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1. Petrol drum chipper. The cheapest option, often sold as a shredder: a solid drum with 2 reversible blades and a counter-knife, no feed roller. The momentum of the drum grabs and pulls in woody branches well, but leaves can get through without being shredded.
2. Petrol disc chipper. A vertical disc with 2 reversible blades and a counter-knife, no feed roller: it pulls the branch in less than a drum does and sends vibration through to the hands holding it.
3. PTO disc chipper without feed roller. Same pros and cons, with a funnel-shaped hopper angled at around 45° to bring the branch onto the knives. The price is its selling point, but you feel the vibration.
4. PTO chipper with a mechanically driven feed roller. Far more comfortable, and still keenly priced. If the disc jams on a piece that is too big or on a bit of wire, it is stopped with the safety bar next to the operator. To protect the feed roller drive, many manufacturers fit a small, easily replaced drive shaft.
5. PTO chipper with its own hydraulic system and one or two variable-speed feed rollers. You set the cut to suit the result you want and the material, hard dry wood or fine brash. If something jams, you reverse the feed rollers.
6. PTO or petrol chipper with hydraulics and a no-stress system. The machine controls the feed roller itself and stops for a moment when the hydraulic pressure shows that material is going in too fast.
7. PTO or petrol shredder with hydraulics, feed rollers, no-stress system, cutting chamber and screen. The most complete machine: it also shreds green, leafy brash and gives the finest material.
Feed rollers
The feed roller grabs the branch and draws it towards the knives at a steady speed, so the operator does not have to push it and does not feel the vibration. Good disc chippers have one feed roller, or two: the top one pulls, the bottom one is often not driven but reduces friction on the branch. Solid-drum chippers do not need one, as they work on the momentum of the drum. Shredders with a cutting chamber have a feed roller, often hydraulic with adjustable speed.
Petrol or PTO?
A petrol model has its own engine, is easy to transport and works where a tractor cannot get to: that is why gardeners and grounds maintenance crews choose it. A PTO model mounts on the three-point linkage and is driven by the tractor's power take-off through the PTO shaft: the simplest option if you already have an 18 to 60 hp tractor.
How to choose
Start with the material: for leafy brash you need a shredder with a cutting chamber, for wood a chipper will do. Then the branch size: from 5–6 cm (2–2.4 in) on compact models to 10–12 cm (4–4.7 in) on the 13.5–15 hp models. Then comfort: with a feed roller you can work longer, without effort and without vibration. On the bigger models the discharge chute reaches 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and fills a trailer directly.
What to do with the chippings
Use them as mulch: spread around plants and borders, they hold moisture in and keep weeds down. Only the material from shredders with a cutting chamber and screen can also be burnt in a biomass boiler.
FAQs
Is a wood chipper the same as a shredder?
No. A chipper cuts with knives on a solid drum or a disc and handles wood better than leafy branches. A shredder has a cutting chamber with knives and hammers and also breaks down green, leafy brash.
Why doesn't my shredder deal with leaves properly?
Many compact machines sold as shredders are actually drum chippers: they handle wood better than leafy branches, and the leaves can get through without being shredded.
Green or dry branches?
A shredder works best with green, leafy brash; a chipper with green and dry branches.
Can I put just leaves in?
No: both machines need to grab a branch, with the feed rollers or directly with the knives.
What is a no-stress system?
A hydraulic control that stops the feed roller for a moment when material is going in too fast.
Can the chippings be burnt in a boiler?
Only those from shredders with a cutting chamber and screen; the material from the other models is for mulching.
How much does a wood chipper cost?
The price goes up from the petrol drum chipper to the shredder with hydraulics and screen. Every product page shows the price including VAT.
Can the blades be replaced?
Yes. Reversible blades are turned round when one edge is worn; the blade sizes are on the product page so you can order spares.