Content
To facilitate manual labor, many techniques have been invented. One of these assistants to a summer resident and owner of a private yard is a garden shredder for grass and branches, powered by electricity or an internal combustion engine. Many owners do not consider the unit to be an essential appliance. But in vain. The shredder will help you obtain excellent mulch from organic waste for humus or wood shavings, which will serve as bedding for animals.
Features of the chopper device
A chopper of branches and grass is correctly called a shredder. The mechanism works on the principle of a large meat grinder. A person fills a bunker with all the organic waste that is collected on the site by autumn: tops of garden crops, grass, branches of bushes and trees. Hardened steel knives grind it all up, resulting in a pile of sawdust. The cutting mechanism is driven by a motor.
Based on the principle of operation, it is already clear that the shredder consists of three main components: a hopper, a motor and a system of knives, which is called a chipper. The main function of the bunker is to load garbage. But it also serves as a barrier that prevents human hands, clothing and other objects from getting into the shredder.
The motor is the heart of the chopper. The more powerful it is, the more productive the shredder is. For such equipment, an electric or gasoline engine is used. The choice of model depends on what type of waste the garden shredder will work with. Almost all shredder models are equipped with a device for adjusting the speed of waste processing. It is good if the chopper has a reverse. It helps clear the knives of any green debris that has become entangled.
The chipper consists of cutting elements of different designs. Weak knives are designed to chop green mass of vegetation up to 3 cm thick, and powerful cutters are capable of grinding even tree branches with a diameter of up to 8 cm.
Difference between shredders by engine type
Like most all garden equipment, shredders are produced with an electric or gasoline motor. Each model has its positive and negative sides.
Electric motor
First, let's find the positive aspects of an electric motor-powered shredder:
- Low noise level. The motor is almost inaudible as it works. Noise is created only from grinding branches.
- There are no harmful exhaust emissions. The operator will not have to breathe smoke while working.
- Cost-effective and easy to maintain. An electric shredder does not need to be filled with gasoline and oil, change filters, or buy spark plugs. For the shredder to work, it is enough to plug it into an outlet, which a woman or teenager can handle.
Now we will look for the disadvantages of an electric shredder:
- An electric garden shredder has a major disadvantage - it is attached to an outlet. To operate the shredder in the garden far from home, you will have to buy a long cable. You can use another solution - move the garbage closer to the building, where there is a possibility of connecting to the electrical network.
- The electric motor is sensitive to voltage surges. This happens often at the dacha. A large voltage drop in the electrical network will result in the failure of the chopper motor.
- A significant disadvantage of the electric shredder is the power limitation of 4 kW. The shredder will not accept branches thicker than 3 cm.
Despite significant disadvantages, most summer residents prefer electric shredders.
Gasoline engine
To make a comparison of different shredders, let's look at the positive aspects of a shredder powered by a gasoline internal combustion engine:
- The main advantage of a gasoline engine is its high power. This allows the shredder to grind large debris. The maximum power of the chopper motor can reach 8 kW. This unit will easily turn branches with a diameter of 8 cm into wood chips.
- The gasoline engine ensures the mobility of the chopper. The unit can be rolled on wheels across any territory or driven with it into the field.
Now let's look at the other side of the coin:
- The disadvantage of a gasoline engine is the high noise level, plus harmful exhaust emissions. After several hours of working with a shredder, a person may experience headaches. If safety precautions are not followed, you can get poisoned by exhaust gases.
- On the economic side, servicing a gasoline engine will cost more. You need to buy fuel, oil, change filters and spark plugs.And in case of repair, spare parts will cost more than half the cost of a new engine.
If you plan to process large waste in your household, then you need to close your eyes to all the shortcomings and choose a gasoline shredder.
Varieties of chippers
So, we found out that the chipper is a mechanism for grinding organic waste. In other words, these are knives. Chipper comes in three types:
- To process large-sized waste, a chipper based on cutters is used. The mechanism can cope with branches with a diameter of up to 8 cm.
- The screw chipper is designed for grinding already ground waste.
- The knives shred green vegetation, tops of garden crops, and branches up to 3 cm thick. They can break on large-sized waste.
Any type of chipper is equipped with protection that prevents the load from exceeding in the event of penetration of large waste and foreign objects. Depending on the application, chippers are conventionally divided into classes:
- Amateur ones are mechanisms designed for grinding grass. Thin branches are allowed to enter. A shredder with such a chipper is used in a small young garden.
- Medium ones are mechanisms with reinforced knives mounted on a steel shaft. Such a chipper has the ability to independently draw waste through the inlet.
- Professional ones are mechanisms based on cutters. They are usually installed on industrial grinders with gasoline internal combustion engines.
When choosing a shredder for your needs, you need to compare the capabilities of the equipment with the characteristics of your garden.
Classification of garden shredders by power
The performance of the shredder depends on the power of the motor. In this regard, there is also a classification of garden equipment:
- Home shredders usually come with electric motors.Their power is limited to 1.5 kW, and their weight is within 15 kg. The cutting mechanism is circular knives. Shredders are characterized by compact size and ease of operation.
- Semi-professional shredders are equipped with an electric motor and a gasoline engine. Their power varies between 1.5 - 2.5 kW. The cutting mechanism in some models may be cutters.
- Professional shredders are usually equipped with a gasoline engine. There are shredders of this class with an electric motor, but powered by a three-phase network. Most shredder models produce 3–6 kW power. There are units with an 8 kW motor, but such large grinders are usually used on large farms.
If you need a reliable and productive shredder for your garden and household, then it is best to give preference to a semi-professional class model.
Features of choosing a shredder
To summarize, let's look at how to choose the right shredder model. Here's what gardeners recommend in this regard:
- The first step is to determine the power of the chopper. To do this, it is worth doing an analysis of the quantity and dimensions of organic waste. After this, you will immediately find out which shredder you need: gasoline or electric.
- The weight of the chopper, brand and cost are not such significant indicators, but they are worth paying attention to. For these questions, it is better to visit a forum where experienced owners will share real information.
- For comfortable work, it is advisable to choose a shredder model with speed control and a garbage pusher. A shredder with two waste funnels is very convenient to use. One hole is reserved for loading small waste, and the other for large branches.
- A big plus of the shredder model is that it comes with pre-cut knives, a spare cutting mechanism and a tool for cleaning the unit.
When purchasing, ask the store to start the engine and listen to the noise level. By the way, if a gasoline engine is difficult to start or runs intermittently, then it’s better to look at another model.
The video talks about choosing a garden shredder:
Reviews
There are a lot of reviews about garden grass shredders. Let's take a look at a few of them.
