OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Chippers, Mulchers, Shredders & Stump Grinders Petrol Chippers, Mulchers & Shredders Mulching Bark

I have access to lot of bark that i could use around my property but i find that it just jams up my shredder, what would the best blade design be for chipping/shredding Bark. we have a shredder that mounts on a tractor PTO as well as a garden shredder Masport chipper/mulcher.

G'day Tony,

Welcome to the forum!!

I guess the first question is: What sort of bark?

It will come as no surprise to those folks who frequent this site that I have a Greenfield Piecemaker at home I abuse on a very regular basis! It gets stuffed with palm fronds from Golden Canes and Alexanders ( minus the the area that wraps around the trunk from the Alexanders) on an almost fortnightly basis. I have a LOT of big palms here. I can't stop the thing!!

It has a single heavy cutting disc with two blades. It's a very simple design. I doubt I could do what I do with a flail design shredder.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

The bark is around a saw mill so grey gum,white mahogany, red mahogany, iron bark, tallow wood all hard wood. i am keen to use this resource.

G'day Tony,

So we're talking some big tough hard lumps of bark by the sounds of it! I suppose the other question is how much you intend to mulch and how big the bark sheets are?

I'm also wondering about allelopathic effects. I don't know a huge amount about it but I did once put a truckload of chip mulch on the gardens which was mainly from small eucalypts and acacias and it took years before anything was very successful in those gardens. I blamed the mulch for robbing the nitrogen and natural growth suppressing effects from the Australian timbers in the mulch.

Cheers,

From what i have been told bark is a natural weed killer and anything else for that matter which makes it perfect for my garden, I don't want anything to grow as it is mostly established trees and baron areas.