Bosch garden shredder

[bill.shitner]

My Bosch garden shredder is 2.5 years old (6 months out of guarantee),very little use and it's packed in. It's one of the spinning, bladed wheel jobs.

The "on" switch is connected to a safety switch that allows the unit to operate only when the feed tray is fitted. The screw-in knob that holds the feed tray depresses the safety switch, but you can poke it and hold it in with a screwdriver, for testing purposes.

So, the machine starts and the cutting wheel spins when it's turned on, but only for about 2 seconds, then it shuts down. It does this with the feed tray fitted and also if I hold down the safety switch with a screwdriver. If the safety switch is not pressed (i.e. no feed tray or screwdriver), then it doesn't start at all.

Any ideas/previous encounters of the same problem, before I pull it all apart?

Thanks

Bill.

[Bob Eager]

Go to the spare parts part of the Bosch garden tools site. Find your shredder and you'll get an exploded diagram, which is usually quite useful.

[tabbypurr]

I always find that when I explode appliances the bits are never in the same places as the diagrams.

[newshound]

Am I right in thinking they have a thermal trip? Could this be faulty?

On mine, if you don't turn the on switch fully it sometimes does not latch, so it runs for a couple of seconds and then turns off. The shredded debris gets everywhere, might it have got inside the switch (or in the way of the knob?)

[Chris Hogg]

Can't help with the problem but if you get to the stage of pulling it apart, be sure to take plenty of pictures as you go. When I took my Bosch shredder apart several years ago now (helical cutting screw type), the pictures were invaluable when it came to re-assembling.

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

You mean when you pull the things to bits all the components sink to the bench or floor?

You really need to be in orbit to stand even the slightest chance of matching up with the diagram :-)

AB

[John Rumm]

Also Miles Tool & Machinery Centre are quite good for Bosch spares... I managed to get a new helix for my AXT2000HP... (before it drove me to distraction some years later and got lobbed in a skip!)

[Brian Gaff]

From the sounds of it if its a brushed motor it sounds to me like they are either knackered or there is some kind of short witch trips an internal protection.

I think I'd try talking to the company first as clearly these things should last significantly longer assuming no abuse in use of course. Mind you maybe one of your neighbours has sabotaged it to try to get some peace on Sunday afternoons ! Brian

[Chris Hogg]

Bosch shredders are pretty quiet relative to some makes. They rely on low speeds and cutting actions, rather than the screaming high-speed impact disintegration of some other makes, that only really work on soft green garden waste that doesn't really need shredding anyway: just put it straight on the compost heap.

[tabbypurr]

No, I tend to find them stuck in the walls.

Ah. I know exactly who to give it to then.

NT

[harry]

Loose electrical connection on the switch? Or brushes (assuming its a brush type motor)

[John Rumm]

I think all the Bosch "quiet" shredders have induction motors.

[bill.shitner]

By way of an update, the shredder is now operational again.

The model is an ATX 2200 rapid. I took off the back cover, for access to the switches and I also removed the motor, from the front. There was nothing obviously wrong on exam by eye. After a bit of poking around, including poking the motor brushes and spring mechanism, I tested the unit again and bingo- normal operation.

So, no satisfaction in terms of identifying and fixing a specific fault, but the end result is good. My best guess is that one or other of the motor brushes had become sticky and was making minimal contact. Next most probable cause is one of the switches that I removed and fiddled with for a while, before re-fitting.

Bill.

[John Rumm]

Ah, ok slightly different beast, the "rapid" are more your conventional shredders than the "quiet" ones. So brushes to worry about, but no starting / run caps.

Could just be a bit of crud in a switch... I had a vacuum cleaner switch do that (admittedly after many hours of use for collecting dust from a router!)