Chipper/Shredder Options?

[Eric Johnson]

I'd like to get a small, cheap chipper/shredder for turning small branches and other yard waste into chips or mulch. Troy Bilt has some nice, self-contained units, but I'd like to spend less than $600. I've seen a few old Yard Sharks for sale on Ebay, but couldn't find any new ones on the company's website.

Are there any alternatives to the Troy Bilt? I don't have a tractor, so I can't go with a pto-driven model.

 

[woodconvert]

If you don't need it on a regular basis I think i'd look into renting one. It's kind of a pain in the arse lining the thing up with your schedule and good weather but for $600 you could rent one probably 5 or 6 times and you don't have the maintenance hassle.

 

[kevin j]

My SIL had a Sears unit, about 6 or 8 hp. Really a hammer mill with swinging hammers, not a true chipper. Slow, but worked ok up to say 1 inch. Advertised as up to 4 inch branches. No way, would have to gnaw it up like a beaver if 4 inch branches. Never used on leaves or vines, etc. It did reduce the volume of brances very well, like a full sized machine. We did a lot of clearing of brush and it worked ok, just slow.

I've run gas and diesel units, just throw branches up to 2 or 3 inches through like a spear, as fast as can throw it they chip.

The little hammer mill would take half inch lilac branches about one foot in 2 seconds or so.
If it is yearly yard waste, I'd say they work ok and a good product for intended service.
For clearing land, or firewood brush, nope.

k

 

[Jerry_NJ]

I have had two Sears, both 5 hp, the first didn't have a chipper, but would take branches up to an inch and a half, best I remember. The second one had a special branch/chipper shoot that would handle up to 2", maybe a little bigger. The latest version must run close to $500 on sale.

I blew the last Sears due to a defective self clearing of th impeller, so I kept an eye on a deal. I fouind a return 10 hp at Home Depot, a Yardman. This is a bigger unit that the past Sears machines and as it was a return I got it for about 1/2 price, paid just over $300 as I recall. Message, keep you eye out for returns/reconditioned units at HD, they come with a new unit warranty.

 

[computeruser]

Twigs and green branches under 1" can be handled by pretty any of the disc-style chippers (TB, Craftsman, etc.), regardless of engine size and type. I think they're all made by the same company, as the housing and disk are more or less the same for the past 20 years. Easy to service, tough on engine crank bearings/seals, though.

You can chip bigger stuff with the 8-10hp machines, but it is tedious, noisy, and beats your hands/arms up while force-feeding the stuff into the cutting disc. And after a half-hour, you need to tear it down to sharpen the blades again. Not hardly worth the time, if you ask me. Now on the flip side, if you're only looking to grind up non-tree yard debris, then even the smaller 4hp units will do a nice job with leaves, yard waste, shrub trimmings, cottonwood branches, and soft stuff like that. I had a 4hp Craftsman until it started dumping oil out the crank seal, and it worked great on this kind of stuff.

Currently I've got a Troybilt Tomahawk minus an engine sitting in my garage, waiting to be rigged up to run off the engine PTO on my 16hp Wheelhorse tractor. Maybe it will do a better job on the small branches than the disc style, maybe not. But even with the bigger engine I would NOT expect good performance on anything but the greenest, softest wood if chipping branches. Heck, the Bandit 65AW I rent a few times per year, complete with a 37hp Wisconsin motor, starts to labor with 4" material...