I use a small electric one to shred small branches from trimming and from when the windstorms break branches from trees. It would have been nice to get a larger gas powered one, but I don't have enough stuff to shred to justify the cost (mine was a little more than $100).

My husband keeps talking about who he knows that "has one or might have one." I have a feeling we will be buying one soon.

Look closely at the size of the throat on the shredder that is under consideration and how easily the screen is to remove in order to clean it when necessary.

The machine that we use, now, has a chute that is 20 x 20 inches and a throat that is eight by fourteen inches. It is still easy to jam at times with vine type material. Not that the machine won't handle it once the hammers seize it. With the smaller machines, it takes more time to process material so that the machine will be able to take it.

I'd suggest renting, or asking the dealer to let you test drive first with the bulkiest material that you plan on shredding.

The smallest screen that I have had experience with is 3/4 inch and unless the organic matter was dry or close to it the screen would clog. If the material was fibrous it was the same problem.

With the machine that we have, the chipper material exits into the shredder vault, so if the screen begins to clog with material that is too wet or fibrous I chip some two or three inch dry branches to force/clean the screen in place.

The directions that come with the machines will usually indicate that it may be necessary to feed, retract, rotate, and re-feed branches that have "stringy" bark in order to keep strands from wrapping around the chipper flywheel shaft. It's a pain, literally. I've processed enough material over the years to the extent that my feed side wrist and shoulder are tender most of the time. My wish is that someone made a well built self feed chipper/shredder that was affordable.

Terran

How often will you use this chipper/shredder? If you only use it once a year the expense is not worth it, but if you will use this about once a month it may well be.
The chipper/shredder I have is an 8 HP unit made by MTD that cost less than $1,000 and will chip a branch up to 3 inches in diameter. When I have something much larger than that to chip that usually means hiring a tree trimmmer with a very large (think a Chevy small block V8) chipper.

I recommend, as per kimmsr's implication, that a couple of neighbors get together and rent one. There is little reason IMO to purchase one unless you have acreage with dying timber or clearing shrubs.

Dan

I have been using a McCulloch electric shredder for about eight years. Now that I understand what it will and will not do, and how to take care of it, I'm pleased with it. It is really good for prunings from rosebushes, rhododendrons and other shrubs, turns it quickly into a green mush that heats up fast in my Earth Machine compost bins. It'll shred branches up to an inch or a little more, depending on the hardness of the wood, and anything bigger I put instead in the woodpile for kindling. It is very good for waxy leaves like magnolia and laurel that otherwise would take forever to decompose in compost. It's very good for the weeds that I let grow too big and that developed thick stalks, like fireweed. All of the things I now shred used to be hauled off as yard debris, now I send nothing to the dump.

Disadvantages: Although it will shred ordinary autumn leaves, it's much slower than the leaf hog vacuum that I use instead. Wet slimy stuff will choke it to a stop. If you have a lot of volume to shred, it would take a lot longer than the more powerful gasoline powered shredders.

Bottom line: it depends on what you have to shred, and how much.

I wanted electric instead of gasoline, because the machine itself cost less than $200, and because I signed up for 100% wind power through the electric company.

Here is a link that might be useful: MCS2001

yeh i find usually the best advice is to do all you prunning a couple or so times a year in blocks and go hire a shredder machine, then you maybe can do bigger branches and hire a chipper. keep in mind no matter how much you pay the common garden type shredder is exactly that a shredder with some chipping capabilities.

some gardeners over here get a bloke in with a chipper and they get lots of stuff ready and then he does the big cutting, too easy realy. they get an added bonus he takes any unchippable stuff/or gen' rubbish to the tip free.

and look at the action of the machine if you are going to buy, for me i like the models that will shred fibrous plants ie.,. gingers, bananas, palm fronds etc.,. flail type shredders won't.

and last but not least don't buy from a discounter like all machinery at the end of the day you get what you pay for, go talk to a specilaist store. if you go the hire path you may be able to try different models and see which suits you best.

the best thing about hiring is you don't have that machine sitting there doing nought most of the year, and servicing or break downs are not your care.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

It's a shame none of you who are looking is close to Missouri. We have a Craftsman that runs very well that I would love to sell. It works just fine. The problem is that I never have been able to start it while husband had no trouble. We haven't used it in a while because he hurt his back can no longer start it easily.

Save up enough varied material and then rent one to see what you like or don't like about it. If you find yourself renting a lot, then buy one. Screens can be a hassle as terran mentioned (which I found out through renting). Eventually, about seven years ago two of my brothers and I bought a used Troy-Bilt 5HP chipper/vac that has worked out fine for our purposes.

tj

Yup. Simplicity 5/14. Works very well for what it is built for, shredding leaves and chipping small branches under 1.5 inches. Piece of advice, don't try to vacuum grain with this unit.

Also use a Cyclone Rake Commercial, another fine product but I suspect most of the mulching of the leaves takes place under the mower deck as opposed to the Rake itself. I have used this to vacuum out granaries, works pretty well for that as well.

Bigger branches and limbs are used in the fire pit/bonfire so I wouldn't chip them anyways.

Lloyd

P.S. If I need a tool or a piece of machinery more than twice, I buy one (or build one if it isn't complicated).

I used a Honda Harmony 6hp mulching mower all last summer to shred leaves, garden waste etc. It works like a champ. I just recently rescued a MTD 10hp chipper shredder going into a garage sale and it is a pretty solid unit for what I'd call a non-commercial class machine. It makes world class compost material from shrub prunings, small limbs and leaves.However, I'm wondering how its going to handle my corn stalks come August.

Sorry -- don't really mean to hijack the thread...mogardener, email me, please, I'm in the KC area..are you close?

Thanks - sorry to interupt - Melinda

I wanted one for the last 20 years when I fould one on craigslist for 125 I jumped on it got it home and said now what in the heck do I need that for(: I'm on 40 acers and burn wood for heat also get free woodchips by the truckload I've used it for a few things but for shredding leaves it was just to slow for my volume think 2 large dump trucks full

But I think if your waste is going to the landfill it should be valuble

A decent new shredder will start around $1000. A used shredder is a much better deal if you can find a decent one for $100. Many of the older chipper/shredders are better than the ones produced in the last ten years.

You want to find out how finely the machine actually shreds before you buy it, new or used.

I do ...

Why I use it -
www.associatedcontent.com/article/290206/homeowners_do_you_need_a_chippershredder.html

Tips on using:
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1640016/tips_for_efficient_chippershredder.html

The one I use:
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1525039/yard_machines_10hp_gas_chippershredder.html

And what I do with the shredded stuff:
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1447458/building_a_cheap_wire_compost_bin.html

We also do shredding for the neighbors if they have a pruning frenzy.

just for comparrison purposes, check out the greenfield shredder which is the one that i recommend for gardeners here.

for me without doubt it is damn fine machinery could say the best of the best, it shreds all garden refuse (green stuff). the 10hp model is the one that does the mostest. it come with B&S or Honda motors and the 10hp also comes battery/electric start. if you bought one online the only extra you will need over time is blades and bolts, the engines are standard with what you already have over there.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: greenfield piecemaker45 shredder