Chipper OK to run green vine-like material down shredder?

[OregonCraig]

Greetings all,

So I have a Wallenstein BXM42 chipper/shredder, and I've been using it for, among other things, shredding vine-like material, like wild blackberry. In the past, I've always pulled or cut the blackberry and set it aside in piles to dry out before shredding.

I would rather not have to wait for the vines to dry out, but don't know if green, vine-like material would be a problem for the shredder. Would it cause clogging or would the vines get wrapped around without getting shredded?

The operator's manual does not address this particular issue.

Thanks...

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

Mine doesn't shred...chipper only, and if fed branches with lots of leaves or spruce or pine green branches, the chute has a tendency to plug.
Try it...you'll see what yours can handle

 

[OregonCraig]

Mine doesn't shred...chipper only, and if fed branches with lots of leaves or spruce or pine green branches, the chute has a tendency to plug.
Try it...you'll see what yours can handle

Thanks for the reply...I have read on this forum of many people who have clogged their chippers with green, leafy material. The shredder is supposed to be able to handle that stuff better, which is true in my case. I have no problem problem running small cedar or fir branches through the shredder, but they're woody and not vine-like...

 

[gwdixon]

I can't say I've shredded blackberry or used your particular model so take this post with that in mind.

Green corn stalks wrap around the shredding shaft on my Bearcat. Trying the alternative chipper feed makes the corn into green goo like a frog in a blender. Now I just let it dry out and burn it.

Green tomato plants (vine) wrap around the shaft as do green zucchini plants. Terrible.

The machine has to be partially disassembled to clean up the mess.

My advice is to run just a little bit through the shredder and evaluate what happens. These kind of things tend to snowball and end up more of a mess than imagined.

Dry vines must act like twigs and appropriately break into bits when impacted by the hammers on your machine.

 

[Ron50]

I have a BX62S and it seems to handle God's curse to western Oregon, blackberries, very well. I've run them dry and fresh cut. The dry ones seem to cut your skin more than the green ones in my experience. Save a few pieces of wood to chip every so often to keep things clean.

 

[oosik]

My Lord - its been a while since I've seen "frog in a blender". Reminds me of avocado dip. Dry of anything - leaves, needles, vines etc generally tend to chip/shred better than green. Green tends to wrap up, congregate & plug. However, every once in a blue moon I get to fall and chip birch trees. Chipping those green is just like chipping large stalks of hard butter.

 

[jrclark]

However, every once in a blue moon I get to fall and chip birch trees. Chipping those green is just like chipping large stalks of hard butter.

Birch in green form seems to give me the most fits.

Oregon Craig, I'm using the BX42, which is just the chipper. It will chip most things I shove in it, but will clog on some green stuff if too much gets shoved in the chute. Mixing with dry hardwoods gets the best results, though it can be a painfully slow process. I would never run a vine through my chipper, at least the mature, gigantic stuff we have around us in SE Pa.

You have the BXM42, which should handle shredding the stuff that doesn't chip. Best way to find out is to give it the ole college try. You may want to start small with the vines, though. You're not going to hurt anything by trying. Cleaning them out is relatively simple.

 

[OregonCraig]

...Green tomato plants (vine) wrap around the shaft as do green zucchini plants. Terrible.

The machine has to be partially disassembled to clean up the mess.

That's what I was afraid of...I'd rather just wait until they dry out...

My advice is to run just a little bit through the shredder and evaluate what happens. These kind of things tend to snowball and end up more of a mess than imagined.

...but it is tempting to try a little to see what happens.

Dry vines must act like twigs and appropriately break into bits when impacted by the hammers on your machine.

No question, once dried, the shredder just destroys them. Handles all the small green branches as well.

I have a BX62S and it seems to handle God's curse to western Oregon, blackberries, very well. I've run them dry and fresh cut. The dry ones seem to cut your skin more than the green ones in my experience. Save a few pieces of wood to chip every so often to keep things clean.

Blackberries are definitely easier to handle when green and a little flexible. That's another reason I'd like to be able to chip or shred them while green. Never thought of just running them through the chipper. Always assumed it would clog...may have to try it...

...Dry of anything - leaves, needles, vines etc generally tend to chip/shred better than green. Green tends to wrap up, congregate & plug.

Thanks, and I agree...dry has to be better...I just get impatient.

 

[RalphVa]

You can run green material in a shredder, but you'll need to have some dry limbs or at least some very dry leaves around to run through to clear it out. Dry limbs work the best.

Ralph

 

[OregonCraig]

Birch in green form seems to give me the most fits.

Oregon Craig, I'm using the BX42, which is just the chipper. It will chip most things I shove in it, but will clog on some green stuff if too much gets shoved in the chute. Mixing with dry hardwoods gets the best results, though it can be a painfully slow process. I would never run a vine through my chipper, at least the mature, gigantic stuff we have around us in SE Pa.

You have the BXM42, which should handle shredding the stuff that doesn't chip. Best way to find out is to give it the ole college try. You may want to start small with the vines, though. You're not going to hurt anything by trying. Cleaning them out is relatively simple.

Thanks for the reply...I think you're right, I'll just have to start small and try it. My impatience and curiosity will most likely win over my laziness and reluctance to have to clean out a clog.:laughing: