Topic: Chipper shredders

[Paulines7]

We are looking to buy a new shredder as the one we have is quite old, noisy and doesn't really cope with the amount of shredding that we have to do on our smallholding.  Our pile of twigs, branches etc waiting to be shredded is about 20 feet high and 40 feet wide.  We don't want to set fire to it as it would seem such a waste of material that could ultimately go on the flower and vegetable plots as well as under shrubs and trees.

So far we have looked at the Bosch 2500 and the chipper shredder that fits onto our Countax.  However, the latter is very expensive.  My OH is quite interested in the turbo cut shredders

Can anyone recommend one that they are using please?  Any advice would be much appreciated.  Thank you.

[Bjerreby]

I have a Bosch AXT 2200.

You could put a paint brush in and it will come out the other end like rice flakes. Hey, I think it would eat a broom handle.

On the other hand, if you put in nettles or Jerusalem artichokes, it struggles to chop them up. You need a broom handle to push the soft stuff through.

Summary: great for twigs, lousy for herbacious stuff.

[Mr Smith]

I use a 3.5 Honda shredder which I built myself basically it is a rotary lawn mower housed in a construction that I knocked up it certainly does a job, :)

[Bjerreby]

I use a 3.5 Honda shredder which I built myself basically it is a rotary lawn mower housed in a construction that I knocked up it certainly does a job, :)

Does it produce continuously or in batches?

[Mr Smith]

Which ever you prefare keep putting the waste matter  through and it comes out continuously into a container below, have a look in my gallery, :)

[Kepouros]

I have an Alko - I have no idea of the model number but it stands about 4ft tall with a large circular dish on top and a 2kw motor, and I believe it is still in production.  I bought it  21 years ago after seeing one in  operation at Chelsea Flower Show.  It will shred/chip anything up to 1.5 inches in diameter, and in an average year will shred enough stuff to produce 100 cu. ft or so of shreddings from laurel, holly, rhododendron, hawthorne, and any other type of shrub or tree I have to cut.  These are always mixed with the previous autumn`s leaves and allowed to compost for up to 3 years and everything is then used as mulch.   The only replacesments the shredder has needed are 5 pairs of blades at approx £3 per pair.
 For all types of brush it is ideal, but unfortunately like the Bosch, if I try to put a lot of soft or wet stuff through it it does have a tendency to clog, so I have to mix a bit of soft stuff with a lot of hard.

[Bjerreby]

 For all types of brush it is ideal, but unfortunately like the Bosch, if I try to put a lot of soft or wet stuff through it it does have a tendency to clog, so I have to mix a bit of soft stuff with a lot of hard.

Whenever I see a post from Kepouros, I pay attention. :)

I see you have the same problem as I do with clippings that are green but with a degree of woody fibre, like privet for example. What do you do if you have a big batch of privet Kepouros?

[Kepouros]

Privet isn`t a problem as long as I don`t allow it to get heavily rained on once it`s cut, and this applies to most shrubbery with a greater volume of green than brown.  If I can`t shred it the day it`s cut I`m better off covering it overnight.

My real problems are with large quantities of stuff like broad bean tops, runners, and stalks and foliage of plants such as foxgloves, oriental poppies, delphiniums and the like.  These all contain a high percentage of moisture, especially if freshly cut, and before I`ve notice what`s happening build up into a solid wet `wodge` at the discharge chute, which means 5 wasted minutes taking the top off the machine, cleaning everything out, and putting it together again - admittedly not a big jog, but frustrating.