I have the bushhog brand too. Great machine. I especially like the shredder. $1000 isn't a bad deal at all.
Keeping it greased is a pain as you have to remove panels to do it. Jeff pretty much covered it. Other that what has been mentioned, I would make sure there is little play in the pillow blocks and the main drive pulley.
The chipper blades are a pain to get at, and are expensive to replace.
I also don't have a blower. I priced a new one: $1395 as I recall.
I thought I needed one but I don't really. Like the OP, I use it to get rid of brush, trimmings, etc., and to service my compost pile. Shoveling can be a pain, especially when chipping because it builds up fast. But, I would never use it just to make mulch, even if I had the blower. It's way too much work just to get a few yards. I use a lot of mulch (50 yards last year). So, I just go get my mulch from the landfill for free.
