Each owner of a summer cottage makes a lot of efforts so that its territory is neat and well-groomed. A garden shredder will help simplify the work, as well as benefit from vegetable debris. Today, this device has become indispensable for many summer residents.

Why do I need a garden shredder?

This device is designed to shred garden debris such as leaves, grass, branches and roots. The machine grinds all this finely enough so that the resulting mixture can be used for compost or as mulch. Thanks to careful grinding, even solid particles decay quite quickly and fertilizer can be used as early as next season. Although often wood waste is used only as mulch. In autumn, seedlings whimsical to a low temperature are insulated with it or simply sprinkle paths in the garden.

Foliage, branches, as well as all other plant debris are placed in a special receiving opening of the device. Further, all this is cut by the working bodies of the apparatus - knives or cutters. The crushed product leaves through the bottom opening and is ready for further use.

Depending on the area of ​​the site, as well as the vegetation on it, it is important to choose the right device with the appropriate parameters for it.

For an area of ​​less than fifteen hundred parts, an electric grinder is quite suitable. Such devices usually have a power unit of 2500 W and are able to work with foliage, grass, as well as small branches. For larger areas, alternative gasoline shredders are usually purchased. They are more powerful (up to 8 kW) and are able to work with greater productivity and cut even thick branches.

However, garden shredders are primarily separated not by the type of power unit, but by the working bodies, which can be knives or cutters. Both the first and the second have both their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages and disadvantages

Knife cutting mechanism

By the principle of operation, such devices are similar to kitchen electric knives. The working bodies are made of quality hardened steel and are quite capable of withstanding the load declared by the manufacturer.

Disadvantages:

  • intended only for chopping fresh branches, and when working with dry wood are almost useless;
  • knives chop grass poorly. They quickly become clogged with greens, and they often have to be cleaned;
  • not designed for long-term operation without additional sharpening of the blades.

The advantage of the knife apparatus is only one - it is much cheaper. Such shredders will justify themselves if you buy them only for cutting small branches or dried herbs.

Milling system

The mechanism consists of a mill and a shaft, which, in addition to cutting, independently tighten the raw materials.

Disadvantages:

  • a milling chopper can be almost twice as expensive as a similar knife option;
  • impressive dimensions and weight of the device.

Advantages:

  • the ability to work for a long time at high loads;
  • cutters easily chop any garden debris, unlike knives;
  • the device works almost silently.

Recommendations for the use of a garden shredder

Shredders for the garden have become good helpers of summer residents, but for the durability of these devices, you should follow some tips:

  1. Regardless of the type of cutting element, as well as the power of the power unit, the apparatus must be switched off during intensive work for at least 10 minutes.
  2. In a knife chopper, it is important to monitor the condition of the blades. Dull knives under burden may burst.
  3. If possible, the branches loaded into the receiving hole should be split into two or more parts with an ax. This will reduce the load on the cutting mechanism and power unit.
  4. When choosing a device, it is better to give preference to models with a reverse function, which allows you to quickly remove a particle that has stalled the mechanism.