Convert electric garden shredder to petrol?

[MysterG]

I have a years old, works well electric garden shredder of this type.

Motor underneath, direct drive I assume, not taken it apart.
It lives at the bottom of our (much longer now) garden where all the work gets done and I have to run a 40m extension lead down there every time I want to use it.
Petrol shredders seem to start at around a few hundred quid.
Could I convert this one to use a petrol engine, (used petrol mowers are far more common than used petrol shredders) or is it likely to be too much work to be practical (or safe)?

 

[James1979]

I think the main problem is going to be your output shaft will be vertically above your engine.

For what its worth, if you dont use it much, I would get a cheap genny. You could get a tiny one from B&Q or Lidl for about a hundred quid, when I saw them. Far cheaper and easier than a conversion. Also you wont get in to all the engineering issues to make a petrol engine fit that.

'Proper' ones have a stress controller on the feed to stop it choking and stalling the engine. The older Entec were gravity fed, much the same as yours but the engine was on the side (if I remember, been a while since I worked on one) and ran a flywheel which housed blades which you just dropped material into and it sort of self regulated. Fair few more RPM than an electric one I would think.

In your shoes, I would either:
Buy a generator and use yours as is
Build a petrol one from scratch. Gravity fed ones are pretty basic beasts.
Buy a used petrol one and sell yours. You may get lucky and get one with a knackered engine or something and it'll be nice and cheap.

 

[Gareth J]

Run a length of SWA down there?

 

[MysterG]

I think the main problem is going to be your output shaft will be vertically above your engine.

For what its worth, if you dont use it much, I would get a cheap genny. You could get a tiny one from B&Q or Lidl for about a hundred quid, when I saw them. Far cheaper and easier than a conversion. Also you wont get in to all the engineering issues to make a petrol engine fit that.

'Proper' ones have a stress controller on the feed to stop it choking and stalling the engine. The older Entec were gravity fed, much the same as yours but the engine was on the side (if I remember, been a while since I worked on one) and ran a flywheel which housed blades which you just dropped material into and it sort of self regulated. Fair few more RPM than an electric one I would think.

In your shoes, I would either:
Buy a generator and use yours as is
Build a petrol one from scratch. Gravity fed ones are pretty basic beasts.
Buy a used petrol one and sell yours. You may get lucky and get one with a knackered engine or something and it'll be nice and cheap.

A generator never even occurred to me

 

[James1979]

Although I’m on the side of the SWA now it’s been mentioned. You could use it for other things also.

 

[gaz1]

if you did use a petrol one you would neeed a side output shaft and then cogs and bars to make it upright

you find those on cultivators

 

[PhillipM]

I think I'd either swap/sell it for a petrol one or convert it to run on battery power tbh.

 

[MysterG]

I was planning at some point installing some solar panels on a shed down there for power to MrsGs garden office (yet to be built).
Are batteries and an inverter ever going to provide enough juice to run something like this? I wouldn't have thought so but know nothing about that stuff.

 

[MCKDAVID]

technically not that difficult, in concept. Source a mower engine, with vertical shaft, better yet a lawn tractor engine as they already have a vee pulley fitted. Calculate pulley ratios to match the engine to motor speed. Typically a single cylinder mower engine is around 3000 rpm. Fabricate a engine mount with slotted holes for belt tensioning, Rig up a pulley on the existing cutter shaft, (taperlock type pulleys are easily available). Fit belts, probably best with twin set up for the load when it bogs down with decent branches. Then arrange guards etc to make it safe....

technically feasible, but is it worth the hassle? probably not. I'm with the generator option, that will be more flexible than motorising that one, especially if you have other electric tools. Cables are the alternative, but depending on installation, trenches, etc, or overhead, creates their own issue...

 

[gaz1]

look if you use a culivator motor and use an upward facing mower blade same thing really

 

[zx9]

We had an identical Alko shredder which was just about ok but I would not have spent any time or money modifying it, too noisy, not enough capacity and always needed the blades sharpening.
I replaced ours with one that has a spiral flute cutter almost like a large hollow milling cutter, it is very quite and copes with much thicker material but gets clogged by feeding it too much green material. As it is still electric this will not help you sorry.
As above, I would go with having a proper outdoors socket installed at that end of your garden.

 

[James1979]

look if you use a culivator motor and use an upward facing mower blade same thing really

Thats more of a new build than making the OPs one run off a petrol engine? The only way I can see to do what he is asking is as @MCKDAVID suggests and make an arrangement to take the power from the bottom of the engine and move it across and then up to drive the electric one.

I dont think that's feasible so finding a better power source may work a bit better than adapting what he has

 

[Gareth J]

I was planning at some point installing some solar panels on a shed down there for power to MrsGs garden office (yet to be built).
Are batteries and an inverter ever going to provide enough juice to run something like this? I wouldn't have thought so but know nothing about that stuff.

If you did run the SWA, if it were sized appropriately, you could put panels on the shed and grid tie them. That way the shed would have power and if the sun was shining but no power requirements in the shed, the house could use the juice.

Be a lot lot cheaper than batteries

 

[MysterG]

Thanks for all the replies.
I quite like the idea of the challenge of making something I guess, that and not liking to get rid of stuff.

@gaz1 That first video I was wincing, waiting for him to shove his push stick in too far

@zx9 Our does not get used for much other than thinner waste so it's not greatly stressed. Really want to be able to shred stuff up before chucking on the compost heap, but too much of a faff to get the extension lead out.
You're right though, very noisy.

Food for thought anyway. Cheers.

 

[MysterG]

If you did run the SWA, if it were sized appropriately, you could put panels on the shed and grid tie them. That way the shed would have power and if the sun was shining but no power requirements in the shed, the house could use the juice.

Be a lot lot cheaper than batteries

What sort of cost are we talking? I have no clue regarding solar, but quite fancy it. Was also thinking of some panels on the garage (other end of the garden) for powering some lights, car trickle charger etc.. I do have power to the garage, but I just fancy a bit of solar just to learn something new if nothing else.

 

[Gareth J]

Cost depends on lots of things. Size being the obvious one.

Plug In Solar - Your DIY Solar Solution

Plug In Solar - Your DIY Solar Energy Solution

www.pluginsolar.co.uk

Will give you a idea but there are cheaper options if you buy the components separately. Even second hand panels/inverter if you can source them.

 

[MysterG]

Cost depends on lots of things. Size being the obvious one.

Plug In Solar - Your DIY Solar Solution

Plug In Solar - Your DIY Solar Energy Solution

www.pluginsolar.co.uk

Will give you a idea but there are cheaper options if you buy the components separately. Even second hand panels/inverter if you can source them.

I will take a look. Not come across plug in solar before.
Thanks.

 

[Gareth J]

I will take a look. Not come across plug in solar before.
Thanks.

I have nothing to do with them but have used them. As I say, you can buy cheaper if not in the "kit" form. Happy with the results; they've been pumping out the last few weeks.