Shredder for conifers clippings?

We have large conifer and privet hedges that generate a lot of clippings. I know sappy materials would generally cause a shredder to clog but is there a shredder you would recommend which would be able to handle this waste?

Can you put small pine cones through too (assuming they fit the size limit of the machine)?

Thanks in advance

 

I bought one of these in Sept 2016 and can't fault it.
Amazon.co.uk
It's shreds all the prunings (very thin or quite thick) I put through it and never jams.
It'll munch pine cones with no problem.
It self-feeds and is quiet.
It won't shred things like just annual plants, but if you mix them in with some prunings, they'll go through fine too.
I was expensive, but compared to my previous high-speed shredder it's chalk & cheese.
The compost it eventually produces is excellent.

 

I have that bosch shredder and it's good for it's size, shreds most stuff but does tend to clog up with very leafy or fibrous stuff.
Privet hedge clippings I just compost as is, conifers do need shredding though.

 

Can't be doing with the electric shredders, only good for twigs and dry leaves.
I had a petrol shredder. It shredded everything from conifers to small cars and children!
With all piny whiny stuff, it needed the blades cleaning with denatured alcohol afterwards.

 

I’ve been tracking the price of that Bosch shredder for a couple of years and it has just become more and more expensive but good to know it would do what I need.

We probably could have justified a petrol chipper when we first moved in as things were really out of control but now I’d like something that I can just press a button to start.

 

“small cars and children”

I can understand the desire, but I hope that’s in theory @flounder and not based on experience

 

If you are just shredding green waste an old lawnmower will outperform a shedder especially a small one . Dad got a large Chipper / shredder its not a domestic machine take 5inch branches with a large shredding hopper but sappy privets are a no go just clogs it up. A lawnmower will soon mash them up.

 

Would depend on the future use envisaged but if you have just one batch of conifers, or you are 'reclaiming' a neglected garden, remember that you might usefully hire a small professional machine ,such as this:
Camon C5I 50MM Petrol Wood Chipper 59Kg | Speedy Hire
It may well be cheaper than a skip to dispose of brash, leaving useful material for composting/mulching and/or hugel beds.

 

I'm thinking of getting a shredder, instead of paying for the council brown bin, so I'll take a look at those Bosch ones @Pete8 . Thanks.
I also find the lawnmower is good for soft stuff like privet, and means it'll compost a little faster too.

 

Please can I ask, if using the lawnmower to shred stuff, is it better to use it on the lawn or on a hard surface?

 

Sometimes when I'm about to mow the lawn, I'll pull dead plants out and drop them on the lawn before I start, then I mow the lawn and chop up any plant material I've pulled out all in one go.
Then it all goes into the compost bin.
It's not something I'd do on a hard surface.

 

I do the same as @Pete8

 

Thank you @Pete8 and @fairygirl, I've often wondered.

 

It's handy if you have some larger plants, as said, because you can just chuck them down and do them at the same time as the grass, collect it all and stick it in the compost bin if you have one.

I've also done it with autumn leaves, as it means they break down a bit quicker, just because they're smaller pieces. I sometimes put a small quantity of those in the compost bin, but mainly they're kept separate as they break down in a different way.

 

I'll admit that I do run the lawn mower over various twigs and stuff on the lawn, but I've never considered deliberately placing hedge cuttings or weeds on the lawn, so as to shred them.
I do shred confidential paperwork, then mix it in the compost bin with grass cuttings, etc. It seems to break down nicely.
We definitely need to remove two conifers that are in unsuitable locations, and may remove a couple more. The council bin won't take all that. Composted clippings will work wonders around the blueberry bushes, but I'm going to have far too much for that alone.

I guess chunks of trunk can be made into bee hotels, but it's all a lot of work.