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Chipper shredders, like the unit you see behind me here, are engine-powered yard tools that
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make it easy to clean up branches, leaves, and grass clippings, while also giving your
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flower and vegetable gardens a boost with homegrown mulch. My wife and I have mulched our flower gardens heavily for 30 years, maintaining at least
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3 inches of mulch on top of all the soil at all times
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High fertility levels, great moisture retention, and constantly rising organic matter levels
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are the big advantages of ongoing mulching. A chipper shredder lets you produce your own mulch, while also taking pressure off landfills
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by diverting valuable biomass to where it can do you some good
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Chipper shredders get their two-part name from the fact that they can reduce wooden
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items such as tree branches and small tree trunks into chips, but while also able to
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shred soft materials like leaves, grass clippings, and soft-bodied plant materials. Why chip and shred in the first place
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Processed biomass like this makes the best mulch for gardening because it's quicker to rot down than coarser materials
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Processed materials also look better and they're more refined when they're in your garden
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So the Champion model I'm using here at my place is large enough to be practical for
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use in most yards and even big ones. Soft material up to half inch in diameter goes in the shredding chute right here, while
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woody material from half inch to three inches in diameter go in the chipping chute over here
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And while chipper shredders are very effective at what they do, the best designs are also
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quite safe. One reason are the chutes. In addition to directing branches and plant matter down into the spinning blades, the
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chutes act as guards, keeping your hands far from danger. There's also a heavy slotted rubber covering, like you can see here, over the openings at
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the bottom of the chute, keeping stray chips and things from flying out during use
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Now as safe as they are, you should always wear safety glasses, hearing protection, and
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gloves while working with any chipper shredder. That just makes sense. You'll also need to perform maintenance on your unit from time to time, both to the motor
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and the chipping shredding assembly itself. Maintenance of the Champion model I'm using here involves changing the oil after the first
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five hours of initial break and run time. That's pretty standard. Then changing the engine oil and air filter at least every 25 hours of operation after that
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On the chipping and shredding side of things, this machine has internal flails, a blade
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and a screen to inspect and maintain. So disconnect the spark plug wire from the engine, then remove the bolts holding the
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flail housing. Inside this housing is where all the hard work happens
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The round component is the impeller. This is the screen, and these are the flails, and this is the blade
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If everything is in good shape, bolt the flail housing back on
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Starting the motor on a chipper shredder is similar to starting small gas engines, except
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for one thing. Since the impeller is fairly heavy, and it's always engaged with the engine, it can take
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somewhat longer for the engine to come up to speed after starting
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This is normal, and not likely what you're used to seeing, but don't worry
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Switch on the ignition, turn on the fuel, set the choke, then pull the starter cord
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Take the choke off after 30 to 60 seconds of run time, then crank up the throttle all
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the way before use. It's important to understand that chipper shredders should always be used with the engine
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running at full speed. When it comes to chipping, this champion unit will handle wood up to 3 inches in diameter
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though you need to understand something. The leading cause of jammed wood in any chipper is branches
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Use a saw to cut off all but the smallest Y shapes on any branches before feeding them
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into the machine. Most Ys are too wide to go down into the chute and get chipped
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If something does get jammed in the chipper shredder, switch the engine off
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This is important, let the impeller parts come to a complete stop, then disconnect the
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spark plug wire before working to clear the jam. Chipper shredders are all about closing the loop on nutrients and organic matter for your
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yard and garden, preventing the loss of nutrients from your property in a big way
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So why would you throw away perfectly good organic matter when it can boost nutrients
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resist drought, and suppress weeds? All it needs is a little chipping and shredding first
