[sandspider]

Hi all

Looking for advice on a garden shredder. This is for home use, just want to turn hedge clippings etc. into mulch that can be (eventually) used on trees, veg patch etc. I don't need a 300hp whole tree chipper, but would like a garden shredder that will do a decent job and last for a reasonable price. Doubt I'd need to shred anything bigger than an inch or two diameter as it will go in the log / kindling pile... I would consider electric or petrol. I saw that Aldi did one for £60 https://www.aldi.co.uk/impact-garden...66926035804500), which will cope with 4cm diameter - so not too far off my needs. But I'm not sure if it would last and do a decent job or if I'd need to spend a bit more for a better known brand... Can anyone recommend a good one?

Thanks.

[BrimwoodFarm]

I was sooooo tempted by that Aldi shredder today. But as I bought a £60 chainsaw in Lidl yesterday, alas, I had to let it go.

Sorry I'm not much help, but will follow this thread with interest.

[sandspider]

Ha!

Legend has it that the Aldi & Lidl power tools are pretty good for the money, with reasonable warranties.

THinking about it, is there such a thing as a decent tractor PTO powered shredder? I'd like to get a compact tractor anyway...

[pgkevet]

The PTO shredder i looed at some time ago cost almost as much as a larged wheeled job.

I made the mistake of buying a so-called professional wheeled shredder said to be the right size for a very large garden and capable of 3" branches. It has a huge hopper, a 150cc engine and on wheels and works with hammers/flails..... a £2.5K disaster:
The side fill hopper weight leads to balance issues on it's narrow wheelbase so towing it behind the quad takes great care unless on dead flat. Start really shoving stuff in the top hopper and it'll jam... and a real pain to sort jams. The side hopper indeed can take a 3" branch very efficiently.... yeah so long as you've trimmed every side branch off first. Lastly it discharges downwards from the back without much ground clearance - so you keep having to shovel the area clear or move the whole thing along a foot or two. Oh, and when it does jam there's enough engine power to burn the belt if you're not quick enough shutting it off. All in all this means one is careful with loading and keeping discharge clear and the process becomes slow. If I have a pre-winter big pile it's just easier to torch it.

At the mment I've started field hedging work and my tractor trailer has a 10x8ft bed.. so far over a dozen of those piled high and i expect at least three times that before we're finished. If one was going to shred then it'd be a hired tracked jobbie except they're not cheap to hire. Flame on.

[sandspider]

Thanks, that's useful. I don't have 2.5k to spend in any case!

Was it a Titan pro you had by any chance?

[pgkevet]

An earlier model of the mighty mac woodsman pro
http://www.mowdirect.co.uk/mighty-mac-woodsman-pro-petrol-chipper-shredder.html

[Foobar]

I got one of these http://www.garden4less.co.uk/bosch-quiet-garden-shredder-2500W-axt-25-tc.asp. It's great, it just eats branches up.  This design I don't think is so good for foliage just because of how it cuts, but Bosch do much cheaper models that might be more suitable for your needs.

[sandspider]

Thanks Foobar

I do like the looks of that one - appears to self feed, and will also supposedly chop fresher green material. Also doesn't jam so easily. (Turbine cutter rather than blade or drum...) It is more expensive than many though. If you put a 1" branch in it, how long are the bits that come out?

Not so bothered about green foliage, as I have space to compost that without shredding if it's a pain...

[Foobar]

chop is about 2cm I think .. but i have a pile at home so I will look tonight


I just alternate woody bits with foliage, that seems to help everything go through ok.  Or leave it to dry out a bit before shredding (although manual says shred as soon after cutting as possible).  I does self feed - you have to watch out initially that branches don't whip you in the face though .... but once you have used it for a short while you learn where it's safe to stand!

[Foobar]

Here are some photos of my shreddings...hope that helps

[sandspider]

Ha, thanks, that's very useful! 

I was toying with the idea of getting a shredder that will also create decent sized chunks of medium sized wood for my log burner, like a branch logger. But now I think I'm really asking a bit much of one machine!

Unless I just use clean small chunks for the wood burner too... And put them on with a shovel!

[Foobar]

What I do is separate all the thick trunks that are too big to go in the shredder then pop them in my saw horse and run the chainsaw through them all in one go. Only takes a jiffy.
(something like this: https://stokenophout.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/oregon-easy-cut-saw-horse-36314-p-scaled500.jpg?w=300)

[sandspider]

Yes, I do similar with reasonable sized pieces. But the small bits (thinner than that pic) don't cut well in bulk with a chainsaw... 

[BrimwoodFarm]

Ha!

Legend has it that the Aldi & Lidl power tools are pretty good for the money, with reasonable warranties.

THinking about it, is there such a thing as a decent tractor PTO powered shredder? I'd like to get a compact tractor anyway...

I used the Lidl pole chainsaw this weekend - it was EXCELLENT. Worked for the full hour on the battery and was definitely worth the mere £60.