Shredders and Rotobeaters

Brush shredders are similar to pasture or crop shredders but are more heavy duty. Shredders use rotating, horizontal blades attached to a vertical shaft that can be driven by the tractor’s power-take-off (PTO) or hydraulic system. The blades are enclosed in a metal frame and shroud for safety and to increase the mulching effect. Width can be 5 to 20 feet. The wide models, 15 feet or more, use three sections that flex to conform to the terrain. Some manufacturers classify their shredders according to the diameter of trees or shrubs they can cut: up to 1 inch, light duty (pasture); 2 inches, medium duty; 3 inches, heavy duty; and 4 to 6 inches, extra-heavy duty. A few models that can cut from 6- to 12-inch diameter trees are built for excavators or loaders. Flail shredders use blades attached to a long, rotating horizontal shaft.

Flail shredders used for tree masticating are called rotobeaters. Blades can be flails, swing stirrup cutters, or hammers. Tree size capabilities are similar to those for horizontal-blade shredders. All of these shredder-types can be pulled by a tractor drawbar or three-point hitch mounted on the side or front of the tractor, or they can be mounted on a boom that can reach up to trim trees or down into ditches. Tractor horsepower required to power the shredders varies from 35 to 150 or more. Self-propelled units are available with either the horizontal-blade-type or the rotobeater-type shredders and tree size can be 6 or more inches in diameter (check manufacturers’ ratings).