Content:
A garden shredder, also known as a chipper, is an extremely necessary and important thing in the everyday life of a summer resident. This unit is capable of crushing almost any plant material. This greatly facilitates and speeds up the workflow of any gardener. Below are the advantages and disadvantages of garden shredders, their need, manufacturing companies and the main parameters that you should pay attention to when buying this equipment.
Garden shredder properties
A chopper of grass and branches in the country is a necessary thing. In addition to making it easier to clean your garden or backyard, it also helps in transporting awkward branches, trunks, large amounts of foliage and dry grass off site.
This equipment can be used not only to remove plant materials from the garden area, it is intended for the production of mulch, which is extremely necessary for most plantings on the site. In this case, the owner of this technique has a great financial benefit, since the purchase of sawdust used as a cover for the soil is quite an expensive pleasure.
If you delve into the very essence of the problem of decaying garden waste in the form of branches and grasses, you can remember that the process requires high temperature, high humidity, as well as a substance such as nitrogen, which the tree consumes during the oxidation process. That is, in order for the natural process of turning cut branches and grass into compost to begin, it is necessary to help by introducing chicken droppings and biological products.
Shredder of grass and branches
Also, a garden shredder is able to protect the dacha from fire. After all, most summer residents get rid of garden waste by burning the latter. This is extremely unsafe not only for human health, because the smoke from the burning materials enters the lungs, clogging the human respiratory system, but also for the surrounding area, since the fire tends to spread very quickly. Therefore, having in the arsenal of garden tools such equipment as a shredder, you can easily avoid all these problems.
How a garden shredder works
The principle of operation of a garden grinder is similar to that of a meat grinder. Only in terms of parameters, the shredder is several times larger. The equipment is divided into several types, each of which has its own characteristics of waste processing.
Flex-a-Line - characterized by the work of the garden unit without knives. Gardeners with small areas in their possessions do not often use this type of shredder, as it does not process cut branches and bushes.
Turbine-Cut - consists of a small turbine that starts to rotate during the supply of energy. The operation of this system can be compared to the operation of a centrifuge in a washing machine. Only on the turbine are the steel cutting blades attached. It is in high demand in the consumer market as it is known for its ability to process large diameter branches.
The roller system of the device is used when cutting small branches and bushes. It also processes freshly cut grass well.
The knife system is the most purchased in the consumer market. Works with two knives rotating in a single plane, which can easily cut bushes, branches, grass, leaves, etc.
"Sandwich" is a cutting disc that is able to chop both thick branches and soft leaves. It works on the principle of a grinder, which has long been recognized by consumers as a universal cutting equipment. In operation, it is considered the quietest of all the above equipment.
Milling cutter - used for garbage, which is dominated by hard materials, such as tree branches, hemp, etc. It consumes a lot of energy when processing soft material, such as leaves, bushes, freshly cut grass.
Turbine-Cut
Gears - in terms of noise level, they are on the same level with the Sandwich processing system. They work well with solid waste, soft ones are processed many times longer.
Garden shredders are divided into types:
- Gasoline - can be of any kind. There are stationary garden units that run on this type of fuel. There is a chopper, driven by manual control, and as an additional attachment to tractors. The latter are most often used by farmers who have several fields.
- Electric - most often stationary, since its wheels are not designed to travel long distances. The power of this equipment can be up to 3500 W, it is used mainly in small areas, as it is dependent on power.
- Wheeled vacuum cleaners-grinders are popular among gardeners who have large summer cottages or backyards. They are characterized by the fact that in the process of working from the lawn, not only debris in the form of branches and grass is sucked in, but also stones, small lumps of dried soil, plastic dishes, and cans.
In addition, garden units are trailed, mounted and autonomous.
Criterias of choice
How to determine which type of shredder to choose? There are so many of them on the consumer market that you can choose for a very long time. First of all, you need to decide what kind of waste will be recycled. If there are many large branches in the garden area, then a powerful unit should be chosen, if most of the garden material is made up of bushes, grass and foliage are less powerful.
For garden plots, with an area of up to 10 acres, most often they take a chopper with an electric motor. It copes well with branches up to 5 mm thick. These units have a relatively low weight; in financial terms, this is a more economical option. Such equipment is easy to operate, and even a teenager can operate it.
If the presence of wires is not scary, then in the presence of small debris and a small number of trees, you can pay attention to a vacuum cleaner.
If there are old trees with thick large branches on the site, you need to select powerful equipment. The best option is a chopper, the engine of which runs on gasoline. The power of the garden shredder for grass and branches can be up to 8000 watts, the thickness of branches that this garden assistant can process reaches 8 cm in diameter. When buying a gasoline unit, you should be prepared for a high level of noise, high cost, compared to the electric version, dimensions and weight.
After the choice is stopped on a certain type of engine, you should decide on a garbage crushing system. Choose from steel knives, disc or screw auger, and gears. It all depends on the type of material being processed. Statistically, if the garbage consists of freshly cut branches and soft material, then steel knives are the best option.If old and dry material requires processing, the knives will quickly dull. For such waste, a recycling milling system is more suitable. An additional advantage of the milling system is the ability to independently suck in debris, without pushing it with knives, hands or other means.
Electric shredder
The latest developments from garden shredder manufacturers are universal crushing systems.
It is recommended to pay attention to the ease of use of the unit for safety reasons. For example, some garden shredders have an engine stop system that stops the engine when the safety cover is removed.
Feature of the best models
Among the garden electric branch shredders, the rating of the best was headed by a hinged chipper for a walk-behind tractor from the manufacturer - Ivet. This unit is capable of processing garbage up to 12 cm in diameter. The recycled material can be transported in bags or containers or transported directly in the back of the walk-behind tractor.
It is operated in two versions: as an attachment to tractors and as an independent equipment. Engine type - gasoline. Can be used as a mower of a mounted garden shredder. German-made chippers can be purchased in specialized garden equipment stores, for example, Leroy Marlene.
The Bosch manufacturer demonstrates high productivity indicators. AHT 25 TS for one hour of operation is capable of utilizing about 200 kg of wood. АХТ 25ТС is a professional wood chipper with electric motor type. Garbage is recycled using a turbine with knives. This crusher is considered versatile, not only hard garden waste, but also soft waste, such as foliage and grass, are subject to crushing. The model has a reverse motion.
The UD2500 Makita model is very popular among chippers. Its power is 2.5 kW, weight - 30 kg. Able to recycle grass waste, weeds, dried plants. Among Makit it is one of the best in terms of price-quality ratio. The model has an electric stop. The container is equipped with an inspection window.
The Viking GE 355 grass and branch shredder has a versatile crushing system and is ranked 4th in this review. Equipped with a double-sided knife rotation system. Differs in ease of transportation and ease of use. The Viking model GE 355 is capable of processing material with a diameter of 35 mm.
Another electric chipper worth paying attention to is the ZIE-44-2800 model, a Russian manufacturer of Bison. A fairly powerful unit that processes hard material not exceeding 7 cm in diameter. The engine consists of a turbine with scoring blades made of durable metal. Able to dispose of 150 kg of waste in one hour of work. The model is equipped with a reverse movement.
For small summer cottages, the Patriot garden chipper is suitable. The PT SE24 Patriot is very easy to operate and transport. Its dimensions make it possible to transport equipment in a car. Engine type - electric. Differs in silent work.
Chopper of grass and branches for a summer residence Viking GE 355
Another unit in the top 10 is the MH 2800 Easy crush by Al-Ko. The motor has overload protection. It has a reverse function. Engine type - electric. Easy to transport. The weight is 25 kg.
Gasoline chipper Shkiv 2В100Б is in demand among farmers. Able to dispose of twigs 12 cm thick. Its weight is 150 kg. The garbage crushing system is equipped with 8 knives. Consumes up to 1.5 liters per hour.
Stiga BIO Master 2200 is an electric shredder for garden bushes and branches. The lightest of all of the above. Its weight is only 15 kg, which makes it extremely maneuverable and transportable.The recycled waste bin is made of fabric material. The thickness of the branches that this chipper can process is 4 cm.
The petrol model MTD Rover 464 Q is renowned for its economy. The engine power is 7.5 HP and the engine is started manually. Able to process large and crooked twigs, without material preparation.
Based on the above characteristics of garden shredders, it will not be difficult to choose equipment. The most important thing is to correctly calculate the required performance of this unit.
