Need good garden shredder

[Howard Pollack]

I have a huge pile of garden waste, not much of it very thick. It is both old and new (brown and green). I need a good shredder to manage it. When I look online I see cheap ones in the hundred dollar range that have tiny holes to stuff the material in, and gas powered chipper shredders. When I read the reviews of the gas powered ones it becomes clear that they are really chippers, often people say that they get clogged up with green material. If anyone knows of a good shredder I'd appreciate having that information. Thanks -Howard

[Paul F Franklin]

Yes, for leafy brush you want a shredder with hammers. DR makes several models (they make chippers too). I don't have experience with their shredders, but I have other DR products and find them generally well made. For the most part they are fabricated using standard parts so they can be serviced for a long time. Parts availability through DR has been good too. I do my own service so can't speak to dealer support, although my understanding is they have service agreements with dealers nationwide.

Most of the rental place only seem to rent chippers (and big ones at that), but Home Depot near me does rent a smaller shredder, so you might want to check there.

If you decide to buy, get the most HP you can afford, it makes the job go a lot faster.

[Howard Pollack]

Thank you. I will look into the DR models. Any other advise will be most welcomed- Howard

[Bill Dufour]

I bought a used belt drive hammer mill and put electric motor on it. One HP is about enough for 3/4" branches I need to upgrade to at least 2 hp maybe 3. The noise tradeoff is worth it to me so the neighbors do not complain. My mower is used for smaller stuff on the ground.
Bil lD

Mine is a old WW grinder. Work well if you can find one I paid $5.00 for a non running one and gave the engine to my nephew.

Mine is half as wide as the photo:

https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28734

I turned down one this size for cheap since it had been used to grind fish into bait or fertilizer. And it smelled and looked that way. Greasy shiny fish slime everywhere.

[Lee Schierer]

I don't know your price point, but I have a Mighty Mac 12P shredder and it handles anything I can put through it including limbs up to 3" in diameter. It is over 25 years old and still going strong.
417328

[Howard Pollack]

Thanks everyone. Please remember that I'm looking to shred green material, not chip wood. Most wood chippers plug up on green material. -Howard

[Lee Schierer]

Thanks everyone. Please remember that I'm looking to shred green material, not chip wood. Most wood chippers plug up on green material. -Howard

I've shredded leaves, both green and brown, green brush such as pussy willows, evergreen shrubs, pine tree branches with green needles, birch tree trimmings, with no jamming. I do load slowly. I have never tried dried out vines or cornstalks.

[Ole Anderson]

I recently bought the Troy-Bilt chipper from HD to replace a similar one that had a seized engine after 20 years. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Troy-Bilt-3-in-250-cc-2-in-1-Upright-Gas-Powered-Chipper-Shredder-CS-4325/305860589?g_store=2729&mtc=Shopping-B-F_D28I-G-D28I-28_33_CHORE-MULTI-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-SHP_Snowblowers&cm_mmc=Shopping-B-F_D28I-G-D28I-28_33_CHORE-MULTI-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-SHP_Snowblowers-71700000047880261-58700004788398082-92700040946149554&gclid=CjwKCAjwxOvsBRAjEiwAuY7L8gatOCz4-m5B0fRJ7KRcXm4Kfh9ZCFKDHwcFqHzh9uuxa7QbAmEvsBoC4V0 QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It has a narrow chute for branches that are chipped by a cutter on the disk but if you dump small stuff down the hopper it first encounters a chopper followed by hammers. It does well on tree branch ends with lots of green leaves which I put in the chute. Also does well on fall leaves. Only clogs if you don't empty the bag. But it is not without faults, I had to disassemble the hopper to grind away some metal that the sticks would get caught on.

[lowell holmes]

Look here:
https://www.homedepot.com/s/leaf%2520mulcher?NCNI-5

[Roger Feeley]

I'm not a fan of small gas engines that only get intermittent use. I'm not that good about running them dry or using stabilizer and they get gummed up. so when I looked for a shredder/chipper, I went with Patriot Products.
https://www.patriot-products-inc.com/P/30/WoodChipperLeafShredder15hpElectric

Kinda pricey but it's made here in the USA. I found a used on for $600. It works ok. The HP is sort of low so it luggs down some when I'm chipping branches.