Light duty shredder/chipper

I have put dried manure through the shredder end of my 8 hp chipper/shredder. Emphasis on Dried. Removed the screen which helps. So, Yes, it can be done. Bigger question is whether its worth the time and trouble.

I"ve got a couple of horses and lots of leaves and branches to be chipped. When I put a compost pile together I pile all the ingredient about a foot deep and work it with a roto tiller. Might be an alternative for you.

Bob

I have a 8hp chipper/shredder and it won't do hard manure. It does really good on wheat straw and limbs upto 1" or just what I bought it for, garden waste.

Compost the manure is the best way. Takes about 30 to 60days start to finish but is pretty hot (high in nitrogen) for fresh garden use but is usable as a side dress at 30days if you don't get it on the green of the plant.

Compost mix:
2/3 greens, (manure of any type) or most green plants

1/3 browns, (wheat straw, wood chips, leafs, etc:)

Enough water that when you make a fist ball it will lightly drip excess water.

I put down a layer of straw then cover with a light coat of wood chips then a heavy layer of manure then water then repeat until I have a 4ft high pile then water every day for 5min. Were so dry here in AZ that I have to water each day, but you may not have too.

Using the method above my compost will be ready in about 45days. If I don't want the compost so hot then I have to wait for about 90days. The compost will look like damp earth when done that crumbles in your hand.

If the compost smells bad after a couple days then you have a ingredient wrong, most likely not enough browns or too wet. If that happens add more browns.

I've never had a compost pile smell using the above method.

T_Bone

I've owned 4 different ones, and unless you spending a "pile" of $$ for a big one, they aren't worth owning.

Why not move this stuff with a loader to where it can be "rotavated" into what ever size you want???

Robert

chute for branches used some heavy knives spinning on face of a rotor

top hopper kinda chopper had bunch of short metal cutters hanging loose on some brackets, these guys did the job, had to make sure they didn't take your arm in, not good for stuff over 2 inches

stuff came out the bottom, had to keep moving it to keep it from plugging

I didn't try to use it to make mulch from leaves, etc, but it had several rows of hammers in it and several different "screens" which were curved steel plates that fit on the bottom with different sized holes. I can see how it would probably work OK to make mulch with leaves, probably would work for what you want to do, but I do not have any pactical experience with it. It constantly ate belts according to the owner and after getting the engine running, I simply advised her to sell it, as she has no real use for it. It was something her father had purchased for way too much money.

Charles