Scrap Handler Guide -- Help Wanted

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The correct match-up between equipment and task to be performed can make a large difference in a scrap yard operation. “You want to match up the attachment to the job,” says Jeff Gannon, a spokesman for JRB Co., Akron, Ohio. “Don’t try to smash something that is too heavy for an attachment.”

The traditional workhorses of the scrap yard still tend to be grapples and magnets. Craig Goodenough, sales manager of Atlas ERS, West Seneca, N.Y., says while he has seen more magnets than grapples in scrap yards over the past 20 years, he sees things moving toward more grapple-oriented operations. “Over the past several years, I would say that a lot of people who are going to hydraulic machines are starting to use more grapples in their operations,” he says. “I would still say magnets are in the majority, but I think in the long term a lot of people are still going to be switching to a grapple operation.”

There are pros and cons to both grapples and magnets, depending on the job that needs to be done, Goodenough says. “Believe it or not, a grapple can move more scrap, except when you get to heavy melt, and it is probably less costly.” Maintenance on a grapple tends to be easier than a magnet as well, he says. Often magnets must be sent out for repairs, while a grapple can often be fixed or rebuilt on site. “With a grapple, generally speaking, most yards can maintain the grapple themselves and repair and rebuild it, but when it comes to a magnet, they have to send it out to a manufacturer who handles that kind of repair.”

But, one of the downfalls of the grapple, Goodenough says, is “you can’t sweep a yard, gondola car or truck with a grapple.” But at times facilities will have a small magnet to sweep areas to pick up any debris deposited and still use a grapple for the majority of their jobs.

In addition to magnets and grapples, Kevin Bakke, Genesis Equipment and Manufacturing, Superior, Wisc., says he has seen a continuing increase in the use of mobile shears at scrap yards. “We have seen a continuing increase in the use of mobile shears as a stand-alone processing tool as well as a tool that works with stationary shears and shredders and balers,” he says.

The Interview

Typically speaking, most scarp yards have dedicated material handlers used with specific attachments and for one primary application. If there is some switching out of attachments, it is usually for long-term use and not for a quick application. Changing a tool every hour is not an efficient to run a scrap yard, those contacted agree.

“For a short time use,” Goodenough says, “I would say they wouldn’t switch attachments. They would have another machine come over and do that job.” But, with advancements made in the attachment industry, when it is necessary to change out an attachment, it can be done quicker than before. “With the new systems having quick release and pins that can be disconnected easily, it can be a matter of half an hour for changing something over,” Good-enough says.

Gannon remarks time spent changing out attachments can affect yard productivity. “For attachments in general, a coupling device can/should/will increase the efficiency of a material handler and its attachments. You will spend less time changing attachments and have more productivity.”

Use of attachments in the scrap industry tends to be slightly different than the construction and demolition industry, says Dennis Hamilton, president, FLECO Attachments, Grove City, Ohio. “In the scrap industry we don’t see them using several different attachments like the construction industry,” he says. “They are mostly sticking to one or two attachments instead of six to eight as in the construction industry. So the range of attachments is not at all like in the construction industry-they have more specific jobs than what you would in construction.”

Long-Term Employment

Maintenance of attachments is a crucial component to a long life span for a piece of equipment. Like most equipment used at a scrap yard, maintenance and how hard the unit is used are two of the biggest determining factors in how long a given attachment will last.

“The life span is indeed a variable based on the amount of use and how well the attachment has been maintained,” Bakke says. “Mobile shears, theoretically, with proper maintenance, can last an indefinite amount of time. We have customers who run a shear 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it looks impeccable with good maintenance.”

Lack of proper maintenance can seriously diminish the life span of a given attachment. “Those shears go to war every day and if they are not properly maintained, there will be maintenance issues,” Bakke says.

Charlie Hall, president of Iron Ax Inc., Wadley, Ga., says attachment life spans can vary, and also agrees maintenance can play a large role in that. “Each attachment has a different life span,” Hall says. “The longest would be a magnet since it doesn’t have any moving parts and the only wear taking place is rubbing against the material it is picking up.” Hall says magnets can have life spans several times longer than grapples or shears because of the lack of moving parts, but more maintenance is needed at times.

“The operators of these machines can determine a lot of the life span by how well they take care of them,” Hall says. “The better you maintain them, the longer life expectancy there will be.”

Hamilton says he advises customers with car body forks, one type of attachment the company sells, “to inspect the forks and to not tip load with forks. And in general, grease the equipment. Those seem to be the things that cause problems most of the time.”

Steve Steranka, president of RAD/COMM Systems Corp., Mississauga, Ontario, says excessive wear and tear on units can cause problems in the scrap yard. “A lot of these attachments are exposed to damage because so many of the operators handling materials are paid by the ton or judged by how many tons they move,” he says. “One of the big issues with attachments is there are some operators who abuse the equipment, while others tend to not abuse it at all.”

The New Hires

While technology or innovations for attachments are relatively rare, there have been some additions to the scrap yard staples of magnets, grapples and shears. One such innovation is the radiation detection capability of a grapple unit from RAD/COMM Systems Corp.

The Cricket is a radiation detection system designed specifically to work with grapple applications. Steranka says some mills and recyclers have “suffered a severe series of incidents where very small sized lead-sealed sources have passed through existing or installed detection systems. There are several groups who have done studies of capability of static measuring systems and have found there are some serious limitations with sealed sources. So about four years ago we began designing the Cricket system.”

Practicality was one of the main reasons to incorporate a radiation detection device into the grapple, he says. “We looked at the entire scrap handling industry and decided the best way was to get in contact with the metal itself. It was totally impractical to use a hand-held radiation detection device to get every piece.”

The company plans to have a magnet attachment with the same radiation detection capabilities as well.

The author is the associate editor of Recycling Today and can be reached at mgoodrich@recyclingtoday.com.