For more than 30 years, Arbor Age magazine has been covering new and innovative products, services, technology and research vital to tree care companies, municipal arborists and utility right-of-way maintenance companies
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/113951
FLEET MANAGEMENT How to enhance processing efficiency and chipper performance By Randy R. Happel Many factors can influence the productivity of tree care equipment, although none likely more important than effective management of equipment fleets.Although many different types of equipment are likely to comprise most fleets, the staple of any successful professional tree care service company is its brush chippers. Model selection According to Glenn Patterson,general manager ofVermeer Southeast Sales and Service,located in Marietta,Ga.,managing tree care equipment fleets most effectively begins with proper chipper model selection. "Identifying and matching chipper infeed capacity with specific tasks and crew experience is among the first," said Patterson."The brush chipper models in the industry typically range in capacity from a smaller 6-inch infeed to 21-inch-diameter capacity. Understanding which infeed size works best for processing different waste wood material size and mass is an important component in achieving operational efficiency." Brush chippers are typically classified by the infeed throat capacity necessary to most efficiently process the wide variation in diameter and mass configurations of the raw material. Hence, an important factor to consider when adding a new brush chipper to an equipment fleet is the specific task or type of service most often performed. Given that different size tree care companies are likely to specialize in performing 16 Arbor Age / March 2013 specific service functions — most often either trimming or takedown — understanding chipper capacity is helpful in making prudent model selections that will be most efficient for a specific function. For example, smaller diameter chippers — 9- to 12-inch-diameter capacity — are ideal for tree-trimming activities where the task involves processing smaller branches, limbs, slash and brush. Crews involved with residential takedowns and commercial land-clearing applications should consider a chipper model with infeed capacity capable of processing 15- to 19-inch-diameter material at one time. Brush chippers capable of processing material of larger diameter reduce the number of logs that would otherwise need to be hauled away from a site; thus reducing hauling and operational costs. Determining chipper replacement intervals Another important tool for effectively managing the efficiency and productivity of equipment fleets involves recognizing the point in a chipper's life cycle when it is no longer operating at peak efficiency. Like all equipment, the primary components of brush chippers — including drum, cutter drive, discharge and hydraulic systems — will eventually age and wear to the extent that operational efficiency becomes compromised.Although there is really no specific formula for identifying the point within the life cycle of a chipper at which it should be replaced with a new model, there are several indicators that, when considered collectively, can be beneficial. www.arborage.com