We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster, probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks

wrote in message
...
We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is
trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster,
probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton
of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding
them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to
work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around
for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and
the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks

The Bosch quiet shredders work fine on this sort of stuff

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

wrote in message
...
We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is
trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster,
probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton
of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding
them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to
work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around
for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and
the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks

Should have added that Holly does burn well green, a bit too well actually
and you can get a lot of firey sparks!

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On 03/06/2014 10:36, wrote:
We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster, probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks

I recently shredded a small amount of holly using an old JCB shredder.
I can't say it had any problem. Remember too that holly leaves are
pretty tough, even when young, and nothing like the soft green leaves of
most trees and shrubs.

The main problem with the shredder is the daft collection system, which
is inefficient and too small. And if you forget to empty it frequently
enough, the shredder will soon let you know by jamming. Then it's a
time-wasting dismantling job.

--

Jeff

On Tue, 3 Jun 2014 02:36:11 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster, probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks

The AL-KO 1100 works great for clippings. They are quite expensive but
pop-up on ebay quite often. I got one for £20 a few years ago. All it
needed was a new plug.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software http://www.npsnn.com
EasyNN-plus More than just a neural network http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN Prediction software http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN Just a neural network http://www.justnn.com

On 03/06/14 11:37, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
AL-KO 1100

What would that be like on hawthorn - or any material that does not come
in convenient "straight stick" format? Hawthorn is very bushy and stiff.
I cannot see any of the home shredders being much fun to use with my
hedge as as far as I can see, they have such small throats for safety.

Or am I wrong?

Last time a neighbour helped me take a chainsaw to my 12ft hawthorn
(it's now 4-5 ft) I hired the biggest petrol chipper I could get for a
week with power feed. That worked...

wrote in message
...

We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is
trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster,
probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton
of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding
them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to
work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around
for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and
the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks
==============================================

We have a Bosch AXT Rapid 2200. That with a 20 litre x 26 cm high and 37 cm
diam plastic pot under the chute, works a treat on all sorts out of our
mixed hedge, including Holly and Bay and general prunings. Easy to clear
when it gets blocked and easy to sharpen the blades. Blades are double sided
so when one side gets blunt just turn them over. I had 4 spare blades and
have a good old sharpening session every so often. Works hard even though we
only have a small garden, we take in neighbours trimmings and shred them for
the compost. Highly recommended I would have another one tomorrow. Had an
internal plate 'thing' break, went on the Internet, found the drawings and
part number, ordered it and fitted it with minimum of trouble

Had a JCB before. They should have stuck to their tractor shovels

Mike

---------------------------------------------------------------
www.friendsofshanklintheatre.co.uk

In article ,
says...

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?

Because it's so waxy it goes up like a rocket, even when green. I'd
burn it.


Janet

On Tue, 03 Jun 2014 11:44:16 +0100, Tim Watts
wrote:

On 03/06/14 11:37, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
AL-KO 1100

What would that be like on hawthorn - or any material that does not come
in convenient "straight stick" format? Hawthorn is very bushy and stiff.
I cannot see any of the home shredders being much fun to use with my
hedge as as far as I can see, they have such small throats for safety.

Or am I wrong?


I've have not tried it for Hawthorn. The only thing I've had trouble
with was a rose bush but that went in with a bit of brute force. Too
much force tends to tip the whole lot over as it only has three legs.
The more modern version looks more stable.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software http://www.npsnn.com
EasyNN-plus More than just a neural network http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN Prediction software http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN Just a neural network http://www.justnn.com

On 03/06/14 12:51, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 03 Jun 2014 11:44:16 +0100, Tim Watts
wrote:

On 03/06/14 11:37, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
AL-KO 1100

What would that be like on hawthorn - or any material that does not come
in convenient "straight stick" format? Hawthorn is very bushy and stiff.
I cannot see any of the home shredders being much fun to use with my
hedge as as far as I can see, they have such small throats for safety.

Or am I wrong?


I've have not tried it for Hawthorn. The only thing I've had trouble
with was a rose bush but that went in with a bit of brute force. Too
much force tends to tip the whole lot over as it only has three legs.
The more modern version looks more stable.

Steve


Are there any home shredders (preferably cog type) that have really wide
throats, but also long (longer than an adult arm) for reasonable safety?

In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:
On 03/06/14 12:51, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:

What would that be like on hawthorn - or any material that does not come
in convenient "straight stick" format? Hawthorn is very bushy and stiff.
I cannot see any of the home shredders being much fun to use with my
hedge as as far as I can see, they have such small throats for safety.

I've have not tried it for Hawthorn. The only thing I've had trouble
with was a rose bush but that went in with a bit of brute force. Too
much force tends to tip the whole lot over as it only has three legs.
The more modern version looks more stable.

Are there any home shredders (preferably cog type) that have really wide
throats, but also long (longer than an adult arm) for reasonable safety?

I doubt it, because the throats are narrow as much to protect the
shredder as the user. I have jammed my Bosch when a branch was of
harder wood than I thought it was, and wider throats would make
it much easier to do that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:01:46 +0100, Tim Watts
wrote:

On 03/06/14 12:51, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 03 Jun 2014 11:44:16 +0100, Tim Watts
wrote:

On 03/06/14 11:37, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
AL-KO 1100

What would that be like on hawthorn - or any material that does not come
in convenient "straight stick" format? Hawthorn is very bushy and stiff.
I cannot see any of the home shredders being much fun to use with my
hedge as as far as I can see, they have such small throats for safety.

Or am I wrong?


I've have not tried it for Hawthorn. The only thing I've had trouble
with was a rose bush but that went in with a bit of brute force. Too
much force tends to tip the whole lot over as it only has three legs.
The more modern version looks more stable.

Steve


Are there any home shredders (preferably cog type) that have really wide
throats, but also long (longer than an adult arm) for reasonable safety?

I haven't seen one but the AL-KO 2500TCS DuoTec looks to be longer
than an arm. It's more than £500 so way beyond my gardening budget.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software http://www.npsnn.com
EasyNN-plus More than just a neural network http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN Prediction software http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN Just a neural network http://www.justnn.com

On 03/06/14 14:49, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
AL-KO 2500TCS

Thanks for that - from which I found the AL-KO 4000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHm7Tj4vlxI

That actually looks like it might work...

Also in the £500 range though...

"'Mike'" wrote in message ...

wrote in message
...

We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is
trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster,
probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton
of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding
them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to
work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around
for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and
the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?


Thanks
==============================================

We have a Bosch AXT Rapid 2200. That with a 20 litre x 26 cm high and 37 cm
diam plastic pot under the chute, works a treat on all sorts out of our
mixed hedge, including Holly and Bay and general prunings. Easy to clear
when it gets blocked and easy to sharpen the blades. Blades are double sided
so when one side gets blunt just turn them over. I had 4 spare blades and
have a good old sharpening session every so often. Works hard even though we
only have a small garden, we take in neighbours trimmings and shred them for
the compost. Highly recommended I would have another one tomorrow. Had an
internal plate 'thing' break, went on the Internet, found the drawings and
part number, ordered it and fitted it with minimum of trouble

Had a JCB before. They should have stuck to their tractor shovels

Mike

==============================================

Further my previous posting, this is what I have got and with the experience
I have, it will serve you well

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Rapid-...pr_product_top

Mike

---------------------------------------------------------------
www.friendsofshanklintheatre.co.uk

On 03/06/14 10:36, wrote:
We're about to move house and one of the first jobs I will have to do is trim the holly hedge that surrounds the property. It's a bit of a monster, probably about 50m in length and about 3m tall so is going to produce a ton of clippings which I will need to dispose of. I was thinking of shredding them to save space but most of the shredder reviews I've seen don't seem to work too well on fresh/green stuff and I really don't want this lying around for weeks whilst I wait for it to go brown!

Can anyone recommend a shredder that will cope with the fresh clippings and the odd thicker branch but will also not break the bank.

I suppose the only other alternative is to burn them, does holly burn well ?

I recently bought this from Screwfix

Item Name Item No. Price Qty Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Titan TTB353SHR 80kg/hr Electric Garden Shredder 39931 £89.99 1 £89.99
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've used it with laurel branches including leaves, brambles, holly,
old man's beard, and just about anything else I encountered while
razing a garden.

It chips the large or hard stuff well, including wood, holly stems,
bramble stems and similar.

It chews up the greener stuff to some extent:
- leaves up to and including laurel and holly and bramble go
through but aren't well macerated; some of them will go through
unscathed. Nonetheless they are fine for a compost heap.
- old man's beard is partially macerated; there will be sections
that are 4" long but which have usually been sliced
along their length. Good stuff to mix with grass clippings
on a compost heap. If there's a large amount of old man's beard
it is probably faster for me to cram it into a green recycling
bag and let the council take it away (free!)

Leaves and old man's beard tends to block the outlet. This can easily
be cleared simply by putting a stick up the outlet and waggling; no need
to open it up. I've rarely had to open up the top to remove something
that was stopping the blade rotate.

It tends to snatch brambles down into the cutter, so welding
gloves and eye protection are mandatory.
(And thanks to whoever suggested welding gloves!)