How much shredding branches reduce down to

clint_silver

Regular enough question on how much to remove a leylandii but Im asking a slightly different question. Ive 10 x 30 ft overgrown leylandii I want rid of. getting mad quotes of which most of the cost is removal. Once theyre cut down its just rubbish removal. The brash and branches will be the bulk of it so instead of hiring a giant builders skip (of which one might not suffice) Ive been advised to hire an industrial wood chipper/shredder for all of that and sell the trunk as firewood (or let someone take away for free).

So looking at hiring a wood chipper and just point it into a skip, the question now is to how much of a skip to get. Anyone know what does a chipper reduce branches down to? Is there a way of working that out?

Has anyone shredded down a leylandii and had a cost and know what skip they got?

Silver Breeze

I did this here in Glenageary in May 2014. Rere garden and Front garden were completely overgown with mature trees and shrubs.

I employed a tree surgeon, fully insured so that he paid if anything went wrong, not me. Ask for a copy of his insurance documents.

I got several mad quotes to cut and cart away until I learned that I would be charged to haul away a load, which they would then sell to someone else.

I have a friend who looks after the park in nearby Crosthwaite who was pleased to accept free mulch and the cutter I employed was happy to haul and dump for free.

He cut up the trunks and major branches leaving them for my woodstove, chipped the rest.

It all flowed from the chipper trailer into a small tipper truck like in the picture attached.

Easy peasy.

Took the cutter and his mate 1.5 days to do front and rere, easy access to both. He filled the truck twice, but over half of that was various shrubs, so your trees likely to fill one truck.


Make sure the tree cutter has insurance. Find somewhere local to take the mulch for free. Enjoy the sunshine that replaces the trees.

clint_silver

thanks, 2 guys quoted up to 700 for removal of a tree and thats PER tree. thats not happening. I want sun. I dont want to pay the moon and stars to get it. (see what I done there :D:D:D:D) blokes do be silly.

Another guy said he'd have the whole lot down safely in 2 days for 350e, and up to me what I do with the branches from there but that's a no questions asked job.

I guess the answer is somewhere in the middle if I get someone who has insurance then get a guy who has a shredder and truck or skip. Question is, how big a skip, if I could get a guy with a truck I guess he heads away and comes back that day if needs be, probably better option. Will look around.

magicbastarder

in terms of how much space the leylandii will take up after it's cut down, i'd guess less than 5%.
i chopped down and shredded a leylandii hedge - kept anything thicker than my thumb for firewood, but the 12-15' tall hedge was reduced (in the footprint it stood over) a pile less than 6" high.