Cutting Edge

In the recycling industry, versatility is a characteristic that many companies strive to achieve. A business that can adjust its operations to meet the specific needs of a customer or the fluctuating demands of a volatile market can gain a comparative advantage, especially in today’s highly competitive business environment.

Versatility is also something to be valued in the equipment employed by a company. For recyclers, excavators and material handlers equipped with a variety of attachments are among the most versatile pieces of equipment used to cut, move and process scrap material. Acting as tool carriers, material handlers, cranes and excavators can be paired with a multitude of hydraulic attachments to meet whatever an application calls for. Although only two of the products featured on the following pages are used to cut scrap material, each of the hydraulic attachments is at the cutting edge of innovation in the realm of material handling and processing equipment.

ALLIED-GATOR MT RAIL BREAKER TOOTH SEGMENTS

Allied-Gator Inc., Youngstown, Ohio, has introduced MT Rail Breaker tooth segments for use on its MT Series Multi-Tool. According to the company, the MT Rail Breaker tooth segments bolt into the existing MT Cracker/Crusher Jaw Set in a matter of minutes.

The new tooth segments are designed to allow users the ability to handle, position and process heavy rail with an excavator-mounted attachment. The company says its Multi-Tool can accurately process rail to any desired length at an average rate of six to eight breaks per minute. The Rail Breaker tooth segments also allow operators the ability to handle, sort and position the broken rail, according to Allied-Gator.

The MT Rail Breaker tooth segments will be available initially for the MTR 50, 70 and 90 models of Allied-Gator’s Multi-Tool.

More information and a video of the MT Rail Breaker are available at www.alliedgator.com.

YOUNG ORANGE-PEEL GRAPPLES
Young Corp., Seattle, has introduced its latest four-tine and five-tine orange-peel grapples. The company says the attachments are designed to handle scrap metal, refuse, demolition debris and other loose materials.
Both models of the orange-peel grapple feature a hydraulic rotation motor equipped with a built-in relief valve for protection against pressure spikes and for ease of service. The grapples also feature high-pressure hydraulic systems (up to 5,000 psi) and steel tines designed for high strength and greater wear resistance, according to the company.

Young says its four-tine orange-peel grapple features armored hydraulic hoses; sealed pin joints that retain grease and keep dirt out; replaceable, abrasion-resistant tips; and hydraulic cylinders with heavy cylinder walls, oversized rods, heavy rod shrouds and hydraulic cushions for shock absorption.

The five-tine orange-peel grapple is designed for moving massive amounts of scrap when attached to an excavator in the 175,000-pound-or-greater weight class. The company says the five-tine grapple allows for enhanced material retention and also features a fixed, non-rotating head, well-guarded hydraulic cylinders and alloy steel tines.
More information is available at www.youngcorp.com.

GENESIS DEMOLITION RECYCLER 150
Genesis Attachments, Superior, Wis., has introduced its Genesis Demolition Recycler (GDR) 150 to accompany its GDR 200 and 300 models. The company says the attachment is designed to provide an alternative for processing concrete in demolition and recycling applications.
The GDR 150 is designed for use with machines in the 15-metric ton weight class and can be ordered in any of three available configurations: shearing, concrete cracking or concrete pulverizing. The range of configurations makes the attachment well-suited for cutting pipe, rebar or structural steel, crushing concrete or acting as a sizing screen for oversized concrete.

The company says the GDR 150 has a jaw opening of 26 inches, a jaw depth of 25 inches and delivers 85 tons of crushing force at the tip. The new attachment also features a large-bore cylinder and a regeneration valve, which Genesis says eliminates the need for an intensifier and a complex hydraulic system.

“Demolition contractors now have the ability to utilize a lighter-weight, yet more powerful processing tool on a standard or high-reach machine, which can really open the door to previously unbiddable projects,” according to Dan Raihala, design engineer for Genesis Attachments.

More information is available at www.genesisattachments.com.

ANVIL UNDERWATER GRAPPLE
Anvil Attachments, Slaughter, La., has introduced its first model in a new line of underwater attachments. The company says the equipment is designed to recover for recycling oil and natural gas drilling and production equipment that has been lost or damaged by hurricanes.

The first attachment in Anvil’s new line is the H2T-MPIUW, or hydraulic two-tine multipurpose interlocking underwater grapple. The company says it has already put its first underwater grapple into service and it is being used to recover debris and structures submerged in water at depths of up to 1, 500 feet.

To retrieve material, an unmanned submersible equipped with a camera is sent underwater prior to deploying the grapple. Once the material has been located, the underwater grapple is mounted to a crane, attached to a cable and dropped over the water. Anvil says the attachment’s position can be adjusted using the crane. Once the grapple has located the material, the attachment’s hydraulic lines allow it to return to the surface with its load.

Anvil says it developed the underwater grapple in response to a direct request from a Louisiana customer following Hurricane Katrina.

The company says it is planning to add alternative configurations of the grapple to its line and also is exploring development of underwater shears and buckets.

More information is available at www.anvilattachments.com.