All about wood chippers - description, characteristics

Shredding and processing of wood waste (branches, twigs, slabs, stumps, etc.) is not a new matter and, at the same time, only in recent years has it become accessible to the widest circle of the public. For example, today every gardener can afford a small electric shredder. The choice of installations for industrial and municipal purposes has also become much wider. Now they are not limited to stationary crushing devices.

The special equipment market offers mobile chippers, chippers, shredders, chippers and other similar equipment. Thanks to this variety, it has become easier for woodworking enterprises, agricultural and gardening enterprises and public utilities to select the necessary machine. Moreover, both for performing universal and highly specialized tasks.

In this material we focus your attention on professional equipment for shredding wood waste.

Firstly, it is indispensable in sanitary felling, tree pruning, landscaping and landscaping of city streets and parks, etc.

Secondly, with its help it is possible to obtain raw materials (chips, crushed wood, shavings, sawdust, wood flour, wood dust, mulch), which are perfectly used in forestry, livestock farming, arrangement of children's and sports grounds, but most importantly - in the production of furniture, Fiberboard, chipboard and plywood.

Description of the wood and log shredder, scope of application

When working with wood, waste always appears. Crushers are units that transform large pieces of wood into a fine mixture. The use of machines can increase labor productivity and reduce worker injuries.

Reference! Automation of raw material processing by the forestry industry has reduced the amount of waste disposal by 50%.

The tree shredder is used in production and gardening. It comes in several types:

• rotary;
• hammer;
• disk and cone;
• screw and roller;
• ball mill.

Installations can be mobile or stationary. Large amounts of waste are processed using powerful crushers. Utility farms can cope quite well with mobile units with low power.

The equipment will help grind wood waste after trimming branches, leftover building materials, and old furniture. The crushed raw materials are used for mulching or fertilizing beds.

You can use environmentally friendly types of wood for soil. Furniture waste contains harmful components. They cannot be used to fertilize plants.

Shredders

The purpose of these devices is to effectively dispose of wood waste (pallets, wooden containers, cable drums, sleepers, old furniture, etc.). The material is captured by drive rollers, and further pushing occurs using a hydraulic pusher. The grinding process is ensured by rotor knives rotating towards the wood and knives mounted on the frame. The resulting woodchip fraction is used only for fuel.

A few words about the stationary and mobile device of shredders . The former are more productive, but are quite large and energy-consuming, which affects their cost. At the same time, they have a long service life and simple maintenance. The advantage of the latter is the trouble-free delivery of the installation to the place of raw material processing. They are less productive and more often require repairs, since they have their own drive. Some models, however, operate from the power take-off shaft of the tractor transporting them. The system, I must say, is also not very reliable.

Working principle of wood chipper

The unit turns wood waste into chips or granules of the same size. By crushing, a suspension from 0.6 cm to larger pieces is obtained. Grinding produces granules smaller than 0.5 cm.

There are several principles by which grinding occurs:

• Bending and breaking of raw materials.
• Trituration.
• Grinding with a strong blow.
• Fixation of raw materials with shift.
• Compression with crushing.
• Splitting and grinding.

The processing process involves capturing wood with toothed shafts. It is transferred to the grinding chamber. Through outlet sleeves, the finished raw materials are placed into containers.

Types of shredders

The equipment can be autonomous, electric, or trailed. Each has pros and cons.

• Autonomous units are good because they do not depend on a power source. They can be taken into the forest and used far from residential premises. The disadvantage of the equipment is loud noise during operation and carbon dioxide emissions.
• Electrical. They are silent and have no dangerous emissions. Lighter in weight because there is no need to add fuel. But they have less power than autonomous ones.
• Trailed crushers are used in forestry. They are installed on rotating platforms. Equipped with cutting discs. Industrial equipment has a setting for correcting the size of finished raw materials.

Installations can be distinguished by design, by the type of raw materials processed, by the size of the crushed material.

Raw materials are placed into the household unit by hand, so when working, safety precautions should be observed to avoid injuries.

By type of design

According to the structure of the crusher mechanism, there are:

• Walkthroughs. Their working element is the rotor. It sinks into the ground to a set depth and processes everything that falls under the knives. The disadvantage is the small width for work, from 50 to 70 cm.
• Disk. Grinding is carried out using a disk on which there are teeth with a cutting surface moving in different directions.
• Rotary. Their main working unit is a drill with a cutter, which crushes the material.

By type of raw material

Wood waste is used for the production of paper and cardboard; smaller processing is used for the production of OSB boards. To process trunks, logs, and thick branches, industrial shredders are needed.

Installations can be standard or universal. The log chopper grinds raw materials up to a meter long. The second ones crush small bars, wood chips, and thin branches.

By level of crushing

Crushers are distinguished by purpose. Some of them produce wood chips, while other wood chippers turn raw materials into sawdust and shavings. Large fragments are obtained by processing waste using chippers equipped with a rotor or disks.

To obtain a fine suspension, such as sawdust or shavings, hammer units are used. The material is crushed under the influence of rotating hammers. Installed sieves regulate the size of the finished raw material.

Frame making

For any type of shredder it is necessary to make a base. All other structural elements will be attached to the frame. It can be welded from corners or pipes (preferably square ones).

Recommendations for making the base:

1. The height of the bed should be adjusted to your height.
2. The width should be sufficient for the stable position of the entire structure (it is recommended to make it at least 50 cm).
3. A cross member should be welded in pairs between the posts. This will give the base additional rigidity.
4. To give the unit mobility, you can attach wheels and a handle. This will allow you to quickly and easily move the device around the entire site.

We read the recommendations for making the frame.
The engine is installed in the frame frame - this way it will not stick out. This is especially true for shredders that are made by hand.

Design Features

A variety of wood shredders allows you to choose the required type of installation. Design features depend on power, engine type, and working elements.

Table No. 1

The main indicator of equipment is its performance. These parameters depend on the power of the installation. The fuel the unit runs on determines the type of engine. Liquid fuel crushers are more powerful than electric crushers.

The industry produces plants with various crushing mechanisms. Processing of logs, trunks, and round waste is carried out using drum shredders. Several narrow knives are installed here in a checkerboard pattern, which chop the raw materials when feeding.

Disc units cope with large branches and pieces. The crushing mechanism consists of disc knives that are mounted on a shaft rotating on bearings.

Shredders crush wood waste containing metal components. They belong to the rotary type of crushing mechanism. There are single-rotor and double-rotor units. The first ones are low-speed for recycling large volumes of waste, the second ones can even process nails and staples.

Garden wood shredders

Branches, bushes, and dried grass are collected at the dacha and garden plot. They need to be disposed of. A wood chipper can make your work easier. The advantages of the equipment are:

• Small dimensions.
• The finished raw materials can be used as fertilizer.
• Efficiency.
• Low energy or fuel consumption.

The choice of unit depends on the size of the site and the volume of work. Equipment for recycling wood waste is produced by manufacturers from different countries. One of the disadvantages is the high cost.

Russian industry produces shredders at affordable prices. If the installation is needed for seasonal use at a summer cottage, it can be rented.

Technical capabilities

The garden unit can be equipped with an electric or gasoline engine. Equipment that consumes electrical energy is silent in operation, light in weight, and small in size. But the need to have a power source on hand makes it not always convenient to use.

A gasoline shredder is more bulky and noisy during operation, but it can be used in any corner of the garden. It is more powerful than electrical equipment and processes a larger volume of wood.

Drum chippers

Depending on the design, the cutting knives are mounted on the drum (rotor) inside or outside. Its flow section of up to 1000x1600 mm allows the production of only large chips (technological). While losing to disk models in the quality of the resulting raw material, drum machines benefit from versatility. With their help, you can process the entire range of wood waste: round timber, trimmings, slabs, laths, trimmings, crooked and thin-sized and even pre-crushed wood.

Requirements for wood chippers

To ensure that the installation meets the owner’s wishes, when choosing, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:

• power and performance level;
• degree of noise;
• operational purpose;
• equipment weight;
• design of working elements;
• dimensions of the opening for loading raw materials.

In a small area where professional tree shredders are not needed, a household installation is used. If areas where mature plants grow are being processed, then using a device with high power is justified.

Equipment size is related to power. The more powerful, the more cumbersome the unit will be.

The variety of types allows you to choose the installation. Taking into account all the parameters, you can find a unit for processing thin branches or thick logs into wood chips, sawdust or shavings.

By using a wood shredder, you will be able to avoid the loss of valuable raw materials needed for recycling in the form of paper, cardboard or furniture boards.

Types, principle of operation and design of shredders

Professional shredders, unlike household ones, operate not only from the mains. They are equipped with gasoline or diesel engines and are designed for continuous operation in harsh conditions and with heavy loads.

The entire crushing system is made only from high-strength and wear-resistant materials that can cope with wood with a diameter of up to 150 mm. Loading and supply of raw materials can be either horizontal or inclined. The first option is more convenient, since the material is fed not under its own weight, but along a conveyor.

Now let's talk more about the types of cutting system. It can be disk, drum (knife, cutter or hammer) and rotary (shredders).