Shredder
Shredding is accomplished by hinged steel blades rotating at very high rpm. These blades, called flails, chop up leaves and twigs. Leaves
are raked into the shredder through an adjustable ramp. The processed material is discharged into a bag or onto the ground. Screens may be attached
for filtering the chopped-up leaves. Anything that doesn't pass through the screen is re-circulated for more shredding. Screens are available
in various sizes to adjust the fineness of finished material. Screens will clog, especially when the leaves are wet, but are easily cleaned
and the resulting product is great for composting.
Chipper/Shredder
The chipper/shredder combination is the most common unit for all-purpose home use.
The shred function described above is joined by a chipper, allowing larger branches to be chipped into a more manageable size. Depending on the model, homeowner
units can accept branches up to three inches in diameter.
The chipping of branches is done by one or more fixed steel chipper blades (or knives). The rotating blades reduce the branches into chunks. The more blades the
chipper has, the more efficient the chipping procedure. The chute size tells you what size material the machine can handle. A tamper is used
to push material into the chipping chamber. Remember that the blades will need sharpening or replacing occasionally.
There are two versions of the chipper:
- The direct drive version keeps the chipper blades moving whenever the motor is on. These models are generally less expensive.
- Larger chipper models use a clutch to disengage the blades from rotating when not being used. Clutch type models are generally easier to start
and allow the motor to "gear down" when heavy material slows the chipper.
