Leads For Buying A Chipper/shreadder/mulcher

[Somtham]

With pak boong from the ponds, weeds from the garden, grass trimmings, and tree and shrub trimming the amount of green matter we generate and burn is sinful. And after having just read the "black dirt" thread I feel really guilty. So it's time to start a compost pile. Last time I looked for a mulcher I found one here in KPP but at B35K I thought it was a bit pricey. Does anybody have leads, contacts, or recommendations for a machine?

thanks and rgds

[Maizefarmer]

Go bac a few pages -didn't this subject come up a few months back.

Since that thread i have seen a mulcher made out of a small corn sheller- you know the small single cylinder blue machines used by Thai farmers to shell corn (looks like it has an inverted pyrimid on top - into which all the corn cobs are thrown) - have seen one which had slots cut into the shelling drum so that the deges of the slots acted as a knife edge. With asingel cylinder diesel and petrol Honda engine I guessit would have to sufficient torque to chew up any garden waste and dry sticks up to around 1inch thick.

You can buy small used ones in maize farming areas for Baht 2000 - 3000 - then modify the shelling drum and add a single cylinder engine! Total cost Somtham - guess you could it for 2k - 3k,plus whatever you can get an engine for.

MF

[chownah]

No info on getting the machine but if you have the space and time you can just pile it up and maybe throw on a bit of manure or some of the solids from the bottom of your settling pond....and just wait....depends on alot of variables but soft weeds should be decomposed in 6 months of less and in a year even woody stocks will be decompose as long as there is enough soft plant material to cover the woody stuff and keep it buried and wet....this is without shredding or turning the piles.

Chownah

[CMexpat]

The 35 K mulcher must be a PTO operated machine. I have seen smaller ones here in Chiang Mai, they look "Thai" made and are V-belt driven by a one cylinder petrol engine, can't be too expensive.