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Tech Review - Portable chippers & Grinders

Bandit

Bandit’s wood chippers, whole tree chippers, stump grinders, horizontal grinders, and forestry mowers are renowned for their durability, fuel efficiency and performance. Bandit also offers a five-year “GUTS” warranty, thanks to construction practices that feature hand-built assembly and welded components. When it comes to regular maintenance, Bandit equipment is easy to work on and benefits from outstanding factory support.

Bandit chippers deliver a uniform chip that’s sought after by numerous end users, especially biomass facilities where the uniformity delivers higher boiler efficiency levels. Beast horizontal grinders use a patented cuttermill to create mulch, conventional chips, or bio-sawdust — a one-quarter inch minus product, ideally suited for wood pellet production.

Bandit’s burgeoning line of forestry mowers employs high-powered hydraulic systems, CAT steel-track undercarriages, feature-rich operator cabins, and Bandit-designed mower heads based on grinding technology perfected in the company’s Beast grinders.

The company is backed by decades of experience. Offering more than 40 specialty pieces of equipment and hundreds of options to choose from, Bandit has the machine to suit your specific needs, from logging and tree care to wood waste recycling and biomass. www.banditchippers.com

CBI

Compact, yet enormously productive, the ChipMax 484 is an extreme-duty workhorse. Featuring two rotor options, the ChipMax can make high-quality fuel chips custom sized from 12–25 mm or “micro-chips” from 2–12 mm from logs up to 24” in diameter.

The hydraulically adjustable chip discharge chute facilitates top or end loading of chip trailers. The 484 also features a hydraulic driven blower for stronger chip discharge that automatically increases power when needed, and a chip deflector that is hydraulically actuated into position when top loading.

The ChipMax is powered by a Cat C-18, 765 HP diesel engine. It’s also equipped with an extra-large AKG radiator, Flexxaire auto-reversing fan, PT Tech PTO clutch, IntelliGrind control system by Parker IQAN™ for increased monitoring and protection, and radio remote control with full mechanical backup to run all vital functions. The ChipMax is available as a portable (pintle hook or 5th wheel mounting hitch), track, or truck-mounted unit and is road legal.

In addition to a complete line of Magnum Force Grinders and Chippers, CBI products also include the Grizzly Mill® Wood Waste Hog, the Annihilator (known as the Mother of all Shredders), Stationary Screening Systems, Stump Shears, and Log and Stump Screws. www.cbi-inc.com

Diamond Z

Diamond Z introduced the DZH4000 almost three years ago, and it has since become one of the company’s most popular models and all time best seller.

Owners comment on the DZH4000’s great production rates — even when compared to the competitors’ larger horsepower models. It’s equipped with a C18 Caterpillar engine, available in 700 HP tier 3 or 765 HP tier 2 sizes, and combined with Diamond Z’s aggressive down-cut mill, it delivers production rates up to 120 tons per hour. This model is light enough to transport easily, yet is built heavy duty and carries a big punch. Attention to detail and clean, simple electronic and hydraulic control systems, for ease of operation and maintenance, are evident throughout.

Diamond Z offers a broad range of tub, horizontal, and solid waste grinder models, diesel and electric powered track, wheel, or stationary mounted designs to suit any application. From composting to construction and demolition, land clearing to tire disposal, municipal solid waste to asphalt shingle grinding, Diamond Z has a product to handle it.
www.diamondz.com

DuraTech Industries

DuraTech industrial grinders recycle and convert wood waste, bark, tree clippings, pallets, paper, and more into valuable compost, mulch, fuel for cofiring boilers or feedstock for ethanol production.

The company manufactures a full range of heavy duty industrial tub and horizontal grinders, as well as a 12” tree chipper. The Horizontal Grinders include the midsized 5064, available with the choice of a CAT C15 diesel engine in 475 hp or 540 hp or the CAT C18 in 630 hp. The massive 9564 Horizontal Grinder, is equipped with a 1050 hp CAT C27 diesel engine for the large grinding jobs.

The tub grinders include the economical Model 2009, with a 9’ tub and 325 hp CAT C9 Tier III diesel engine; the Model 3010 with a 10’ tub and choice of a 475 hp or 540 hp CAT C15 Tier III diesel engines; the Model 4012 with a 12’ tub and a CAT C27 950 hp Tier II diesel engine. The 3010 and 4012 are available with optional grapple loaders. DuraTech offers grinders with a pintle hitch, fifth wheel trailer or on tracks. They also offer electric motors on some grinders.
www.duratechindustries.net

Dynamic

Dynamic boasts the new ConeDrum technology. Other drum chippers have conventional flat-faced drums, but the ConeDrums can slice limbs and tops versus chopping them. Using the ConeDrum, every cut uses 30 to 40 percent less energy, easing the fuel bill substantially. Knives stay sharp longer, and chipping produces less vibration and noise.

Dynamic’s innovative ConeDrum now comes in a large chipper, the CH885. True feed opening 28” high by 51” wide translates to 1428 in2 of limb and top capacity. ConeDrum slicing delivers high productivity with CAT’s 700 HP C19 and larger. The heavy frame and massive drum let the 885 work long days reliably.

Bolt-in, fast-change wear surfaces mean more chipping and less maintenance, and the sloped 4-chain feedbed and dual vertical feedwheels let the loader tend the pile instead of the feedbed. www.dynamicmfgcorp.com

Fecon

Fecon® offers the RTC22/500 as a turnkey mobile chipping package. Mounted on a TimberPro 830B forwarder, it’s one of the fastest American-made all-terrain chippers. It is highly productive in land clearing, biomass, pipeline, and ROW applications. The 8-wheeled off-road chipper gets to work at up to 12 mph, and unproductive time hauling material to a trailer mounted chipper is avoided. The Fecon® RTC22/500 more than triples the speed of typical track chippers. Production speed is further enhanced by both loader reach and lifting capacity. It sets new standards with 12,880-lb. capability at 15’ and up to 31.5’ of total reach and 360-degree rotation. The in-feed power of over 16,000 ft. lb of torque provided by Fecon’s Power Feed Management® and optional dangle head felling saw make the RTC22/500-8 a highly effective stand-alone chipping system. www.fecon.com

Morbark

Morbark recently introduced its new Advantage 3 high-performance chipping drum, which significantly improves chip-quality in large volume wood chipping equipment and reduces recurring wear-part and maintenance costs by approximately 70 percent.

The development of the Advantage 3 drum was a direct result of customer feedback. Our customers’ ever increasing demands for higher quality and more consistent chips, along with the constant desire to reduce maintenance cost were key drivers in this new drum. Changes were made to the pocket, knife, and knife-holding assembly where the maintenance and wear costs are incurred. The new design includes increased clamping force and more durable knives with increased number of possible sharpening occurrences — extending both knife life and production in between each sharpening. Changes were also made to the drum shaft to reduce stress and increase durability.

The new Advantage 3 drum can be retrofitted into most Morbark models 30/36, 40/36, and 50/48 drum chippers and comes with the same 3-year warranty. www.morbark.com

Peterson Pacific Corporation

Peterson’s innovative 4300 series drum chippers are ideal for high-volume biomass producers who demand high quality machine construction, easy serviceability, and consistent product coming out the end of the spout.

The 4300 series machines are powered by a Caterpillar C18 engine, available up to 765 HP. The chipper utilizes a 36-inch diameter by 40-inch wide drum. It has optional material sizing bars to minimize oversize twigs and branches in the chips, and a chip accelerator to pack the van with more material.

The 4310, a tracked version of the 4300, has a shorter overall length, and 28 inches of ground clearance. The 4310 was designed for chipping operations requiring high production and frequent moves between jobs.

Both machines feature a sloped feed deck for ease of feeding the chipper and an adaptive feed control to maintain chip quality and engine RPM.

To see the Peterson 4300-series machine in action, call or visit www.petersoncorp.com.

Rawlings Manufacturing

For over 35 years Rawlings Manufacturing has designed and manufactured highly productive and cost effective wood waste recovery systems. The company provides customized solutions with support before, during, and after installation. Their systems are proven in various types of installations processing a wide variety of wood waste to the customer’s exact specifications.

Rawlings offers six grinder models — 348 HZX, 360 HZX, 436 HZX, 448 HZX, 460 HZX, and the 472 HZX. They range from 400 to 1,000 HP and the infeed openings range from 36”x48” on the 348 to 48”x72” on the 472. All the grinders can be configured electric or diesel.

Rawlings offers these machines in stationary, portable, and skid mounted systems. Both vertical and horizontal grinders are available in various models to provide a turnkey operation. www.wastewoodhogs.com

Rayco

Rayco customers asked for a horizontal grinder that made processing materials such as wood chips, lumber scraps, pallets, logging slash, and green waste easier and faster than ever — without breaking the bank. In response, Rayco designed the RH1754-240, which boasts a powerful 240 HP Cummins 6.7 L diesel engine, a longer discharge conveyor, and other
enhancements to maximize throughput while keeping operating costs at a minimum.

You can pile chips higher, or fill open-top trailers, with a discharge conveyor that reaches over 12 feet high. Screens can be changed in minutes, allowing the operator to size product to his exact specifications. Variable speed control on both infeed and discharge conveyors can be tailored to virtually any grinding application.

The economical machine also features: radio remote controls; a magnetic head pulley to separate nails and light metals; a swing-away fuel tank for easy screen changes in less than 10 minutes; a large radiator with removable debris screen and reversing fan; and it’s available on tracks. www.raycomfg.com

Rotochopper

Rotochopper Inc. manufactures an extensive lineup of grinding equipment for converting low-grade waste materials into biomass fuels, colored mulch, animal bedding, and a wide range of other finished products.

For over 20 years, the company has been helping customers develop and foster new opportunities for low-value materials by providing innovative equipment solutions, including horizontal grinders and wood chip processors. Designed for optimal horsepower efficiency, Rotochopper grinders allow operators to consistently deliver “perfect in one pass” finished products at low operating costs.

The new B-66 horizontal grinder with tracks and dolly combines the timesaving benefits of crawler tracks with the convenience of rubber tires for highway transport. The transport dolly offers the same ground clearance as a lowbed trailer and can be quickly uncoupled from the grinder at the jobsite without special tools. To return to transport mode, the operator simply drives the B-66 into the dolly using the crawler tracks. Domed guide rails allow for easy alignment during re-coupling. Hydraulically actuated tapered locking pins correct for misalignment while securing the dolly.

Like every Rotochopper grinder, the B-66 is designed with unique features that reduce downtime and hassle, including a hydraulic screen change system and replaceable mount rotor. www.rotochopper.com

Vermeer

The Vermeer WC2300 whole tree chipper is powered by a 440 HP C-13 CAT diesel engine that allows for maximum output while consuming less fuel than higher-powered machines.

A 6-degree slope of the infeed table lowers the “break-over” point where long material first contacts the machine, reducing the likelihood of limbs or tree canopy from snagging on the end of the machine.

The infeed system features a variable-speed, dual-infeed conveyor chains, a conveyor head pulley with integral grip bars, and an aggressive large-diameter infeed roller with crush capability. These design elements provide efficient feeding of difficult material types, reducing the number of times an operator must handle the material.

Two drum knife options are available — double-edged or babbitted single-edge cutter knives — allowing the operator to select the type of knife that best suits their operation, jobsite, or customer requirements.

A compact design allows for more maneuverability and easier repositioning of the machine on the jobsite, especially with the skidder grab collar area on the WC2300 tongue. Machine functions can be controlled remotely using a handheld remote control that also provides real-time machine performance data to aid the operator in maximizing productivity by monitoring and adjusting settings. www.vermeer.com