Garden shredder which to choose

Any owner of a garden plot or a detached house always in one way or another faced with the problem of disposal of plant waste.Especially this issue is exacerbated by the start of spring work and at the end of the season, in the autumn.We have to invent all sorts of ways to get rid of accumulated cut branches, dry grass and leaves, of dead shrubs and the remaining tops, etc.

help to solve this set of problems, but still receive from this tangible benefit will help a special type of garden machinery - namely, garden shredder.Not so long ago such a useful unit and very few people have heard, but today it becomes often irreplaceable assistant gardener-gardener.However, equipment of this type for the majority still a novelty, and many do not even realize what her opportunities exist and how to approach when it is selected.We will help our readers - an article about a garden shredder to choose what to pay special attention to what the basic rules to follow when operating.

Why a garden shredder

In any economy, having a garden or a vegetable garden, inevitably accumulates a considerable amount of different plant waste.Beginning in early spring, with the cleanup, pruning trees, shrubs or vines, courtyard or useful area of ​​the plot begins to clutter piles, get rid of which sometimes becomes a very difficult task.In summer, add to this weeding during the mass growth of weeds, mowing the bushes, removal of parasitic shoots, collecting fallen fruit from trees, etc.In the autumn - in no better, since once again stands on the agenda of the care of trees and shrubs, cleaning the tops with vegetable beds and fallen leaves, and more.

Typically, such a heap of plant waste is extremely compact, take up much space, it is very difficult to load and carry, and their views spoil cozy area.What do you do with them?

Large branches still possible to saw firewood.To some extent solves the problem of the presence of the compost pit, but lay in her large fragments - is extremely disadvantageous, since the pit quickly fill up a thick branch will be a very long time to decompose.

export of such waste mountains quite expensive as rent and transport and loading of waste and garbage - it all costs money.

seemingly simple way - to burn.But it is not so simple:

• Firstly, this is not quite a simple event from the point of view of compliance with fire safety.
• Secondly, in many regions, especially in urban areas, the law introduced a categorical ban on the burning of crop residues, and can run into big trouble.
• And third - it is absolutely senseless, unjustified action.Any plant powered "lifeblood" of the land, taking away from it necessary for the growth and development substances.It turns out that the waste incineration plant - a purposeful destruction of valuable biological product, and ultimately - nemerenoe depletion of fertile soil at the site.Is not it better, instead of buying some fertilizer on the side, to use existing reserves?

All this "baggage" problem solved purchasing a garden installation - Cutter (frequent foreign language synonyms - garden shredder or chipper).This unit is able to quickly grind overall vegetable waste in a shallow mass with recycling where special problems will not arise.

• Such shredded waste will no longer clutter the compost pit, and the process of biodegradation will take place much faster.
• shredded wood mulch material becomes a magnificent and good fertilizer.
• Even just take out the waste from its territory in powdered form - much easier.They can be rammed into bags and loaded into the trunk of his own car.
• Wood chips can even be used as a fuel - in particular, it is processed into pellets.

Best furnace fuel - pellets

This granular fuel made from plant waste of various types.Under certain conditions it is possible to manufacture the equipment and learn the home production of pellets with their hands - this in a special publication of our portal.

Thus, the merits of such a unit - a great many, and it is increasingly seen in the "arsenal" zealous owners.

How is the garden shredder

Schematic diagram of the device garden shredder

Despite the wide variety of models of garden shredders, differing in size and operational capabilities, they all gathered around one concept, somethingresembling a food processor device.

• It - robust housing made of metal, polymer, or combinations thereof.The housing can be mounted on the frame, which is very often equipped with wheel stroke - for easy transport of the unit on the site.
• chopper Operation is provided by a power drive - this may be an electric motor or internal combustion engine.
• Drive through the power transmission is associated with the cutting (pulverized) mechanism of some type.
• At the top of the shredder is always the hopper, usually having a funnel-shaped extension for the convenience of feeding on plant waste shredding.
• milled mass can flow into the receiving hopper, the soft container (bag), or disposed of on the ground.Some models are equipped with a powerful spreader with the possibility of adjusting the height and direction of distribution of shredded waste.

Powerplant

Garden shredders can be equipped with either an electric drive or an internal combustion engine.Each option has its own "pros and cons".

• Electric actuator to a greater extent inherent in small domestic units of low and medium capacity, up to 2.6 kW.These shredders are quite capable of coping with moderate amounts of waste ordinary garden plot.

They usually do not differ large size and weight, so easily moved to the place of work.Their maintenance is reduced to a minimum, in preparation, launch and management does not require any special skills.

However, its disadvantage may be "attached" to the mains.For example, in the suburban area of ​​large area require long cable that is not always convenient, and sometimes simply impossible, because of the banal lack of a connection point.There are certain limitations in the work and weather conditions - just from electrical considerations.

• units with a petrol-driven attract their autonomy - they can be used in any "field" conditions.

Usually, they installed two-stroke gasoline engine.These shredders can already carry out more extensive work process rather large vegetable waste, up to the trunks of small trees.

Operation petrol engine already require owners of certain skills handling.So, you need to prepare for refueling fuel mixture, it is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the spark, the gasoline and air filters, carry out preventive work.However, in the technique of this class is not put too complex internal combustion engine and all this can be quickly learned.

• Diesel engines are usually placed on a professional mission equipment.These actuators are able to work for long periods without breaks, well-kept low turnover, do not require a complex system of ignition.

But such use of shredders hardly find in a domestic environment, simply because of their high cost, large size and complexity of a self-transportation on the site.

However, the type of drive is not always a determining factor in the issue of "professional" chopper.So, you can buy compact consumer model with a petrol two-stroke engine, and at the same time, there are fixed or mobile installation pro-class, equipped with a powerful three-phase electric motor.

grinding mechanism of a garden shredder

torque from the actuator is transmitted to the work tool - cutting or shredding mechanism of the shredder.And it, in turn, can be arranged differently.Thus, share three basic types:

• The blade mechanism is usually a disc with radially placed knives made of tool steel.The rapid rotation of the disc blade ensures cutting fed vegetable waste into small pieces.

Advantages of such a scheme - its simplicity, low cost, easy maintenance.Well-honed knives can recycle leaves, grass, stalks of shrubs and annual plants, the thickness is usually up to 20 ÷ 25 mm.The mechanism of this type copes with fresh cut stems and branches, but the processing of hard, parched blade plant waste can be blunt (the issue can deliver even large fruit pit, for example, plum or peach) used knives special configuration Some shredder, with multiple bladesat an angle.The upper knife cuts the fed branches into smaller fragments, and the bottom has already provides the ultimate refinement.

For blade type mechanism require forced feeding of the material for recycling - "tighten" the branches in himself, he will not.For this special use pushers.

In service such shredders - very simple, that is, the removal of the blade for sharpening or replacement with a new - usually quite simple procedure.Most consumer-class devices is just such a mechanism.

• For processing hard, dried-up branches of the trunks is better to use a shredder that is equipped with a milling mechanism.On the shaft of the milling cutter is - a gear wheel of a high-strength alloy with a particular configuration of the teeth and their respective sharpening.Giants such cutter does not need, therefore, provides the gear reduction gear.

teeth of a rotating cutter can "chew" sober wood twigs and trunks, turning them into small chips.But with freshly cut branches and shoots a mechanism to cope not always - the fibrous structure "chewed" but in full can not be crushed.

optional cutter is singular - one of the shaft may be a few, with a certain angular "running start" position of the teeth.A high-powered professional grade and is often twin-rotor shredder mechanism, where two rows of cutters rotate in the opposite direction, providing crushing even the hardest wood waste.

Easy milling grinding mechanism in the fact that it is sufficient to capture long branch or trunk - in the further gear is simple drags her inside, at the same time crushing into small fragments.

• advantages of both above the cutting mechanism combines these universal type shredder.In fact - is also mill, turbine type but - instead it is equipped with teeth arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the blades, carbide blades.

This structure allows the cutting mechanism equally successfully carry out grinding and fresh cut, and the old, dried-up waste.However, garden shredders of this type are already significantly more expensive.

• Some models of medium and high power are equipped with a screw, screw the crushing mechanism.

rotating screw with sharpened spiral coils copes with all types of plant waste - it all depends on the power of the unit itself.

Criteria for selection of garden shredders

power unit and the possibility of recycling

These two concepts are rendered in the subtitle, have a direct relationship.From power actuator in the first place will depend on the functional possibilities of the chopper as a whole.

clear gradation in all the diversity of such equipment, but there are conditional division into three groups - consumer model class, middle, semi-professional level, and, finally, professional purpose machinery.

To make it easier to accept the criteria for such a unit, it is better to present them in the form of a table:

Category shredders	power and the type of drive	The maximum diameter of comminuted branches	«Weight category»	Applications and characteristicsespecially
Household	to 1.5 kW electric	to 25 mm	up to 20 kg	small cottages or houses adjoining areas, especially with young trees. The short cycle of continuous operation. As a rule - the blade mechanism.
middle class, semi	up to 3 kW, electric or two-stroke internal combustion engine	to 40 mm	40-50 kg	average household or garden plots with fruit trees, shrubs, old treesrequiring regular pruning. cope with any types of "green" and the dried waste in the prescribed size range. Able to work non-stop long enough
Professional	from 5 to 9 kW petrol or diesel drive, three-phase AC motor	60-80 mm	up to 100 kg and above	Disposal inforest park farms, industrial plants, large farms, in public utilities, etc. designed for long work cycles during work shifts.

Naturally, with increasing power and performance of its garden shredders increases and its price.Therefore, before purchasing the equipment necessary to weigh carefully planned volume of forthcoming works, especially recyclable waste, the frequency of the chopper, and other settings.