Landscape Equipment - Chippers
About Chippers
Introduction
Chippers are portable machines used to dispose of wood products such as tree trimming remains usually gathered from tree damage after storms or just routine landscape work. Such wooden pieces are fed into a chute where rotating blades grind the wood reducing them to mulch. Any home or garden can benefit from chippers for they help clean up your landscape and can provide material for your compost bin. How Chippers Work
The most popular wood chippers are of the “Flywheel” principle where conventional flat blades are used. There are usually between 2 and 4 high speed rotating blades chopping up the branches inserted through the chipper’s chute.
The more blades the chipper has and the sharper they are, the more efficient the chipping process. The chute size tells you what size material the chipper can handle. Typically, the output is wood chips which exit through a chute either onto the ground or an attached container.
This now leads us to the 2 different types of chippers. The direct drive chipper is the simple and less expensive type in which the blades keep moving so long as the motor is switched on. The other chipper models have a clutch to stop the blades from rotating when not being used and allows the motor to gear down when heavy materials slow the chipper down.
Buying a Chipper
It’s always important to first think about how you plan to use your chipper. Some chippers are small and gas powered suitable for small yards with a small work load, while the larger ones have an electric start button and wheels perfect for a larger yard with a higher number of trees to maintain.
The 4 most important things to look at when choosing your chipper are the following:
- Engine horsepower: Normal range is between 1 and 10 depending if it’s electric or gas powered
- Number of chipper blades: the more blades the chipper contains, the higher the effectiveness
- Shredder RPM's (revolutions per minute): the higher the RPM, the more efficiency you get
- Reduction ratio: for example 12:1 means that 12 bags of yard waste can be reduced to one bag of processed material
Safety
Employers, workers, and others who use wood chippers can prevent their risk of injury through personal protective equipment, machine maintenance and worker training. The primary risks associated with using chippers include being caught in the rotating blades or being hit by flying objects kicked back by the chipper blades.
Since there are differences among chipper machines, the manufacturer's operating manual should be read before you get working. Here are a few general safety tips:
- Protective equipment should be worn i.e. helmet, full face shield and eyewear, hearing protection, close-fitting clothing, non-slip footwear and gloves
- Chippers should be inspected every time before starting up to check for defects such as missing or broken hood latches, pins, or hinges. All damages should be repaired before you use the chipper
- Become familiar with chipper safety devices and controls
- The hood covering the chipper blades should be completely closed and latched according to manufacturer's advice before starting the machine
- Lay short material on top of longer material that is feeding or use a longer branch to push the shorter material through the chute
- And finally, make sure someone else is close by when using the chipper
