Scrap Handler Focus -- The Bottom Half

Recyclers looking for the right scrap handler often start by choosing the platform that is right for their operation. Whether on tracks, wheels or stationary, scrap handler platforms are not all the same.

Mike Murphy of Komatsu, Vernon Hills, Ill., says a yard’s under-foot conditions can determine which scrap hander platform to choose. If the yard is paved, then rubber wheels are often the choice. Murphy says that many more sites are paved now to prevent things like groundwater contamination. Wheels are faster and more agile, while tracks are slower on paved surfaces. However, if it is bare earth, tracks work better, he says.

Jim Lawrence of ELG, McKeesport, Pa., says he has been with companies that use both tracks and wheels. ELG uses a fleet of wheeled handlers. The trend towards wheels is something he has personally witnessed. "It is an evolutionary process because 20 to 25 years ago there were not wheeled machines, they were all tracks." Now that trend has been reversed, he says.

Lisa Bresolin, vice president of Wheatfield, N.Y.-based Colmar USA, says wheels need to be replaced because of wear and tear, but that tracks cost more initially. She says Colmar sees 95 percent of its customers choosing rubber wheels. "I have only a small minority that want tracks," she says.

Lawrence agrees. He says it is hard to beat the agility and speed of a wheeled handler. "We can move an entire machine in a matter of minutes, and they are quicker than tracks."

Bresolin says the size of the scrap handler selected depends on the application and volume of work. Volume can also affect platform selection.

MATCHING UP. Murphy says lower volume jobs tend to be done with a rubber-tired handler, with some higher volume tasks going to tracked machines. But manufacturers continue to develop wheeled machines that can handle higher volumes, he says.

Lawrence says, though, that the booms on the machines are much more important to how much volume it can handle. "Depending on how much they are lifting, the boom is critical."

Jerry Bruce of Ohio Caterpillar based in Broadview Heights, Ohio, says there has been a big push towards wheels, but that it may be "over hyped." While many may find using wheels right for them, they do not suit everyone, he says. He has seen recyclers purchase wheeled models when they are not right for the job. Rubber-tired handlers also have longer booms, which can translate to reduced lifting capacity.

Bresolin, however, says longer booms can make these scrap handlers more attractive because they have more reach and do not have to be moved as much.

As for stationary platforms, Murphy says they can be limiting.

"The stationary machine is an entirely different animal," Murphy says. "They are totally rigid. With a pedestal mount, you cannot change it or do ancillary things with the machine. There is always a [need] for a machine to do other things." He says if a company is barge loading with a stationary platform, for example, when there is downtime for that activity, the yard manager cannot send the machine to do other work.

Northshore Manufacturing, Two Harbors, Minn., specializes in stationary scrap handlers. The company’s John Anderson says Northshore’s machines are good for feeding balers, shredders and shears as well as in places where a lot of material is being staged for sorting.

Stationary machines can require considerably less operating costs (no tires, treads, axles or undercarriage to maintain). If a customer does not have tonnage and constant flow in one spot, however, then a stationary machine is not for them.

Lawrence says tires can cost more because they are susceptible to wear and tear that stationary platforms are not, but says such wear can be mitigated by keeping a clean yard. "There is no question in a scrap environment [that when] you cut the tire it becomes expensive, so housekeeping becomes important."

E-Crane International, Bucyrus, Ohio, offers handlers that are stationary as well as ones on crawlers and rails. An advantage to its stationary machines, according to the company’s Jerry Hoffmann, is that they have a long boom and reach, making mobility unnecessary. This also produces cost savings, but requires extensive planning of yard layout. "We do strictly electrical [power] both for economic and environmental reasons."

Andreas Ernst of Sennebogen America, Charlotte, N.C., says it can make a lot of sense to have a stationary, electric driven machine feeding a shear or shredder. "In most cases we sit together and discuss together with the customer what would make sense and [what] gives him the most out of the machine." But he admits a lack of flexibility can sometimes be a downside to stationary machines.

PROS AND CONS. Murphy says rubber tires are preferred at some times. "Anytime mobility is an advantage, as long as underfoot conditions are good, then rubber tires are a benefit."

He says the industry is seeing a move towards tires. At one time, he says, sales ran about 80 percent tracks and 20 percent tires. Now this has reversed because tracks can destroy the concrete of a paved surface.

Bresolin says some companies are offering stronger rubber tires, whether solid, foam-filled or a combination.

Bruce recommends solid tires. If a scrap yard operator invests in solid tires, then the operating cost of using wheeled scrap handlers should be less expensive then using track-mounted machines, he says.

Lawrence says scrap yard operators really rely on their mobile scrap handlers. If a yard, particularly a smaller operation, had a mobile handler go down, it would lose a number of operating capabilities, he says.

As far as available specialized treads or tread covers for tracks to make them usable on a paved surface, Murphy says he has not seen them used on a large scale or for the long-term.

Bruce says demolition work has a number of applications for specialty treads and tread covers. Some types of tracks, he says, can actually work well on concrete.

Lawrence says wheels in some cases can also be used on rougher, un-paved surfaces, but concedes the surface still needs to be fairly flat, adding, "Level is better."

Murphy says a stationary platform makes sense if an operation is fixed and can save money because there is no need to buy the understructure. But there is also the disadvantage of running into difficulty selling the machine when finished with it.

Bresolin notes that Colmar offers stationary loaders, but the company is not seeing a demand for them in the U.S. market. "In our business they have to be mobile."

Ohio Caterpillar’s Bruce says the pedestal units can make sense for a company that has set up its operations with advanced thought and the knowledge that a steady stream of work will be involved. Operating such a machine electrically can be very cost effective, though there are up-front costs to consider. "It’s a larger capital commitment," says Bruce. "They require foundations and electrical connections and a lot of planning as to where they should be put."

TOWARDS THE FUTURE. In the future, Murphy says he sees a move toward electrical power for fixed scrap handlers in light of the rising cost of diesel fuel. He says electrically operated machines save money and the operator does not have to worry about changing engine oil or watching the engine temperature.

"I think this is a trend worth watching," he says.