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Two Chipping Demos

Morbark Demo

Customers and potential customers came to Morbark's demo site in Winn, Mich., to check out various machines in action, inspect the chip and sawdust quality, tour the facility, and ask questions.

Quick Switch

Generating a great deal of interest this year was the Sawdust Quick Switch Conversion Kit. The Quick Switch allows grinders to produce either chips or sawdust on the same machine.

The switch from 12 to 16 knives was done on site. Although the Morbark folks can do it in about 90 minutes, the average owner can expect 2 hours. What impressed me and others was the quality of the sawdust -- 95% below 1/4 inch -- ideal for animal bedding and pellets, among other things.

Quotes from the Crowd

I wasn't the only one who found the event both entertaining and education. Kirk Grady of GWG Wood Group came despite the difficulty in getting away this time of year. He said, "My first [Morbark] purchase was in 1994 and this is my first visit. I enjoyed the plant tour and watching the production of the equipment.

"This is my second demo days," says Scot Smith of CST Organic Recycling. "Walking through the plant and talking to the workers is priceless. I've enjoyed discussing equipment with other contractors and found it beneficial.

If you Missed the Demo

If you missed the demo but are considering a Morbark, you can find a lot of information on their website, www.morbark.com. And if you have any questions feel free to call them. I'm sure would be happy to answer any questions.

Bruks Biomass Harvesting Demo

The two-day Bruks biomass harvesting demo, was hosted by Modern Machinery and Bruks, and held at the Weyerhaeuser tree farm outside Montesano, Wash.

The unique chipper, based on technology commonly used in Scandinavia, was at home in the Northwest woods.

Flexibility in the Forest

The Bruks 805 mobile chipper, mounted on a Valmet 890.3 fowarder, moved easily up and the logging roads to the biomass. The biomass material was fed into the chipper and chipped into about 1.5-inch pieces -- the size most biomass power facilities prefer to get maximum BTUs.

Once the chip bin was full, the operator just drove down to the site and dumped the chips in the bin -- ready to be taken away and sold -- and headed back to the woods.

Because there are not set up costs, the process is fairly affordable. In fact, Bruks says operating the systems is competitive in cost to stacking and burning slash.

See it in Action

The demo was held again in Sisters, Oregon. If you missed you chance to see the chipper in action, and would like to set up a demo, you can contact, Russ Smith at 360-430-4076, or Rene at 208-659-2878, rvdm@modernmachinery.com.