One of the most important steps between the harvest and sale of many plants and medicinal herbs is “bucking” or de-budding & de-stemming. Bucking & destemming involves removing the flowers and leaves from a stalk, either manually by hand or with a specialized machine called a “bucker” engineered just for this purpose. Some farmers will process untrimmed stalks for use in fabrics and other textiles or for building materials while others may use their bucked plant material (typically leaves without flower) to produce extracts or concentrates. In the past farmers and growers would hire a human “bucker” who is experienced in how to effectively and efficiently remove the desired plant material from the stems during harvesting. But now we have the advantage of carefully engineered machines that are faster, more cost effective, and in some cases do a better job than hand bucking.

It’s unlikely that small home grows and personal indoor gardens would want to spend the money on a huge bucker since they often cost thousands of dollars, but for larger commercial grow operations, they’re a necessity. De-stemming speeds vary by the machine, with most standard, run-of-the-mill buckers processing tens to hundreds of pounds an hour. Using a bucking machine can provide the gardener or farmer with clear benefits over hand bucking. The most obvious benefit is increased efficiency. Hand bucking is slower and costs more than using a bucking machine, which reduces the number of paid workers and minimizes human error that comes with fatigue and inattentiveness while doing this detail-oriented work.

The increased efficiency that comes with using a destemming machine means a grower can dramatically improve their efficiency resulting in more revenue. Many buckers can process between 150 to 500 lbs per hour, but top of the line commercial machines such as the VZ-TEC Easy Bucker VZ1000 dry debudder & bucking machine can process up to 1000 lbs per hour! Although there is an initial investment in the machine and training, most estimates indicate this cost can be recovered in as little as 3 harvests through savings on salaries and human error.

As growers all over the world look for the most efficient, fastest, and effective way to remove flowers from the stem companies like VZ-TEC have come along to meet their needs. Like trimming, bucking by hand is tedious and labor-intensive work that, until recently, was done almost entirely by hand. But now, companies such as VZ-TEC are offering commercial-scale options to get the job done more effectively and cost efficiently when you have a lot of plant material to buck.

VZ-TEC started on a small farm in Montana. Their plants thrived and the grow was as successful as they could have imagined, but they soon realized that harvesting and destemming their crop for use in the industry would not be as easy as they hoped - processing their high-quality crop into a high-quality, industry-ready product proved to be frustratingly labor intensive. VZ-TEC networked with several farmers around the nation who were also struggling with this same problem.

The founders at VZ-TEC saw this problem and their 25 years of experience in the industry as a unique opportunity to provide large-scale growers and farmers with a practical and cost-effective solution – the Easy Bucker VZ line of buckers. Their experience in a variety of relevant fields including design, product development, quality control, engineering, fabrication, farming, construction, manufacturing, and supply chain management means this industry is in their DNA as engineers and growers.

To create the Easy Bucker VZ line of buckers, the experts at VZ-TEC worked with farmers, growers, and processors to refine the design and functionality of this powerful bucking machine, that combines plant defoliation with high-speed bucking for a line of bucking machines with unmatched effectiveness and reliability.

VZ-TEC Easy Buckers and Debudders are the most reliable bucker/debudders on the market. These machines save time and energy by destemming, bucking, and debudding in a single process. VZ-TEC Easy Buckers are designed to work with all sizes of plant material from small flowers to large branches or stalks. This means that you can process up to 1000 pounds per hour without sacrificing quality or consistency. Unlike other bucker/debudders on the market, these machines have been specifically engineered for commercial growers who need an efficient system for processing high volumes of plant material quickly while controlling waste volume at the same time. No other bucker destemmer on the market comes close to matching this level of performance and when you add in all the incredible features like reliability, durability, and ease of use it is no wonder that the VZ-TEC Easy Bucker line has become the choice for commercial and large-scale growers who want reliable efficiency as well as high-quality.

Let’s start with the one, the only, the big bucking beast – the Easy Bucker VZ1000.

VZ-TEC claims that the Easy Bucker VZ1000 is the fastest dry-bucking machine on the market, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. This monster machine has a powder-coated steel base and 2 single-horsepower Baldor motors with a variable speed Optidrive that can process over 1000 lbs/hour of plant material into processor ready product – yes, you read that right, 1000 lbs per hour. The VZ1000 is capable of processing industrial grade product with a 16% moisture content, but you’ll get the best results from plant material that’s closer to 12% at processing time.

The Easy Bucker VZ1000 allows for height adjustment up to 80 inches tall or 90 degrees angled while locking in place so that no adjustments are needed midprocess. This guarantees ease of use during operation with different sized operations by adjusting the bucker’s capabilities according to your needs at that time, without having to worry about needing another piece of equipment.

The Easy Bucker comes with 8 removable food-grade brushes, approved by the FDA. These gentle brushes are adjustable using the variable frequency drive (VFD) so the Easy Bucker is a great choice for processing your crop into the right consistency for making concentrations or extractions. This patented brush technology is different from other machine’s brush or stripping methods that can clog, create unwanted buildup, or need frequent replacement. The VZ1000’s brushes fingers are designed to brush the plant with a motion that doesn’t grind the plant down and build up as quickly on the brushes so you can keep processing more material longer.

In spite of its massive capacity and speed, the VZ1000 is designed so it can be operated by 1 – 4 people, so you will see increased productivity from fewer workers without added strain. Optimize your workflow to the volume you need – minimizing the number of workers needed.

The variable speed feature gives you the option of slowing down or speeding up your workflow to match your needs at the time because VZ-TEC knows each harvest brings different needs and different challenges – the VZ1000 puts you in control, which is perfect when you’re working on tight deadlines.

You can buy the machine as a stand-alone unit, but we love that they offer a Deluxe Package that comes complete with a worktable platform and a 12 ft. x 2 ft. conveyor. With this setup, the destemmed plant material falls right on to the conveyor where it is carried to the next processing point at up to 90' per minute for serious productivity.

• Quick & Easy Brush and Shaft Replacement - The VZ1000’s patented brushes have been engineered so that they are super quick and easy to change out to further minimize downtime during the crunch of processing. The rugged, polyurethane-fingered brushes are FDA food grade approved.

• Innovative Pivoting System - With its smooth pivoting system, the VZ1000 can pivot up to 90 degrees in 4 positions for the most versatility and adaptability of any comparable machine.

• Variable Speed - The Easy Bucker VZ1000 features a 300-1800 RPM OptiDrive Variable Frequency Drive that enables whoever’s operating the machine to control the rotation speed of the shaft so they can regulate production speed and maintain control of the quality of the product as moisture content fluctuates.

• Emergency Stop Buttons: In case of emergency, power buttons are located on both sides of the machine. Use the VFD for powering up and down easily.

• Vacuum Recovery Port: An optional, but recommended vacuum recovery system can be added to perfectly fit your VZ1000.

• Mounting Plates: The VZ1000’s mounting plates include several different angles so you can set the machine at the pitch you need for the production line to match the needs of your operators.

If the VZ1000 is just a bit too much busker for your needs, take a look at the VZ500. Like it’s big brother the VZ1000, the VZ500 is a bucking beast that can process an incredible 500 lbs of plant material an hour, making it the second fastest dry bucker you can buy right behind the VZ1000.

The VZ500 is not only fast but is also extremely efficient. Its powder coated steel base is designed to offer adjustable heights and locking tilt up to 90 degrees so you can position this unit to suit whatever your current space, operator preferences, or production needs you may have.

Not only does the heavy duty base offer useful adjustments, but it holds two single horsepower Baldor motors on a variable speed Optidrive that can be adjusted to a height of 68” with locking tilt up to 90 degrees to match whatever your next harvest throws at you.

The VZ500 Easy Bucker comes with 4 FDA approved removable food-grade brushes that, like the VZ1000, can be adjusted with the variable frequency drive (VFD) to produce product at whatever consistency is perfect for your applications, such as extractions or concentrates.

With the Easy Bucker VZ500 you get all the best features of the VZ1000 in a more compact package for less intense harvest applications. Familiar features such as:

VZ-TEC Easy Buckers are the perfect solution to your harvest processing needs. These incredibly powerful and fast machines can be used in commercial grow operations as well as large personal gardens. They are easy to use with minimal training required.

With the VZ-TEC Easy Buckers you’ll have everything you need for every step of your production process! You’ll save time on labor costs by using one machine that does the work of three. These buckers are built to be sturdy, durable, and simple to use. Check out the VZ500 and the VZ1000 here or call for help with any questions you may have about these high-quality machines.