Need Advise Using Chipper/Shreder for Shreding

[Gordon Gould]

I have an older Bear-Cat 5" Chipper/Shreder model 554 thats works great chipping which is my main use. It is the same as the Woods unit.

My wife wanted me to shred her pea vines. They were green. Huge mistake. It was like someone threw 5000 yds of fish line in there. It took a long time to clean and free up all those rotating knives on the drum and the output screen was totally clogged. Then she wanted to mulch up some maple leaves. I'm talking a couple pickup trucks full. First time worked good. The leaves were bone dry and crispy. The next time they were a little damp and soft and the output screen clogged right up. Even when I fed it very slowly. I'm thinking there must be something I don't understand and am doing wrong. It seems like a shredder on a 30 hp tractor should handle leaves without getting all choked up. It only seems to shred material that is dry and brittle. If that is the case it is truely a limitation. So what can I do differently to make this thing shred stuff ?

Thanks
gg

 

[zzvyb6]

My TroyBilt does the same thing with vines. I add a few 1" or so sticks to the mix in order to clear its throat. Makes some big noises, but the job gets done. Keep them in the center of the drum otherwise they wind up around the end bearings

 

[puckgrinder85]

I was going to recommend the same thing, shove sticks in along with the leaves to get some **** flying around in there to break it all up. Have you checked your knives and anvil and the anvil to knives clearance at all recently?

 

[gwdixon]

I have that same chipper and have experienced what you describe. Green corn stalks come out like blended frogs.

The only thing that seems to work is to feed the stuff through the chipping port. That will chop it into reasonable size pieces - leaves, too.

The shredding port seems to work best on dry twigs. Oh, and don't try to send freshly removed tomato plants through it either. Anything wet or flexible will wind around the shaft in an instant.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Never thought to use the chipping port. I have used the stick method to get some stuff beating around in there to uncake things but the wife doesn't want wood in her garden mulch - I don't argue - she's the gardener

 

[RalphVa]

I keep some dry limbs around to run through after or with green stuff. Some stuff, like corn or okra stalks, just have to lay and dry for a couple months.

Ralph

 

[Craig Clayton]

I have a 5" chipper shredder and I removed the flap door on the discharge,( not OSHA approved) the shredder screen is still in place. This lets it throw out more wood, I do not walk around that side when chipping. The shredder plate is about a 1' hole . On the smaller machines you can change the plates to get a finer blend. If you were to change the hole size you might be able to put through the green mess.
I have lost count on the number of pusher sticks that have went through the chipper.
Craig Clayton