Advice on buying a mulcher

Hi everyone,

Thinking of buying a mulcher for the backyard and local neighborhood(suburban Gold Coast). Wondering if anyone has any advice, ex. worth investment?, gas vs electric, cost, size, brands, where to buy, reliability, ideas on use, etc...

any comments most appreciated,
many thanks,
Darren

 

i use the greenfiled piecemaker mines powered by a b&s 5hp they do have i think and 8.5hp model available with electric start which people who have bought one says takes 2 people to keep up with it. i like to have the shredder as it allows me to deal with finished plants and prunings and get them into the garden quicker.

for me the g/f is a good piece of machinery yes like most things we buy for garden use there are some little design prob's that can be worked around, they don't cause me much woe but then i preffer working within any machines limitations. in the end it could come down to price and material you want to put through it, the deciding factor for me was tha g/f handles fibrous material very well indeed, other flail models just won't do that and unlike other models if you manage to clog it g/f is easy to get cleared.

another model i have seen mentioned which i will research further yet to see that apples are being compared with apples is the hansa brush chipper c6, the g/f is at a price that most can afford and price can be a governing factor, wouldn't we all love to just buy what we want regardless of how much it costs??

remeber your common garden variety machine is basically only a shredder not to be too confused with those larger chipper machines that tree loppers etc.,. use.

len very happy with the g/f 8)

 

Jean Pain

Just have to mention this French bloke who fuelled his chipper on the biogas that came out of the composts he made from the organic matter he put through his chipper... Now that is starting to close the loop...

It would probably be a rare beast these days, but I wonder if anyone ever made a diesel chipper shredder?

Len, how long have you been using that Piecemaker? What limitations are you working within with that one? Is it truly good for chipping up palm fronds and banana trash? What is the biggest diameter it will take? Is it good at grinding up old dry wood?
The promo lit. I saw when I did a search on it makes it sound pretty awesome! Is it made in Australia?

I have limited experience with chippers but the jamming factor has dampened my enthusiasm for the ones I have used.

I have a hhuge pile of brush that I need to deal with from the leftovers I have been feeding my goats; gliricidia, leucena and pidgeon pea mostly. I am afraid that I have left most of it too long and it will be a mongrel of a job when I finally get around to borrowing or renting a chipper. I will probably end up just chopping it as fine as I can get it with machete/chainsaw and throwing the resulting rough mulch under fruit trees and into banana circles. sigh...

 

g'day richard,

yes there are diesel models available but they are those bigger chipper units that the tree loppers use.

these common garden varieties are basically only shredders with a chipper function for stuff a bit thicker than twigs basically if you look at the piecemaker promo on greenfields site they should tell you what thickness they handle. now they aren't made to do dry material but they will handle some light dry stuff nothing too thick.

they do palm fronds very well indeed and will do with banana material, but with bananan if the leaf is completely dead that could cause problems. i ahve put the base end of not quiet dead alexander palms through the chipper part by slicing that but into say 2 or 3" strips.

sounds like you should go for the 8.5hp model get the electric start.

t is very easy to clog the shute of the shredder if you try to get too much materila through at a time, me i worked out how to get pumpkin vine through without the clogs as with prunings feed it at a steady rate you know as the old saying goes "more speed less haste" in other words a bit slower/steadier like the tortouse gets the job done i find. i'm the same with all machinery work out its limitations then work to the extent of that window.

i am still very satisfied with the greenfield and would not hesitate in recommending it in any domestic garden scenerio. the fresher you put materila through the shredder the better it works i usually collect a mass of material say no more than the day before then run it through.

so if you can get your palm fronds and banana leaves to it while they have some gree all the better, i have put dry palm fronds through the chipper side of mine but when they are dry i remove the base of the frond and leave that to rot in the agrden somewhere. dry stuff blunts the blades quickly.

if you think you need something more closly related to what the big boys use and with a price to match check out the 'hansa' range apparently their C6 models is for the gardener but to remember these machines are chippers so obviously in a different class to our more common garden type shredders.

go for it.

len 8)

 

Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies thusfar. Had a look at that Greenfield model and yes that would definitely be nice to have but might be a bit of overkill and too expensive(did see used in the trader for $850).

I try to chop and drop as much as I can but it's the stuff thats too big to chop and drop but too small to use in the BBQ, or as garden edging that's becoming a problem without a solution. I'm ending up with an expanding pile of 10-40mm sticks, twigs, and palm stems that I don't know what to do with. I've tried burrying it but it's so dry that it's not decomposing and I think it might be turning into a rat motel.

I've seen models at bunnings for between $100-400. Any feedback on the value of these?

How does this stuff do in a banana circle. I've actually got some washing machine greywater that I was planning to divert. Could that be the solution? Ideas?

Regards,
Darren

 

g'day darren,

i never recommend buying from discounters, you won't know what your buying and they realy don't understand what they are selling you. most likely those models will have smaller engines therefore do smaller jobs cut thinner stuff and be very much slower. also a great majority of models are flail type models and they don't handle the fibrous stuff at all.

if you can get a piecemaker second hand i'd suggest that but with reservations, you realy don't know how it has been treated, and not many people run them in they just put them straight to full work load. as in all things you only get waht you pay for and if you buy one of those discounter ranges and it doesn't do what you need then you are losing already.

anyhow that's just my experiences from years as a mower and small engines mechanic that also used to sell this sort of equipment. if you realy don't have the budget to look at machines in the catagory you need then maybe a couple or so times a year hire one you may even be able to hire different models to give you an idea what they will do.

len 8)

 

Hey Len,

I got the mower shop catalogue in the mailbox yesterday: Greenfield now have a 10.5hp piecemaker - more power, yeah

If it lasts as long as my Greenfield ride-on, it will be doing well. That thing's pretty ancient, but it still goes.

Cheers,

Mick

 

good one mick,

if the mower has lasted then the shredder will outlast it unless you use the shredder every week or 2 for and hour or so now that equates to a lot of shredded material.

would love to try that 10.5hp people who have the 8.5 more than tickled pink, one said it takes two to feed it fast enough to keep up with it.

i was never realy that impressed with their ride on obviuosly you are and good. they had too many belts and especially on the honda horizontal shaft model wow belt trouble big time, i went for the models with more direct drives, less belts and drive speed gear box type selections of around 5 to 6 speed, the motors just never stopped.

so you going to go buy one reckon you won't be going too far wrong? better be electric start though hey?

len

 

Hey Len,

No, I'm not that impressed with the Greenfield ride-on; I bought it last year because I didn't want to spend much, and I've fixed a few things on it to keep it going. But it's blowing lots of smoke. Haven't had any belt trouble, just steering trouble mainly. It only turned in one direction when I got it - felt so good the first time I mowed with it turning both ways!!

I'd love to get the shredder - might not fit in the current budget though.

Cheers,

Mick

 

g'day mick,

sounds like rings are needed in the motor. i am no fan of those touch and go back/forward pedal models the motors on them work harder as there is no gearing to change ground speeds without altering rev's, and then there's the clutch drive when they wear it usually costs and not something the average gardener can do. very likely if the mower was a model with a gear box the motor could very well still be running much better than it is.

anyway can't fault their shredder though.

len 8)

 

Hi Darren,

I had a mate who bought one of those cheaper electric chippers and it broke after one go!

He ended up paying me to take it away his cuttings for him and ended up chopping it up myself manually and is now mulch on my garden ...think he paid around $150 from memory....

I have a Greenfield slasher and it does a great job on my long grass and hasn't been in a shop for years... a good tip i got from someone is to fill your mowers/slashers/ride-ons is to use premium fuel.... for the amount u use its worth it and u look after your equipment at the same time :!:

Cheers and good luck... Dave

 

Mulchers

G'day Darren,

I have just ordered a 'high-end' mulcher/chipper from a West Australian company (don't worry, they deliver free to anywhere on the Australian mainland!), for two reasons:
1. They are competitive, and
2. They build pretty solid equipment - I went to their shop to have a look.

They are Mulchers and Mowers, 1136 Albany Hwy Bentley WA, and they can be contacted on freecall 1800 305 452, if you are interested - it may be worth giving them a call just to discuss your requirements as I found them pretty helpful.

They make a good range to suit most situations; I needed to invest in a large capacity heavy duty chipper and they are fitting it with a Honda diesel engine so that I can eventually run it on biodiesel, but that makes for an expensive outcome as the diesel engine costs an extra $2000 :shock: . That said they do the lighter electric ones or smaller Honda/Briggs & Stratton engined models for $850 - $1700; I appreciate that this is probably expensive but at least it is new and guaranteed for a year. I investigated a couple of second hand ones but they were quite expensive and I am a bit dubious about how such equipment might have been treated.

I hope this is useful - if not, I may need to set myself up as a 'travelling mulcher' to pay mine off, so let us know how you go!

Regards,

Mark

 

hey mark,

do 'Mulchers and Mowers, 1136 Albany Hwy Bentley WA' have a web page?

len 8)

 

Mulchers

G'day Len,

Not that I can find, unfortunately. Best option is to ring the 1800 number (1800 305 452), they will send you a brochure.

Cheers,

Mark

 

thanks mark,

might take the option up yet, pity they don't get with the 22nd century hey chuckle.

len 8)

 

Hi Darren,

I can offer my experience buying a lower-end cheapie. I'm on a suburban block and wanted something that could deal with current mulching needs (making room for a couple of fruit trees) with the view to take it with me when I make the move to acreage.

Checked out the second hand market and like Snake, found most of them to be still pretty expensive and worst for wear. Exception might be decent electric models (Alko etc.) that haven't had a hard life.

I also checked out the locally made Rover offerings https://www.rovermowers.com.au & while they looked great I just couldn't justify the $1000+ price for a couple of misplaced Pittosporums!

I ended buying a GMC 2400 Watt electric shredder for around $150.00. Of course after all my deliberation the already cut trees had dried out and like Len said none of them like really dry stuff.

The thing's very noisy and kinda looks to me like the brief to the Chinese manufacturer was "Give it a steel frame, wack a big motor in it and keep the price low"

In hindsight I should have hired a decent unit (would have saved me a day or so of very slow progress) and put the change towards a new locally manufactured 5hp B&S powered unit.

Cheers,
Andy.

 

Was in my local council today and noticed that they hire a mulcher out... might be an option to consider depending on the load or need u will have for a new one!

Cheers.. Dave

 

Finally bought one

Hi everyone, thanks for all your advice. I finally got round to buying one. Last month I purchased the floor model of the GMC 1800 Watt mulcher market down to 110 from 149. I got it home to discover it would not work. After some investigation I discovered that...the safety switch wouldn't engage - because the screw nob wouldn't line up with the threads- because the hinges were bent - because the hinges weren't strong enough to support the weight of the cover - because it is poorly designed - because it is made in China - because at Bunnings the lowest price is the law - because I'm a sucker! I finally got it going by banging the hinges back into place and recklessly stripping the threads until the safety switch tripped. I mulched some prunnings and the end result was a quite fine mulch and a machine that clogged and overloaded repeatedly. I confirmed to myself that mulching was a worthwhile activity and that 30 day satisfaction guarantees are very handy.

The mulcher was returned and I ponied up some more cash for the next model up - the Ozito silent shredder at 269. This one has a different design. It's got multiple blades on a big cog. The machine runs at a lower speed but with more grunt. I gave it a go and it powered through prunnings and even some palm fronds in no time. The end result was a rougher mulch but the machine indeed worked quickly and quietly. I was quite happy with my investment until I tried to move it to the shed and the screws holding the cover pulled out of the housing cracking it. Arghhh!
I did like how the machine worked and for what it did it was worth the money, just need to get one that lasts longer than an afternoon.
So back to Bunnings to try another one.

If I can get one that lasts it will be a good thing for the neighborhood. We'll see..

Regards,
Darren

 

lol darren lol lol :lol: :lol:

what a story you told, good things bunning are so easy to deal with hey? dunno for me mate all the time spent running back and forward might better be spent on something more substantial.

my advice is still cut to the chase and go for strength the electric models are only toys, it's just gotta be petrol powered nothing under around 5hp and still for my money the greenfield is streets ahead, even if you could source one second hand.

it might be ok to buy a fridge or freezer in a box from a discounter but when it comes to this sort of machinery you realy need to deal with a specialist store they have heaps of knowledge and if it ultimately going to be an electric model i'm sure you've got a heaps better chance of getting one with no problems and with a life expenctancy beyond i afternoon.

keep us updated

len :lol: 8)

 

Darren - so we both have an 'enlightened' opinion of GMC! I'm past the 30 day period, but as mind also continously clogs I think I'll take it back under warranty (or trade practices act - 'unfit for purpose') and start checking out the second hand market for a petrol model.

Unfotunately if we keep buying crap, they'll keep making it!

Me thinks Len has the right idea.