SED 2008 roundup: Recycling equipment

Interest in recycling equipment has never been higher as the construction industry gets to grips with the implications of site waste management plans.

Tim Mitchell, managing director of Red Rhino, said: "Over the past few months we have seen a 30% rise in enquiries as contractors have started to get to grips with the new regulations."

But he said contractors should not see the move as purely negative. "We calculate that it costs about £25/t to take rubble away from site and replace it with fresh aggregate. Our 5000 machine can crush about 20,000t of rubble a year - giving an equivalent cost of under £2/t," he said. Such statistics were not lost on SED visitors, with Red Rhino taking orders for three of its 5000 series crusher, two for its smaller 4000 and lots of enquires about the bigger 7000 machine.

Things were similarly busy on Digbits' stand: "All our brochure packs went on the first day," said director Marcus Clay, who also noticed an upswing of interest in recycling.

The company was demonstrating both its award-winning Bav Trak 025 and the smaller Bav Trak 009. Clay sold several 025s at the show and is organising lots of demos from the leads generated. He also had enquiries from dealers wanting to represent the brand in various parts of the UK and overseas.

Jaw draw

It was the novel clearing system for jams in the Rimac Moby 600 crusher that created the most interest for first time exhibitor Bradgate. "In the event of a jam, the jaw can be fully opened and the conveyor hydraulically slid forward, allowing the non-crushable material to fall onto the floor," said Richard Smith from UK importer Bradgate.

Creating interest on Mace Industries' stand was the Crushman mini crusher - a trailer-mounted jaw crusher, which can process lumps of up to 200x150x400mm at a rate of up to 3t/hr. However, it can do much more because of the innovative approach to the process. Power comes from a hydraulic power pack that can be used to drive a breaker - either in-situ or remotely having been demounted from the machine. Low enough to be hand-fed, the crusher's output can go either directly into a barrow or onto a stockpiling conveyor.

At the bigger end of the scale Lincoln-based CGCS exhibited the 7020 trommel screen from Danish manufacturer TIM envripro, for which it is the UK importer. On the demo plot the SD1600 and SD1430 shredders performed for the visitors, reducing pallets by the grab load faster than the excavator operator could feed the machine.

It wasn't possible to walk past HT Services' stand and not notice the highly coloured Nakayama crushers - the 20t/hr MC140P being the brightest and attracting most attention. It was joined on the stand by the bigger and more capable (50t/hr), although less garish, MC240G.

OM Crushers importer Molson had already picked up a couple of good leads on the first day of the show. So sturdy and popular are the machines in their native Italy that many trade-ins find their way back home to second owners. However, Molson also markets NPK's range of plates and clamshell attachments, Kawasaki wheel loaders, Yanmar mini excavators and is now bringing in low-hour Kato excavators from the manufacturer's own hire fleet.

Of the array of chippers and stump grinders on Global Recycling's stand the 90XP was attracting the most attention. This small chipper is road-towable behind a 4x4 and can take infeed up to 230mm across.

IP Equipment held the official launch of its Arden CU1300 multiprocessor at the show. This unit is aimed at the 14t to 19t sector but will comfortably fit on 13t to 21t standard excavators and 33t to 45t long-reach machines. Alongside was a set of crushing jaws and according to IP's Mark Hyde, the changeover can be made in 10 minutes.

Axle option

The key exhibit on King Feeders' stand was the Ecoscreen 1800, which is now powered by JCB's 444 engine and a version on show had low-speed axles for the agricultural market. Having moved away from the Site Clearance Zone the company noticed a drop in stand visitors and while it picked up a couple of good leads its results did not equal last year's when it sold a machine at the show.

McCloskey showed its latest Kompaq aggregate screener, which now has a turntable facility allowing it to swivel through 180˚, making transportation easier - an innovation that was creating a good degree of interest among the visitors.

On Techno Screen's stand was the TS 300 tracked screen, while the smaller TS200 was working on the demo plot. Weighing 3t the TS 300 can be transported on a small plant trailer towed by a 4x4 or a van and comes with a side discharge conveyor. It can process top soil, sand, gravel, rubble and asphalt at up to 50t/hr and the unit on the stand sold on the first day.

The smaller, wheel-mounted TS2004x4 can also be towed by a 4x4 and the company says it can be set up and working within four minutes. It must be a convincing argument as two were sold on the first day.