Can anyone recommend a good shredder?

SharkMX

Have to cut 100m of grissalinia hedge for someone and the amount coming off it is unreal.

I did it last year and filled two of their brown bins and the pile that was left would fill another 20 brown bins.

So I told them they need to buy a shredder if they want me to do it again this year.

I had a lidl shredder a few years ago and it broke after the first few hours of using it, so looking for something fairly good that can handle lots of hedge cuttings easily without breaking. Electric and not too expensive would be ideal.

Calahonda52

How about a skip/skip bag?

If they get the shredder who will use it.

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122390264#Comment_122390264

I got a skip bag in the end last year. €120 for a 2 cuyd one and the cuttings filled it nearly to the brim with a lot of stamping on them and two brown bins already full. And a small 1 cuyd skip bag costs nearly €100. Definitely need a shredder. I also do another relatives garden for them who lives not too far away so it would come in handy for that too.

I figure €200 on a shredder is better than a skip bag every year. I should really do it for them twice a year.

Theres other stuff too that i could use a shredder for.

Calahonda52

sorry about caps OKAY, BUT IS IT TIME EFFECTIVE FOR YOU TO BE SHOVING STUFF INTO A 200 EURO TOY

Jim_Hodge

I'd be interested in recommendations too. I had an Aldi one a few years ago and it lasted two hours. I've a lot of hedging (Hawthorn and Thuja), shrub prunings etc and no brown bin (There'd be far too much for one anyway).

blackbox

If you trim griselinia twice a year, the stuff that comes off it is soft stems and leaves. Shredders are not great for these - they are best for twiggy stuff.

A shredder will not significantly reduce the volume of griselinia clippings, especially if you leave them for a while to go limp.

The only benefit I can see of shredding them is if you can use them as mulch and therefore save the cost of having to dispose of them.

RurtBeynolds

Skip bag and bring it to the recycling centre yourself. €4 for a boot full at my local place. Probably pick up some cheap/free skip bags on done deal or something.

raxy

Would you be better off hiring something for the day. Might be better than buying a cheap diy version that isn't up to the job.

looksee

I've had a Lidl shredder that has shredded everything this garden has produced over the last 5 years - and that's a good bit of shredding. Agreed it is a bit slow to put stuff through it, though we have a system going that's pretty efficient. The big advantage is that it is small enough to haul around, while big enough to do the job.

We generally find that it is better to leave branches for a while to wilt down, putting masses of fresh leaves through can clog it.

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122390353#Comment_122390353

I would prefer a shredder. I wouldnt even be able to lift the cuttings into a bag into the car. Besides i dont want to be driving 25km and back a couple of times with a car full of hedge.

Vizzy

Why not run the mower over the clippings. If you are trimming the Grisellinia every year, then the clippings will be mainly leafy stuff with little "woody"stuff in it.

magicbastarder

i have one bought in B&Q five or ten years ago which is still doing well.

the two types i've used - one uses a spinning disc with blades raised above the surface of the disc (kinda like what you'd see in a food processor) - this was a PITA with leylandii as it clogged easily and kept wrapping around the axle of the cutter.

second type - basically a large wide cog where the point of the teeth operate against a plate and cut the cuttings as they're fed in. much more fuss-free, but they're not fast.

this is what i got, the latter type.

https://www.diy.ie/departments/mac-allister-mqs2800-3-corded-200kg-hr-2800w-silent-shredder/5063022106070_BQ.prd

letsbefair

Would also love to know model and make of a good shredder if anyone has one please ?

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122390396#Comment_122390396

Thanks. Just had a read of reviews of that one and that might be ideal. I'll take a spin down and have a look next week. I heard those cog ones are tougher alright.

magicbastarder

as mentioned - it's slow. dunno how much it'd be to hire one but i would guess that you'll spend far longer shredding the cuttings than you will cutting them in the first place.

secman

I bought a Bosch shredder about 10 years ago, think it cost €240 or so. It's been invaluable, gets a good work out every year and then maybe a smaller second usage. Goggling them now, looks like its about €400 now. It's amazing how the big pile of branches becomes shredded brown for my compost bins. Couldn't be without it, buy good buy once.

Calahonda52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122390468#Comment_122390468

https://www.gardenersworld.com/reviews/tools/power-tools/the-best-shredders/

FYI

AngryLoner

Yngwie Malmsteen is a pretty good shredder, if you're into that kind of thing…

spose

https://goffagri.ie/product/dgm-15hp-woodchipper/

bought one of these 4 or 5 years ago for major cut back of 120m of griselinia and it worked well. Only get to it now at best once a year taking a foot or more off it. There’s too much comes off to be dumping it without shredding. It rots really fast when shredded too

flyer_query

Lidl and Aldi have two types of shredders, you need the expensive one which is often on sale at €100 as they over order and mad to get rid of as it takes up so much room in their shop. Their expensive one is a replica of the more expensive ones that the likes of screwfix sell.

Also to those who say it broke after first few uses, why did ye not return, they have a fantastic returns policy

CelticRambler

All domestic shredders work best on material that's been left to dry for at least a couple of days. Unless you're spending those extra days on the property doing other work, it sounds to me like you really need a big (high-sided) trailer to carry everything away at the end of the day and deal with it later.

I'm another one with a Lidl shredder (cog type) that's been grinding away without any significant problems for about 10 years, maybe more. During lock-down, I found myself with a team of "willing helpers" who had it running almost non-stop for a whole working day chewing up a mixture of willow, hawthorn, elder, brambles and blackthorn. A couple of months ago, it happily chomped through a huge stack of oak, reducing about 10 cubic metres of light branches to about half a cubic metre of chips.

As mentioned above, it doesn't really help with leafy stuff, but I leave that to dry where it falls, pull the chippable branches out a few days later and (again as mentioned above) run the mower over the rest to hoover up the leaves and miscellaneous débris.