Can you use a wood chipper in the rain?
Yes, you can use a wood chipper in the rain. It won’t be as efficient as chipping in a dry environment as the standard home chipper struggles to chip wet wood. The chips won’t come out as evenly. However, a large wood chipper won’t have a problem chipping in the rain.
For a more detailed answer, keep reading.
Is it easier to shred wood wet or dry?
Shredding woods is not as hard as it might seem, and the frequently asked question in the context is usually; what would be an easier way to shred the woods, i.e., wet wood or dry.
Well, here is my take on it; firstly, an ideal way of getting things done is to convert them into a state where it could work smoothly, without any hiccups.
So, it is preferable to use a chipper for dry woods if you want the smooth and long-term functioning of your chipper. It becomes difficult for the poor chipper to cut those wet branches.
Secondly, after using a chipper on wet woods, the chipper’s blade might get rusty because of its exposure to the wet object. And, thus, the blade might not function well because of the rust.
Most importantly, the wood chippers with electric motors might get troublesome for you due to the woods’ wet nature. All be it giving it the margin of error, it’s still advisable to keep the chipper away from the wet objects so that the rust and the electric current would not affect its machinery.
Moreover, if you’re short on time to clean all your garden but have to cut many branches, it’s always easier and quicker to shred dry woods with little amount of moisture.
A wood chipper is usually not recommended for the wet woods, as woods become denser after absorbing moisture. Thereby, for wet woods, you would need a big chipper.
I left my chipper out in the rain should I still use it?
Undoubtedly, the best chipping would be done when there is a little amount of moisture and the weather is cool. Green plants possess natural moisture aiding in good chipping in less time.
Metals undergo rusting if they are exposed to a moist environment. To avoid corrosion issues, it is advised to keep your chipper dry. If moisture remains within the parts of the machine, it would disturb the efficiency of the gadget and destroy its parts that will no longer serve your needs next time.
With the advancement in technology, many new wood chippers are designed to not affect their functioning even if kept under wet conditions. This helps the chipper carry out its function efficiently.
So, if a wood chipper is accidentally left in rain, the immediate need is to remove its moisture properly so any possible glitch and loophole could be avoided. But, if left unchecked and water resides in its parts, it would not only reduce the efficiency of your work but could also result in the loss of the machine.
Should I be worried about my blades when chipping wet wood?
If you are worried about your blades, then, in a nutshell, you should be. Blades plays a very significant role in the wood chipper. Sharpen the blade, the better the shape of chips you’ll get. The points mentioned below would be helpful for you:
The blade is usually affected by the types of woods, e.g. the wood of trees like Bamboo, which is dense, might affect the working of the blade. To tackle these kinds of wood, a special type of blade is designed.
The blade can chop the leaves but not all leaves, of course. For instance, palm trees’ leaves could distort the smooth functioning of blades and hence, causing a disturbance in overall machine functioning.
The shape of leaves matters a lot, as the leaves with fine ends have a high risk of getting entangled with the wood chippers.
If something accidentally gets into the chipper like a golf ball immediately stops the machine from functioning. The items made up of dense material can destroy the blades within no time.
While chipping the woods, keep the points above in mind to prevent a bigger mess in the future.