The world of MSW processing equipment is varied, complex, and filled with hundreds of different pieces of equipment that help make the job easier.

By Peter Hildebrandt

It doesn’t look like the choices in model options on equipment or the complexity of design will be growing any simpler anytime soon. As the equipment becomes more complex, it might be harder to find qualified technicians to service it. That makes preventive maintenance even more vital. Still, the maintenance, care, and handling needs of even the latest equipment with the newest computer sensors and software haven’t changed much. A computer sensor might let you know when the oil on your hydraulic baler is getting a tad too warm, but it’s vital to keep the oil in there in the first place.

The following are nuggets of knowledge and advice from users and manufacturers around the country who are doing their best to keep their MSW processing equipment running longer. They’ll be the first to agree with the old adage about ounces and pounds of prevention and cure as quickly as they’ll give you the latest statistics on their equipment’s production of recycled OCC, aluminum cans, or office paper bales per day.

Pre-Op Checks
Jerry Hughes, head of recycling for Bangor ME, uses an International Press and Shear Corp. Baler for many of his recycling needs. This is an automatic-tie machine that is completely computerized and was purchased new from BSC Recycling in New Hampshire. “The computer tells you when something needs to be looked at,” says Hughes. “But there are also pre-operational checks that we do on a daily basis. The oil temperature must be at a certain level and another important check is for loose bolts or structural damage. We also check daily to see if all the safety guards are in place, as well as ensuring that all decals are clearly visible. Anything with that much power must be monitored for those things on a day-to-day basis.”

Hughes also oversees the checking of all hydraulic tubing, connections, and hoses for damage. Every morning, the machinery’s wire inserter is carefully cleaned. “We’re always in a mode where we’re cleaning. The conveyor chain itself is oiled automatically from two containers on each side of the conveyor, and that needs to be checked so we’re not running out of oil, and also the grease fittings.”

A small compressor is kept near the machine, along with safety glasses so that at all times loose paper can be blown away from around the equipment. Aside from a few problems in the 14 months that the city of Bangor has had this automatic baler, it’s stuck to its regular output of from 90 bales to 125 bales per day. This output may not be reached every day, Hughes admits. The number of bales per day fluctuates depending upon deliveries. Hughes bales for 30 to 40 other communities as well, plus commercial entities. “We are the largest baling operation in the region,” says Hughes. With their recent upgrade, the state of Maine supplied a planning office grant for one half of the $200,000-baler.

“This is a unique open-end machine. It pre-bales before the material comes through, and its side hinge also turns the material and pre-compacts it. It is good technology, and the computer system allows you to program for all different materials as well, baling efficiently all kinds of paper, tin cans, and plastic.”

The new baler replaced an old closed-door, labor-intensive baler without an automatic tie. The wires had to be tied off by hand. “Thirty-five bales in one day—with the old baler—was considered a big day,” says Hughes.

Monthly Maintenance Tips
BE Equipment Inc. in Quakertown, PA, has a selection of compactors that are stationary and pack into a roll-off container, as well as small in-plant compactors, but balers are one of the biggest single items that they sell. “We probably have the largest inventory of used balers anywhere in the country,” says BE’s sales manager, Dan Odenwelder. “We also sell new, and that’s a big part of our business. Companies do seem to be doing more and more processing of their own waste in-house and thus are maximizing the marketability of their recycled product.”

PHOTO: BE EQUIPMENT

BE offers monthly maintenance tips on their Web site, www.beequipment.com, with a new tip appearing every month. June’s tip of the month: Don’t Let Balers Lose Their Cool! Use compressed air to clean the cooler assembly. Open fan louvers completely. Check hydraulic oil levels. Be sure to keep air filters clean.

“The tips are different according to the types of balers involved,” says Odenwelder. “There are literally hundreds of different types of balers out there. Some are manual tie, some are horizontal, and some are automatic-cycling with manual tie. We sell and service all of them.”

Odenwelder adds that the number one thing to look for in maintaining a baler is to make sure all the safety devices are properly working. Beyond that, most balers are hydraulically driven, so basic hydraulic repairs are of primary importance. It is important to check regularly to make sure there are no leaks and that the pump is performing up to standard, and doing an oil check now and then is a very good idea. “Depending on usage that could vary anywhere from once every three months to once every year,” says Odenwelder, “But it is a good idea to take out an oil sample and send that out to a lab for analysis to be certain that the oil is performing the right function and not degrading.”

Most balers, according to Odenwelder, contain some wear devices. These may or may not give off noises—such as screeches—as they wear down, and should be checked on a regular basis. BE Equipment offers customers a planned maintenance program with a detailed checklist, whereby, according to a given schedule, the baler is gone over from top to bottom. Part of their checklist consists of (1) the safety items, (2) the hydraulic components on a particular system, (3) the electronic components, and (4) the structure of the machinery, which includes inspection of the wear pads as well as inspection for cracked welds and bent structural members.

\Maintenance Inspectors
The Allied Waste Division in the area of San Mateo, CA, has a variety of residential, commercial, and recycling equipment. “We run 260 pieces of equipment here,” says Dennis Franco, maintenance supervisor. “We are a big division with a full preventive-maintenance program that has policies, procedures, and guidelines that we abide by—besides the Department of Transportation’s codes and regulations, which are also pretty stringent.”

The company runs commercial front-loaders, commercial recycling, and residential recycling, to mention a few. Each of these divisions requires different equipment that is involved in pickup of the various commodities. To keep their equipment at its best, this division has six different maintenance inspectors that spend all their time inspecting trucks and going through service scheduling all day, every day. Allied Waste Division also operates 22 roll-off trucks that service debris boxes and compactors, as well as 25 transfer trailer trucks that haul five to six loads of trash to the landfill daily.

“The garbage itself—and its acidity—results in wear and tear on the metal of all our machinery,” says Franco. “Each area, depending on surface and climate conditions will present its own unique demands on such things as hydraulic systems or tires, etc. Generally speaking, though, the waste industry likes for their equipment to last at least eight years. This seems to be an appropriate lifespan for waste processing equipment.”

Keeping it Clean
Duratech Industries mainly produces a tub grinder, which is useful in landfills, golf courses, construction work, and a number of other applications worldwide. When it comes to maintenance of tub-grinder equipment, Keith Hermanson, industrial manager with Duratech, recommends what he refers to as “good housekeeping.” He firmly believes that it’s a must on any piece of equipment, not just their own. “Tub grinders, because they are in such dirty conditions—outdoors and using diesel power—need to be blown off, checked over, have all the filters cleaned off; and that cleanliness should be your number one concern to prevent any problems down the road.”

PHOTO: DURATECH

Site #1 of South Carolina’s Saluda County Recycling Centers contains three trash compactors from Accurate Industries, a New Jersey manufacturer. Normally, the maintenance on the machinery is contracted out, according to site attendant Bob Autry. “If we develop an oil leak we might replace a hose, but, as far as doing the tuning or electrical on this machinery, we have a contractor who comes out of Charlotte, NC, to do that.”

Hoses may go out on the equipment every six months to one year of operation. Autry finds that as long as things are kept clean around the compactors, problems are kept to a minimum and there is not a lot of maintenance involved. “We separate out OCC, aluminum, scrap metal, used motor oil, old gasoline, newspaper, foam, and old car and truck tires,” says Autry. “We keep our repair and maintenance chores to a minimum by constantly cleaning up around our compactors and reminding those we serve to do the same when they visit us.”

Steve Uperti, superintendent at the city landfill in Virginia Beach, VA, deals mostly with MSW and construction demolition waste. Uperti has an onsite 82,000-pound 826G Caterpillar landfill trash compactor, a 330B Caterpillar excavator, several dozers and a 5,000-gallon water-tank dust-suppression vehicle, which is required in order for the landfill to maintain its Title 5 permit. Operators are very careful to hose down their landfill equipment in a contained area so the material that is cleaned off the equipment does not enter the storm drains onsite. “In this area of the country, known as the Tidewater Region, there are so many tributaries that lead to the Chesapeake Bay, that every little storm ditch has the potential to cause pollution, so we are extremely careful when it comes to cleaning and maintenance of our equipment,” says Uperti.

All of the leachate, or any liquid material that filters through the trash, is collected and sent to a leachate pond onsite. From there, it is pumped into a force main where the Hampton Roads Sanitation District treats it. Pumps that are used to accomplish this task must not be susceptible to a lot of corrosion problems, but still have to be changed out from time to time, according to Uperti.

The landfill has been using the 826G compactor for about three years. Over the years a variety of different equipment has been used at the landfill. Echoing the comments of other operators around the country, Uperti says, “You really do have to stay on top of these things maintenance-wise. We have a maintenance program that involves checking all the fluid levels in our equipment on a daily basis. This is required for each of the heavy-equipment operators we have, as are safety checks.”

Virginia Beach Landfill has a heavy-equipment mechanic onsite. “He is a guru and knows the ins and outs of all of our equipment,” says Uperti. “You don’t want to put a compactor on your hill that is going to break down.”

Preventive maintenance remains the key to the success of Uperti’s operations. Each morning the operators encircle their vehicles inspecting to ensure that everything is working—including lights, brakes, and everything else—and complete the checklist sheet, which must be signed.

“I guess the point is that the preventive maintenance increases the longevity of equipment, no doubt about it,” says Uperti.

Patrick Lee, vehicle/equipment maintenance superintendent for SPSA, the Southeast Public Service Authority, which serves much of the southeast Virginia region, says all their maintenance vehicles are tracked by mileage and hours, which are recorded by computer during the fueling process.

Lee’s operations include 67 tractors, 120 trailers, 50 pieces of heavy equipment, 30 recycling trucks, and about 40 pick-up vehicles. “Computers these days are the name of the game,” says Lee. “Everything is electronically controlled and the days of the backyard mechanic are gone. It has become very difficult to find competent people to work on our equipment and has definitely impacted the hiring process. Technology is the driving force and technicians must be stronger in electrical and electronics systems upfront.”

Determining Costs
The BFI Metro Central and Metro South MSW Facilities in Portland, OR, have a wide variety of processing equipment, including a wood-processing line, which is used to shred wood into hog fuel. This particular piece of equipment is a Primary SSI Shredder, which then goes into a Duraquip Hammermill, and from there feeds into a load leveler with various stationary conveyors in between for loading trailers. They also have a cardboard baler used for plastic, cardboard and mixed paper, film plastic, and aluminum cans. The two centers have three garbage compactors because their garbage is trucked 165 miles to a landfill.

“As far as maintenance is concerned, we have determined over the years that if you lack a preventive maintenance schedule it will bite you right where it hurts,” says Randy Garr, maintenance manager with Allied Waste at the Metros Central and South. “You can take a $750,000 dollar garbage compactor, neglect it for a week, and it will hurt you to the tune of about ten thousand dollars. One little crack today—ignored—is a major crack tomorrow and will cost you lots to repair. Likewise a leaky hose, if not changed in the next minute, may mean 500 gallons of oil sitting on the ground. It will do tremendous damage to your hydraulics if that equipment is run empty of oil.”

Out of all Allied Waste’s processing equipment, Garr finds that the wood-processing line requires the least amount of maintenance. The wood is not as harsh on any of the equipment as other materials Allied Waste works with. The wood-processing line is maintained about four times a month. The C&M baler gets cleaned, has all major components blown out, and is lubed on all wire ties every 12-hour shift. This takes about 45 minutes. Metro purchased this baler in 1990 and in 1999 it was re-lined and a new HP unit was installed.

The facility has a large amount of rolling stock equipment, including five Cat 950 front-end loaders and seven Case skid loaders, (95XTs and 85XTs). Garr runs solid rubber tires on his equipment. He finds that these will last for about three months. They are $2,000 per set. On their 950 loaders, the solid tires cost $32,000 per set and last about 12 to 14 months, depending on the operator. Garr notices that after 10 weeks of applying garbage to concrete, the smooth top coat is gone because of the waste’s acidity. “In 15 years of operating this facility, we just replaced the concrete in one of our tipping floors,” says Garr. “Part of it was missing six inches of concrete. The acidity of the garbage, the roughness of the concrete floor, and an operator spinning tires all contribute to wear on the tires. For us, the foam-filled tires split and fell apart, and lasted only about seven months, so we quit using them.”

Compactors at the facility now cost about $20,000 to maintain. One set of oil filters costs $2,300 and these are changed every 750 hours, or approximately every three months. In a 12-month period Portland’s facilities are spending nearly $15,000 to $18,000 on filters alone. There is also wear on the brass in the machinery and rebuilds every two years that run close to $6,000 each. “As far as getting the garbage out, the things we do pay the closest attention to are the compactors,” says Garr. “We have top-loading and conveyor compactors. Our conveyor ones are maintained and repaired on a daily basis. What I’m taking an hour to fix now—such as a crossbar that breaks and a belt that’s coming apart—can take three weeks to repair later if I put it off.”

The bottom line for the Metro facilities is that tires are their biggest maintenance expense. They spend an average of about $6,000 per month on parts for their heavy equipment. At one of their two facilities they spend $26,000 every two years for new tracks for one of their dozers and $150,000 for tires per year. “Tire wear depends on how the facility is run and the weather. Tire wear is actually better on their smaller 95/85 skid loaders when it rains in Portland, but just the opposite for their 950’s,” says Garr. “Preventive maintenance is the key issue, in my opinion. It can cost you a little now or a lot later if you do not do it. If someone doesn’t understand this maintenance concept in any operation facility, and that’s where they decide on making their budget cuts, they’re making a big mistake. We’ve had that issue come up before here and it backfired and hurt us. Six months later it really affected us.”

Manufacturer’s Specs
John Sacco, president of Sierra International Machinery, a company that offers material-handling equipment, balers and mp conveyors, hard-rubber tire cranes, and a wide variety of other products, feels that when it comes to maintenance of waste processing equipment, it has to be done according to manufacturer’s spec, end of story. In the case of Sierra International, the company spells out what needs to be done. If the customer is doing daily maintenance and not letting anything go for too long, that is the greatest tool they could use.

“The old saying ‘pay me now or pay me later’ is still as true as ever,” says Sacco. “The bottom line is that you have to keep your machine maintained to manufacturer’s specs. If you ignore this advice, it may not show up immediately, but eventually it will catch up to you. In the end you will go down for a much longer period of time than the small amount it takes up front to do the maintenance checks. Maintenance is not a science. It is common sense. Think of a car. If you change the oil regularly and keep the proper air pressure in the tires, etc., guess what happens? You’ll be OK.”

Peter Hildebrandt writes extensively on engineering and scientific subjects.

MSW - November/December 2005