What about yard waste?

[danielpw]

I do about the same.. grind it up, pile it, rototill it into the garden in the spring... works perfect

 

[grnspot110]

For the leaves & garden waste to compost:



Merry Mac, 5 HP Briggs, screen removed so it doesn't plug with green plants. I gave $67 for it off ebay!

For sticks & branches for mulch:



$450 for it off CL (about 1/2 new price), 10 HP Briggs, handles up to 3" (better be pretty straight!), 2" is more realistic! Anything bigger gets cut up for firewood for the shop. ~~ grnspot

 

[sdkubota]

I used to pile my bagged grass in a wire enclosure by the yard. I would periodically add a little water and the grass would really settle dut to decomposition. At the end of the process I had a large pile of indistinguishable from cow crap both in color and smell. I essentially cut out the cow from the process but ended in the same place.

 

[danielpw]

Yuppers... add some steer or cow crap to get the best cellulose enzymes out there... like sourdough

 

[danielpw]

I think the Mac is a later version of the old Sears models. The best small grinders! I think the whining public forced them to add the no-throwback chute... incidentally making it much harder to feed. I too took out the counter-combs to get thru-put, only adding them when I use it to pulp apples and pears when we make cider.
The older ones had a metal chute that dropped straight down to let stuff be raked in. The one in the pictures has a plastic one that somewhat restricts the pieces that tend to fly back out... The older ones also had a ring with 4 stubs sticking out about 3/4" where the chute bolts to the body.... that held back the in-feed so that the wheel got a couple more whacks before it got into the chamber... it shredded better.
Hardfacing the ends of the little hammers and balancing them did wonders too.
Great tool.

 

[1bush2hog]

I think the Mac is a later version of the old Sears models. The best small grinders! I think the whining public forced them to add the no-throwback chute... incidentally making it much harder to feed. I too took out the counter-combs to get thru-put, only adding them when I use it to pulp apples and pears when we make cider.

Hardfacing the ends of the little hammers and balancing them did wonders too.
Great tool.
View attachment 292617View attachment 292616

Huh. I missed something here. Yard waste is put into
the back corner of the property and depending on the H O a bucket or shovel of dirt can expedite the decomposition process. Not rocket science. Throw in some leftover greens and some coffee grounds to round it out. Shake and bake or turn and burn

 

[danielpw]

True, if you are not in a hurry. Composting is technically defined as accelerated decomposition. If I want to incorporate those prunings into my garden in the spring I must make more surface area available to the bugs that do the decomposition, with enough mass and insulation for the meso and thermophilic bugs to supply the heat to make the decomposer food web happy... so fine particle size produced by shredding is imperative for the composting process to work... natural science.

 

[Combustix]

If I don't burn it it goes into a cold pile or one of my two hot piles. Great stuff for the garden front lawn or filling holes and seeding.