Do you need a shredder ?

I've been using this little beast for 2 days and give it a 10+ star rating.
Elestric power house if you use it for what it is designed for... I had it for 2 season, however never really put it through the test...now I have...Great for small brush, dry or wet. I did not use it for leaves, a few leaves in the material will go, all leaves I don't know..
Liliac, fire bushes, wisteria, rose of sharon, stuff like that all met their fate...I love this little thing..just over $200 on   Amazon...I opened it up to take pics of the cutters  


amazon

That's a good choice for dry light woody stuff up to about an inch in diameter if you feed them in gently Jimmy & it will also take some of the harder greenery  .

It will clog on long or matted soft greenery such as green pond rushes/reeds, long green grass , green lupin stalks, & gladioli leaves that have not dried to a brownish  colour or if you use anything that is slimy  wet or mouldy damp material .
A large high stacked up wheel barrow load of dead dried but then unintentionally left out in the rain for a few months 4 foot long  Lillium stalks , 3 foot long chrysanthemum stalks & 4 foot long lupin stalks that were all mouldy , wet & slimy came back to haunt me .

Like you said it will take a few leaves in with stick & woody twigs but it will not handle just green leaves too well ... dry brown leaves are different , they get mulched almost to sawdust sized  particles ,so long as they are dry .

 When I used a similar model to yours I fed dry stick & twigs plus some soft long greenery into it without too much of a clogging up problem . So long as I was careful to ensure that each handful of fed in material had a lot more sticks & twigs in them the soft stuff it all went through .

 Same happens in my electric milling chipper that will take 2 & 1/2 "diameter  sticks

Good to know, thanks for the info!

I agree with plantoid.  I too have the eco-shredder.  

Word of caution, regularly check you screws holding your hopper on.  They like to vibrate loose on mine.


It's a good little machine for twiggy or dry material.  Wet/green or fibrous stalks like to wrap on it.  For example, I've dumped an entire 2 CF bag of wood chip mulch through about as fast as I could feed it through the top to turn it into a finer mulch.  No problems.  The long stalky leaves of the Octopus plant (30 ft tree in SoCal) or any palm material is like feeding it rope to tie itself up with.

Similarly, the evergreen magnolia leaves really need to dry a bit before being run.

Jimmy Cee, you have to stop posting all these cool things! My DW is going to kill me when I tell her I NEED it.

Jimmy,  I want it!  What diameter are those branches?  Any green leaves on them?  I want to know how it works for dry Fall leaves.  I wonder how it would do with dry horse manure.  I'm serious.  I'm wondering if it will break them into small pieces.  Does the chipped material pretty much stay on the tarp?  It would be great not to have to to use the lawn mower and have to clean up half the back yard of flying leaves and alfalfa hay.  ES 1600?  Must have now that husband sold the ATV that was parked in the garage!  DH is going to kill me!

PS What are the upright dimensions - storage space needed?

sanderson wrote:Jimmy,  I want it!  What diameter are those branches?  Any green leaves on them?  I want to know how it works for dry Fall leaves.  I wonder how it would do with dry horse manure.  I'm serious.  I'm wondering if it will break them into small pieces.  Does the chipped material pretty much stay on the tarp?  It would be great not to have to to use the lawn mower and have to clean up half the back yard of flying leaves and alfalfa hay.  ES 1600?  Must have now that husband sold the ATV that was parked in the garage!  DH is going to kill me!

PS  What are the upright dimensions - storage space needed?

You'll need to read the specifications on the product. Since it is an electrical machine, it's somewhat limited.
All I can really say is for me..it was great..Yes about the chips, no real air force blowing them out, I had to clear material away from the chute when it built up. No green leaves, just heavy buds.
My neighbor has an out door fireplace, I give her all I cannot chip..I'll guess at 3/4 inch diameter for the intakes.
I once sat and snipped all I trimmed, wrist became sore, no more...Any looseness on the machinery part should be noticed by normal operating procedure, This model has springs on the wing nuts holding down the cover.
As mentioned, to be used as it was designed for...
I have an idea that if carefully added it may do dry leaves, only an assumption on my part

Technically you can shred a branch 1+3/8s diameter, but that would need to be a perfect stick.  Reality is more like 3/4s inch, maybe inch without too much bend or branch nodes.

Jimmy is also right, the exhaust has a habit of piling up under the shredder back into the shredder and you'll need to clear it.  That's more of a problem when the material is a little wet.

It takes about 2 foot by 2 foot area.  The center of mass is a little high being where the motor housing it so it can be a little awkward rolling over bumps or door jambs.

jimmycee, I want one as well, but unlike sanderson and ralitaco, no one is going to kill me for wanting it.     Another thing I like is that it is within my budget.

I have a small forest up my hillside, and it would be marvelous to use this machine for all the twigs that fall from those trees. I also know how to treat machinery like this gently, so that they do not jam up.  Never use a machine up to its supposed capacity; always better to take a little less.

One question; how much noise does it mak?.  e.g. I never use my lawn mower before 9:00 am or after 5:00pm if I can help it. Outside those times I always do quiet jobs. e.g pruning, tidying up, weeding.

I read the specifications before I posted. I was just wondering about leaves on branches (no, just buds) and if it would do dried leaves (haven't tried them). Is it the ES1600 (looks like it from the photos).

Craig's list this morning.  About 30+ min drive.     https://fresno.craigslist.org/grd/5486707933.html

Edit:  DH is driving up to see/get it!! For $50 it's worth the try!    

It's loud.  But not like a gas mower. Different sound. Woody material getting mulch makes it noisy.  Kind of like chopping root veggies on a cutting board but at 2600 chops a minute.

No idea how far it carries.  I'm usually stuffing things in.

sanderson wrote:Craig's list this morning.  About 30+ min drive.     https://fresno.craigslist.org/grd/5486707933.html

Edit:  DH is driving up to see/get it!!  For $50 it's worth the try!      

Hey, that posting has been deleted. DH must have bought it.

Just came inside from trying out my new toy. Podacarpus tree and bay laurel. Nice smell for front color spot mulch. I am very happy. Thank you Jimmy

sanderson wrote:Just came inside from trying out my new toy.  Podacarpus tree and bay laurel.  Nice smell for front color spot mulch.  I am very happy.    Thank you Jimmy

Have you tried it yet on your dried horse manure??????

Don't have any manure or alfalfa hay at this time. Ken will get me some before the college closes for the summer. Photos and more tomorrow. Are you thinking about getting one?

I want one too

Kelejan wrote:jimmycee, I want one as well, but unlike sanderson and ralitaco, no one is going to kill me for wanting it.     Another thing I like is that it is within my budget.

I have a small forest up my hillside, and it would be marvelous to use this machine for all the twigs that fall from those trees. I also know how to treat machinery like this gently, so that they do not jam up.  Never use a machine up to its supposed capacity; always better to take a little less.

One question; how much noise does it mak?.  e.g. I never use my lawn mower before 9:00 am or after 5:00pm if I can help it. Outside those times I always do quiet jobs. e.g pruning, tidying up, weeding.

There is very little noise with only the motor running, My ears are sensitive to noise and I need ear protection when shredding. Otherwise just being next to it, not shredding, just a low hum.

yolos wrote:

sanderson wrote:Just came inside from trying out my new toy.  Podacarpus tree and bay laurel.  Nice smell for front color spot mulch.  I am very happy.    Thank you Jimmy

Have you tried it yet on your dried horse manure??????

Not designed for horse manure.

You wanna know something really funny???  The  more I look at the photos the more I think I already own this shredder.  Bought it off Craigslist for $80 last spring and haven't used it yet. 

I'll check when I get home for lunch.  Good to know it's a powerhorse!

CC

CC, The fact that you can't remember if you already own this shows how small the unit is for storage. I wouldn't call it a powerhorse. I think it does the job if treated gently, as kelejan indicated. Prepare the material to be fed and things will run smoothly and give a rather fine mulch. I'm happy.

Jimmy, Just curious, how do you know it won't handle horse pooh?

sanderson wrote:CC,  The fact that you can't remember if you already own this shows how small the unit is for storage.  
 

Yup, here it is in the back corner of the garage waiting with the rest of the summer stuff to go out.  You can see the footprint size comparatively next to the bird bath pedestal on left and the planting pots on the right:

Looks pristine!

Yeah, the guy said he only used it twice and then they moved.

Here it is.  I just keep moving the shredder back as the pile tops off.  Shredded material on the "right", ready leaves and 1/2" braches on the lower left and branches in the upper left.