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I purchased this Ryobi electric shredder 2nd hand, and it's not working as it should. The model number is RSH2445T. Apparently they are very good shredders, but mine is not cutting right through the material that goes into it.
I'm looking for help on how to proceed with getting it repaired.
A photo of the inside of the shredder is below. The piece of thick aluminium levered up to where the blades spin is the adjustment plate. The plate should be adjusted to just touch the blades, at which point a small amount of aluminium should be shaved off and the shredder should operate beautifully from that point on. The green knob partially shown on the left side of the photo is used to push the adjustment plate in further. Once adjusted, the knob gets locked into place with a locking knob. The issue in this case is that the adjustment plate cannot be pushed any further in, as the knob is at the end of its position. If the adjustment plate was wearing thin, I'd expect it to need replacing, but it's barely been worn down, so I doubt that's the problem. Instead, I'm wondering if something has perhaps broken off the end of the bolt that pushes against the adjustment plate. The end of the bolt has a hole in it with some wire through it, and that looks like it might have been messed with or damaged.
If anyone has a similar shredder, perhaps it could help to look at how the adjustment bolt works, whether there is a part missing, etc. Ultimately, if the bolt was perhaps 10mm longer, I wouldn't have a problem, so there may be other ways to achieve something like that. Thanks in advance for any help!
Hi @Awkwajena
I'm sorry to hear you could not get the part from Ryobi. I hope you find the parts you need to repair your shredder.
Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your shredder fixed.
Eric
@Awkwajena thanks for sharing the link. I'd definitely be interested to know if you receive the part, and if it's the correct one. Their business looks legit to me as they show up on Google Maps from streetview. I tried calling them, and they said they have an agreement with Ryobi that prevents them from shipping internationally, so I won't be able to order it directly. I have at least one friend in Australia who might be able to help me though, so that may be my next step I think.
@MikeTNZ I think you're response was meant to be directed to me, rather than @Awkwajena, as it was me that posted the photos.
If you're suggesting there is some play in the main shaft, then I don't think that's the case, and I don't think there's any issue with wear on that part. The end of the shaft is probably supported by hole in the panel (probably not the technically correct name) that I removed in order to access the inside of the machine (not pictured).
My diagnosis:
I have some more photos of my adjustment plate to share, which may be of use to any others looking at this problem. This model of shredder is designed so that a small adjustment to the adjustment plate will cause the blade to shave a little of the plate (as the plate is softer than the blades) and subsequently provide a very fine tolerance between the blades and plate. I believe the previous owner of my 2nd hand machine over-adjusted the adjustment plate, protruding it too far, and causing the blades to catch on the adjustment plate (rather than shaving a little from the surface). The result of this is that the part of the plate next to its steel shaft split and bent, as well as the part by the protruded bit that sits against the adjustment bolt, and the steel shaft that runs through the plate was bent a little as well.
Due to the bent adjustment plate shaft and damage around the shaft, the protruded part of the plate that sits against the adjustment bolt was no longer aligned correctly, so further use of the machine (and perhaps further poor discipline around adjustment?) caused damage to that part of the plate, eventually causing the adjustment bolt to no longer sit against the protrusion. This caused the adjustment plate to no longer be near enough to the blades to do a clean cut.
I put the adjustment plate in a steel vice to try to straighten the shaft and bend it back into shape, because at this point I don't have much to lose! I think the shaft in the plate did straighten a little, and the cracks may have closed up a little, but overall the plate is now weaker than before and a part near the shaft broke off, as per the first photo.
From here, I suppose it may be possible to custom-3D-print or custom-CNC-mill an adjustment plate, but the cost seems likely to be prohibitive. If I am unable to get a replacement part, then attempting a repair on my damaged plate maybe the easiest option, but there's a risk that if the plate breaks it will jam the steel blades and break them or some other part. Given the lack of support for the machine from Ryobi, maybe that doesn't matter much, as my machine is probably headed for landfill anyway. In the long term if I replace the machine, I'll be looking to see if alternative brands offer better support than 4yrs.
Interestingly, I had a look at some manuals of similar shredders to see what the adjustment plate design looks like. Though I found similar designs, none of them seemed to have the same technique of using a sacrificial adjustment plate that can have the surface shaved off it to give a very close tolerance for cutting. Instead, they prevented the plate from touching the blades, probably ending up with a poorer cut to the material being processed. I wonder if the sacrificial design was too prone to user error for anyone to continue producing it.
Hi @artdeco ,
I encountered the same problems as you but managed to find a readymade part that fitted and is now working.
For your benefit and future google searchers , the part is available from Edison’s and it looks like a chinese copy.
https://www.edisons.com.au/electric-mulcher-shredder-counter-blade.
Hi @Lakeman
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing that information about the Ryobi shredder.
Congratulations on finding the needle in the haystack. I suspect that it was not an easy search, but it's great that you've found a viable spare part that works. I'm sure @artdeco will appreciate the link you've provided.
If you have any projects ongoing, please don't forget to post an update. I'm sure our members would be keen to see what you're working on.
Again, thank you for sharing your knowledge about the Ryobi shredder.
Eric
