What sort of garden shredder should we get?
September 2, 2007 2:06 AM Subscribe
We've got a garden. We don't have a car. Soon, the garden is going to change and produce a lot of waste vegetation (that hedge has to go, etc. etc.). So I'm looking at purchasing a garden shredder, and I realise I know nothing about this sort of thing. Is a petrol powered shredder that much better than a good electric one? Is there anything else I should know about these machines?
There are a few electric ones on Amazon with really good reviews (Bosch, in particular), but the petrol powered ones have fewer reviews and really cost a lot more. The garden is large - about 45mx10m - but it's not massive.
There are a few electric ones on Amazon with really good reviews (Bosch, in particular), but the petrol powered ones have fewer reviews and really cost a lot more. The garden is large - about 45mx10m - but it's not massive.
Flabdablet: This is true only until you run into branches and vines whereupon you will need a shredder to reduce them down. Vines will not mow well. They will shred quite well.
I haven't had any experience with electric shredders but have used a mid-sized petrol one. They are noisy and smelly but I understand they're a lot more powerful, hence the price. If you can run and maintain a petrol mower, then a shredder will be fine for you. Otherwise, I'd suggest electric.
Things to look out for when finding a shredder are;
- ensure that you check how much the machine can handle. It's no use buying something small and quiet if it overheats and dies on you after a half-hour's work.
- if you are intending to shred small branches, look for a shredder that has a shute for leaves and such, but also a feeder pipe on the side for the heavier stuff. That will give you an approximate diametre of what the thing can handle. The shredder I use can handle a nearly-two-inch diametre branch with ease. Thicker than that is firewood, IMHO, and has no business being shredded.
- check and see where the chips spit out. It's a complete bastard to have to stop and shovel the stuff away from the machine when you're working and makes shredding a two-person job so a higher placement can sometimes be better.
It seems like a lot of work at first but garden waste is quickly turned into useful mulch very quickly. Enjoy.
posted by ninazer0 at 2:58 AM on September 2, 2007
I haven't had any experience with electric shredders but have used a mid-sized petrol one. They are noisy and smelly but I understand they're a lot more powerful, hence the price. If you can run and maintain a petrol mower, then a shredder will be fine for you. Otherwise, I'd suggest electric.
Things to look out for when finding a shredder are;
- ensure that you check how much the machine can handle. It's no use buying something small and quiet if it overheats and dies on you after a half-hour's work.
- if you are intending to shred small branches, look for a shredder that has a shute for leaves and such, but also a feeder pipe on the side for the heavier stuff. That will give you an approximate diametre of what the thing can handle. The shredder I use can handle a nearly-two-inch diametre branch with ease. Thicker than that is firewood, IMHO, and has no business being shredded.
- check and see where the chips spit out. It's a complete bastard to have to stop and shovel the stuff away from the machine when you're working and makes shredding a two-person job so a higher placement can sometimes be better.
It seems like a lot of work at first but garden waste is quickly turned into useful mulch very quickly. Enjoy.
posted by ninazer0 at 2:58 AM on September 2, 2007
Have experience with the Bosch electric ones. It eats everything up to an inch, has been totally maintenance free over the last couple of years, never overheats and when it does choke on something too big its easy to just reverse it. Most importantly it really doesn't make any noise at all.
posted by uandt at 4:34 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by uandt at 4:34 AM on September 2, 2007
I bought a chipper/shredder a couple years ago. I have a small yard, but it seems I end up with a lot of branches - either from them falling, or me trimming them. The town does have pick-up, but they stipulate that branches must be tied. So I decided to get the chipper (besides, I get to keep the mulch I make).
I settled on an electric one (McCulloch - mine is the MCS2001). Gas-powered ones are more common. In other words, they tend to be more powerful, and cheaper (BTW, don't rely on amazon - google searching on "chipper" or "shredder" will put you on the road to most manufacturers). But I have a bad history with gas-powered devices - tend to forget to winterize them, and I have no knowledge/abilities when it comes to maintaining them.
So, what do I think of mine? I like it a lot. It's fun to use, and chops stuff up very quickly. Occasionally, a thick branch (>2") will cause it to slow down or even stop (and resetting is a bit of a pain - got to unplug, remove the hopper, clear the jam, re-attach hopper, plug in, re-start). But if you listen to the motor, you get a feel for when this will happen.
Two down sides that I've found... 1) It doesn't handle forsythia branches well. Might be because they're too flexible, but they come out almost unscathed. 2) Even though it claims to handle leaves (which it does), the hopper is made for safety, and therefor only takes a large handful at a time. Inefficient when you have a lawn's worth of leaves.
Regarding ninazer0's comment on output... My chipper spews straight down. Not a problem for me because I just position it near where I want the mulch. But if you've got a lot of output, you might have to rig up some kind of solution (i.e. put the chipper near a ledge with a wheelbarrow under the chute).
Good luck!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 5:28 AM on September 2, 2007
I settled on an electric one (McCulloch - mine is the MCS2001). Gas-powered ones are more common. In other words, they tend to be more powerful, and cheaper (BTW, don't rely on amazon - google searching on "chipper" or "shredder" will put you on the road to most manufacturers). But I have a bad history with gas-powered devices - tend to forget to winterize them, and I have no knowledge/abilities when it comes to maintaining them.
So, what do I think of mine? I like it a lot. It's fun to use, and chops stuff up very quickly. Occasionally, a thick branch (>2") will cause it to slow down or even stop (and resetting is a bit of a pain - got to unplug, remove the hopper, clear the jam, re-attach hopper, plug in, re-start). But if you listen to the motor, you get a feel for when this will happen.
Two down sides that I've found... 1) It doesn't handle forsythia branches well. Might be because they're too flexible, but they come out almost unscathed. 2) Even though it claims to handle leaves (which it does), the hopper is made for safety, and therefor only takes a large handful at a time. Inefficient when you have a lawn's worth of leaves.
Regarding ninazer0's comment on output... My chipper spews straight down. Not a problem for me because I just position it near where I want the mulch. But if you've got a lot of output, you might have to rig up some kind of solution (i.e. put the chipper near a ledge with a wheelbarrow under the chute).
Good luck!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 5:28 AM on September 2, 2007
Not from the UK, but if it's a one-time event (nixing hedges) that generates the waste overload, maybe it would be reasonable to rent a (moving) truck and just haul everything at once to the nearest dump/compost heap.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:59 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:59 AM on September 2, 2007
Seconding a robot made out of meat's idea, you could also probably rent a shredder. At least in the US, garden centers often rent these sorts of things.
posted by rachelpapers at 6:07 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by rachelpapers at 6:07 AM on September 2, 2007
If you don't need the shredder more than a couple of days a year, nthing the idea of renting it. If you buy one, consider where you might want to put it and how you'll get electricity to it. An electric one is probably easier if you only ever want to put it where you can easily get electricity.
I have a 15 HP Yard Machines petrol shredder that will eat everything up to 2" branches. It discharges into a burlap bag, or right onto the ground. If you don't use the burlap bag the thing reminds me of a horse eating, it blows the bits around so you get a wide untidy pile of mulch. Though the engine is not so loud the grinding disk makes a lot of noise. With indifferent maintenance and year-around weather exposure this machine has started every time for six years.
It's much easier all around if you can let the waste dry a little bit before you shred it. Green vines in particular can jam this machine.
posted by jet_silver at 8:02 AM on September 2, 2007
I have a 15 HP Yard Machines petrol shredder that will eat everything up to 2" branches. It discharges into a burlap bag, or right onto the ground. If you don't use the burlap bag the thing reminds me of a horse eating, it blows the bits around so you get a wide untidy pile of mulch. Though the engine is not so loud the grinding disk makes a lot of noise. With indifferent maintenance and year-around weather exposure this machine has started every time for six years.
It's much easier all around if you can let the waste dry a little bit before you shred it. Green vines in particular can jam this machine.
posted by jet_silver at 8:02 AM on September 2, 2007
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Heaping up the vegetation to be shredded and then just running it over with the mower until it gives in is 100 times faster.
posted by flabdablet at 2:38 AM on September 2, 2007