Weathering All Challenges

One thing Sam Jacobs has learned through a lifetime on the plains of Nebraska: You have to be ready for anything.

Blizzards, droughts, windstorms, frigid cold and blistering heat—Nebraska weather can have a surprise in store for you at any moment any time year. It teaches you to "be prepared."

Jacobs first went to work in his family’s recycling business, Columbus Metals, nearly 30 years ago and in 1994 he became the sole owner of the company. As a life-long Nebraskan, he knows that if you don’t have equipment that’s built right for the job and for its working environment, it won’t last.

"We can have some nasty winters out here," Jacobs says of his home state. "Anytime from November to April, it can go to 20 below zero. So we have several heated buildings and, in the winter months, we park all the equipment inside; then we’re ready to start right away in the morning at 6 a.m."

The same kind of thinking led to Jacobs’ preference for buying purpose-built machinery, such as his new Sennebogen 835 M material handler, instead of trying to make general-duty equipment work in his applications.

TAILOR MADE. In years past, the scrap-handling machines at Columbus Metals were all converted from earth-moving excavators. "We have a very capable shop here," Jacobs says, "so we used to do all our own conversions in-house."

But, after seeing the advantages of purpose-built wheeled machines, Jacobs has never looked back. The company hasn’t purchased an excavator since 1998 and it sold off its last one in 2005.

"We need the wheeled machines to run around the yard," he explains. "With the diversity of the material we process, wheels give us the flexibility to manage the flow and mix of material. If we are running some big tube from the shear into the shredder, for instance, and a piece gets lodged up in back of the deck, the Sennebogen can ‘up’ its outriggers, ‘down’ the cab and circle around to recover the piece. It can drop the piece into the shredder and return—it’s about 150 to 200 feet of travel—and it’s done in five minutes or less. If you do that a few times a day, tracks are way too slow to have equipment and people waiting for them," Jacobs says. "The Sennebogen is made for this kind of work; it makes it easier to keep everyone in the yard working together and to keep the product flowing."

The Columbus Metals yard covers about 25 acres and employs 30 people. A five-acre area surrounding the company’s 80-inch Metso shredder is paved with concrete. Columbus Metals’ scrap-handlers operate more than 2,000 hours per year on and off the pavement, keeping pace with the shredder’s capacity and loading customers’ trucks.

The company’s scrap handler is normally fitted with a grapple but, Jacobs says, it can also "mag up" pretty quickly to clean up around the scrap yard.

SMOOTH RUNNING. It’s not just the scrap handler’s wheels that make it the right machine for Jacobs’ operation.

"Dust is really an issue here, especially around the shredder when the wind gets up," says Jacobs. He recycles water from the yard’s underground oil/water separator system to spray over the shredder for dust suppression. The 835 M handles dust with its hydraulic reversing fan—the operator can simply turn a switch to blow out debris from its cooling system.

Since Sennebogen scrap handlers are engineered with minimal electronics, blowing dust has less chance to cause problems with the machines’ performance or engine controls.

"The ‘no computers’ design definitely takes that problem out of play," Jacobs says. "Competitors seem to want to add electronics just to ‘keep up’ with the times. They need to get back to the real world: Just get your hydraulics designed right and get the flow going. That way, you can pass by a lot of problems when you’re troubleshooting, too."

For this kind of equipment, "purpose-built" means built for the operator, too. Again, Jacobs is particular about what he brings into his yard and he’s been very satisfied with the 835 M. "I’ve run it myself; it’s very fast, and the visibility is good. All my operators were trained on material handlers—they aren’t excavator operators. We picked them and trained them to control with their fingertips for grappling, rotating, lifting and loading. If you’re moving your arms around all the time, you’re taking too much time!"

Jay Young of Midwest Equipment, which has three Nebraska locations, says operator comfort has been a key priority for Sennebogen designers. "The engineers there are always interested in hearing our customers’ ideas. That’s why you see factory people walking around job sites so often."

"As a result, the new D-series models have come out with several new comfort features: more space, adjustable seating, easier exit and entry thanks to the new and unique sliding door," he adds. "It’s all part of giving more to the operator to get more from the machine."

Jacobs finds that the 835 M is easy to maintain, as well, contributing more to the machine’s overall productivity. The scrap handler’s engine compartment door opens up to provide clear access to all engine filters and fills, with technician-friendly hose routings to allow quick servicing. Jacobs says Sennebogen’s use of U.S.-branded engines and generators are also a plus for parts and support.

"I expect the next scrap handler we buy will be Sennebogen, too," Jacobs says. "We have bought almost everything we need from Jay Young for the past seven or eight years—they’ve treated us pretty well."

With the right people, equipment and support, Jacobs has found his Nebraska home provides the right business climate for Columbus Metals’ continued success.