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For processing tree branches, tops of garden crops and other green vegetation, they came up with an excellent mechanical assistant - a shredder. In just a few minutes, a pile of waste will turn into raw material for compost or poultry bedding for the winter. The factory-made unit is very expensive, so craftsmen have learned to assemble it themselves. For those who are interested, we suggest considering how to make a garden shredder with your own hands at minimal cost.
Main components of the shredder
The grass and branches shredder consists of three main components: a motor, a cutting mechanism - chipper, and a loading hopper. All this is located on a steel frame and is covered with a casing for safety. Some models of factory-made shredders can be equipped with an additional hopper for collecting the crushed mass. When working with the grinder, additional devices are used: a pusher for organic matter and a sieve that helps separate small fractions. If necessary, sifted large waste is loaded into a bunker for recycling.
Factory-made shredders are equipped with roller, milling, hammer and other chippers.Homemade garden shredders usually work with a cutting mechanism made from a set of knives or circular saws.
Shredder drive
Any grass and branch shredder is powered by a drive. There are only two options here: an electric motor or a gasoline engine. Electric shredders are much weaker in power and are more designed for grinding fine organic matter. Choppers powered by internal combustion engines are much more powerful. They are able to cope with branches up to 8 cm thick.
When making a garden shredder with your own hands, the electric motor can be removed from used equipment. It is desirable that its power be at least 1.1 kW. If you have a walk-behind tractor, the shredder can be connected to the internal combustion engine using a belt drive. In the absence of any motor, your chopper will have to be equipped with a unit purchased in a store.
Shredders of soft organic matter can generally be without a drive. A person puts them into action using the power of his hands. Variants of such mechanisms are presented in the photo.
Drawings of different shredder models
To make a herb grinder, you need to have accurate drawings on hand. We propose to consider several options for shredder circuits.
A grinder with a hammer chipper is considered universal. The mechanism can cope with soft green mass, tree branches, thick tops of garden crops and even grain.
The easiest way to assemble a cutting mechanism for branches and grass is from circular saws. For such a chipper you don’t even need drawings.Circular saws in the amount of 15 to 30 pieces are mounted on the shaft, tightened on both sides with nuts, bearings are stuffed, after which the entire structure is mounted on a steel frame.
The two-roll grinder is also easy to manufacture. This can be verified from the presented drawing. The chipper consists of two shafts, onto which steel knives are attached on top. When made at home, they are made from truck springs and placed in 3-4 pieces. The shafts on the axle and bearings are fixed parallel to each other so that the knives do not cling when rotating.
The video shows a homemade shredder with gears:
Assembly instructions for different shredder models
Assembling a homemade garden shredder begins after all the parts have been prepared according to the drawing. Regardless of the design chosen, the work includes: manufacturing the frame, loading hopper, chipper and connecting the engine.
Circular saw construction
This garden branch shredder consists of circular saws assembled into a single structure. You will have to buy them in the store. The number of saws is determined individually. Usually they put from 15 to 30 pieces. It is important to take into account one nuance here. A larger number of saws increases the width of the chipper, which means a more powerful drive is required.
The circular saws are mounted on the shaft, and an intermediate washer 10 mm thick is placed between each one. The gap cannot be reduced, otherwise the working area will decrease. It is also not advisable to install a thicker washer. Thin branches will get stuck in large gaps between saws.
The shaft is turned on a lathe. It is necessary to provide threads for nuts for clamping the saw set and the working pulley.Seats for bearings are machined on both ends of the shaft.
It is better to use an electric motor for the drive. If a self-assembled garden electric shredder operates on a 220-volt network, then it will only be able to grind thin branches and green mass. To process thick branches you will need a three-phase electric motor. Alternatively, the chopper can be adapted to be connected by a belt to the pulley of a walk-behind tractor motor.
The chopper frame is welded from a steel profile, channel or angle. First, make a rectangular base for the chipper. Here it is important to secure the bearing seats evenly so that there is no distortion, and the axis of the electric motor and the shaft with circular saws must be in parallel planes. Support posts are welded to the finished base for the chipper, which will serve as the legs of the chopper.
The shredder hopper is made of sheet steel with a thickness of at least 1 mm. You should not take thin tin, as it will be deformed from the impacts of flying chips. The height of the bunker is made greater than the length of the arms. This is necessary for personal safety.
A shredder made from a set of saws can handle any organic matter. However, the chipper will have to be cleaned frequently.
Assembling a chopper with a blade disc
This blade shredder can only process soft organic matter. It is more intended for preparing green food for poultry and animals. The bunker is bent out of tin.You can use a galvanized bucket or a casing from old equipment, such as a fan. The bunker will be flexible, but great strength is not needed here. After all, a grass chopper will not thresh branches.
The chipper is made of sheet steel 3–5 mm thick. Using a grinder, cut 4 slots on the disk. Next, take a piece of a car spring, sharpen it and drill 2 holes. These knives are also made in 4 pieces, after which they are inserted into the slots on the disk and secured with bolts. A hole is drilled in the center of the disk. The threaded end of the shaft is inserted into it, after which it is firmly tightened with a nut. The shaft itself with bearings is attached to the frame, and a pulley is put on the other end.
To cut grass, it is enough to connect the chopper to a 1 kW electric motor.
Assembly of a two-roll grinder
Assembling a two-roll garden branch chopper begins with the frame. First, the rectangular structure is welded. Inside the frame, four fasteners for the shafts are welded to the side elements. They are positioned so that the cutting drums are level.
Next, according to the presented scheme, 2 shafts with cutting drums are made. For three knives you will need to find a round blank. A steel square is used for 4 knives. In any case, the edges of the shafts are sharpened into round shapes for bearings.
The knives are made from car springs. Two mounting holes for bolts are drilled on each element. Each knife is sharpened at an angle of 45O, apply to the shaft and mark the attachment points. Now all that remains is to drill holes according to the marks, cut the threads and bolt all the knives. The cutting drums are ready.
The next step is to assemble the chipper.To do this, holes are drilled in the opposite walls of the steel box. Around them, nests are formed from a steel strip into which bearings are inserted along with the shafts. When rotating, the drums should not cling to each other with the knives.
Gears are mounted on each shaft. They are needed to synchronize movement. The finished chipper is bolted to four internal elements welded to the frame. The bunker is welded from sheet steel 1–2 mm thick. Belt drive pulleys are placed on the shafts of the cutting drum and engine. You can use a chain drive. Then instead of pulleys they put stars.
A two-roll shredder can be powered by a three-phase electric motor or a walk-behind tractor motor. In this case, the power is enough to process branches up to 8 cm thick.
Conclusion
When making homemade shredders, craftsmen use grinders, drills, vacuum cleaners and even washing machines. Of course, such shredders will turn out to be weak, but they will be able to chop grass for bird feed.
