Advice needed before buying a petrol shredder

Hi All your comments please on the small portable shredders. I am looking to buy so if you have or know of any within a reasonable mileage to County Durham.

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Permalink Reply by pete on November 10, 2009 at 7:50pm: Gary, thanks very much for your kind offer – I've looked at the Saelen site before but they're way to big for us. We hardly warrant having a shredder - well we do, we'd use it every week but I mean the prices! I'm still trying to find out more on arbtalk but I'm not sure they're all that bothered with 'gardeners'; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pro Gard on November 10, 2009 at 8:25pm: Pete, Forget the globe forester, I have used one belonging to a customer and it was crap. To chip branches you have to cut every single side shoot off or they wont fit, the shreader blocks if bushy stuff over 1/2" put through!!! It strugled with 2" stuff.

The Elliet major is a FARR better machine, all the waste goes in one chute and no need to dee branch. It does the job, not equivalent to a proper chipper but as a small machine and within its limits holds its own.

pete said:
Our local tip has gone private too - there is no green trade waste allowed at all. Our nearest three transfer stations basically advised us we'd be better off to invest in a chipper/shredder - which we knew anyway - and we already compost everything we can, it's invaluable. We have one of the new Bosch shredders – but of course it's ridiculous for work.

A worthwhile machine for most maintenance teams has to be able to do shrubby stuff but also branches up to let's say 3”. I'd really (have to save up) like a Jo Beau 9 or 13hp. These are generally regarded as the best small machines over on a lumberjack site but they're sold as chippers so I guess they wouldn't take wriggly shrub prunings (anyone know?) - Same for the Timberwolf 13/75. - How well could a chipper (less chance of clogging) cope with stuff you'd usually expect to shred?

Meantime I've narrowed it down to the Elite Major, Camon C150 and the Globe Forester all at around 2 to 2 1/2k. The Greenmech CS100 is 5k.

I know you've all just discussed this but have we answered the question -”which one?” - we do need to shred and compost.

Robin - Vitilizer – can you expand – can't find it with google; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Gardens4u.co.uk on November 11, 2009 at 12:14am: pro-gard said :
Robin - Vitilizer – can you expand – can't find it with google

its a compost with good 'properties' but mainly our household green-waste.
its up the road from us on a farm (special composter) , but it is now taken and 'bagged-up' in Derby !!

good-stuff , but it stinks......

http://www.vitalearth.tv/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kieran Ray on November 11, 2009 at 12:48am

Robin that thumb thing I was going on about for the digger is like this, Its my old van we are playing with!

Robin Ainsworth said:

pro-gard said :
Robin - Vitilizer – can you expand – can't find it with google

its a compost with good 'properties' but mainly our household green-waste.
its up the road from us on a farm (special composter) , but it is now taken and 'bagged-up' in Derby !!

good-stuff , but it stinks......

http://www.vitalearth.tv/

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Permalink Reply by Tim Haywood on November 11, 2009 at 8:10am: The chipper feed on the globe does narrow and can be tricky to feed, say with prunings from an old gnarly apple tree.

If the chipper is struggling with 2inch stuff then I suggest that you get your customer to sharpen the blades.

If the shredder is blocking - did you have the correct shredding screen fitted - 3 sizes are available.

Did you see the large label that says nothing over 15mm into the shredder hopper - stick it in the chipper feed to remove the woody bits then toss the foliage into the shredder hopper.

Pro Gard said:
Pete, Forget the globe forester, I have used one belonging to a customer and it was crap. To chip branches you have to cut every single side shoot off or they wont fit, the shreader blocks if bushy stuff over 1/2" put through!!! It strugled with 2" stuff.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pro Gard on November 11, 2009 at 6:08pm: Point taken about the sharpness however it is a hell of a lot of fafing about seperating waste compared to the elliet were you just feed it all in one hopper. I rekon the elliet major is twice as fast processing and a more compact machine.

Tim Haywood said:
The chipper feed on the globe does narrow and can be tricky to feed, say with prunings from an old gnarly apple tree.

If the chipper is struggling with 2inch stuff then I suggest that you get your customer to sharpen the blades.

If the shredder is blocking - did you have the correct shredding screen fitted - 3 sizes are available.

Did you see the large label that says nothing over 15mm into the shredder hopper - stick it in the chipper feed to remove the woody bits then toss the foliage into the shredder hopper.

Pro Gard said:
Pete, Forget the globe forester, I have used one belonging to a customer and it was crap. To chip branches you have to cut every single side shoot off or they wont fit, the shreader blocks if bushy stuff over 1/2" put through!!! It strugled with 2" stuff.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by pete on November 12, 2009 at 6:45pm: Ok, so it looks like the Major has it in this price bracket. I'm still trying to find out if /or how well a Jo Beau might shred.

Anybody got a comment on this one: Allen Woodsman Pro Chipper/Shredder

There's an Eliet Major on e-bay right now (finishing 18th Nov) – one year old to pick-up only from the Windsor area, looks pretty good - same bloke selling a Stihl HL95 long-reach hedge trimmer.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Gardens4u.co.uk on November 17, 2009 at 12:34am: i see - the ''thumb'' yeah could be useful.

Kieran Ray said:
Robin that thumb thing I was going on about for the digger is like this, Its my old van we are playing with!

Robin Ainsworth said:
pro-gard said :
Robin - Vitilizer – can you expand – can't find it with google

its a compost with good 'properties' but mainly our household green-waste.
its up the road from us on a farm (special composter) , but it is now taken and 'bagged-up' in Derby !!

good-stuff , but it stinks......

http://www.vitalearth.tv/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kieran Ray on November 17, 2009 at 5:41pm: If the digger is big enough you can pick up some quite heavy and large things!

Robin Ainsworth said:
i see - the ''thumb'' yeah could be useful.

Kieran Ray said:
Robin that thumb thing I was going on about for the digger is like this, Its my old van we are playing with!

Robin Ainsworth said:
pro-gard said :
Robin - Vitilizer – can you expand – can't find it with google

its a compost with good 'properties' but mainly our household green-waste.
its up the road from us on a farm (special composter) , but it is now taken and 'bagged-up' in Derby !!

good-stuff , but it stinks......

http://www.vitalearth.tv/; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by S Williams on November 17, 2009 at 10:43pm: We use a portable Yardman. It can be fed in 2 directions so lots can be put through. Good for reducing amount of garden waste.; ▶ Reply to This