Should I buy a Shredder with a Basket or a Blower?

A common question is ‘Do I want a green waste shredder with a basket collection or a blow chute?

Eliet are the market leaders when it comes to shredding and with the various options available they are able to provide a machine for every operator no matter the requirement regarding type and size of material.

The Basket or Drop Shredder

The Basket or Drop shredder chops the material and drops it either into a bag or onto the floor. These types of shredders have a really good feature that you change the grate inside the machine. The operator can have a standard grate for all wood and most green waste. There is also a special ‘green waste grate’ available which is specially designed with larger holes that enable wetter material to drop through quicker which reduces the chances of blocking. This is fantastic for wetter leaves, vegetable patches, allotments and heavy water content plants. And it’s incredibly easy and quick to fit with the grate fitted in under a minute without the need for spanners or tools.

Shredder with a Blower

The Shredder with a blow chute (blower) is a fantastic feature for discerning gardeners and professionals alike. This machine has a blower on the side which draws the shredded material across the blades chopping the material into smaller pieces. These machines tend to have larger apertures (larger material entrance) and shredding chambers and so less initial work to cut or limb off the material has to be done speeding up the process.

The Blowers main advantage is that the operator can blow the material into a large bag, trailer, van or on the compost heap and so the operator is not double handling the waste. The drawback with the blower is if the material has a large water content (for example vegetable patches /allotments) then sometimes the material can turn into a mush and block the blower. There is not a ‘green waste grate’ option if you have a blower until you reach the 18hp range such as the Eliet Super Prof.

The Super Prof and Mega Prof ranges have been designed by professionals for professionals and they begin at 18hp and go all the way up to 35hp with a diesel option. These machines have a different grate option and a blower so you have the best of both worlds.

Conclusion

The primary consideration when choosing between a basket or a blower is that the operator must decide what material they are mainly processing. If heavy water content material will predominantly be going through it, then choose the drop/basket option with a green waste grate. If the material is more hedge cuttings, brambles, vines, leaves, bamboo, or woody material for example, then the blower will give you more advantages and options throughout the entire range.

View the full range of Shredders HERE

Read more on the PSD Blog:

Should I buy a Shredder or Chipper and what is the difference?

Which Scarifier Blade set-up should you choose and why