Horizontal grinder helps Maryland recycler elevate the business he started from the ground up.
Experience is key to the success of any business, but Neil Miller, the owner of Northwest Recycling in Reisterstown, Md., credits much of the growth he’s achieved to one piece of equipment: a Beast recycler.
Miller’s experience with recycling stretches back more than 30 years, when he established a grass-cutting business with one chipper and one truck. From there, he continued to build his business, working in landscaping, tree removal and now recycling.
“We started the recycling business in 2004,” Miller says. “Our services include mulch, topsoil and natural wood-waste disposal, including pallets. We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Building business
Processing wood chips, brush, concrete blocks, logs, pallets, stumps and leaves is all in a day’s work at Northwest Recycling. Miller avoids dirt and dirty stumps. Larger debris is usually sheared.
“We purchased our Beast 4680XP in 2008,” Miller says. “The Beast processes brush the easiest. At times we have two excavators feeding the machine with the in-feed on high. We don’t measure in tons, but the Beast does process very efficiently for our needs.”
Bandit Industries is the manufacturer of the various Beast models. Bandit offers towable, self-propelled and electrically powered Beast recyclers. The machines are designed to process everything from stumps and slash to construction waste, shingles, tires, plastic pellets and more, the company says. The machines are available in capacities ranging from 16 in. to 45 in.
According to Bandit, the 4680XP is the largest Beast model and the highest-capacity Beast grinder. Mulch production averages 800 cu. yd. or more per hour, the company says. The machine will process large-diameter stumps and whole trees. The machine’s mill opening is 45 in. x 60 in., and the engine is 1,200 hp.
“This machine processes stumps and logs that are 45 in. in diameter or more,” Miller says. “This Beast has made it possible for me to grow my business over the last seven years.”
Miller’s Beast features a “big bite” drive system, which slows the rpm of the machine head. According to Miller, this results in improved performance and better quality end products.
Because the engine lugs less, fuel consumption is dramatically reduced, according to Bandit. The head’s slowed rpm, along with a variable-feed conveyor system, enables the Beast to push material further into the cut, producing a larger, shredded-type mulch when desired.
Also, a three-speed conveyor drive option allows an operator to change material size with a simple change of the in-feed conveyor speed. The slower the conveyor speed, the finer the cut.
Unique design and results
Among the Beast’s design features is a cutter mill that uses 60 teeth to process materials in a cutting, splitting and grinding motion. The cutter mill design includes two spirals that make it easy to run one or more styles of teeth. Beast owners can select from several teeth styles to maximize individual machine efficiency.
“Our machine processes a large volume of debris quickly,” Miller says. “That’s probably the most valuable characteristic of the machine. I also like the tracks. They make it easy to maneuver. The remote is also a valuable feature for me.”
Remote controls are one of the Beast’s standard features. Remote controls can manipulate all tracked Beast functions, including track movement, the feed system and the engine. When necessary, operators can manipulate the Beast from the excavator.
According to Bandit, material quality and uniformity are two of the Beast’s greatest selling points. Because material can be cut, split or ground, operators can produce a variety of different types of desired products.
In addition to the teeth options, screens of different shapes and sizes are available for the machine to process uniform material. Typically, operators use the screen options to create uniform raw material for pressed board, boiler fuel and a hot-mix asphalt supplement from shingles.
Miller also produces colored mulch with his Beast. The pin-type product the Beast produces can be used to create pressed board, or be mixed with sludge to burn unwanted materials in a boiler.
Simplifying labor
Miller adds that his Beast moves easily and that most of its components are accessible with the removal of a shield or two.
“That makes maintenance less of a chore,” Miller says. “The open-end feed table for longer debris really helps in the yard. The catwalks are great for maintenance and repairs.”
Miller hauls the Beast with a 50-ton lowboy with a tractor that has 450-plus hp.
“The Beast walks up onto the trailer so loading and unloading are easy,” he says. “We do obtain a permit to haul the machine.”
Miller is able to reduce labor costs with the Beast, as well, because one person can operate it. It processes faster than a tub grinder, he adds, helping him manage labor costs.
Still, keeping unwanted debris from the materials contractors and homeowners bring him is an ongoing challenge.
“We do everything we can to keep track of what we accept, but people often don’t understand that what we do here isn’t the same as a landfill,” Miller says. “Some of the debris dumped here contains trash and other items we can’t process. We have had periods when lack of land clearing in the area makes it challenging to find the types of material we use.
“Every day here is different,” Miller adds. “It’s always changing and that makes it a great challenge.”