Got a lot of tree/bush removal to do.....

[conny]

So have been considering options.
Basically, we hope to be moving at the beginning of next year and the back garden, (approximately 13metres wide by 35-40 metres long), is in two sections. Outside the back door there is a nice lawned area roughly to half way down. The rear section is marked by a couple of trees on each side which we hope to use to create an archway through to a veg plot/workshop(s) area.
However, this area is badly overgrown with lots of bushes, weeds, mounds of old grass cuttings, potholes, broken bricks/paving slabs etc. To the right is a low height, (approx 3'-6" high), hedge which is about 6'-8' across to the fence. On the left side it is just a large mess of brambles, out of control bushes, tall thistles, weeds and goodness knows what underneath. To get it cleared, i.e ripped out and taken away but no preparation to the groundwork, (so all the bricks and rubble would be left and nothing levelled), we were told we wouldn't get any change out of £5k and probably be more.
So, as I will probably be fully retired by the end of the year, I am contemplating doing the clearing by myself. I'm looking to shred as much of the material, (greenery), as possible with the potential of using it afterwards to spread around the veg plots as mulch or even dig into the ground when we start levelling it. I can look into this nearer the time.
Sorry for the long-winded explanation.
The point is, I've been looking at shredders that will take thick material and have come across this one. Anyone got any views if this seems a good one and if the price seems reasonable?

The Handy THPDS65 208cc Petrol Drum Chipper Shredder - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Powerful 208cc Briggs & Stratton engine driving 2 drum-mounted blades via high torque V-belt drives. OHV configuration provides a substantial cut in fuel costs, exhaust emissions and noise. A float-feed carburettor and Magnetron electronic ignition make the starting...

www.screwfix.com

 

[Koolpc]

How about hiring a shredder?

 

[Tigercubrider]

If you will have time, and are in no rush then I would wait for most of the vegetation to die back?
It will be far easier in autumn and there will be less to do. Be aware of hedgehogs etc.
Maybe do it in stages and dump piles on tarps so you can move the piles. Then hire a petrol shredder/chipper and blitz the pile over three day hires or longer. Allow to dry for a few days.
In the AV world, 3 days hire gives you a week (5 days)

edit. HSS do a shredder/40mm £90 a week.

 

[conny]

How about hiring a shredder?

If you will have time, and are in no rush then I would wait for most of the vegetation to die back?
It will be far easier in autumn and there will be less to do. Be aware of hedgehogs etc.
Maybe do it in stages and dump piles on tarps so you can move the piles. Then hire a petrol shredder/chipper and blitz the pile over three day hires or longer. Allow to dry for a few days.
In the AV world, 3 days hire gives you a week (5 days)

edit. HSS do a shredder/40mm £90 a week.

@Koolpc, we can only get over there for one or two days a week at the moment so it wouldn't be viable to hire one.

@Tigercubrider, the plan is to leave it till Autumn/early winter so it will have stopped growing. Good reminder of the hedgehogs, I know there is a rabbit that pops out occasionally, so will have a look for his burrow when I start. I like the idea of the tarps. Got a few 5m x 4m ones in my shed do nothing at the moment.

I'll see if I can get a few photo's when I go over this week to give an idea of what I am facing.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[lostinthelight]

If you go down the purchasing a chipper route Forest master sell a few

Wood Chippers & Garden Shredders | Forest Master

Shop our elite range of Wood Chippers and Garden Shredders. Unique compact designs, both petrol and electric models. Free next-day delivery.

forest-master.com

How do you feel about herbicide?

 

[conny]

No problems with herbicides, but I don't think we will be planting veg next year. There's a lot of groundwork to be done first.
Those 6hp chipper/shredders look ok but I noticed they don't have an auto feed. Bit dubious about shoving my hand down chutes with powerful rotating blades inside, but thanks for the link. I'll keep them in mind.

 

[lostinthelight]

I was thinking herbicides because the one I use the most will wipe out just about everything including shrubs and small trees but not the grass so it looks a less formidable job

 

[conny]

As mentioned, here are a few pics of the area to be cleared. In the first one, the trees are; Hazel to the right, Ash to the left, (right near the corner of the garage and right behind the Ash is a Cherry tree. Had an arborist out this morning and he has advised removing the Cherry ASAP because of the root system. The Ash can be pollarded and tidied up but is no immediate danger. Same with the Hazel, in fact we could cut the Hazel right down to about 2' high and it will re-generate itself over a few years.
The following photo's are the area that needs to be cleared and levelled before laying out for future use. Estimated to be around 60'-70' to the back fence and approximately 40'-50' across including the small hedge on the right, which is about 6' deep.

 

[Eccles]

Have done similar jobs myself several times but never bothered with a shredder. As it happens I have a Skoda Estate and I can easily get one of those builders bags in the back so No.1 Son and I chop stuff as and if necesssary and pile it into said bag to take to the local tip. One one occasion I didn't fancy making several trips and the clearance was for a customer so with his agreement we hired a man with truck. You can always find a "man with truck" in most places I have lived.

 

[scbk]

You need a decent strimmer with a mulching blade for most of that.

Don't try and clear the lot (unless you're planning on building on it?), just make a way in so you can see what's there. Pull out any rubbish as you go, pile up the bricks/rubble.

You could pay a local gardener/landscaper/handyman for 1 day, and if they've got the kit, they'd get a huge amount done

 

[Tigercubrider]

It looks a lot better than I expected.
I have a Hazel, they are indestructible . My friends took the P out of me when I cut mine severely, within 2 years it looked the same.
one of those brush cutters would do wonders and make you feel like it was easy to tackle

if you have a couple of mates, get a BBQ/ organise a takeaway and have a Saturday session with food and beer afterwards.
some rakes and big bulk bags to collect the lighter stuff, topped with some heavier stuff.
Sometimes there are builders bags on top of skips.