How to make a garden shredder for grass and branches with your own hands from a washing machine, trimmer, grinder

A garden shredder is a mechanism designed for processing plant waste generated during grass mowing, sanitary or annual pruning of trees, grapes and various shrubs. The resulting small pieces of grass or branches can be used as livestock feed or fertilizer. The use of this unit allows gardeners, owners of summer cottages and lovers of beautiful lawns to get rid of organic waste faster and with less labor. The structure of the device is relatively simple, for this reason it can be assembled with your own hands without any special financial costs from old parts and scrap materials. This allows you to save on purchasing a ready-made factory device.

Main components of a garden shredder

To independently assemble a grass and branch chopper (shredder) at home, you must first understand the structure of the mechanism, as well as the principle of its operation. This will help you assemble the equipment correctly and, if necessary, make changes to its design.

A homemade unit, designed for grinding mown grass and sawn branches up to several centimeters thick, has the following main structural components:

engine;
knives mounted on the working shaft;
frame (usually metal);
protective casing;
a box designed to receive cut vegetation;
starting system.

The equipment itself can be made stationary or mobile. To create the latter option, you will additionally need wheels, as well as a handle. To make the frame, use metal corners or ready-made frames from workbenches. Boxes for processed vegetation are made from plastic buckets, tin, and bags. The protective casing around the knives should be thick and durable enough so as not to quickly wear out from the impact of grinding vegetation.

When processing plant debris, crushed pieces may fly out of the opening through which it is fed. Therefore, the neck is covered with a lid or simply with a cloth, for example, a bag.

The operation of the chopper is that rotation from the motor shaft is transmitted directly to the knives or through a chain/belt drive. The vegetation chopped by the blades enters the box. In this case, the final product is immediately ready for use.

According to the principle of operation, some homemade shredders are comparable to a meat grinder (they draw in and then grind organic matter), while others are comparable to a coffee grinder.

Operating principle of the device

The design of the grass and extra branches shredder itself is quite simple. This will include several basic elements:

Protective cover.
A special working shaft, which is equipped with additional knives.
Engine.
Reception box.
Pulley with additional belt.
Metal frame.

To make it quite simple and comfortable to move such a device around the entire site, it should be placed on a specialized two-wheeled base. The operating principle of the device is considered quite simple. So, the shaft, with the help of a special motor and an additional belt or chains, begins the process of rotation. At this time, branches and excess grass enter the box, which are quickly chopped using sharp and small knives. In general, this resembles the operation of a simple meat grinder.

Such grass cutters are often used by summer residents themselves. In addition to all this, you can find industrial devices on sale that can easily cope with very thick branches. Of course, such devices are distinguished by a particularly complex design and increased productivity.

Varieties of engines for assembling homemade products

Electric and gasoline engines removed from unused equipment are used as a drive for homemade products. Each of these two options has its own advantages and disadvantages. Models with an internal combustion engine are more convenient in that their operation does not require a nearby power supply. But in general, they are more expensive and have a more complex design than their counterparts equipped with an electric motor. Therefore, it is easier to make electrical equipment, and also more compact.

The maximum thickness of cut branches that a branch chipper can grind depends on the power of the electric motor installed on it and the characteristics of the knives.

Models with a motor up to 1.5 kW are capable of grinding sticks up to 20 mm in diameter. They are designed for low intensity work.
If an electric motor of 3 to 4 kW is installed, then such units can chop branches up to 40 mm thick.
More powerful electric motors (over 4 kW) are used to make a shredder for wood with a diameter of 7-15 cm.

The drive of the last category is equipped with equipment if it is necessary to constantly perform large volumes of work associated with the processing of waste of various thicknesses.

To create a homemade shredder, you can use electric motors from an angle grinder, washing machine, or trimmer. They must be adapted to work from a stationary network with a voltage of 220 V. In order to grind material as thick as possible at home, it is recommended to equip the shredder with an electric motor of 1500 rpm with a power of about 3.5 kW. This parameter for internal combustion engines corresponds to 5-6 horsepower.

Motor from an old washing machine

Choosing an engine and belt drive - what is important to know about it

The efficiency of chopping branches depends on the rotation speed of the electric motor shaft. To ensure reliable crushing of wood, it is necessary to ensure that the cutting disc rotates at a speed of at least 1500 rpm. However, it is still necessary to take into account such an indicator as the amount of torque. This value is closely related to power, and the greater the value of the latter, the higher the force parameter.

How to achieve the required rotation speed of the crusher cutting disk if the electric motor reaches a speed of 2800 rpm? For this, a belt drive with pulleys of different diameters is used. To reduce the rotation speed of the electric motor shaft by 2 times, you need to install a pulley on the drive shaft with a diameter 2 times smaller than the size of the pulley on the driven shaft.

An important point in the design of a homemade shredder is the choice of transmission mechanism. The safest type of gearbox is a belt drive. Its advantage is that if the workpiece jams, the belt will slip along the pulley, eliminating the occurrence of negative consequences. This type of transmission mechanism is considered not only safer, but also reduces the likelihood of engine failure due to overheating and shaft jamming.

This is interesting! To reduce the rotation speed of the shredder cutting discs, you need to install a pulley with a diameter of 100 mm on the motor shaft, and a disk with a diameter of 200 mm on the shaft of the shredder.

Types of cutting attachments used

Homemade products, like factory units, are equipped with cutting attachments of various types:

disc (with three blades);

milling;

milling-turbine (universal).

The first type is flat blades. When they rotate, they grind plant debris. If you have to process branches, then such blades quickly become dull. Milling knives are a cutting shaft in the form of gears from circular saws. They grind dry waste from branches and grass well, and clog the cutters with wet waste. Milling-turbine cutting attachments can cope with thick and undried branches, but making them yourself is difficult.

At home, knives from lawn mowers or made from wood saws are often used.

It should be taken into account that the degree of processing of plant waste directly depends on the installed cutting attachments. The output is pieces of branches from 10 cm long or shavings or dust.

Classification

Crushers are classified according to grinding/crushing technology:

Cheek. They consist of a movable and a fixed jaw, located to each other in a wedge-shape, and the narrow part of the wedge must correspond to the parameters of semi-finished wood products that are planned to be manufactured. The moving jaw puts pressure on the wood, which is poured into the crusher from above, bringing it closer to the jaw, which is stationary during operation. Under pressure, the wood collapses to the same size as the narrow part of the cheek, after which it crumbles.
Impact roller. In such machines, wood is poured into the receiving compartment, hits the rollers rotating towards each other during operation, is destroyed and spills out of the outlet.
Conical. They consist of a glass and a moving cone-shaped finger. The wood is poured into a glass, a cone-shaped finger enters the glass, breaks the raw material, and upon exiting, destroys it to the required size and crumbles it.
Drums. The equipment consists of a drum into which wood is supplied. When the equipment is turned on, the raw materials are destroyed by hitting each other when the drum is brought to the required speed.
Roller. They consist of a roller and a bowl, the roller unwinds, gradually approaching the bowl, the raw material is crushed, falling between the bowl and the roller.
Hammer. They consist of hammers attached to the rotor. Raw materials are poured on top while the rotor rotates, broken into small pieces with hammers and crumbled.

Wood chipper can be classified according to the size of wood crushing:

Technological chips. There is a state standard for process chips that reflects the requirements for the final result, namely the size of the chips, quality, mass fraction of residues as a percentage on sieves with different diameters and trays.
Special shavings. The settings of the machine are important, because the size of the chips used in the manufacture of particle boards depends on this.
Wood crushed fraction. This includes wood flour, wood dust and other crushed wood fractions, which are used in the production of linoleum, linkcrust, glass and other finished products.

Garden shredder from washing machine

An old Soviet-made washing machine with a metal body is a technique that contains almost all the necessary parts for assembling a garden shredder. You only need knives with fasteners, as well as an extension cord.

To make a cutting attachment, you can use an old wood saw.

Tools you will need:

angle grinder;
pliers;
spanners;
screwdriver;
electric drill;
hammer;
tape measure with marker.

The washing machine motor has a small power (different models have different power), which is indicated in the instructions for the household appliance or on the electric motor plate. Due to the fact that its value usually does not exceed 500 watts, with the help of the created unit it will be possible to grind only straw or grass.

A shredder from a washing machine is made like this.

The body of the machine is cut to height so that it is convenient to work with the unit.
At the bottom side, a rectangular hole is cut in it with a grinder, 20 cm wide and 7 cm high, intended for throwing out ground plants.
Around the slot, a kind of casing is made of tin, which will direct the herbal mass into the collection container, while preventing it from scattering to the sides.
They make legs.
Attach the body to the stand.
2 holes with a diameter of 7 mm are drilled on the electric motor shaft. Then a threaded bushing is placed on it, as well as holes at the end more than 5 cm long, securing it with bolts.
An electric motor is secured under the bottom of the box using studs and nuts.
Inside the casing, knives are secured to a sleeve, placing them above the grass ejection hole or at the same level with it.
The box is attached by welding or bolts to the stand.

The result will be a technique similar to the one shown in the photo below.

The start button will come from a converted washing machine. You just need to make sure to connect the extension cord of sufficient length.

The design and operation of a grass cutter from a modern washing machine is shown in the video

How to choose a grain crusher: expert advice

Choosing the right model

How should you choose a crusher that will meet all consumer requirements? To do this, you need to know the answers to some questions:

Performance. A high grinding speed ensures high productivity in obtaining finished products, and accordingly, the use of such an installation will be highly efficient. Such installations can be considered the optimal solution for large farms. For home work, an installation with a low or medium processing speed of raw materials is sufficient.
Price. The equipment must not only ensure high quality of the resulting product, but also generate certain income to recoup the investments made in this equipment.
Grinding degree. The device must be selected based on the type of livestock and poultry the produced feed will be intended for.
Drive station power. The greater the power of the installed power plant, the greater the productivity of the installation. It must be taken into account that the higher the engine power, the higher the energy costs.
The company is a manufacturer. Undoubtedly, there are world-famous companies that produce shredders, but you need to think three times about how quickly the funds invested in brands will pay off.

When choosing a model, you must be guided by the characteristics specified by the manufacturer.

Homemade grass grinder from a grinder

A grass grinder made from a grinder is a fairly simple and quickly implemented option. To implement the project, you will need to stock up on the following parts and materials:

steel corners;
metal container (regular boiling);
homemade or ready-made knives (for example, from a lawn mower);
fasteners;
sheet metal.

Tools you will need:

electric drill;
welding machine and electrodes for it;
an angle grinder to cut corners;
spanners.

To assemble a shredder with your own hands based on an angle grinder, capable of grinding not only grass, but also branches up to 4 cm thick, it is recommended to use a power tool with a power of over 3 kW.

The creation of a grinding unit is carried out in the following sequence:

cut the corners into pieces with a grinder;
a frame resembling a chair is welded from them;
weld a shelf from a piece of sheet metal;
attach the grinder to the made frame (on the stand) with clamps, placing its shaft towards the top;
cut a hole about 10 by 10 cm in the side of the boil-out;
a sleeve, for example, made of tin, is attached to the slot, through which the ground plant mass will be dispensed from the container;
make a hole in the center at the bottom of the boil;
install the container on the angle grinder shaft and attach it with bolts or self-tapping screws to the metal frame;
Place the knife or disc on the angle grinder.

The result will be the design shown in the photo below.

The dimensions of the corners are selected individually to make it convenient to handle the mechanism.

It should be remembered that the frame must be stable. The safety of working with the device will depend on this.

Place a bucket or other container under the pipe for dispensing chopped grass with branches while working with the unit so that the processed plants do not fly away.

The created device can be improved. To do this, you will need a grinder shaft attachment about 15 cm long with two knives: at the upper end and in the middle. The blades are separated by a mesh attached to the casing wall.

Drawing up a drawing

In order to avoid having to redo a partially assembled garden apparatus, it is necessary to correctly draw up a drawing, taking into account the size and shape of all available parts.

Numerous forums will help with this, where users discuss the most successful configurations and technical solutions.

In addition, they also share their experience of independently manufacturing garden waste and garbage shredders, posting not only drawings, but also photos and videos of their devices, and also leave feedback on their work.

When drawing up a diagram, you will be able to determine the location of mounting holes and welds. This will allow you to first make individual parts with pre-drilled holes, and then attach the corresponding units to them without adjustment.

Ready-made drawings can be found on the Internet, after which, based on them, you can make a new drawing with dimensions, which will take into account the features of the available parts and mechanisms.

The main advantage of this method is that it eliminates the need to independently determine and calculate the overall configuration of the finished device and the location of the main elements.

Here are drawings of some devices that can be used as basic ones:

Drawing 1 - This is a standard design for a stationary rotary chipper that works well as a garden chipper.
Drawing 2 - This is the design of one of the shafts of a two-roll shredder. With some modifications it can also be used in single shaft shredders.
Drawing 3 – Design of a two-roll shredder.
Drawing 4 – Drawing of a grass chopper with an electric motor, however, instead of an electric motor, you can install an angle grinder or a drill.

Grass cutter from trimmer

A garden shredder can be made using a gasoline or electric trimmer. In this case, the tool will work in an upside-down position. To create equipment designed to chop grass and thin twigs, you will need, in addition to a brush cutter with cutting attachments, the following materials:

plastic or metal container with a volume of at least 50 liters;
approximately 1 sq.m. steel mesh with small mesh size;
about 3 meters of metal tube (aluminum or steel) half an inch in diameter;
a piece of board or moisture-resistant chipboard, plywood of such width that the trimmer fits on it;
clamps that will attach the brush cutter to the wooden base;
self-tapping screws, bolts, nuts, washers;
wooden blocks (5 by 5 cm is enough).

To assemble a chopping mechanism from a trimmer, you will need to use the following tools and devices:

a screwdriver or screwdriver with bits;
electric drill with a set of drills for wood and metal;
an electric jigsaw with files for cutting metal or a manual equivalent;
hammer;
open-end or socket wrenches;
punch;
an anvil or a flat iron plate.

A punch is needed to make it convenient to drill holes with an electric drill. This tool is pointed at the point where the metal needs to be drilled. Then it is hit with a hammer. The drill does not slip out of the resulting recess when drilling a metal part.

Hole punch set

Preparatory activities

A grass cutter from a brush cutter is manufactured in a number of stages. Initially, they are prepared in a container where the grass and branches will be ground:

make markings on the bottom (along the perimeter) for four trapezoidal holes with rounded corners;
drill holes with a cross section of 1 cm in each drawn segment;
a jigsaw file is inserted into them and trapezoids are cut out;
process the cuts with a file or sandpaper;
a hole is drilled in the center of the bottom for the chopper shaft;
a circle is cut out of steel mesh with dimensions according to the diameter of the bottom;
using small scraps of boards or blocks, the prepared mesh fragment is secured to the container from below;
Legs for the container are made from metal tubes, attaching them to the tank with bolts.

The wooden pieces are fixed with self-tapping screws, twisting them from the inside of the tank into metal jumpers between the cut trapezoids. In this way, the mesh is securely attached to the bottom of the container.

The legs are made in the following way:

bend the tubes in a vice or using a pipe bender in the shape of the letter “P”;
the ends of future supports are flattened with a hammer;
2 holes are drilled into them on each side (6.5 or 8.5 mm cross-section);
fit the workpieces to the bottom of the container and mark the points of bolted connections;
drill according to the hole mark;
using bolts with washers and nuts, attach to the footrest casing.

After preparing the casing, in order to reduce the dimensions of the created mechanism, the following operations are performed:

disassemble the trimmer, disconnecting the motor, rod and cutting attachment from each other;
cut off a fragment approximately 20-40 centimeters long from the rod with the cable;
collect the lawn mower;
check the performance of the equipment.

Chopper assembly

If the trimmer works well after assembly, then it is used to create a grass grinder.

The motor of the brush cutter is attached to the board with clamps.
Fix the bar on a wooden base using clamps and a handle from a brush cutter.
Connect the cutting attachment to the end of the rod, previously inserted into the hole at the bottom of the casing.
They start the mechanism and test it in operation.

After these steps, you will get a unit, the photograph of which is presented below.

If the trimmer used to assemble the shredder is equipped with a gasoline engine, then the motor is placed on the base so that it is convenient to fill in fuel, start the device and regulate its operation (speed).

Cutting attachments are equipped with knives or fishing line - this depends on the thickness of the plant stems being chopped.

Manufacturing of components

Anyone can assemble a homemade grain crusher with their own hands if they wish. But if possible, you shouldn’t give up the idea of buying ready-made factory equipment either.

The main thing is that the grain crusher used for household purposes has the required performance, as well as a high level of safety, otherwise you can create a potential health hazard with your own hands.

It is worth taking into account the following recommendations regarding the manufacture of components:

Container for grinding. Can be made from stainless steel sheets 0.5-0.8 mm thick.
A metal frame with a valve is mounted near the base.
The outer part of the body is made of a metal pipe. Preferably seamless. Its diameter should be about 270 mm, and the wall thickness should be up to 6 mm.
The stator is located inside the pipe. A pipe with a slightly smaller diameter, about 258 mm, is suitable for it.
In both sections of the pipe, holes should be made to secure the loading hopper, the output of crushed raw materials, as well as gratings of the required cell diameter and hangers for the shipping hopper.
The two pipes are secured so that they are held in the grooves of the flanges, which are mounted on the sides, and are connected to each other with studs.
One of the flanges must have an internal thread for studs. The second is drilled at several points.
Two flanges are also drilled through to secure the bearing housings and secure them to the metal frame with bolts and nuts.
The rotor is made of prefabricated metal-based pushers and is also equipped with washers. If necessary, the pushers can be reversed. After assembly, the rotor should be checked for balancing. If beats appear, you need to check the balancing. Otherwise, the service life of the equipment will be significantly reduced.
The drive shaft includes prismatic keys and a ball bearing set.
It is recommended to assemble the supporting frame and table by welding using a steel angle measuring approximately 35x35x5 mm. Thin sheet steel is suitable for valves.

Having collected everything you need, as well as prepared materials and workpieces, you can begin the main stage of work.

What else can a chopper be made from?

There are many different options for creating garden shredders with your own hands: from the simplest ones, which only allow you to grind grass, to more structurally complex, powerful units designed for wood up to 10 cm thick. Accordingly, the practical implementation of the plan will require different details, different amounts of time and money.

To assemble equipment for processing plant waste, in addition to the considered options for old or unnecessary tools or equipment, you can use the following devices:

drill or hammer drill;
an old working vacuum cleaner;
unnecessary electric saw;
motor from the pump;
gasoline or electric walk-behind tractor;
any electric motor of suitable power.

A drill with a hammer drill, if you use them to chop grass, you don’t need to redo it at all. It is enough to make only a nozzle with blades. The created device will work like a blender, grinding soft plant stems into a container in small portions.

DIY hay chopper design

Large farms or livestock production cannot do without a hay chopper. Changing this arrangement helps rationally distribute hay and straw for livestock. If you do not plan to buy such a unit, but want to build it yourself, it is important to remember what is included in the design:

Electric motor. You can choose the power of the installation yourself, but remember. The higher the consumption rate, the more productive the device will be.
The body is the basis of the hay chopper. Choose a diameter such that the knives do not come into contact with the walls.
Shaft with knives . Fixed knives must be made of durable steel and well sharpened.
Receiving container for finished raw materials . It is better to position it relative to the body at an angle.
Supports and stands . The ideal implementation of this part of the device is made of metal pipes with a diameter of up to 25 mm.

The nuances of operating homemade equipment

A self-made shredder is essentially three in one: a chopper for branches, a straw cutter, and a mechanism for cutting grass. It helps to significantly facilitate household work associated with the disposal of plant waste, as well as feeding poultry and livestock.

If you have to process grass in small quantities, for example, for chickens, geese, ducks, then very simple devices that operate on human muscle power, for example, a hand pruner, are sufficient.

For homemade electrical equipment, it is recommended to install a separate differential circuit breaker to provide reliable protection against electric shock in case of unforeseen circumstances. In any case, when making a garden shredder yourself, you must follow safety regulations. It is also worth adhering to them during operation of the mechanism. Before working with equipment, it is recommended to wear goggles, suitable protective clothing and check that the structural elements are securely fastened. When creating a home-made unit, you should take into account the upcoming amount of work, as well as the nature of the vegetation being processed, in order to select an engine of the required power and the desired design of knives. This will allow the completed device to cope with the assigned tasks without any problems.

Care

Before using the equipment, you must carefully study the technical documentation so as not to unknowingly damage the mechanism. You should pay attention to the following points:

The raw materials entering the machine must be the same size as specified in the instructions.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the raw materials that are poured into the crusher so that stones, glass, plastic and other material do not fall into it.
Try to avoid getting into the root mechanism with soil that is on the root system.
To increase the life of the shredder, wood waste must be fresh.

Grain crusher performance

The process of functioning of a rotary chopper involves the movement of the cutting knife. It is needed to crush the masses that should be fed inside the receiving hopper.

The hammer preparation can grind grain efficiently using hammers that are attached to a strong base.

Products obtained using a hammer machine will be considered the most effective. This can be achieved with the help of a high amplitude of movement of the hammers, which are capable of crushing even individual grains of grain.
At the same time, the impact crusher can consume much less electricity and has a high productivity factor.
If the farm has a large number of adult livestock and poultry species, it would be best to buy an impact crusher. But in the case when a farmer breeds smaller poultry and a large number of young livestock for trade, then the optimal choice in this case will be in favor of hammer grinding of grain.
It is imperative to test a device that you have produced yourself. It is worth remembering that the grinder engine requires regular lubrication, otherwise it will quickly break due to abrasion of the main elements in the device.