gas powered wood chipper

[Josh-O]

I'm looking to buy a gas powered portable wood chipper that wont kill the pocket book. I'm looking to chip small branches and dried out palm fronds.

does anyone have any suggestions?

If you have one what make and model do you have?

thanks for all the input..

[Pando]

How much wood would wood chipper chip if wood chipper could chip wood?

[DoomsDave]

Well, I have one

10 HP

shreds your mama

 

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Well, I have one

10 HP

shreds your mama

 

Does anyone know any information about the gas powered Viking chipper?

[Josh-O]

9 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Well, I have one

10 HP

shreds your mama

 

Dave what brand do you have?

was is expensive to buy?

do you shred palm fronds?

details bro!

you hurt my mamas feelings..  

 

[DoomsDave]

Here's my Yard Machines 10 HP chipper shredder (as opposed to a morose shredder ), Ellyn, named after particularly obstreperous opposing counsel in a case I worked on (thankfully) long ago.

I got it back in 2003 or thereabouts for $300 U.S. used from a private owner who was way out in Perris, California near Moreno Valley. I'd just moved to my present abode. New ones went for about $600 - 700 back then. Most people buy them for a one-off project (when they get a handyman's estimate) then sell it later. That's the best way to get one, since it won't be too worn out.

I have certainly gotten more than my money's worth out of her. Ellyn the Shredder will shred anything that will fit into her twin Maws of Doom. The skinny one is for thick branches to 3" (7.6 cm) while the Hippo Hopper is for smaller stuff, including palm leaves. Overall length is about 6 feet (2 m). Taking it apart is awkward; it's best to have a place to store it, indoors, when not in use without having to take it apart.

[DoomsDave]

Here's the blade in the Hippo Hopper of Horror.

It's about 7" long, overall. It shreds palm leaves nicely.

Palm leaves are much harder on the blades than ordinary dicot trees. I believe that palms, like grass, have silica in their tissues; even if they don't they're very tough and fibrous. Blades dull pretty quickly; I recommend having a sharp spare or two to change out quickly.

[DoomsDave]

Ellyn the Shredder makes these straw-looking shreds out of palm leaves. They're too fibrous to make nice, neat chips like, say, pepper trees do. Some green palm leaves are so fibrous they are like little bales of hay coming out of the chute.

About the only thing Ellyn won't shred are Caryota leaves and large Syagrus. They're both too big to fit in the maws, and too hard to shred when they do. I burn them in the fireplace after cutting them up with a saw. Palm trunks much larger than about an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter are also too tough. Skinny bamboo will shred, but watch out for pieces out the discharge chute; they can be sharp.

The second picture below is the Atlas Mountain Range of Shredded Palm fronds in my back yard. Shredded palm leaves aren't the best mulch, since they let in too much light. They're great to bury in the ground and enrich the soil, or to use as kindling in a barbeque or fireplace. If you keep them wet, they rot down to about 5% of their dry volume.

 

[DoomsDave]

Even Roystonea leaves and bases will shred. Here's an R. borenquenia leaf on top of the Trucklet of Terror^TM.

Regia leaves are much larger, especially the bases. They have to be pulled in two in order to fit into the hopper.

 

[DoomsDave]

Be careful shredding some kinds of hard wood. Chinese Elm is MURDER; it dries to rock hardness, and will break the blades or impellers. (How do you think I found that out? ) Anything larger than about an inch I'd cut up and toss or burn. Other trees can be hard too, like oak.

Store it inside when not in use; outdoor storage can result in water in the gas, and the machine not running. (Another person told me and I listened . . . .)

It's noisy; wear ear protection. I try to avoid using it early in the morning or during the times when neighbors are having outdoor parties. The engine also putt-putts a lot of smelly exhaust.

Over the years, I've had to fix impellers and replace blades. Change the oil every spring, unless you hardly use it.

Anyone have any questions? I'll do my best to answer if I can.

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, DoomsDave said:

Here's the blade in the Hippo Hopper of Horror.

It's about 7" long, overall. It shreds palm leaves nicely.

Palm leaves are much harder on the blades than ordinary dicot trees. I believe that palms, like grass, have silica in their tissues; even if they don't they're very tough and fibrous. Blades dull pretty quickly; I recommend having a sharp spare or two to change out quickly.

Urk

[Josh-O]

Thanks Dave!!!!

great info!!

[Josh-O]

anyone else??

[Fishmoose]

The one they use in the movie 'Fargo' seems pretty good..

[DoomsDave]

On 5/30/2016, 1:46:48, Phoenikakias said:

Does anyone know any information about the gas powered Viking chipper?

Hmm. I don't.

But, here's a website. I think they partnered with Stihl, and there's dealers in Greece.

VIKING WEBPAGE

Also, for what it's worth, get a gas-powered model, with a four-cycle engine. Two-cycle engines are the kind where you mix the gas and oil. I've found that to be a major pain; you don't have to worry about that with a four-cycle, and you can just pull a little petrol from the Trucklet if you need to.

I had an electric shredder and it was a joke, nowhere near powerful enough. You need raw horsepower to really shred anything.

Konstantin, let me know if you need further information.

[Kevin S]

 Can't remember the name brand of mine I'm sure I can find out.  I was just using it over the weekend.  I use it that shred chaparral.  If you get a shredder get a 10 hp or more engine.  I have thrown a 2 x 4 through it.  As stated above you must wear hearing protection.  I lucked out and got mine from Lowe's  looked like someone used it once and then returned it  or something like that but it did reduce the cost by $200  so I think I paid around $500-$600 for it  but it has been a while so I can't remember.  I know even the city does not like palm leaves going through shredders because they'll jam them.  Can't remember if I ever through a palmleaf through mine.  Sometimes I do take a Weedwhacker to old palm leaves on the ground and shredded that way maybe just for fun.

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, Kevin S said:

 Can't remember the name brand of mine I'm sure I can find out.  I was just using it over the weekend.  I use it that shred chaparral.  If you get a shredder get a 10 hp or more engine.  I have thrown a 2 x 4 through it.  As stated above you must wear hearing protection.  I lucked out and got mine from Lowe's  looked like someone used it once and then returned it  or something like that but it did reduce the cost by $200  so I think I paid around $500-$600 for it  but it has been a while so I can't remember.  I know even the city does not like palm leaves going through shredders because they'll jam them.  Can't remember if I ever through a palmleaf through mine.  Sometimes I do take a Weedwhacker to old palm leaves on the ground and shredded that way maybe just for fun.

Yours looks to configured exactly the same as mine. I'll bet the blade is the same, or maybe the four-blade Cross-of-Doom variation. LOVE the metal Hippo Hopper (plastic ones break after a while). Red is the best color.

Bet you could put palm leaves through it.

Other advice to all:

Don't put too many palm leaves at once; just one at a time. Palm leaves are tough. Old or new, borrowed or blue  . . . . Especially large ones. Watch out for Syagrus, Sabal, Bizzie, Dypsis decaryi.

If they're really big and tough, cut into sections, or split.

Keep blade as sharp as you can.

Change the spark plug regularly. Don't wait for it to gag on your stuff because the engine's not running right.

Show us your shredders!

 

[Kevin S]

 Took a photo today of my chipper shredder that shows what model I have.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

I have a  MTD/yard machine chipper/shredder very similar to Dave's. I bought it used from a pawn shop and I think it was $230-250. I use it mostly to supplement my potting soil pile with shredded pine chips that have left over from timber harvesting. It works very well on most anything but I try and dry out my palm fronds first so it'll cut them easier.

Several months ago I was using an old broom handle to agitate the chips and stuck it too far down and it cut it clean off so I think it'll do a 1/2" or more limb.  

[_Keith]

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/18938-mulching-machine-frond-shredder/

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/shredding-palm-fronds.3287/

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1638854/shredder-for-palm-fronds\

http://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/stories/602-The-Hardest-Trees-To-Chip.html

 

 

[DoomsDave]

Just now, NorthFlpalmguy said:

I have a  MTD/yard machine chipper/shredder very similar to Dave's. I bought it used from a pawn shop and I think it was $230-250. I use it mostly to supplement my potting soil pile with shredded pine chips that have left over from timber harvesting. It works very well on most anything but I try and dry out my palm fronds first so it'll cut them easier.

Several months ago I was using an old broom handle to agitate the chips and stuck it too far down and it cut it clean off so I think it'll do a 1/2" or more limb.  

WATCH OUT

For the Retaliating Broom Handle of Doom, which can break a hand. (I was profanely advised by Harry-Truman-from-the-Dead.

[rick]

Here is my wood chipper. Echo Bearcat SC3306 chipper shredder. It has a 306cc Briggs and Stratton engine. The manual doesn't give horsepower but this thing is a beast. I've had it about 8 months now and its been able to handle basically anything that will fit in the chute. I've even thrown sabal boots in the top shredder without any problem.

This guy nearly took my finger back in March. After I sent a coconut frond through the chipper (which it sucked down like it was nothing) there were a bunch of strings down by the exit grate. I stupidly grabbed them to pull them away but from what I've been able to figure, the strands caught on the shredding wheel and pulled my hand toward it. The grate stopped it from going any further but my right index finger did get hit. A quick trip to the ER and a lot of stitches later I have a giant scar and some numb spots but at least I still have the finger.

[DoomsDave]

On 6/21/2016, 8:03:13, DoomsDave said:

WATCH OUT

For the Retaliating Broom Handle of Doom, which can break a hand. (I was profanely advised by Harry-Truman-from-the-Dead.

What I meant was that a handle, etc., stuck into the flails/shredding elements can become an extension of them, on your hand.

[_Keith]

On 6/26/2016, 11:09:00, rick said:

Here is my wood chipper. Echo Bearcat SC3306 chipper shredder. It has a 306cc Briggs and Stratton engine. The manual doesn't give horsepower but this thing is a beast. I've had it about 8 months now and its been able to handle basically anything that will fit in the chute. I've even thrown sabal boots in the top shredder without any problem.

This guy nearly took my finger back in March. After I sent a coconut frond through the chipper (which it sucked down like it was nothing) there were a bunch of strings down by the exit grate. I stupidly grabbed them to pull them away but from what I've been able to figure, the strands caught on the shredding wheel and pulled my hand toward it. The grate stopped it from going any further but my right index finger did get hit. A quick trip to the ER and a lot of stitches later I have a giant scar and some numb spots but at least I still have the finger.

This looks like the trick.  I did quite a bit of research on this a year or to back.  Posted some links earlier that were representative of what I had learned.  Not many machines can handle fibrous nature of palm fronds.   Glad to see this one does.  How much did it set you back?

Oh, and yes, cutting down a palm with a chainsaw is a miserable experience.

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, _Keith said:

 

Oh, and yes, cutting down a palm with a chainsaw is a miserable experience.

What kind of palm, Keith?

[_Keith]

44 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

What kind of palm, Keith?

Filibusta.  30 inches at trunk.

[rick]

10 hours ago, _Keith said:

This looks like the trick.  I did quite a bit of research on this a year or to back.  Posted some links earlier that were representative of what I had learned.  Not many machines can handle fibrous nature of palm fronds.   Glad to see this one does.  How much did it set you back?

Oh, and yes, cutting down a palm with a chainsaw is a miserable experience.

It was $1500 and they threw in the chainsaw for free.

 

With a freshly sharpened blade I can cut right through a queen or sabal without any trouble. Unless you have one of those giant chainsaws, cutting down anything that big is going to be miserable.

[DoomsDave]

18 hours ago, _Keith said:

Filibusta.  30 inches at trunk.

Yeah, that's the one I had to do at my place, right next to the Power Pole.

It had grown about 10 feet in the few years since I'd moved in. It was about 30" across, and 30 feet tall. Used a come-along and chain saw. Down she came BANG (bounced! ). Took a while to dismember.

It's not that the wood is so hard (compared to other palms it's not); it's just very thick and fibrous.

 

[_Keith]

10 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Yeah, that's the one I had to do at my place, right next to the Power Pole.

It had grown about 10 feet in the few years since I'd moved in. It was about 30" across, and 30 feet tall. Used a come-along and chain saw. Down she came BANG (bounced! ). Took a while to dismember.

It's not that the wood is so hard (compared to other palms it's not); it's just very thick and fibrous.

 

That size here was just 8 years from seed.  It was only about 20' tall, but a fatty.  I have 2 more just like it.  I am convinced this one was killed by tons of Tung Oil seeds (from a tree next to it) in decomposing in the leaf bases.   Because my chainsaw only had and 18" blade, I cut as deep as I could and tied a strap to my truck and pulled.  With every pull I could get the saw in and cut deeper.   I hung on to the very last bit, too.