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Tim Downie February 23rd 07 01:26 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Tim



Adrian February 23rd 07 02:04 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
HI Tim

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:26:04 -0000, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Tim


Quickest and tidyiest is a _proper_ shredder -
We had 12 x 40ft pines removed just after Christmas -
proper Tree Surgeons came with a unimog-mounted, hydraulically driver
shredder which ate everything from 4" diameter down.

made one heck of a noise - and a large pile of chippings...

Back at the last house I did the 'bonfire' route - possible a bit
unecological - but very satisfying !

Regards
Adrian

[email protected] February 23rd 07 02:08 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On Feb 23, 12:26 pm, "Tim Downie"
wrote:
o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.


You spoke to the wrong person. We had South Bucks Tree Surgeons who
came with a huge trailer based shredder that dumped the chippings into
another trailer. Think of a combine harvester throwing the corn out of
the spout. They also had an "angle grinder on a wheelbarrow" stump
grinder to lower the level of the remains so we could cover them with
soil.

MBQ


[email protected] February 23rd 07 02:12 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Adrian wrote:
On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:26:04 -0000, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Quickest and tidyiest is a _proper_ shredder -
We had 12 x 40ft pines removed just after Christmas -
proper Tree Surgeons came with a unimog-mounted, hydraulically driver
shredder which ate everything from 4" diameter down.

What a waste of good heating fuel! OK, so it's a bit more labour
using the smaller bits but when we fell trees we make firewood down to
2" diameter or even less.

Having used everything down to that size you can shred the rest with a
'lighter' shredder.

made one heck of a noise - and a large pile of chippings...

Back at the last house I did the 'bonfire' route - possible a bit
unecological - but very satisfying !

Regards
Adrian


--
Chris Green

Adrian February 23rd 07 02:19 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
HI Chris

On 23 Feb 2007 13:12:46 GMT, wrote:

Adrian wrote:
On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:26:04 -0000, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Quickest and tidyiest is a _proper_ shredder -
We had 12 x 40ft pines removed just after Christmas -
proper Tree Surgeons came with a unimog-mounted, hydraulically driver
shredder which ate everything from 4" diameter down.

What a waste of good heating fuel! OK, so it's a bit more labour
using the smaller bits but when we fell trees we make firewood down to
2" diameter or even less.

Having used everything down to that size you can shred the rest with a
'lighter' shredder.


True - but in our case we still have a ginormous pile of 3ft logs
waiting to be converted into fire-sized logs.

Have made friends with a nice man up the road who owns a
petrol-powered log-splitter g

Back in Suffolk I took out a couple of hundred yards of mature (even
geriatric !) leylandii - and decided that (as firewood) they were more
trouble than they were worth. Even after several years drying they
were still full of sticky sap that got everywhere, and they didn't
burn all that well either in our stove.....

Take care !

Adrian
West Cork - Ireland

Tim Downie February 23rd 07 02:21 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 

"Adrian" wrote in message
...

Quickest and tidyiest is a _proper_ shredder -


I suspect I just need to do a bit more phoning around.

We had 12 x 40ft pines removed just after Christmas -
proper Tree Surgeons came with a unimog-mounted, hydraulically driver
shredder which ate everything from 4" diameter down.


I want one! ;-)

Any ball park figures on how much I should expect to pay to hire such a
beast (& operator)?

Cheers!

Tim



[email protected] February 23rd 07 02:26 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Adrian wrote:

Back in Suffolk I took out a couple of hundred yards of mature (even
geriatric !) leylandii - and decided that (as firewood) they were more
trouble than they were worth. Even after several years drying they
were still full of sticky sap that got everywhere, and they didn't
burn all that well either in our stove.....

That's what we're burning and it's pretty good actually. It needs
seasoning well (preferably 12 months) but in that it's very little
different from most wood. It's much better than pine and seems rather
better than aspen. I'm surpised you had difficulty burning it after
'several years', not our experience at all.

--
Chris Green

Steve Firth February 23rd 07 02:56 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:19:32 +0000, Adrian wrote:

Back in Suffolk I took out a couple of hundred yards of mature (even
geriatric !) leylandii - and decided that (as firewood) they were more
trouble than they were worth. Even after several years drying they
were still full of sticky sap that got everywhere, and they didn't
burn all that well either in our stove.....


Leylandii didn't burn well? Your stove needed to be replaced.

Leylandii, apply match, stand well back.

Andy Dingley February 23rd 07 03:07 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.


Cost one of my neighbours his E-type Jag

_Don't_ burn Leylandii unless you know what you're doing, i.e. you've
burned it before and you have adequate space to do it in (several
times more than you think). Leylandii is chock-full of resins and
burns somewhere between ferociously and explosively. _Many_ people get
seriously surprised by how out of control a Leylandii bonfire can get.


Dave Fawthrop February 23rd 07 03:09 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:26:04 -0000, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

|!Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
|!with, probably about 3 skip loads.
|!
|!Next problem is how to dispose of them.
|!
|!Options include:
|!
|!o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.
|!
|!o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.
|!
|!o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
|!plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
|!that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
|!the hedge would probably choke his machine.
|!
|!o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
|!I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
|!thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
|!of it.
|!
|!Any other suggestions? Would something like this
|!(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
|!job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Our local tip (Domestic Refuse Site), FREE, has a place for green waste,
The would take a Leylandii no problem. Every so often the bring in a
*huge* shredder and haul everything away to compost
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk
20,000 free e-books at Project Gutenberg! http://www.gutenberg.org
For Yorkshire Dialect go to www.hyphenologist.co.uk/songs/
http://www.gutenberg.org/author/John_Hartley
http://www.gutenberg.org/author/F_W_Moorman

dennis@home February 23rd 07 03:14 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
oups.com...
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.


Cost one of my neighbours his E-type Jag

_Don't_ burn Leylandii unless you know what you're doing, i.e. you've
burned it before and you have adequate space to do it in (several
times more than you think). Leylandii is chock-full of resins and
burns somewhere between ferociously and explosively. _Many_ people get
seriously surprised by how out of control a Leylandii bonfire can get.


I have had the whole of a galvanised steel fire bin glowing red-white
burning conifer bits.
They burn so well that you get a blast of red hot flame several feet in the
air and no smoke if you do it properly.



Adrian February 23rd 07 03:28 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
HI Tim

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:21:56 -0000, "Tim Downie"
wrote:


"Adrian" wrote in message
.. .

Quickest and tidyiest is a _proper_ shredder -


I suspect I just need to do a bit more phoning around.

We had 12 x 40ft pines removed just after Christmas -
proper Tree Surgeons came with a unimog-mounted, hydraulically driver
shredder which ate everything from 4" diameter down.


I want one! ;-)


Don't we all g
The unimog was a nice piece of kit also......
.....but too many toys here already !


Any ball park figures on how much I should expect to pay to hire such a
beast (& operator)?


The whole job cost us 800 euro - that was three men plus the 'mog and
chipper - and they worked a good 'full day'.....

If it was only one or two of the trees I might have had a go myself -
but they were a bit on the big side (three of them were about 15"
diameter) - and the telephone line was dangerously close to where the
trees had to fall - so I chickened out !

However - I shall be logging up the remains - when it stops raining
for long enough. Even the locals are saying it's been a particularly
wet Autumn - Winter......

Ah well

Adrian

Cheers!

Tim


Andrew Gabriel February 23rd 07 03:29 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
In article ,
"Tim Downie" writes:
Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.


A friend of mine did that. It was followed by a very large
insurance claim to get all the neighbours' cars resprayed,
on which the fall-out had landed.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Adrian February 23rd 07 03:31 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Hi Chris
On 23 Feb 2007 13:26:24 GMT, wrote:

Adrian wrote:

Back in Suffolk I took out a couple of hundred yards of mature (even
geriatric !) leylandii - and decided that (as firewood) they were more
trouble than they were worth. Even after several years drying they
were still full of sticky sap that got everywhere, and they didn't
burn all that well either in our stove.....

That's what we're burning and it's pretty good actually. It needs
seasoning well (preferably 12 months) but in that it's very little
different from most wood. It's much better than pine and seems rather
better than aspen. I'm surpised you had difficulty burning it after
'several years', not our experience at all.


Oh - very strange.
We also had a supply of silver birch (from the local council / heath
management people) - and, compared to that, ISTR that I found the
leylandii a waste of time..... even after a couple of years
seasoning..

Only got a little woodburner in the new house out here - so it's 'for
fun' rather than whole-house heating as back in the UK. We're in the
process of installing a ground-water heat-pump as well....

Regards
Adrian



Steve Firth February 23rd 07 04:56 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb 2007 13:24:07 GMT, Huge wrote:

No. I have a 2kW shredder and it's a useless pain. It blocks up
all the time and won't shred anything thicker than your thumb. Oh,
and the safety features are a PITA, too. You can't get anything with
side branches into the feed chute and it's a right pain to take apart
when it blocks up.


Hmm, I've got a 2.5kW shredder and it's fine. It's also easy to take apart,
just one big thumbscrew to undo and it hinges open at the cutting plate.
The knives are double sided and secured using allen bolts and it wolfs down
branches up to 1" dia. The blades are mounted on a heavy flywheel so it
doesn't tend to jam unless one is daft.

However the big models have powered feeders and can handle huge bits of
wood and can be stacked with branches then you walk away and load some
more. That's a huge time saving over any noddy household device. Since I've
got to thin out upwards of a tonne of wood a year I've been looking at
buying one for the PTO on my tractor but they cost big bucks. At present I
use a billhook and muscle power to reduce branches to brash and logs usable
in the log burner.

Andy Dingley February 23rd 07 06:13 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb, 14:14, "dennis@home" wrote:

I have had the whole of a galvanised steel fire bin glowing red-white
burning conifer bits.


Doing it inside a container is probably the most sensible.

I love Leylandii as firewood (open hearth or closed stove), but I
certainly don't do it in big lumps...


[email protected] February 23rd 07 06:27 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.


If its just a little hedge, not much use for anything, but for tall
hedges its a waste of good wood. If you dont want to build anything
with it, I'll bet you could find people on freecycle that would,
especially if you cut them to 8' lengths.


NT


The Natural Philosopher February 23rd 07 07:38 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Huge wrote:
On 2007-02-23, Tim Downie wrote:
Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?


No. I have a 2kW shredder and it's a useless pain. It blocks up
all the time and won't shred anything thicker than your thumb. Oh,
and the safety features are a PITA, too. You can't get anything with
side branches into the feed chute and it's a right pain to take apart
when it blocks up.

If you can't burn it, I'd get a man with a big shredder in. When we
had our oak tree cut down (too close to the house), they shredded
everything less than about 6" diameter. We kept the shreddings and
used them as mulch.




I have a ride on lawnmower. Antyhing over 1" diameter gets chainsawed,
anything over 2" gets on the winter fires, the rest gets run over with
the lawnmower.

A set of new blades is only £20 and an hour to fit....;)

The Natural Philosopher February 23rd 07 07:38 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Andy Dingley wrote:
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.


Cost one of my neighbours his E-type Jag

_Don't_ burn Leylandii unless you know what you're doing, i.e. you've
burned it before and you have adequate space to do it in (several
times more than you think). Leylandii is chock-full of resins and
burns somewhere between ferociously and explosively. _Many_ people get
seriously surprised by how out of control a Leylandii bonfire can get.

Yes, they are serious fun.

Nov 5th is a good time.

The Medway Handyman February 23rd 07 07:41 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
Tim Downie wrote:
Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to
deal with, probably about 3 skip loads.

SNIP
Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up
to the job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its
throat)?


If that shreds a 40mm branch then I'm a Dutchman. No chance!

We removed a tree yaer before last. Cut it into useable pieces & bought a
cast iron Chimira. Great! Outside sitting on the decking with a large
drink, logs crackling away!


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257



Merryterry February 23rd 07 08:07 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:
Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Tim


Our Council, Wychavon, have a free service for this. They will send a
guy round with the machine and take it away. You must supply bags.
Worth asking your local authority


[email protected] February 23rd 07 08:21 PM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb, 18:41, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
Tim Downie wrote:


Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to
deal with, probably about 3 skip loads.

SNIP
Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up
to the job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its
throat)?


If that shreds a 40mm branch then I'm a Dutchman. No chance!

We removed a tree yaer before last. Cut it into useable pieces & bought a
cast iron Chimira. Great! Outside sitting on the decking with a large
drink, logs crackling away!


I got a basic £70 one that does 4cm, and got through a pretty big pile
with it. But it was ---ing noisy and slower than I'd hoped for.


NT


[email protected] February 24th 07 12:17 AM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:
Having grubbed out my hedge, I now have a huge pile of branches to deal
with, probably about 3 skip loads.

Next problem is how to dispose of them.

Options include:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.

o Skips. Pros - easy. Cons - expensive.

o Hire a chipper (& operator) and disposal of chips in garden. Pros -
plenty of space to use the chippings. Cons - man came out today and did
that sucking through the teeth bit and said that the bushieness & density of
the hedge would probably choke his machine.

o Buy a garden shredder and shred what we can. Pros - relatively cheap and
I end up with a shredder at the end of it. Cons - won't handle the
thicker/bushier stuff and I might end up with a *broken* shredder at the end
of it.

Any other suggestions? Would something like this
(http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7218400.htm) be up to the
job (assuming we avoid stuffing anything too thick down its throat)?

Tim


Domestic garden shredders are useless and a waste of money. I have
been down this route in the past and I can tell you that it is worth
paying a tree surgeon to do the work for no other reason than he
disposes of the trimmings. I can trim these trees in no time flat with
my chain saw but then I reduce myself to nervous wreck trying to
dispose of the mountain of trimmings piled around the garden over the
subsequent weeks and months.


Mary Fisher February 24th 07 11:55 AM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 

"dennis@home" wrote in message
...

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
oups.com...
On 23 Feb, 12:26, "Tim Downie"
wrote:

o Big bonfire. Pros- cheap. Cons - no good site handy for a bonfire.


Cost one of my neighbours his E-type Jag

_Don't_ burn Leylandii unless you know what you're doing, i.e. you've
burned it before and you have adequate space to do it in (several
times more than you think). Leylandii is chock-full of resins and
burns somewhere between ferociously and explosively. _Many_ people get
seriously surprised by how out of control a Leylandii bonfire can get.


I have had the whole of a galvanised steel fire bin glowing red-white
burning conifer bits.


Same here. It should only be burned in a container to be safe.

We shred the leafy parts and either compost them or just spread them on the
ground for the chickens to turn over and incorporate but the woody parts are
burned.

I wouldn't burn them in the bread oven though, no matter how well dried they
were.

Mary



Andy Dingley February 25th 07 12:57 AM

Shredding/chipping leylandii
 
On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:56:39 +0000, Steve Firth
wrote:

Leylandii didn't burn well? Your stove needed to be replaced.


Leylandii often don't burn well in a closed stove. If you've limited
volume above the firebed and don't have separately controllable top air,
then you'll not burn the vapourised resin. As well as not burning
usefully, it'll give you big creosote buildups in the flue and the risk
of a chimney fire.


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