My eco solution to rat problems

[Beantree]

We are considering buying one. Will only shred branches up to 25mm diameter because bigger than that gets seasoned and burned on the fire. So on that basis a decent electric one should be sufficient. Two models being considered. Bosch AXT25TC at €419 (or less) and Wolf BVL28 at €539 or less. The Bosch has a smaller motor of 2500W but gets good reviews and is clearly well designed, but mail order only. The Wolf is French made, which isn't a great selling point based on our experience, but is in stock in a shop in town. Some decent reviews but no decent videos of it being used.

Have been told shredding dry stuff will wreck the blades, but that usually goes on the bonfire anyway. The intention is to create some long lasting mulch which will go into the veg plot instead of buying soil conditioner and also around some shrubs and trees. It all goes to the tip at the moment which is easy enough in bags, but has to be cut to short lengths ,which is time consuming and seems a waste of a resource.

Any thoughts or experience anyone? 

[HarrisonFamily]

We have an old Bosch shredder- (I think AXT 2200) no idea how long we have had it and it has been great - we have thrown loads of stuff in it including all the branches from a christmas tree that grew as tall as the house and it coped fine - then all the mulch has just been thrown on the garden.It then just sits in the shed until we need it again - no idea how long we have had it but it is great.

[Daphne]

I think you are very wise to buy something expensive,  I bought a cheap shredder (around £70 about 20 years ago) intending to chip mixed deciduous hedge clippings, nothing wider than maybe 1cm max.  It was useless, I used it about twice, stuck it in a shed, and when we moved I got rid of it.

[Blackrocksrock]

I have an electric Viking - waste of money - jams and hates leaves and prone to stop.   Last time it stopped I put it in shed a year ago and not tried since.   Doesn’t like dry dead branches even though small - wish had bought a more expensive one.

[Beantree]

I've just looked at the AXT2200 @HarrisonFamily and it would probably do the job for us at half the price. The French video had a chap shredding 2cm stuff with little problem and he used a carrier bag to collect the shreddings. Decided it would be an idea to check spares availability and discovered that for the Wolf there are none, even on their own spares site. So once it's out of the 2 year guarantee it would be a factory repair only, up to 10 years which is the French legal requirement for serviceability. So I'm very much leaning towards the Bosch, having many of their power tools (I only buy Bosch) and having had only one failure which was a gearbox leak on an expensive SDS hammer drill (the cover gasket was missing and they replaced the whole unit). You can buy all the parts from several sites here.

Two votes for "don't buy a cheapie" as well.

Off on Thursday to look at the Wolf anyway. I'll update the post when we've bought something and tried it.

[Beantree]

So went to Gamme Vert in Auch (the capital) today instead only to find they didn't have a Wolf on display. But throwing another one in was the Stihl GHE140L at €516. Looked well built, as you would expect, but two major quality problems put me off completely. Firstly the collection bin was distorted and fell off the runners, so a safety interlock didn't connect. Secondly, the neat idea of swinging the whole motor unit into the bin for storage fell down because the locking mechanism didn't engage properly and didn't look as though it would last long. In fact I caught my fingers in it so it's useless. Read one review which said "Didn't work when it arrived so I changed it for a Bosch ATX 25TC which I am very satisfied with."

We'll be ordering a Bosch. I have seen the Wolf advertised at €200 cheaper with free delivery!

[Beantree]

Collected our Bosch AXT 2550TC yesterday with 'click and collect' at €460 from a hardware chain (Bricomarché) because Amazon are out of stock and are quoting 2-3 months delivery. The only difference between the 25TC and the 2550TC are the extras that come with it. Noticeably heavier and better made than the Stihl it  was an effort to get 30Kg into the boot and even worse getting it out again. However our relationship with this machine started badly:-

Tried to register for the 3 year guarantee only to find the site wouldn't accept the part number or model code. Accessed the same site from the Bosch homepage and it worked, but a frustrating time sorting it out.

The instructions are not very clear in respect of the pressure plate adjustment, that is the plate that the cutters slide against. There is a knob on the side that could easily be fiddled with and that could jam the machine. Took two hours to decipher what exactly it did and how to re-adjust it. Should be tamper proof and it isn't, so a design failing I think.

Couldn't try the machine because we didn't have a cable suitable to fit the plug built into the housing. There are two types here, one has an earth and the other doesn't. Our earthed cable is too small conductor size for the 2500W machine, so we had to spend €6.90 this morning. A separate cable is a good idea because of potential damage and the rival machines are designed the same, but at the price of the machine I would expect one to be included.

It is billed as quiet, but at 92db it isn't and ear defenders are essential. So the extras include safety glasses (very smart with clear and tinted lenses), nice gardening gloves and a bag to carry the shredded material because the bin is heavy but no ear defenders! Once again, with the extra price for the safety kit I would expect ear defenders to be included.

Was it worth it? After sorting out the above, plugging it in and getting the 'something is wrong' alarm (buzzer and flashing lights) which turned out to be the bin not fitted fully, we tried it on a large piece of wind blown poplar about 4cm diameter. Cut it up with no hesitation at all leaving us with a small pile of slices and mashed up leaves. Very satisfying watching the machine slowly digest it. Wish we'd bought one years ago. It's going to save us a lot of time.

[Daphne]

I'm glad to hear that, in the end, it was worth it!

Reminds me of our trials and tribulations over the years with strimmers.  In the UK we bought one to cut a lot of long/tough wild grasses.  OH spent an hour out there, finished, and decided there wasn't a lot to show for his efforts.  It turned out the shop had fitted the cutting disc on the wrong way around.  That was a Stihl.  Here in Portugal he bought a Ryobi, but realised after a few uses it was too heavy and gave him white finger.  So, our third purchase was a local brand, lighter in weight, with bullhorn handles and a body harness to make it easier to use.  It was cheap, bought from builders merchants locally who service it/fix it when necessary.  We still have the Stihl, but the local dealer is appalling.  And expensive.

It is very satsifying when you have the correct tools for a job, whether its outside or inside.

[Beantree]

Had a similar experience a few weeks back @Daphne. In the middle of a rather complicated job fitting insulation under the back room roof (ready for chickens in Summer) and trying to compensate for a 0-16.5 degree twist on the roof beam, I set up a small pedestal drill to make sure the holes in the mounting rail were square. First hole resulted in a lot of smoke, so I decided to sharpen the drill bit. Second hole wasn't much better so i resharpened the bit. Same result on the third hole, at which point I realised the drill was IN REVERSE!

Had a few problem with Stihl equipment recently and buying genuine parts here is very difficult unless you go through a Stihl dealer. So dismissing the Stihl shredder, even though we are 'brand loyal' in many aspects, wasn't that difficult. Have Bosch for all the power tools, Stihl for all the gardening powered equipment and Fiskars for all the hand tools.

[Beantree]

We bought this shredder at the right time it seems. After the storm yesterday evening which had horizontal torrential rain, we are now munching through Poplar, Elm, Sycamore and Plum. Cleared a spot for the shreddings a few days ago near the top chicken enclosure, mainly because the residents like to see us moving around. Good job we are not gathering hay this year because everything is completely flat now. It won't digest dead wood which is far too hard and risks breaking the cutter. That will go onto the bonfire as usual.

Hunting around for something else and what turned up? A heavy duty earthed extension cable!

[Beantree]

Out of curiosity I put a power meter on the supply cable to see exactly how much this machine was costing us. Electricity price in France has risen 95% since we arrived in 2012 so we are saving wherever we can. The machine is rated at 2500W, so it came as a surprise that isn't what it uses. When it is just running and shredding nothing the consumption is only 650W. Shredding 20mm branches and it rises to 750W. We season and burn anything over 1" so ,even putting several branches in at a time, it never gets anywhere near full power. Nowhere near as expensive to run as we thought, but the advertising doesn't reflect that. Perhaps it should?