Heavy Iron

Whether loading and unloading barges or feeding shredders and other large pieces of equipment, reliable scrap handling cranes are crucial for scrap processors. The "heavy iron"—as it is known in the construction industry—moves the large tonnage commodities found at today’s scrap processing facilities.

Cranes come in a wide variety of formats and platforms, but many machines referred to as cranes by the scrap industry might more accurately be referred to as material handlers. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), New York City, classifies equipment and composes standards for safety and operating procedures for various types of equipment. Standards for cable or lattice boom cranes are contained in one volume (ASME B30.5), while those for scrap and material handlers with two or three-piece fronts are contained in a different volume (ASME B30.25).

"The standards present a coordinated set of rules that may serve as a guide for those responsible for the guarding and inspection of the equipment falling within its scope," says Ken Chlad, consultant to Caterpillar Inc.’s wholly-owned subsidiary Material Handling Crane Systems, Inc., Marion, Ohio. Chlad is also chairman of the ASME B30.25 committee. [ASME document J14698 with the new standards can be ordered by calling 800-843-2763.The price is $50 plus postage and handling.]

The word crane continues to be used, however, because the machines are (in many cases) supplanting cable cranes in the scrap industry, and the one-syllable word "crane" is far less cumbersome in everyday use than "hydraulically-driven material handler."

Hydraulics Eclipse Cable Cranes

At ferrous scrap yards throughout North America, lattice boom cranes with sizable grapples or magnetic attachments continue to lift and drop iron and steel scrap. While the demand for such cranes has been largely superceded by hydraulic material handlers, there are still a significant number of lattice boom (or cable) cranes on the job at processing facilities.

The cranes are durable machines, with many models having been on the job for decades. While makers of hydraulic material handlers can claim their machines are capable of faster cycle times (the time it takes to lift a load of material, drop it at its destination, and then return to the lifting site), the difference may not be great enough for some processors to justify replacing their lattice boom cranes, as long as they still work and maintenance and repair costs are not excessive.

In many cases, scrap processors keep cable cranes on hand because they are paid for and because they have experienced operators on hand. The numbers have to make sense before a paid-for piece of equipment that is still productive can be replaced by a new piece of equipment that may cost more than $250,000.

"We have two American-brand 7040 diesel locomotive cranes," says Marty Davis of Midland Davis Corp., Moline, Ill. "These are lattice-boom cranes, and we’ve considered hydraulic boom. But we’ve got pretty good crane operators, and I don’t think there is a huge advantage to the hydraulic versus the lattice boom if you have good crane operators," he says. "We’ve got the good personnel and they’re younger than me, so they have a lot of years in them before they retire."

Ferrous Processing & Trading Co., Detroit, has been one of the fastest growing ferrous scrap processing companies in the mid and late 1990s. The company still operates several lattice boom cranes at its largest yard on John Kronk Avenue in Detroit, but has been phasing them out. Newer machines purchased by FP&T include Caterpillar material handlers on tracks and two pedestal-mounted, electric-powered hydraulic equilibrium cranes made by the French company Seram in cooperation with Hawco Manufacturing Co., Slaughter, La.

The trend away from lattice boom cranes and toward hydraulic material handlers appears to be unmistakable. Jerry Bruce is the president of Railcrane Corp., Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a dealer of mobile equipment for the scrap handling industry. He has seen the clear shift over the years away from the lattice boom configuration toward the hydraulic one. "New lattice boom cranes have not been sold in the scrap industry for years," he states.

Indeed, a survey of more than 120 scrap and recycling executives conducted by Recycling Today in1997 found zero respondents claiming they were in the market for a new cable crane. Only 2.6% of the respondents said they would be shopping for a pre-owned cable crane in the next twelve-month period. That secondary market is a narrow one, Bruce believes. "There’s not a lot of movement in used lattice boom cranes [in the scrap industry]. Many of them will remain where they are until they are obsolete.

Ultimately, Bruce sees very few applications for the lattice boom crane within the scrap industry. "There is just one particular place in the scrap processing arena where a lattice boom crane makes sense—that is in the drop-ball process. Drop-ball work is basically picking up a steel ball and releasing it from a magnet so it drops on a large scrap item and breaks it down to size. Very few yards do primarily drop-ball work," he remarks.

Clearly, makers of hydraulic material handling equipment have the scrap segment of the cable crane market in their sites. "The current lattice boom crane population in use in the scrap industry is a huge opportunity for replacement by Caterpillar material handlers," says Bob McHose, facility business manager with Caterpillar subsidiary Material Handling Crane Systems Inc.

He believes hydraulic material handlers offer productivity advantages that cannot be ignored. "Operating a hydraulic machine is much easier than operating a cable crane. Cable cranes require tremendous mental concentration and physical exertion. Cable crane operators can’t maintain a high level of production over eight hours," says McHose.

The Platform Question

If there is a discernible trend in regard to hydraulic handlers versus cable cranes, the situation is not nearly as clear-cut when it comes to platforms. For the past several years, it has been predicted that scrap processors in America would need to follow the precedent of European processors and pave their yards to comply with storm water run-off and other environmental regulations.

But that trend has been much slower to develop on this side of the Atlantic, meaning many processors are looking at a variety of considerations when making choices between wheeled, tracked, rail and pedestal-mounted equipment. Railcrane Corp.’s Bruce believes that although widespread paving of yards has not occurred, there is a trend that can be discerned. "Clearly the trend is toward rubber tired machines, but the crawlers still predominate," says Bruce. Manufacturers have hardly conceded that this trend is complete, however, as tracked models and pedestal-mounted machines continue to compete successfully.

Each of the platforms can offer advantages in specific situations, meaning a number of long-range factors may need to be examined before spending a sizable amount of money on a new material handler. "The answer is in the mobility that is required in the yard," states Bruce. "If a machine is feeding a shear or a baler or a shredder, it doesn’t need to be a rubber tired machine—a crawler will work fine."

Crawlers (or tracked machines) have traditionally been able to claim the advantage when it comes to operating on rough terrain. The treads of crawling machines provide stability when maneuvering into the edges of scrap piles as well as traction when moving through the mud that seems omnipresent in unpaved scrap yards.

JOB Machinery Inc., Apple Valley, Minn., converts hydraulic excavators into material handling machines for scrap processors. Company president John Fryklund says a lot of smaller processors lean toward the tracked (or crawler) format because of its durability and ruggedness. "If they’re in a do-all market, but can only afford one crane, they tend toward track," he says. "Even a lot of larger processors who may have two or three yards—and they like the mobility of wheels—can find that conditions don’t favor tires. If they’re near a river in alluvial conditions, it can be muddy a great deal of the time."

Despite the traditional benefits offered by crawlers, scrap handlers on wheels are moving forward nonetheless. "There is growing interest in wheeled material handlers," says Don R. Smith, sales and marketing consultant with Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill. "In the scrap industry, there are a lot of environmental considerations forcing owners to upgrade from bare earth yards to asphalt and concrete. As this environmental pressure grows, it wouldn’t surprise us to see further regulations that will drive more investment in pavement at scrap yards," Smith comments. "This is driving us to develop more wheeled material handler models. We have new Caterpillar products under development to meet this need."

As noted earlier, the wheeled platform also offers a slight edge in mobility. While few processors have an interest in drag racing their hydraulic material handlers, some tasks may require enough mobility to merit the slightly faster overland speed provided by rubber-tired models, some of which can travel at 12 miles per hour.

Four other platform choices are also available in some instances: rail-mounted, pedestal-mounted, gantry-mounted and overhead. Overhead cranes can be found in some mills where scrap operations may be largely indoors, as well as at some processing facilities with indoor facilities. Gantries—large arched platforms built on rails to offer a little bit of mobility—are rare but can still be found at some older sites.

Rail-mounted cranes are still popular in yards that have the tracks in place. "They work well for us, because we have parallel tracks around our yard," Marty Davis says of the two rail-mounted cranes in place at Midland Davis Corp. "I can’t imagine having crawlers. One locomotive crane can do what a couple of crawlers would do," Davis remarks.

But Railcrane Corp.’s Bruce believes the rail platform is on its way out. "Railroad tracks are gradually disappearing at a lot of the sites. Years ago scrap was shipped into mills—into the buildings—directly by rail. But there has been an evolution, and now much scrap is shipped by trucks and barges," he says.

The platform is not completely obsolete however. "We have recently taken an order for a rail-mounted Liebherr crane fitted to an American undercarriage. It is going into the scrap-handling area of a steel mill," says Bruce.

Pedestal-mounted handlers are designed for heavy-duty work, and have found uses in loading barges and in feeding the largest processing machines, such as auto shredders, ferrous balers, and large shears.

A pedestal-mounted handler is put into place for a task-specific purpose. As noted earlier, Ferrous Processing & Trading (FP&T) has just installed two pedestal-mounted material handlers made by Hawco and Seram. The hydraulic handlers are electrically-powered and have been installed to feed a large ferrous baler manufactured by Harris Press & Shear. "We wanted to go to a pedestal-mounted machine to eliminate the diesel engine," says FP&T executive vice president Tony Benacquisto. "One will have a magnet and one will have a grapple." Hawco markets the machine as a fast, clean, quiet material handler that can offer substantial energy savings.

There are some companies that specialize in the large-tonnage pedestal-mounted handlers, while many manufacturers of mobile equipment also offer pedestal-mounted versions of their hydraulic handlers.

The Conversion Option

There are now several manufacturers in North America, Asia and Europe offering machines that are built specifically for material handling. Many earlier models were excavators that featured modifications in the arm or boom areas to make them more adept at lifting instead of digging.

Converted excavators still provide a steady source of material handling machines to the scrap industry. At JOB Machinery, Fryklund and his employees convert Liebherr excavators into scrap-handling machines. "I buy good used machines and bring them up to the best level we can and still have it economically acceptable. My objective is stay under $100,000 with full electrical and hydraulic capabilities," he says. "There are a substantial number of buyers in that small and intermediate market, and they need machines and service. Some guys simply can’t afford a $200,000 machine. Of the owners I’ve sold to, I’d say 80% sit in the seat or are closely looking out the office window."

The market for new, customized machines has grown to the point, however, that construction equipment manufacturers are aggressively courting the scrap market. "We know scrap handlers need extra-rugged machines built to perform in severe operating conditions," says Joel Borgardt, a marketing manager with Case Corp., Racine, Wisc. The construction equipment company now offers a hydraulic machine targeted to the scrap market. "In the 9050B MR, they get features like a complete guarding package and manual-tile cab riser coupled with the exceptional level of power and control built into our basic 9050B machine."

Purpose-Built Machines

Several manufacturers have distinguished themselves in the market by building handlers designed specifically for the scrap industry. Among those making extensive efforts to market scrap-specific equipment are Caterpillar Inc. and two European manufacturers—Fuchs and Liebherr.

Of the two European firms, Liebherr has had particular success on this side of the Atlantic. Tom Hickson, regional sales manager with Republic Crane & Equipment Co., Charlotte, N.C., says Liebherr has been making material handling equipment for 30 years. (Republic is the U.S. distributor for Liebherr’s line of hydraulic scrap handlers.)

He says a machine designed and built for material handling in the scrap environment offers distinct advantages. "If you have a factory-built product—built for the application—you will have quality engineering and construction done at the factory. It comes out of the factory ready to go to work in a scrap yard."

The forethought that goes into a scrap-specific machine means it has been built to anticipate the problems confronted at a scrap yard. "They start with the application in mind," Hickson says of Liebherr’s engineers. "The undercarriages are different for a scrap handler than those on an excavator would be. If you’re building it from the get-go, you can incorporate specific items into it," he notes, also citing features such as protection over the outrigger cylinders and protector rings between the tires.

Liebherr also offers a wide number of material handler models built specifically for the scrap industry, says Hickson. "We currently offer 18 models, which is about three times more than the nearest competitor. We can suit a model to the customer’s applications. Are you loading a barge or a shear? Is it a large yard or a small yard? Having 18 models, we have the right scrap handler for virtually every application in this industry," he adds.

Caterpillar Inc., in a bid to increase its presence in the scrap industry, recently purchased Material Handling Crane Systems Inc., a Marion, Ohio company that modifies excavators for the scrap industry. "That whole acquisition started with Caterpillar’s recognition that the scrap and material handling industry is undergoing changes and has become an industry Caterpillar wants to become the leader in," says Caterpillar’s McHose. The acquired company brings industry-specific expertise in areas such as generator sets and controllers, McHose says. While Material Handling Crane Systems was a conversion company, McHose is quick to note that "Caterpillar’s material handlers are purpose-built. Five years ago, Caterpillar Inc. made the switch from converting excavators to making purpose-built material handlers."

The author is editor of Recycling Today.

Sidebar:

Attachments No Secondary Consideration

After purchasing a hydraulic handler for a quarter of a million dollars or more, most scrap processors will make certain to get as much use as possible out of the machine. One way to do that is to increase the versatility of the machine by keeping different attachments on hand.

The market for attachments—referred to by some in the industry as work tools—has increased dramatically in the 1990s. A crowded field of manufacturers now competes for the dollars not only of construction and demolition contractors, but also for those of scrap processors.

"Attachments are becoming more and more in demand," says Bob Weiglein, a product manager with Case Corp., Racine, Wisc. "Our customers are telling us they don’t want a dedicated machine for each required application. They like the Swiss Army knife approach," he quips.

Geith Inc., a Petersburg, Va.-based maker of buckets, grapples and pulverizers, says 1997 and 1998 have been record sales years for the company. While construction buckets remain a core market for the company, it has also found an eager market in the scrap industry.

According to Geith Inc. president Brendan English, the company introduced more than 20 new products to the attachment market alone in 1997, including many designed for the demolition and scrap industries. "Recent product launches have included both a mechanical and hydraulic shear and a complete range of scrap grabs for the scrap industry," says English.

Whether the machine in question is a skid steer, wheel loader or hydraulic handler, a processor can find a variety of attachments on the market that will allow that machine to perform several tasks on the same day, if needed.

"It’s a function of economy," says Case Corp.’s Weiglein. "I can afford x-number of cranes, but if I can use them for more than one job, I’m really getting the most of out them. That applies to any of these machines—whether it’s a big crane or a skid steer, you want to get the optimum utilization out of it. That’s what’s driving the attachment market."

Magnetic attachments are still prominent in the ferrous market, although they are clearly limited to that segment. Grapples can lift a sizable amount of material of any metallic composition, making them more versatile at scrap yards that handle both ferrous and nonferrous scrap. "Because the material they are handling is often loose, bulky and odd-shaped, grapples make sense," says Weiglein.

Hydraulic shears are another attachment type used in some scrap applications. "Shears are also prominent in the demolition industry," Weiglein notes. While shears are often attached to large hydraulic handlers, they can also be used at the end of a skid steer. Weiglein recalls one demolition job at a southern California soap factory site where a fleet of skid steers equipped with shears tore out and reclaimed piping, venting and wiring that was processed for its secondary metal value. "The skid steers came in before the demolition and removed wiring, tubing, the ventilation—anything metal that could be recycled. There was an awful lot of aluminum in there, and they used skid steers with shears to reclaim it."