Small Loader with a Big Heart
SENNEBOGEN'S green line 305 Multihandler is the 'go-to' machine for California based C&D facility
ST. HELENS, CA - As the Operations Manager of a C&D facility, Adam Waters believes what he does is making a difference to the environment and he points to SENNEBOGEN'S green line 305 Multihandler as a key tool in this objective.
Waters is the Operations Manager for Clover Flat Landfill in St. Helens, California, a Construction and Demolition (C&D) facility located a short distance north from Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling. The operation began about a year ago when company President Bob Pestoni noticed that a lot of the refuse being dumped at the landfill could be diverted for scrap.
Nothing goes to waste
"We would see new stuff still in packages being thrown away. That's the reason why we opened the C&D facility so that this stuff doesn't end up in the landfill," says Waters. "We just don't want to fill up the canyon with trash."
Waters explains that diverting this material for scrap recycling improves the environment by reducing the amount of material going to landfills and by reducing the amount of raw material that must be taken out of the earth to make room for it. "For the diversion program, we aim for 60-70 percent, and on average we are probably pretty close to that," he says, adding that with current volume reaching 100 tons each day, he has already seen a significant decrease in the amount of material ending up at the landfill. "Landfills are more concerned about yardage than tonnage. A lot of stuff can be pulled out which takes up a lot of space," he says.
"The single most common material pulled from the landfill is wood waste including construction lumber which generates about 10 to 15 tons a day. All of that used to go to the landfill," he says. "Some of the bigger landfills can take in thousands of tons a day. Wood just doesn't compact very well so it takes up a lot of space."
The wood waste is extracted and ground up with much of it coming off of the picking line at the C&D facility and run through a screener. Some of the wood chips get sold and the rest gets composted. "Nothing goes to waste," says Waters who speculates that Pestoni will find even more uses for it in the future. "Perhaps the wood can be used for biomass energy. Maybe even use it to generate power for the facility some day," he says.
Improves productivity and efficiencies
With nine out of the company's 13 employees working on the picking line, much of the work is done by hand or with the assistance of traditional front-end loaders with bucket and thumb attachments. However, it was obvious there was something more the company needed as it sought to improve productivity and efficiencies. They found it in the SENNEBOGEN 305 Multihandler. As part of the company's green line, it is the world's first Multihandler featuring a hydraulic hi-rise operator's cab with an eye level of 13'1" feet (4.0 meters) and being able to reach a lifting height of 24 feet (7.3 meters). This unique machine, with an operating weight of just over 25,000 pounds (11 tons), is outfitted with a 124 hp (91 kW) diesel engine.
At first glance, Waters admits he was skeptical. "I didn't even know about SENNEBOGEN until my boss read about the company in a magazine article. And I didn't know anything about the 305 other than what I saw in a picture," says Waters. "I unloaded it off the truck and I remember thinking to myself, 'I don't know about this'. But we have been running it for a while now," says Waters. "It's very sturdy and right away we noticed that this machine was different." Water explains that the machine was required to do a variety of tasks that would normally have taken more than one piece of equipment. "We needed it to do everything including pushing material on to the feeding belt. We have to push but we also have to feed the hopper too. We have all our picking lines raised up with drop boxes underneath. When they get full they are too heavy to pull in and out with a skid steer but this machine has no problem pushing these boxes around," says Waters.
Greater reach and loading ability
The SENNEBOGEN 305 Multihandler is well suited for all loading operations (including sea container loading with special attachments) as well as lifting operations that require extra reach. The hydraulically controlled quick-change mechanism with an extra-wide quick-change plate has a very large tip angle, offering optimal shovel control. This ensures clean, fast and efficient tipping with minimal debris lost during travel as well as minimum material left in the bucket when dumping. Some models also have an optional longer XL telescopic boom. This provides the operator with an extended reach and lift height of 30 feet (9 meters). Greater reach and loading ability means that the operator can access heights and dump materials that traditional telehandlers or forklifts cannot do.
"Our 966 CAT loaders don't even come close to doing all of that or getting up that high. We would have to build a ramp to load our trailers with our CAT 966, and a Skytrak wouldn't work as well either because it's not made for tamping down the material in the drop box. The bucket on the 305 drops down two to three feet so we can actually reach down into the box and tamp the material down so stuff doesn't fall out. That's what I really like. We just don't get that kind of reachability with the other loader," says Waters. This is also a practical benefit when using high side trailers to get the material to the landfill as the 305 allows them to tamp everything down for a safer trip down the road.
Small in size, big on work
Its dimensions, measuring only 15.7 feet long (4.8 meters), 8.2 feet high (2.5 meters) and 8.1 feet wide (2.48 meters), combined with three different steering systems including crab steering, all wheel steering and front wheel steering allow the Multihandler to work in tight areas which is a key feature for operators at Clover Flat Landfill.
"We are working in a small area so we needed a small loader, something that is maneuverable because we have to take trucks down a road to the scale and back up again so it's easy to get around other vehicles," he says.
A bird's-eye view of the job
However, one of the Multihandler's most unique features is one that Waters appreciates the most: the innovative hydraulic hi-rise cab, which is a hallmark of SENNEBOGEN material handling machines. The ability to raise and lower the cab offers operators less guesswork and more precision- to better see where they are going, what they are moving and where they are taking it, giving them a bird's-eye view of the job. "From a safety stand-point, it's a nice unit for working around the public. It's so small and compact the operator can see all around. It's nice to have that kind of visibility," he says. "We have the cab three-quarters in the air most of the time."
With 1000 hours of service already on the machine within the six months of owning it, Waters says the SENNEBOGEN Multihandler has already proven its reliability. "Working around trash and debris is a messy job which is hard on equipment. In addition, we are also working in small areas so we needed a small loader that is maneuverable, but it also needs to be tough," says Waters, adding that the SENNEBOGEN Multihandler met their criteria. "It has a fuel efficient engine but it can lift and push a reasonable size load. It's like having a big loader in a small package," he says summing up the machine's capabilities. "It does everything we need it to do effectively. It pushes empty or full 30 to 40 yard drop boxes, it maneuvers around vehicles in tight spots, it gives the operator an unobstructed view of the pedestrian traffic... I've used a lot of different loaders and rough terrain forklifts and I have never seen anything like this! It's a nice all around tractor that I would recommend for anybody who does this type of work," he says. "For us, it is the lifeblood of the C&D facility. After using it for a while, I wouldn't want to use anything else."
About SENNEBOGEN
SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for more than 58 years. Based in Stanley, North Carolina, SENNEBOGEN LLC offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any material handling application. A growing network of distributors supports SENNEBOGEN sales and service across the Americas, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability.
For more information on the full line of SENNEBOGEN green line material handlers, contact:
Constantino Lannes, President
SENNEBOGEN LLC
1957 Sennebogen Trail, (formerly 7669 Old Plank Road),
Stanley, NC 28164
Call toll free: 1-877-309-0099 or fax (704) 347-8894
E-mail - sales@sennebogenllc.com
Visit the web site at www.sennebogen-na.com
SIDEBAR
The Swiss Army Knife of Multihandlers
A three-yard grapple bucket is the primary attachment used by the crew at Clover Flat Landfill for its new SENNEBOGEN 305 Multihandler and according to Adam Waters, the Operations Manager for Clover Flat Landfill in St. Helens, California, that is all it needs to get the job done.
However, this compact and versatile loader is engineered to accept a complete line of attachments making this machine, the Swiss Army Knife of Multihandlers. Some of these attachments include an orange peel, attachable forks, (also available with sideshift), timber grab, sweeper and various buckets with and without teeth and with or without grippers. Attachments take only minutes to change and the machine is ready to work as it's equipped standard with a hydraulic quick coupler.
While the SENNEBOGEN 305 Multihandler is the most versatile machine used at the landfill's Construction and Demolition (C&D) facility, it is also extremely fuel efficient and easy to maintain. After running the machine about 10 hours a day, Waters says he was surprised how little fuel the machine consumed. "It gets used more than any other piece of equipment," he says, adding that he was just as surprised to discover that its excellent fuel efficiency did not come at the expense of horsepower. "That unit only has a 4-stroke Deutz engine but it has a lot of power. It's amazing what that little loader can do," he says, adding that the engine is Tier III compliant.
Quality workmanship is something that SENNEBOGEN is known for and the 305 Multihandler is no exception to this. The 305 Multihandler comes with a reversing fan to clean out the cooling system which minimizes downtime and keeps the engine running at optimum operating temperature. Daily maintenance and fluid level checking are all at ground level and the user-friendly design and engineering make the 305 Multihandler a turnkey operation for any experienced operator. "We haven't had any downtime with this machine. We haven't blown any hydraulic lines. All we have done is replace filters and tighten the fittings from the vibrations," he says, adding that all the parts he needs are available from his SENNEBOGEN dealer and now that SENNEBOGEN has opened a new warehouse in the US, he figures getting parts will be even easier.
