Shredders are expensive, but they provide good help with gardening. Find out below what differences there are in shredders and how you can build a shredder yourself.
Can you build a chipper yourself?
Building your own chipper is not recommended as it requires a lot of know-how, expertise and compliance with safety regulations. In addition, the individual parts are often difficult to obtain and building your own is usually not financially worthwhile.
The differences in chippers
Not all shredders are the same. They can be distinguished in several ways. On the one hand, in their drive form: there are shredders that work with normal current (220 volts), those that are powered by high-voltage current (380 volts) and are therefore more powerful, and those that have a gasoline engine. The latter are particularly suitable for places where there is no power connection. Furthermore, shredders can be differentiated according to their shredding technology. There are:
- Knife shredder: Here the clippings are cut into slices using a series of knives.
- Roller shredder: The cuttings are crushed with a roller. The chopped material is therefore very fine and rots more quickly.
- Turbine shredder: Here a knife turbine shreds both fine and coarse cuttings.
Roller shredders are significantly quieter than knife shredders, but are usually a little more expensive. A knife shredder (€94.00 on Amazon) from a renowned brand costs €168, but the same model as a roller shredder costs €199. You can get turbine shredders online from around 400.
Is it worth building your own?
Building your own chipper doesn't make sense for many reasons:
- You need a lot of know-how and expertise to build a functioning, safe chipper yourself
- Safety regulations must be observed. If these are not adhered to, insurance companies will not cover any costs in the event of damage.
- The individual parts are difficult to obtain and are often so expensive that building your own is not financially worthwhile.
Alternative: Convert the shredder
However, it is possible to convert an existing shredder or use it differently. Several do-it-yourselfers report that they use a corn chopper to chop branches and twigs and have achieved good results with it. Some also report that they have replaced the knives. Here too, the safety and accident regulations must be observed. If an accident occurs due to a manipulated device, insurance companies will not pay.
Alternative lawn mower shredders – is it worth it?
If you don't want to buy a shredder but need a lawn mower, you can kill two birds with one stone and buy a lawn mower that also shreds. However, at €669, this device is so expensive that you can buy a good shredder and a lawnmower for it and still pay less. So this combination is not worth it, at least not yet.
