Safer, Faster, and Smarter

But did you ever stop to think about it-I mean really think about it? In order for us to have this expectation-that we could put massive machines to work and then just expect them to perform-someone, somewhere did a lot of work. Yes, before the RFP and the sales person, before the purchase order and the local dealer…somebody had an idea.And what you see, behind that blue or white or yellow paint, is the result of a long chain of ideas. The average piece of heavy equipment has thousands of individual parts and more computing power than NASA had when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. You should be impressed.

The creativity and hard work that goes into producing the machines we use at our waste facility is often taken for granted, but it shouldn’t be, because without those machines, we wouldn’t be doing our job at the landfill, MRF, scrap yard, or transfer station. We wouldn’t be grinding, screening, turning, or loading greenwaste to create compost if we didn’t have those modern machines, the ones we take for granted every day.

So who really comes up with compost turners and wood grinders and loaders and landfill compactors? Some very smart people, that’s who.

I recently spoke with Jim Caron, owner of Caron Compactor Co. Jim began his career in the landfill business as a teenager, working with his father. Now, I’ve been in the heavy construction and landfill business for 35 years and have seen a good number of landfills and other waste facilities, hundreds of them.

But in hearing Jim talk about regularly visiting several landfills per day…20-plus days per month…for half a century-man, that’s a lot of landfills…thousands of them.

I doubt if anyone else in the world has seen more landfills than Jim Caron.

In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell refers to the 10,000 Hour Rule. Through several examples, he explains that becoming expert-at anything-requires two things. That person must have access to a specific opportunity, and he or she must spend a minimum of 10,000 hours practicing that skill.

So, if you worked for your father (who just happened to be Fred Caron) while he developed the very first landfill compactor…and then you continued working in that same field for 10,000 hours (or, as in Jim’s case, more than 100,000 hours) you would obviously become quite expert in the field of waste compaction.

So what would be the result of spending a lifetime thinking about landfill compaction and the machines that get it done?

You’d get innovation and performance. You’d get things like trapezoidal compactor teeth that can be replaced without welding.

You’d get a double semi-U blade and special demolition track pads for dozers and track loaders.

You’d get a chevron-shaped wheel design that can allows a compactor to crush and compact trash in a transfer station without tearing up the concrete floor.

The wide range of reliable machines we use today to handle waste and recyclables comes from a similar history, each with its own family tree of experts.

Many years ago I took banjo lessons from a local guy who lived just out of town on a small farm. One evening, when we were finished, our discussion turned to heavy equipment. Knowing that I was an equipment operator, he said, “Hey, let’s go out to the shop, I’ve got something to show you.”

There, parked under a carport, he had a rebuilt Caterpillar Sixty. After making some adjustment to the fuel system, he produced a long, steel bar and then instructed me to put it into one of those holes on the flywheel and give it a turn. “But watch out,” he said, “that thing can really kick back when it fires.” Well, we got it started and ran it for a few minutes. It was a neat old tractor, but it made me think how far we’d come in regard to machine technology.

Caterpillar began manufacturing the Caterpillar Sixty in 1925, and it was, not surprisingly, a 60-horsepower crawler tractor. It was 1978 when I saw that first one, and at that time the company I was working for had two Caterpillar D8 dozers: a 2U (circa, 1945-1953) and a D8H-46A (circa, 1958-1974). Compared to that rebuilt Cat Sixty with its bar and flywheel, these were very advanced machines. The 2U utilized a pony motor to start the main engine, and the 46A had a key and starter.

But since that time, machine manufacturers have continued to log hours, becoming ever more expert.

Recently, while performing a Comprehensive Operations Review (CORE) at a landfill, I had the opportunity to evaluate the performance of a Caterpillar D7E. The D7E is a diesel/electric drive machine that generates 235 horsepower and weighs 57,441 pounds (and up to 68,600 pounds with the Waste Handling Arrangement).

This is a very impressive machine, easily handling packer truck and rolloff loads, but consuming (at that particular landfill) slightly less than 5 gallons of fuel per operating hour.

I’ve talked with several operators who say that, “The D7E seemed to have as much pushing capability as a D8.” Well, it could be: In regard to weight and horsepower, the D7E lands somewhere between a D8H and a D8K.

Now of course, when compared to a more current model-say, a D8T-this new Diesel/Electric D7E machine has 26% less horsepower and weighs 35% less. So, in a head-to-head comparison, it’s not a D8T.

But there is a difference that allows the D7E to feel stronger and more responsive than the previous D7 models. The diesel engine on the D7E operates at a relatively constant 1,500-1,800 RPM. This, of course, keeps the engine at peak power and optimum fuel efficiency. But more importantly, from the operator’s perspective, the electric motor drive system provides a quicker response time.

As a result, when the D7E engages a load, it immediately begins pushing at full power. So, rather than having to build up into the power curve (by increasing RPM) as with a traditional diesel machine, the full power of the D7E is right there.

To meet the ever increasing needs of their customers, machine manufacturers continue to build machines that are larger and more powerful.

For example, consider how the horsepower and weight of a Caterpillar D8 dozer has continued to increase over the past several decades. On average, we see an average increase of 3% to 4% per year.

When I first started working in construction, backhoes weren’t too common. Oh, they were around, but the outfit I worked for didn’t have one. I remember using a pick and shovel to dig stormwater drop inlets by hand, creating a smooth-walled hole that measured 4 feet by 7 feet-some of them 6 feet deep. We’d use a plumb-bob on a string to keep the sides vertical and then carefully shave the sides and corners with a flat shovel because the concrete walls were cast in-place and the wall of the dug hole would be the outside concrete form.

On those days we didn’t spend much time thinking about the machines we didn’t have; we just worked. But during that time, some people were thinking about machines that weren’t available. Heck, they weren’t even invented.

In the 1970s, while I was digging a hole in the ground with a pick and shovel, Caterpillar was introducing its very first landfill compactor, the 816. In that same decade, Terex was making history by building the world’s largest dump truck: the Terex 33-19 Titan.

Today, Terex also manufactures a number of different machines that are used in the waste industry.

Every landfill hauls material onsite. It may be soil, rock, rubble, wood chips, or waste, but when it comes time to move it, we want it moved quickly, efficiently, and for the lowest possible cost. Articulated trucks offer one of today’s most common solutions for bulk material transport. No other wheeled hauler has the mobility or off-roadability of an articulated truck-and Terex has three great trucks to choose from.

Ranging from the 311-horsepower TA250, with a heaped capacity of 20.3 cubic yards to the company’s 30.3-cubic-yard TA400, with its massive 444-horsepower engine, when it comes to hauling, you’re covered. Oh, and for those who say, “a bit too small, or too darn big,” Terex has one that’s right in the middle. Its TA300 can haul 22.9 cubic yards quite effectively with its 370-horsepower engine.

Of course, all of these engines are Tier 4 rated, so the only noticeable footprint they’ll leave at your facility is a tire track…but not much in the way of carbon.

Now if that doesn’t make you feel warm all over, you can also add any of these features:

• An optional body heater (so the load doesn’t freeze in the bed during sub-freezing weather)
• Heated mirrors to maintain great visibility, even during snowy or icy conditions
• A heated seat to keep the operator happy during those frosty mornings

Okay, so what’s the deal with those heated seats? Well, those savvy designers at Terex recognize that in order for their machines to perform well, the operators must be comfortable. Let’s do a quick survey: How many general managers have heated seats in their vehicle? Okay, okay …no need to start some kind of class warfare. The point is that comfortable operators can work safely and more productively.

So, in addition to offering an optional heated seat, the folks at Terex also came up with a new cab layout. The operator’s station-that’s a tricky way to say “the cab”-has been redesigned, based on direct input from real-life operators…those warm-seated operators who run the trucks. The result looks more like it belongs in a sports car than a 400-horsepower truck.

Some of you may remember when just having a cab, something with doors and a windshield, was a big deal.

The Terex line, well known throughout the construction industry for tough, dependable machines, doesn’t end at the landfill. The company also manufactures an extremely versatile, Transformer-like material handler. The new Fuchs MHL340 E can be equipped with various boom-and-stick configurations, providing up to a 44.9-foot reach. Using the quick-connect system, this machine can change from a grapple to a shear in less than a minute. Imagine the flexibility of a system where someone on the ground signals the operator that a shear is needed. The operator then radios back, “Okay, I’ll have it in just a minute”…and he does!

This machine can travel at 12.4 miles per hour, offers a 27-degree steering angle, and can raise the operator to an eye level of over 17 feet above ground level.

With its standard rearview camera, this machine is designed from the ground up for work in scrap yards or greenwaste operations. Need a material handler? No problem-the Terex Fuchs MHL340 E has it handled.

Macpactor, a company with offices in the United States and Europe, is another family-owned business, one that has been serving the waste industry for more than 35 years. It offers a wide range of products, including dozer blades and wheels and teeth for landfill compactors.

The Macpactor M-Trax Diamond tooth design is an aggressive tooth and comes with a five-year, 15,000-hour machine life warranty. Of course, they can configure the tooth layout on the wheels to maximize compaction for various types of waste and to prevent plugging. Neil McCartney naturally grew into his current position as managing director of Macpactor: His father, too, was in the waste industry.

Macpactor also manufactures the Compax wheel system. This machine, while still in the compaction family, would be considered a cousin of a different stripe. Using what it has learned about compaction over the past three decades, the company has created a machine that can, according to Macpactor, reduce transportation costs by up to 75%.

Most of us have seen rolloffs with light payloads being hauled a long distance. With diesel prices stuck at just under $4 per gallon, increasing payload to reduce trips makes good sense.

So, just what is this Compax thing? Well perhaps you’ve seen an excavator or backhoe compacting a trench backfill with a sheepsfoot roller wheel mounted on the end of the stick in place of the bucket. Well, the Compax works along the same principle; only instead of compacting trench backfill material, it compacts trash, greenwaste, or recyclable materials inside an open-top rolloff container.

The operator can control the down pressure and number of passes. The goal here is, of course, to pack more material into the rolloff container before it is transported. Maximum payloads mean fewer trips and money saved.

It can also reduce the need to bale certain recyclable materials onsite, when the transport distance is moderate. With the Compax, the material can be compacted in the container and hauled direct.

This can also mitigate the problem of having a row of full bins-say, at a self-haul unloading area-with no room for customers to unload.

The Compax can be set up on a quick-hitch system and is perhaps best suited to be mounted on a wheeled excavator-something that is mobile enough to move from bin-to-bin. A video of the Compax system working on metal, wood, trash and greenwaste can be viewed at: http://goo.gl/miQxto.

In terms of landfill compaction, we’ve been talking wheels, teeth, and blades. But now for a moment let’s talk compactors. There are several manufacturers of landfill compactors, including Caterpillar, Bomag, Aljon, and Tana.

And, for small landfills where one of these standard units is too big, Caron offers wheel packages that can convert smaller machines into very effective landfill compactors. These include the Cat 518 and 938 wheel loader.

But when it comes to sheer size and strength, Aljon’s Advantage 600 is still the heaviest landfill compactor (126,000 pounds)…and with a 630-horsepower engine, it is also the most powerful.

Every machine brings a unique set of qualities to the table. Where plugging from clayey soil or waste sludge is a problem, it is important to have the ability to change the layout of the teeth on the drum…or run with cleaner bars.

What are we talking about here?  Plugging is when compactor wheels become so packed with soil, trash or sludge that the teeth don’t protruded out from the wheel.  It’s like having your hiking boots lose their effectiveness because the tread is packed with mud or snow.

In terms of cleaner bars, the entire line of Bomag landfill compactors do a great job.  Their machines have integral cleaner bars to prevent wheel plugging and keep the teeth exposed and working.  The importance of this concept is well-known in the construction industry where soil compactors and towed sheepsfoot rollers are nearly always equipped with cleaner bars.

It’s just common sense: When you stop and think about it, the act of compacting trash really just boils down to the simple process of jamming teeth into trash in order to break, crush and pack it into the least possible space-and teeth are most effective when they are clean.

But is that common sense as common as we’d like to think? Perhaps there’s more to it. Here again is innovation that we take for granted, perhaps not realizing that it’s the result of years of focused thinking and effort. By now it’s probably no surprise to learn that Bomag traces its history back to 1916, when the Buffalo Steam Roller Co. of Buffalo, NY, merged with Kelly-Springfield of Springfield, OH, to form the Buffalo Springfield Road Roller Co. Innovation takes time, and Bomag has been doing it for a century.

As we focus on equipment in the waste industry, too often we look first at landfill equipment…and then to no further. But take a look a broader look at waste processing facilities and you’ll see loaders, grinders, trommels, material handlers, and many different types of support equipment. It’s a big world out there, and you’ll see many different types of machines…sometimes too many.

And quite often, selecting the right machine for your particular application comes down to trial and error. You can save some money and lots of grief by focusing a bit more on the trial and a lot less on the error. Here’s what I mean.

Get out and look at other facilities and talk to people who are already doing what you want to do. Somebody has already figured out how to do it efficiently and cost effectively. Think your operation is the center of the universe? Think again. And while you’re at it, talk to people like Jim Caron who has seen thousands of landfills…or Neil McCartney who has worked in a family-owned business, serving the waste industry for more than 30 years.

Also, it may sound a bit “techy,” but spend some time online. Check out YouTube and see how well those machines you’re thinking of purchasing really work. I did a YouTube search for “landfill compactor” and got 3,430 results-3,430 videos-related to the term. Similarly, I got 1,270 results for “compost windrow turner” and 1,610 for “cardboard baler.”

There is a lot of information out there on virtually any aspect of the waste industry. There is so much information, in fact, that there is little excuse for not finding the right machine for whatever job you’re doing. Trade associations such as SWANA offer a tremendous amount of information in the form of conferences, webinars, and, perhaps most importantly, networking.

If you are looking at a specific type of machine, ask for references of other people who are using similar machines in a similar environment…then jump on a plane and go check it out. Plane tickets are cheap, especially if one prevents you from spending a pile of money on the wrong machine.

Equipment manufacturers are going the extra mile to develop and produce machines that are dependable and environmentally compliant. Today’s machines are safer, more productive, and far more comfortable than they were just a few years ago.

Manufacturers are putting more into today’s machines, and at the same time, they are helping you get more out of them.

For example, consider some of the “value-added” options offered by Caterpillar:

SOS Fluid Analysis-By extracting fluid samples from your equipment, you can track the condition of oil and coolant, as well as monitor component wear in your engine, transmission, etc. SOS provides a vital early warning system to reduce machine repair costs.

Cat Product Link-This is a wireless system that allows you to track the location and performance of every machine in your fleet. You can set up job-site boundaries so you’ll receive an alert if one of your machines leaves the site. You can also track fuel usage and other performance-related information.

During a recent landfill evaluation, the mechanic noted that a particular machine was overheating on a regular basis. He was receiving real-time alerts wirelessly from the machine to his computer. Using that information, he was able to link the overheating events to a particular operator by matching event times to shifts. With this information, the landfill manager was able to discuss the issue with the operator and provide additional training…before the machine’s engine failed. The more you know, the more you can do.