Piecemaker electric mulcher - problems?
 

Hello Everyone:

My first message here.

I have just bought a Greenfield Piecemaker electric mulcher. So far I am very unsatidifed with my purchase. The mulcher keeps jamming and will not chip light prunings the way the manufacter claims it will.

Has anyone else one of these mulchers. Are you having the same problem? perhaps I bought a "lemon".

Piecemaker electric mulcher - problems?
 

Hi Jolanda,
Having had some experience with these devices, there a couple of suggestions
that I can offer.

It is essential that the blades are kept sharpened, esp if mulcher has been
used much on hard woody branches. Did you get your machine new or 2nd hand
? If the latter then there is a good chance the blades are blunt, and if
you do not have the facilities to sharpen them yourself, I suggest you take
them down to your local mower service centre and they should do it for you
at a reasonable cost.

Technique of feeding material is also important, and can reduce blockages
dramatically. I have a 2nd hand Piecemaker with the 8.5hp petrol mower,
and hence plenty of power for large palm fronds etc., but have learned that
it is best to feed as much material through the side chute, and feed it
smoothly, holding the material and letting it in at a steady rate. With
some materials if you let it go, the blades grab the material, and wrap it
around the blade plate. Also by using the side chute and steady feed the
product tends to be chopped finer.

For very light prunings, using the large hopper, it still pays to feed the
material in at a steady rate, rather than just dumping a bucket-sized load
straight into the hopper. I typically hold a large handful over the hopper
and gently shake it so that it falls in at a steady pace. If you are
trying to put extremely stringy vines through it pays to chop it into short
lengths with your secateurs, before feeding it into the machine.

If you try the above techniques, after ensuring the blades are "knife-sharp"
I think you will have greater success. With large palm fronds (read
bangalow, alexander, etc) they go through much better when still greenish,
or otherwise partly decomposed and moist) If all dried out, the thicker
parts tend to be hard work. I split the larger Crown sheaves of big palms
into 3 or 4 strips using loppers and brute strength, to reduce the feed
diameter, and it seems to work.

Prior to this machine I had an electric Rover maxi muncher, and unless the
blades were in pristine condition it would not handle anything like large
palm frond, vines etc., and was regularly blocking. Very frustrating !

Trust this helps, and if you can provide any more details of problems I will
try other suggestions.
Good luck,

GeoOscar

"Jolanda" wrote in message
...

Hello Everyone:

My first message here.

I have just bought a Greenfield Piecemaker electric mulcher. So far I
am very unsatidifed with my purchase. The mulcher keeps jamming and
will not chip light prunings the way the manufacter claims it will.

Has anyone else one of these mulchers. Are you having the same
problem? perhaps I bought a "lemon".


--
Jolanda