do about power? We bought a Champion model # *******550W generator, it not only powers the heater but we run the lights and other small appliances making sure we keep the wattage balanced. We wheel it out of the garage ( bought the wheel kit) very easy pull start, plug it in and we're good to go. Beats the wood stove by far.

Winch is a replacement on my atv snow plow lift. Winch fit exactly as described. Was a bit nervous if the winch would fit but was happily surprised when winch slipped right into place. Two hours later winch was bolted up, wired up and ready to go to work. I am 72 year old retiree and very pleased with the champion shopping experience. Priced right, works well and easy to install. Doesn't get any better than that. Thank you very much

The 1 star is not for the log Splitter, it is for the company. I purchased a 34 ton log splitter from Home Depot last week. I towed it home, went to fill it with gas and noticed the gas cap had come off during transit. I have been trying to talk with a Champion Representative to order a replacement gas cap since last week. I have waited on hold for over an hour numerous times and sent emails that, so far, have not been replied to. All literature in the manual and on the website states to call the number provided if you need immediate assistance and yet no one will answer the phone. I would love to rate the product that I purchased, but so far have been unable to use it. Plus, Home Depot said I can not return it because it is missing a gas cap. What's a customer to do?

This is my first Champion Product (9000W generator). I was impressed with the price per Watt at Costco. Unpacked and assembled today and found to be well packaged, quality components, and thorough instructions. In no time I had it ready and anticipating a couple of attempts before getting an initial start I was pleasantly surprised when a slight pull on the cord got the unit started. It ran up great and performed as expected,

Well, after extensive research I finally chose the Champion 2000 watt. After putting in the oil and gas it started first pull, fantastic! I looked at Wen, Westinghouse, pulsar, etc, trying to stay in the 500.00 and under category. I am using this for a backup for my RV, will not be using this full time by any stretch. Extremely quiet at 53db and purchased it for 399.00! Fairly lightweight (depending on your conditioning and size) can be used for our California rolling brownouts to keep your refrigerator and small appliances going. Highly recommend this generator, buy one you won't regret it.

With high Santa Anna winds our power was shutdown by SDG&E twice in 2 weeks, the first time we took all our food to our daughters, the second time my neighbor let us use his spare Champion 2k watt generator. It was the dual fuel version of what I bought this week. I went all the the way to Rancho Cucamonga to get this (Model #100306 - I didn't need dual fuel). It starts easy and is quiet. It provides all we need to keep our fridge working, a light or two, charge our phones and will run the toaster or coffee maker (one at a time when needed). I did my research. Honda was way more expensive, Generac comparable but what sold me was my great experience with the dual fuel model, and the display that shows fuel level and power used, which nobody else has! So break-in is complete, oil changed... I'm ready SDG&E... bring it!

This is a well designed, well built piece of equipment! It was a two beer assembly project, with easy to follow instructions and every last nut and bolt was provided. You'll need to supply your own beer, engine oil, and hydraulic oil though. This machine is really going to save wear and tear on my aging body! I had a bunch of very knotty and twisted hemlock and fir pieces that I was unable to split by hand with a maul that my Champion 27T split with surprising ease, no challenge at all. Oh, it started on the very first pull too. I am pleased and impressed!

Perfect Generator, I purchased this generator after hearing friends rave over it. Being lost more cash dual fuel when running on propane lasts much longer than one tank of Gasoline. I can easily rely on this to keep things going when I'm away for work during a power outage. I should have done this long ago, however, I never really had the initial funding. After several power outages losing everything in the freezers has cost way more than the generator. Please take my advice "Don't leave on your wish list" the cost will be appreciated in the long run.
Cathy

I recently purchased my 7500w electric start generator from BJ'S wholesale club. I was worried about getting the unit from the rear of my SUV to the ground. The REASON, I'm 70 years old and could not help the 2 young men who loaded it. I got it home, put 2 metal ramps on the bumper and I was able to slide it out of the vehicle. I removed the packaging and completed the assembly about 20 minutes later. The Generator started on the first try & ran anything I hooked to it. We were expecting an ice storm but fortunately did not lose power. I would rather have a whole house generator but it's slightly out of my budget. My only complaint was the way Champion Power Equipment put the bolt on the ground of the battery. I had to remove the battery in order to connect the cable.

Bought it today and checked the oil, put gas in and read instructions. The chipper fired up first try and began mulching piles of leaves my wife had raked up. Shredded for 3 hours straight and after first 30 min. Figured out what/how you needed to shred and not jam it up. Small rake full and if the leaves do not go down, take a small limb and stir one side worked best. Tomorrow I will try out the chipper mode on limbs we pruned from the many trees we have. My wife was so into it I had to finally call a stop as it was getting dark. Wish the bag was bigger as you need to empty it when 2/3 full or it will plug up the discharge Shute. My wife has at least 5 hours of work at our home for the chipper and then take it to our cabin for another days work

I bought this generator specifically for the ability to pump down the deep wells on a property we are developing. The fact that it ran on propane as well as gasoline was the icing on the cake. Propane made the job at hand much cheaper than gasoline in fact 4 times cheaper where we live as gasoline is $1.50 per liter or about $6.75 per gallon with capacity of 8 gallons. And propane is $14.00 per 20 lb tank. The propane will run the generator for 6 hours while the gasoline will last about 10 hours. This machine will now be used a my homes back up power supply. Noisy but overall great machine.

I bought this 4000W digital Hybrid Inverter Generator. I reviewed a lot of sites and everyone said this was the one to get. So I bought it spent 10 mins putting the wheels on, the pull handle, putting oil in it and filled it with gas. Than I hook up the battery. Push the power button and used my remote start and it cranked right up! I hook up my fifth wheel camper and turned on the 15K btu a/c and it sat there and ran smooth on the economy mode with no problems.
I give this unit 5 stars!

We just experienced one of the harshest winters in central TX history. The Champion model 100592 made it almost too easy! I could not believe how easy it started even when temps dropped below zero! This unit definitely exceeded my expectations! Based on the performance of this unit we just purchased the smaller 100401 dual fuel generator to have for camping or loaning to someone in need in the future! And on a side note their customer support is amazing as well!

I have owned three generators. I have never been extremely happy with them until purchasing this Champion.

We weathered the eye of hurricane Laura in Natchitoches, LA and have been without power since. The humidity and temperature were horrific with heat advisories in affect. I found this Champion 6250 - 5000 Model 100812 at SAMS wholesale and it was the last generator in stock. I was afraid it would not be enough to power my needs.

Opening the box. I was impressed at the packaging and as well as how light and well built it was. Priced at just under $500 I was doubtful of it's performance. It hooked up quickly and started first pull. It completely powers my Fifth-wheel camper, A/C, electric water heater and DC inverter. I only blew the breaker once when my wife had the 1500 watt hair dryer going and started the microwave while the A/C compressor was running.

I stopped the generator after six hours (lost track of time as I should have done this at five hours) to change the break-in oil. I started with a single pull after changing the oil and it has not stopped since. After two days of continuous use I can report it can run at 60% to 80% capacity on one 5-gallon tank of gasoline for about 8-hours. I could tell when it was getting low on fuel and the RPM started to surge. Now I can time when to refuel to avoid this.

I am sold! My only choice at SAMS seems like the best choice I have ever made in buying a generator! I highly recommend this product!

I needed a generator because you never know when the electricity is cut off due to the weather like here in the gulf coast area, hurricanes to speak of you never know when the electricity will be turned back on, so it is a good peace of mind for yourself knowing that I have what I'm use to having. Champion generator has out performed others. Don't settle for less when you can have the best. Having duel fuel is just the icing on top, because you may not get a certain fuel because of a shortage during an outage.

We brought 10 acres a few years ago in Upper MI. This property was filled with so many trees lot of trees my husband works tirelessly to clear our property to prepare for our retirement home when asked what he wanted for Christmas he stated a wood chipper he then began to research wood chippers.
(my hubby is a AWESOME researcher) he then sent me a text message with the chipper he found to be the best! So i headed out to his favorite power tool store Home Depot and it was like watching a baby takes their first step so now when my hubby works on our property it will be oh so much BETTER thanks to Champion Power Equipment. What made me want to write this review was thefact Champion power Equipment has now made my husband work made easier with less stress dealing with all of our trees and making a extra effort to protect our environment along with the comment my hubby made when he saw the offer of the Champion T-Shirt inside the box his exact words were Wow that's a COOL T. So I thought why not give it a try because that's all he wears is T Shirt and I know for a fact if he received this Champion T he would wear it EVERY time he worked with his Champion Chipper so I'm going for it!
His Wife Paula

I spent 3 evenings, 'Googling', Power washers. I was able to sidestep some of the B. S. (seeing a pattern of reviews). A deeper dive reveled some quality entries. Once I found this Champion 30000 PSI Pressure Washer with 2.5 GPM (Important), I tried to find a fault, I could not. It is even rated a third less noisy than others in its class. As luck would have it, it was on sale at my local Canadian Tire from $800.00 to $500.00 and might I add, $20.00 in Canadian Tire Bucks back. As a Technician and user, I was really impressed with the manual. The manual is laid out logically, step-by-step with clear instructions, part numbers and trouble shooting, the best I've ever read. After setting everything as it should be, I pulled the cord and it started with the first pull. I purchased the Turbo cleaning tip from Home Depot due to it being $30.00 less than at Canadian Tire (Helpful Hint). It worked so good my wife did all the work while I did other chores, she loved it. The motor is so smooth and the pump is so powerful, I'm confident this is the only machine I'll need.
The photo shows the machine and the clean pebble stone around it.
Very happy with this Pressure Washer.

I looked at many Generators that Champion Power Equipment sell at Canadian Tire. I found that the one by Champion was better built. It had a lot more features. The price was very good { Got it on a fantastic sale.}. My friend has a smaller model and he finds it great for his needs and for the safety as a backup for his sump pump. He has used it a few times in the spring when Hydro went out and his sump pump needed to work to pump out the spring runoff that was filling his basement. I love the look and how it is put together. I have contacted the service department and I got a very fast answer, about maintenance and I got an answer back with in 24 hours. This is very important for me. I feel that I am ready for any Hydro Quebec outage in the dead of winter when, I can use my Propane Gas Fireplace. And have the fan which uses very little Wattage about 30 to 35 Watts. So I think I am safe for any outage and protect my house
Please excuse me as I have a lot of trouble to send you the proof of purchase. If you can send me you fax number I can Fax it to you very fast. I am not to good with all the new tech.

I shopped around at different machines but came back to Champion with the best reviews for my needs. I have a 38ft 5th wheel that we dry camp with. I needed the ability to have air conditioning, refrigeration, and heat as needed. The oil fill was easy to do as the correct amount was supplied. At startup, the exhaust noise was a bit louder than expected but within campsite limits. I preferred the pull cord model as I did not want the added weight of the electric start. That said my wife found it too difficult to pull.

I followed hte directions for starting. I didn't get my hand around the throttle trigger fast enough the first time, so I just kept my hand on it and pulled, The engine stated right up. It ran smoothly and is a slightly more quit then my old trimmer. The shaft is also longer then the old trimmer, so I did not get as much grass cuttings on my legs and body. I will have to adjust the handle position before I use it again as it was too close to my body and was not balanced as I like. It worked fine and cut grass and tall weeds. I had to get used to how much throttle to give it to cut larger weeds, otherwise I liked it.

I recently changed my old tired 2500lbs Yamaha Warn winch on my 2004 Yamaha Grizzly ATV for a 3000lbs Champion winch. The install went perfect into the tight spot it required to make it like the OEM set up. No extra drilling or modifications were required. I use it mainly for plowing snow as I live in the snow belt of Canada where we have snow from early November to mid April. So I depend on a good winch to raise and lower the plow on my ATV. Hopefully this new Champion winch is up to the task.

Purchased a model # 100891 dual fuel generator 9-18-2021. Came home unboxed it read manual and set it up wheels handle oil and hooked it up to L. P. gas today and was very pleased as to how fast it started. Going to do the five hour break in by varying the power load and than change the oil.
I hooked it up to the RV and slowly turned the AC on and it hardly made a sound, so far very pleased.
Would recommend it to anyone.

I purchased this generator for mostly primitive camping. I got and put it together which was very easy. I was looking at multiple generators but most of the other generators were least a thousand dollars more for five stars. So I took a chance and I must say I am very please with my choice. I ran it for the recommended five hours changed the oil and took it camping last week. I am powering a 43ft fifth wheel with two A/C units. This generator was flawless, while yes it was louder than a inverter style generator it was also not the 5000. 00 I would have paid. I say for the quality and value it is a great product.

I am generally satisfied with my purchase considering the price point and quality. However when opening the carrying case the first time use normal pressure one of the latches broke. I did advise the Champion Tech Support Team in this regard, at least Champion Power Equipment have one so maybe they can improve in the latch system going forward. The Saw came fully assembled, with gloves, chain oil and two stroke oil so just had to mix the gas and get to work.

I got my new Champion Generator last night and assembled what I needed to do. Hooked up the battery and added oil and gas. Set the choke to start and this generator fired right up. Set the choke to run and this generator purred like you wouldn't believe. Hooked some lights and ran a saw off the generator and this worked fantastic. Couldn't be more pleased with my purchase. Thanks to Champion to make this easy. What a great purchase I made. Thank you. Jim

This is my third champion generator, the only reason I sold the last two not because it didn't work or worn out the only reason I sold the last two is that I keep it for three years and when the warranty runs out I buy a new one with warranty which gives me peace of mind if anything do go wrong. But I got to say never had to used it. I definitely would recommend this generator to anyone who was looking to purchase one it might be alittle loud but for the price especially on sale you can't go wrong and you won't be disappointed.