On Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:10:41 +1000, "Farm1"
wrote:

I want to buy a garden mulcher. I have in mind a big powerful brute of a
thing that I can use without calling for male muscle power to start it by
pulling the start cord or needing help from Him in the His Shed to help move
around the garden.

That means it must operate by electricity (and I do have hugely long power
cords and external power points) and it must have wheels and be tiltable and
moveable a bit like a wheelbarrow.

I want to shred general garden crud for composting or putting in the chook
run for them to turn and poop on and I also need to shred branches up to
perhaps 3 inches across. Of course I have no idea whatsoever of what size
motor I need or any of the techie type stuff I should know or think about
before buying.

Him in His Shed will not be helpful in providing any answers as it's not one
of the things HE would want to buy. I won't be using his money so need some
neutral male (or techie female) input.

Any comments on the following ones I'm looking at?:
http://tinyurl.com/nx8laqw
http://tinyurl.com/lh9qzef
http://tinyurl.com/lth73ay

And if none of these appeal, what should I be asking/thinking about please?


I'm coming late to this thread but, here's my 2 cents worth.
First of all, IMO, unless you are only shredding leaves, electric
won't do the job.
Shredding garden waste doesn't require a lot of power but, chipping
large branches does. When it comes to chipping branches, more power is
always better, so the 20 HP sounds like the best deal. But, with a
listed retail price of $3250.00 being sold for only $729.00 it seems
almost too good to be true.
I have a 10 HP Troy-Bilt chipper shredder, purchased about 20 years
ago, long before the Troy-Bilt name was purchased by MTD and the
products cheapened down. At 10 HP, shredding all the garden waste is a
breeze but chipping large branches is more of a chore even though I
regularly sharpen the chipper blade.
Like many other products these days, this Hungry Beast may be made in
China and sold under various brand names with widely varying list
prices. In my experience the cutting edge hardness of Chinese products
like chainsaw chains leaves a lot to be desired and they tend to dull
very quickly.
Also, the stated weight on this machine seems to be on the light side
compared with some others in the same capacity range.
Try to check with the owner of one of these machines and get an honest
opinion of their value.
Good luck.

Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada