chipper/shredder machines

Could I hear some recommendations and cautions about what type to buy? I want something on wheels so it's portable and something not so heavy I cant move it. I want to be able to store it in my garage. I also want to know how much power it takes to grind up weed and flower stems that I pull up by the roots at end of season, about half inch diameter. I heard that amperage is a better measure of power than horsepower numbers. I just want to grind leaves and small branches but I dont want to feed each branch in one at a time either. Ive looked at some that require that. I also do not want to buy more power than I need because Im a frugal person. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Is this something that you're planning to use just once or twice a year? If so you might look into renting one instead of buying. That way you can get one that has plenty of power without having to spend a lot of $$.

This is something I would use at least weekly and some weeks even more. I want to speed up composting by grinding up the material. I grow both ornamentals and food vegetables so I need a lot of compost. I do square foot gardening so there is no "season" as such. As soon as something comes out, something else goes in. Ive done some reading and shopping but I want to hear from real people who actually use these tools. Thanks to anyone that will tell me about your experiences.

I have had a 8 hp Sears chipper shredder for aboit 10 years and love it.

It does a great job.

Stay away from the string type shredders.

Paul

Thanks, that's the kind of thing I wanted to know. All the ads look good of course so I wanted to know from someone that has actually used one of this type machine. How much did it cost? I realize it was some years ago. I had suspected the string type would not shred half inch diameter material. Thanks for confirming that. Did yours wear out or did you just not need it anymore? Marty

I don't remember the brand of ours(I'll have to check it out later) but hubby LOVES it and that's saying a lot. He can put in pretty good size sticks and they get shredded, it's a combo mulcher and shredder.

If I remember correctly mine cost about $500.
I've not had a bit of trouble with it. I've replaced the spark plug once in 10 years.

Paul

Thanks Flowerjen, If you could give me the brand and about how much you paid for it, I would appreciate.
Marty

It's a Briggs and Stratton lawn machine 4.5 hp, now I need to find out how much we paid for it.

Hubby said he paid around $200 for it, about 6 years ago.