Chipping Away at Compost

Melanie A. Lasoff

With so much organic waste out there, processing it can be daunting. But with the right compost equipment, such as grinders, shredders and screeners, solid waste managers can eliminate stress and focus their energies on the product. Following is a list of some manufacturers' newest equipment for composting and green waste processing.

Amerimulch, Independence, Ohio, provides colorants and equipment for the production of color-enhanced mulch products. The machines apply the color and allow for easy control of output, the company states.

Bandit Industries Inc., Remus, Mich., features the Model 3680 Beast Recycler, a horizontal feed cuttermill designed to process whole trees, stumps, railroad ties, telephone poles, wet leaves and other materials. The machine features an auto-feed system, optional radio remote controls, a variety of screens and a cuttermill with bend-away tool holders.

The BHS Debris Roll Screen from Bulk Handling Systems Inc., Eugene, Ore., processes green waste and wood waste materials. Featuring a compound disc configuration that controls material reduction down to 31/48-inch, the BHS also includes a screen that removes dirt, sand, rock and other abrasives prior to grinding.

Oklahoma City-based CMI Corp. offers the Megagrind 800. This system is portable and features a 12-cubic-yard open-ended hopper. With a solid steel rotor and a heavy-duty bargate, the Megagrind allows feed rates of more than 400 cubic yards per hour, according to the company. CMI also makes Biogrind, a horizontal wood waste grinder with a release system that sends unprocessed materials below, rather than into the air, the company says.

Continental Biomass Industries Inc., Newton, N.H., introduces an addition to its line of wood processing equipment. The unit is designed for off-road processing of land clearing debris, stumps, logs, brush and yard waste. Features include a 900-horsepower (hp) engine, high-torque feed system drives, high ground clearance and remote control.

CW Manufacturing, Sabetha, Kan., features Hogzilla model TCII-1664W for compost/ green waste sites. The model features extra-wide frame rails to allow room for the wettest green waste to clear screens, the company states. Features include a 1,350-horsepower (hp) engine, a 72-inch-wide conveyor and a 60-inch-wide radial stacking conveyor.

Diamond Z Manufacturing, Nampa, Ind., manufactures the 1352BL grinder. Featuring a standard 110-horsepower (hp), self-powered loader and an 860 hp engine for the hammermill, this grinder can be equipped with a radial stacking Phase II conveyor and radio remote control. The company's product line also includes grinders from 10 feet to 14 feet in length, with enclosed tubs and two- and three-product trommel screens.

DuraTech Industries International, Jamestown, N.D., manufactures a full line of tub grinders, horizontal ram-fed grinders, trommel screens and compost turners.

Erin Systems Inc., Portland, Maine, manufactures fixed and mobile screening equipment designed to convert waste materials into compost, mulches and soils.

McClosky Brothers Manufactur-ing Canada Ltd., Ajax, Ontario, Canada, offers the MCB portable trommel. According to the company, the trommel has a set-up time of about 10 minutes and has a tri-axle suspension and high flotation tires. The remote-controlled radial stockpiling discharge conveyor allows for up to 2,000 yards of material to be stockpiled, the company states. The trommels are produced in eight models and are available with diesel or electric power.

Melroe Co., Fargo, N.D., offers a chipper attachment for Bobcat 763H and 863H skid-steer loaders. Designed to chip branches and tree limbs up to 5 inches in diameter, the attachment features reversible cutting blades with four flywheel-mounted fan bars to discharge cut material. The attachment's Interlock Control System allows the operator to run the machine outside the skid-steer loader, the company says.

The 5600 Wood Hog horizontal grinder from Morbark Inc., Winn, Mich., features a heavy-duty grinding drum, or Morbark's optional hammermill, and is available with engines ranging from 460 horsepower to 800 hp. The discharge system deposits material to an 18-foot height and includes a 48-inch-wide belly conveyor and a 36-inch-wide stacking conveyor. Morbark also manufactures wood and organic waste processing systems, portable whole tree chippers, industrial tub grinders and trommel screens.

The CV150 Screen-All from Norberg Group, Milwaukee, includes a convertible shakerhead that can accommodate woven screen cloth, punch plates, harp screens and finger decks. Made from Grade 80 steel in high-impact areas, this system also features a 3-cubic-yard loader and a bucket that is used to remove underscreen fines. In addition to the CV150, Norberg offers the Senator conveyor screen, featuring three on-board stacking conveyors, a hydraulically adjustable screen and a remote control grizzly with optional hammermill shredder. Both machines are portable.

Packer Industries Inc., Mableton, Ga., manufactures the Packer 750 horizontal grinder for on-site grinding of residential construction waste and green waste. The 8,500-pound grinder has a closed loop hydraulic system and a fully enclosed chamber. The Packer 750 provides an alternative to landfilling, while the Packer 2000 is designed for site clearing, demolition, asphalt and asphalt shingles. Both grinders have magnetic head pulleys, water application for dust suppression and a variety of screen sizes.

Peterson Pacific Corp., Eugene, Ore., introduces the HC 2410 Heavy Duty Recycler, a crawler track-mounted grinder. The HC 2410, designed for processing green waste, land clearing debris, construction debris and organic materials, has a 460-horsepower (hp) diesel engine and a rotary drum grinder that can process organic material with high moisture content. The machine can produce up to 270 cubic yards per hour, according to the company. The grinder features an enclosed grinding chamber designed to eliminate flying debris.

Precision Husky Corp., Leeds, Ala., manufactures the ProGrind H-3854 horizontal shredder with a 500-horsepower (hp) or 750-hp diesel engine that can process up to 100 tons per minute, according to the company. The 3854 also features a double cut hammermill with several cutting surfaces at varying depths, large flotation tires, a 48-inch stacking conveyor that unfolds to 26 feet in length and a 30-degree discharge height of 16 feet.

Re-Tech, Myerstown, Pa., manufactures trommels for processing green waste, wood waste, gravel, compost, construction and demolition debris, and topsoil. The company offers several models, including the Eliminator III.

Rexius Forest By-Products, Eugene, Ore., manufactures the Express Blower. Designed to spread a variety of organic materials including compost, mulch, bark and wood, the machine blows at a rate of 30 cubic yards per hour to 100 cubic yards per-hour, and carries more than 300 feet of hose. The blower also includes a system to inject seed and other additives during application.

Rotochopper, Coon Valley, Wis., manufactures the MC 166 XLT grinder, equipped with the CM 497 Power Application system. The grinder sets up in less than 15 minutes and an operator can produce 100 yards of colored mulch in an hour, according to the company. The Rotochopper Power Application System, available on new grinder models, can be used to apply odorants, fertilizers or water to compostable material as it is being ground.

Vermeer Manufacturing Co., Pella, Iowa, offers the TG 525 tub grinder, available with loader and cab. The TG525 is part of the tub grinder lineup that begins with the TG400A series of grinders. The TG525 has a 525-horsepower (hp) engine and a triple-disc, non-pilot bearing 18-inch clutch to handle torque. Vermeer also offers the optional Knife Screen assembly, which grinds and sizes hard-to-manage materials like palm fronds and stumps, vines, wet leaves and construction debris. The loader and non-loader models feature thrown object protection mechanisms, including the Thrown Object Restraint System, which includes a hydraulically operated tub cover and a rotor deflector aligned to help direct debris into the tub cover.

Waste Reduction Systems, Jacksonville, Fla., features low-speed, high-torque, hydraulic-driven cutter shafts with T-1 knives. Clients can specify diesel or electric power.

W.H.O. Manufacturing Co., Lamar, Colo., introduces model P13-63XSHDWF tub grinder, which features a 13-foot diameter tub with 31/48-inch thick walls. The redesigned elevator folds over the tub for transport at 90 degrees from the frame. Other features include the new-designed tub support and guide rollers with sealed-in roller bearings, eliminating the need for daily greasing, the company states.

Available in mobile and stationary designs, the Stomas Mawler from Wood 'n Colors, Elkhart, Ind., manufactures a color-enhanced mulch system that features a wood grinder, a 12-yard hopper and a 13-foot-tall, 24-foot-long folding conveyer. The unit also includes spray nozzles that are set more than 111/42 feet above the agitation chamber to provide a fan spray pattern.

The Model 5000 chipper/shredder from Woods Equipment Co., Oregon, Ill., reduces solid materials and debris into mulch. Four steel blades chip debris up to 5 inches in diameter, and 36 self-sharpening, free-swinging knives shred debris up to 1-inch in diameter. Models 8000 and 8100 have four reversible steel blades that chip debris up to 8 inches in diameter.