DR Power 18 HP (June 2004 - Present) - Manual (Page 18)

• When chipping branches, sometimes a tail will be left at the end of a branch. To avoid
this, rotate the branch as it is fed into the chute.
• Rotating the branch as you feed it into the machine will improve chipping performance.
• An optional screen is available for greater reduction of the material being processed
through the shredder hopper.
USING THE SHREDDER HOPPER
• The shredder hopper is located on the top of the unit and is the opening into which all materials to be shredded
should be fed. Most organic materials can be shredded. A flex guard, or blowback shield is secured to the
hopper. Material must be pushed past this flap using a wooden stick in order to enter the main shredding
chamber where revolving steel hammers do the shredding. The blowback shield is an important feature. It
prevents kickback of materials! Do not use your machine unless the blowback shield is securely
fastened in place.
• Due to the wide variety of materials that can be shredded, and their very different physical characteristics, only
feed limited quantities of any material into the hopper at first. The amount and length of material can be
increased if you find that the material is being processed without any difficulty. Your judgment and operator
experience is very important. Be sure not to overload the machine by feeding too much material into the
hopper at one time. If you hear the RPM’s decreasing, stop feeding material into the machine at once. Do not
resume feeding the machine until it has returned to full speed.
• The maximum diameter of material that can be shredded is 1 ½”. Any larger material should be fed through the
chipper-hopper. Material larger than 1 ½” can cause serious damage to any of the internal parts of the
shredding chamber. The unit should be inspected after every use for bent hammers, missing spacers, damage
to the screen or any other obvious problems. If damage occurs, the rotor assembly can become unbalanced
causing excessive vibration. If used in this state, damage can occur. Do not use the machine if vibration is
present. Vibration is generally a warning sign of trouble.
• Several small branches can be fed into the shredder-hopper at once providing their combined diameter is less
than 1 ½”. Branches longer than three feet should be cut to make them more manageable. Green materials
should be allowed to dry, or processed in small batches with dry materials to avoid winding around the rotor
assembly.
• Wet materials will clog the machine easily. They are best processed with the optional bar screen.
MATERIALS BEST SUITED FOR SHREDDING
•
Leaves
• Roots
• Grass clippings
• Straw
• Hay
• Small branches
• Flowers
• Soil
• Garden debris
• Hedge clippings
• Kitchen Waste
• Manure
• Corn Stalks
• Palm frond tops
• Potato vines
• Tomato vines
• Paper
NOTE - The hammers within the shredding chamber can tug suddenly at material being
fed into the shredder-hopper. Do not hold on tightly to branches and vines, and don’t
feed material straight down into the hopper with your arm pointing downward toward the
opening. Instead, keep your arms parallel to the ground and several inches above the
top edge of the hopper.
18