Allotments 4 All

I've been looking at shredders and as we have no electricity on the allotment it would have to be petrol driven. They're quite pricey it seems, cheapest I've seen is about 300 quid - a lot of money for occasional use. Does anybody use one, have any comments or recommendations?

I guess I could get an electric one,and transport the stuff to and from the allotment but not sure if it's worth the hassle.

Cheers!

Quote from: elhuerto on April 26, 2011, 11:04:35
I've been looking at shredders and as we have no electricity on the allotment it would have to be petrol driven. They're quite pricey it seems, cheapest I've seen is about 300 quid - a lot of money for occasional use. Does anybody use one, have any comments or recommendations?

I guess I could get an electric one,and transport the stuff to and from the allotment but not sure if it's worth the hassle.

Cheers!

I've got a cheap petrol one and it's way more effective than a medium sized electric one.... and you'd need a 2kW genny down the to run the electric one I have.... if iot's only needed once in a blue moon look at hiring one though

I wish it was possible to get a manual one, something like a huge mincer.  Saw one once at a agricultural sale and just could not think why I wanted it.  I have regretred it hugely ever since.

Quote from: elhuerto on April 26, 2011, 11:04:35
I've been looking at shredders and as we have no electricity on the allotment it would have to be petrol driven. They're quite pricey it seems, cheapest I've seen is about 300 quid - a lot of money for occasional use. Does anybody use one, have any comments or recommendations?

I guess I could get an electric one,and transport the stuff to and from the allotment but not sure if it's worth the hassle.

Cheers!

If you log on to my gallery you will see the one I made from timber and a petrol lawn mower engine, does the job it was built for and will shred anything that comes off an allotment even my thumb if you put it in the way of the blade, :)

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 26, 2011, 12:44:25
If you log on to my gallery you will see the one I made from timber and a petrol lawn mower engine, does the job it was built for and will shred anything that comes off an allotment even my thumb if you put it in the way of the blade, :)

ahh, pretty clever.

I get rid of the hedge trimmings by spreading them out on the concrete driveway then running over them with the Mountfield petrol mower, the same principle. I had pondered that you could feed stuff vertically downwards into it if there was a hole in the top, but what you have built is exactly that idea.

Quote from: Digeroo on April 26, 2011, 12:23:27
I wish it was possible to get a manual one, something like a huge mincer.  Saw one once at a agricultural sale and just could not think why I wanted it.  I have regretred it hugely ever since.

They're called chaff cutters IIRC, used for mincing straw/hay/sialge up with feild beet adn mangelwurzels for livestock winter feed....

Quote from: lincsyokel2 on April 27, 2011, 00:03:15

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 26, 2011, 12:44:25
If you log on to my gallery you will see the one I made from timber and a petrol lawn mower engine, does the job it was built for and will shred anything that comes off an allotment even my thumb if you put it in the way of the blade, :)

ahh, pretty clever.

I get rid of the hedge trimmings by spreading them out on the concrete driveway then running over them with the Mountfield petrol mower, the same principle. I had pondered that you could feed stuff vertically downwards into it if there was a hole in the top, but what you have built is exactly that idea.

To get the Shredder to shred from the top you have to reverse the blade otherwise the rubbish will just blow back at you, if you note that on a petrol mower the the blade creates a draught and blows the grass in to the grass box,

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 27, 2011, 14:59:19

Quote from: lincsyokel2 on April 27, 2011, 00:03:15

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 26, 2011, 12:44:25
If you log on to my gallery you will see the one I made from timber and a petrol lawn mower engine, does the job it was built for and will shred anything that comes off an allotment even my thumb if you put it in the way of the blade, :)

ahh, pretty clever.

I get rid of the hedge trimmings by spreading them out on the concrete driveway then running over them with the Mountfield petrol mower, the same principle. I had pondered that you could feed stuff vertically downwards into it if there was a hole in the top, but what you have built is exactly that idea.

To get the Shredder to shred from the top you have to reverse the blade otherwise the rubbish will just blow back at you, if you note that on a petrol mower the the blade creates a draught and blows the grass in to the grass box,

ah yes of course, good point. If you turn the blade over though, dont you have to sharpen the opposite edge, since the cutting edge would be trailing not leading ?

id be inclined to fuse a few old hacksaw blades to the leading edge  to make a hardened edge.

Quote from: lincsyokel2 on April 27, 2011, 20:58:22

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 27, 2011, 14:59:19

Quote from: lincsyokel2 on April 27, 2011, 00:03:15

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 26, 2011, 12:44:25
If you log on to my gallery you will see the one I made from timber and a petrol lawn mower engine, does the job it was built for and will shred anything that comes off an allotment even my thumb if you put it in the way of the blade, :)

ahh, pretty clever.

I get rid of the hedge trimmings by spreading them out on the concrete driveway then running over them with the Mountfield petrol mower, the same principle. I had pondered that you could feed stuff vertically downwards into it if there was a hole in the top, but what you have built is exactly that idea.

To get the Shredder to shred from the top you have to reverse the blade otherwise the rubbish will just blow back at you, if you note that on a petrol mower the the blade creates a draught and blows the grass in to the grass box,

ah yes of course, good point. If you turn the blade over though, dont you have to sharpen the opposite edge, since the cutting edge would be trailing not leading ?

id be inclined to fuse a few old hacksaw blades to the leading edge  to make a hardened edge.

And thats exactly what I did with the blade just ran it over the grinder and it works a treat,

Quote from: Mr Smith on April 26, 2011, 12:44:25

Quote from: elhuerto on April 26, 2011, 11:04:35
I've been looking at shredders and as we have no electricity on the allotment it would have to be petrol driven. They're quite pricey it seems, cheapest I've seen is about 300 quid - a lot of money for occasional use. Does anybody use one, have any comments or recommendations?

I guess I could get an electric one,and transport the stuff to and from the allotment but not sure if it's worth the hassle.

Cheers!

If you log on to my gallery you will see the one I made from timber and a petrol lawn mower engine, does the job it was built for and will shred anything that comes off an allotment even my thumb if you put it in the way of the blade, :)

That's a brilliant design, Mr Smith.  I can feel a project coming on.