Topic: woodchip for paths

[gwynnethmary]

I've been trying to source some woodchip fo paths but all to no avail (my local council will deliver me a load for £140!- I think not!)  Am now thinking that maybe a shredder might work- that way I could use all the prunings that won't go in the compost bin.  I know it would take ages to shred enough for 7 paths and would be an ongoing process.  Is it feasible?

[lottie lou]

From what I have heard, those domestic shredders are pretty useless

[Baccy Man]

Phone round your local tree surgeons they will usually give woodchips away free by the lorryload as they have to pay to dispose of them.

Yes it is feasible to produce your own woodchips if you have enough prunings available. If using an electric shredder then a cut & crush (cog type blade) shredder should give a more suitable end product than an impact shredder.

[mummybunny]

hi

Great advice from Baccy man like he said i would ring around your local tree surgeons. We have one that often delivers a load of woodchip to our allotments. Most of the plot holders on my site use it for paths including me  ;D

[gwynnethmary]

I've tried ringing our local tree sugeoun, but he doesn't seem to be a big concern and doesn't have chippings- maybe there are some more I could find.  My OH thinks a shredder is a daft idea- says it would be like painting the Forth Bridge!

[Baccy Man]

My OH thinks a shredder is a daft idea- says it would be like painting the Forth Bridge!

A shredder is not a daft idea as long as you have enough woody material to make the investment worthwhile.
My current electric shredder is a Flymo Pac A Shred which is fast & effective for woody material it is not suitable for soft vegetation. It would not take long for you to produce enough woodchips to cover your whole plot with this type of shredder, covering the paths would be relatively quick. The new Bosch AXT 25D is virtually identical although spares for the Bosch are more easily available & the build quality is better making it a better machine overall.
I have had the Flymo for years, it has been used intensively without any problems but if I had to buy a new one now then I would get a Bosch AXT 25 TC which uses a turbine cutting system rather than a cog type blade & will therefore deal with softer vegetation as well as woody material making it a much more versatile machine.
The Flymo costs around £200 as does the Bosch AXT 25D. The Bosch AXT 25TC costs around £300 so whichever you bought it would be a fairly big investment & you need to be sure you will get your moneys worth, if you don't have that much woody material to shred then don't bother.
I wouldn't bother looking at the cheaper range of impact shredders as they are designed for soft material mixed with some twiggy stuff & are not suitable for shredding lots of woody material.

[gwynnethmary]

Thanks Baccyman for your comprehensive reply- it has certainly made me think again about rushing off to buy!

[Baccy Man]

If you do decide to buy one then I would suggest you also invest in a set of T handle allen keys (if you don't already own a set), the blades are adjusted using an allen key and the T handle ones are much easier to use as the design of these shredders (limited access) makes adjustments with a standard allen key (supplied) a very fiddly job.

[Carls3168]

Just a thought, but wont your council let you go and collect your own wood chips rather then them deliver by the ton???
We have a nursery near us and he lets me fill a 6` x 4` trailer for £8... so long as I fill it myself!

[markp2511]

We have probably a dozen or so trees to cut down and/or prune on the new plot this year.  I'm planning to hire a shredder like this:  http://www.hss.com/g/62816/Petrol-Shredder.html

Assuming the £50 outlay will produce £200 - £300 worth of chippings, it should be a sound investment.

[elvis2003]

there are probably quite a few tree surgeons about,where we live we are tripping over them there are so many! if you find one that will drop off for you,please make sure you are there to check the quality of the chips.make sure they are actual wood chips ,not leaves and bits of chips like the stuff that got fly tipped on my plot last week!

[Pesky Wabbit]

A couple of years ago Birmingham City Council were pruning the trees outside my house, so when they finished for the day, I followed the truck.

They took them to a bit of fenced off waste land just round the back of Heartlands Hospital.

The following day I went and spoke to the top man there. He said that he could deliver, but I'd have to pay for delivery and that wasn't cheap, or, he could divert a truck, if working close to where I wanted delivery - free, or I could collect as much as I wanted - free, he'd even use his mini-digger to help load if I had a large transit or trailer.

So some councils are helpfull. I think it depends more on the man on the ground than the rules and regs.


I never did take up his offer as I got a very local tree surgeon to deliver instead.