Leaf Mulcher Recommendation Please

[Trillian]

We're looking for recommendations for a leaf mulcher for a small scale farming project in Central Thailand. We've looked at a number of products on the internet and in stores that seem either too small and light duty or too large and expensive, we haven't found anything in the middle ground, can anyone help by recommending something suitable?

 

The mulcher is needed for a project run by a charity that helps under-privileged and abused young females learn new skills to support themselves. The farming project teaches sustainable farming with a focus on the environment. The farm is not large and uses donated land that is surrounded by lots of tall trees. The leaf piles are huge and take a long time before they break down into a useable mulch so we'd like to mechaniclly mulch them to speed up the process.

 

A petrol driven unit around around 15,000 baht or so would be ideal, does anyone have any ideas?

 

Many thanks.

[IsaanAussie]

I recently saw a hammermill that could fill your need with some slight modifications to increase the feed hopper for leaves. It also had a side feed which would allow small branches to be handled as well. It was priced at 15K from memory, but it had an electric motor not petrol. Personally I see that as an advantage if the machine is to be used by "non-mechanical" users. Turn it on and it goes. But if there is no power?

I would also suggest you look at having a cyclone attached which would feed the mulchings straight into bags.

[IsaanAussie]

Second suggestion is composting. Both thermal and worm composts. Have you got access to rice straw or husks and some manure? 

[Trillian]

35 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

Second suggestion is composting. Both thermal and worm composts. Have you got access to rice straw or husks and some manure? 

I don't know is the short answer, I haven't seen the farm and am merely trying to assist with the purchase of the mulcher....let's assume the answer is yes, can I ask what your recommendation is so that I can pass it along, or is it a case of mixing it all together and add some water?

 

many thanks for the above, any ideas where we can purchase a  hammermill, if we decide to go in that direction or do we just need to search the web?

 

I'm very grateful for your inputs, much appreciated.

[IsaanAussie]

Composting is quite a science, lots of different approaches. Mixing and adding water is a bit to simplified. Happy to help if you can get some starting points on what they are doing. 

There are Thai manufacturers of a range of hammermills, and a vast difference in the "usefulness" and quality of their products. If the farm has a tractor then you could use it to power the machine. Again, without more details I can't make a recommendation. I am sure the materials are more than just leaves, those you could mulch and collect with a lawn mower.

Sorry not much help with more information.

[kickstart]

Your in central Thailand ,a shop on the river bridge in Sarabri has sold them .

I have my doubt as it would work ,hammer mills are for grain,and when ground up will pass though he sieves ,I would have thought that leaves would have just blocked up the sieves ,and not go though .

A chipper would work ,but not easy feeding the leaves in ,have you tried Patipong.com for chippers .

Some other members have used electric motors and most do not have enough power ,a petrol one would be better.as has been said using a tractor makes life a lot easier ,we use a tractor on our chipper shredder. 

I would go with IA and try to make some compost. 

[Trillian]

Thanks you for those ideas, I've sent an email to Patipong.com asking for prices on their shredders, it' worth exploring.