Equipment Focus: Car Crushers

Manufacturers are making car crushers that are faster, more automated, and more durable than ever, even as they grapple with the new cargo securement rules.

By Peter Bates

Innovation never stands still, particularly in the heavy equipment field. Car crusher manufacturers have undergone a number of changes, both big and small, since Scrap last examined this equipment in 2001. Like other equipment technologies, there has been a push for greater automation and remote control, as well as faster setup and teardown time for mobile car crushers. Other changes are more subtle and can distinguish one manufacturer from another.
   Sometimes changes are driven by external events. One of the most notable recent events that affected the industry was the introduction of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s cargo securement rules, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2004. These rules require “containment walls or comparable means” such as tiedowns or wrapping on all loads of crushed cars. 
   Manufacturers have responded in different ways. Some don’t seem concerned about the rules and continue producing just car crushers, believing that the marketplace is adapting well to the new requirements. Others have introduced car loggers because logged car hulks are only subject to the general requirements of the cargo securement rules, not the more detailed rules that affect crushed cars (see “A Look at Loggers” on page 110). One company abandoned its car crusher line to produce a car logger/baler.
   What changes have manufacturers introduced lately? And how have the cargo securement rules affected whether companies produce car crushers or loggers? This look at the four main manufacturers in this niche will help answer those questions and more.

Al-jon Inc. 
Al-jon Inc. has been building car crushers since the early 1960s, and the company prides itself primarily on one point: reliability. “Our customers appreciate our products because they keep on ticking—and we’ve got the 30-to-40-year-old crushers still in the workplace to prove it,” says Curt Spry, sales manager.
   Since 2001, Al-jon has made few design changes to its Impact V mobile car crusher, though the company did extend its warranty to two years—the longest in the industry, the firm says. The Impact V’s notable features still include a four-post guide system that provides a full, flat, tight, even crush, Al-jon says. The unit’s back wall is made of high-strength, low-abrasion, 3/4-inch Bethstar 80 steel, and the crusher continues to come standard with hydraulic landing gear, remote control, an oil recovery system, and an air compressor with a 30-gallon tank.
   Given all of these standard features, the only real option is a choice between a Deere or Cummins diesel engine. In rare cases, Al-jon has also built models with electric motors, which are popular in California, notes Spry.
   According to Al-jon, the Impact V can be set up and ready to work in less than one minute thanks to its unique cylinder locking system. Notably, the Impact V crusher is also a key component of Al-jon’s End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Recycling System, which removes higher-value scrap items then dismantles and crushers cars in one continuous cycle (see “One Step Beyond” on page 112).
   Contact Al-jon Inc. at 800/255-6620 or 641/682-4506, or visit www.aljon.com.

Granutech-Saturn Systems Corp. 
In 2002, Granutech-Saturn Systems Corp. unveiled an upgrade to its popular Big MAC crusher—the Big MAC QS (Quick Setup). For setup, the cylinder raises to the working position and locks the trunion. For teardown, the cylinder is lowered to a legal traveling height. 
   In contrast to many other crushers, the firm notes, the Big MAC QS’s trunion mounts are easily replaced in less than 40 minutes, reducing downtime.
   “Simplicity of design is one of our key selling points,” says Jack Frank, sales director. “Simplicity minimizes problems, and anything that does occur is simple to fix.”
   Other improvements in the Big MAC QS include an increased back wall height and added reinforcement. This prevents material from extending out the back and creating a shear point when the lid comes down, a problem that sometimes develops when the final cars of a stack are being crushed.
   Additional changes include uprights made from a more wear-resistant material and redesigned heavy-duty lid stops that prevent sagging or bowing when there are no cars in the chamber. The Big MAC QS also offers a feed throat that has been widened by two feet. “In the past,” says Frank, “customers tended to hit the side wall during the loading process. The feed throat design is now flared, providing a funnel effect.” And, as is standard today, the new crusher comes with a Tier 2 engine to comply with U.S. EPA emissions regulations. 
   The portable Big MAC QS crusher weighs 56,000 pounds and costs $130,000. This price tag includes remote control and hydraulic landing gear, features that are options on some crushers. “About the only options we offer,” says Frank, “are choice of paint and radial or bias-ply tires.” The company’s stationary Little MAC crusher, meanwhile, weighs 49,000 pounds and costs $120,000 with a diesel engine, $115,000 with an electric motor. 
   Contact Granutech-Saturn Systems Corp. at 877/582-7800 or 972/790-7800, or visit www.granutech.com.

R.M. Johnson Co. Inc. 
R.M. Johnson Co. Inc. offers two models of its E-Z Crusher car crushers, both of which are available in stationary and portable versions. The A Model weighs 62,000 pounds, while the B Model weighs 47,000 pounds.
   Notably, the hydraulic cylinders of E-Z Crusher machines are mounted on the bottom deck, which means that the cylinders pull rather than push the crusher deck down. This puts less stress on the crusher, the firm says. The cylinders, which are made of seamless high-grade polished steel, are powered by two different hydraulic oil circuits and can be operated independently.
   With these crushers, customers have traditionally had their choice of Deere, Cummins, and Caterpillar gas engines or electric motors. Now, the crushers can also come with Deutz diesel engines. “Electric is a good choice for those who are going to install the unit and never move it,” explains Ralph Johnson, owner. 
   An electric motor is also $8,000 cheaper, though it may not be feasible to operate in all areas due to its power demand.
   As for options, E-Z Crusher offers a remote control package that performs standard operations such as starting the engine, cycling the crusher, and bringing the crushing lid down flat or in a rocking motion. (By 2006, operators will be able to control the crusher cylinders independently via the remote, the company says.) The landing gear has a hydraulic option for hooking, unhooking, and leveling. Each crusher also comes with a 100-gallon fuel tank, though the manufacturer can install a 300-gallon tank at no extra charge. 
   Contact R.M. Johnson Co. Inc. at 800/328-3613 or 320/274-3594, or visit www.ezcrusher. com.

OverBuilt Inc.
OverBuilt Inc. manufactures one stationary crusher that weighs 55,000 pounds and one portable model that weighs 60,000 pounds. Both units can come equipped with either a Deere or Cummins four-cylinder diesel engine, though customers also have the option to upgrade to the six-cylinder version of either engine.
   Among their defining features, OverBuilt’s crushers have a 10-foot-tall opening, which is two feet higher than the competition, says Jeff Hebbert, sales manager. This feature has two benefits, he explains: “First, you can stack more cars in as you crush them individually. One customer says he has put as many as nine cars in the opening. Second, you can crush taller and larger vehicles more easily, like vans and trucks.”
   The second defining feature is an advanced oil recovery system. According to Hebbert, OverBuilt’s system has two drains in the crusher floor that collect residual fluids, filter out dirt and debris, and direct the fluid into a 400-gallon storage tank.
   A second 400-gallon tank holds the diesel fuel that powers the crusher itself. Most crusher fuel tanks hold 40 to 80 gallons, Hebbert says, asserting that a large tank is particularly beneficial when hauling the portable crusher on the road. “If you need a fill-up in a remote location,” he notes, “you can often get a better price on 400 gallons than on 40.”
   Other features of OverBuilt’s crushers include T1 high-tensile steel construction on the deck, crushing lid, and back wall; spherical bushings that allow the lid to rock back and forth for maximum compression; and 10-inch cylinders that move the crushing lid and provide 159 tons of crushing force.
   OverBuilt offers options such as a high-speed oil bypass on the cylinders. This feature increases the unit’s cycle time so the crushing lid rises faster. OverBuilt crushers can also come with hydraulic landing gear that can be operated off the crusher’s hydraulics or be hooked up to a semi. The hydraulic aspect of these stabilizers eliminates the need to use a manual crank and allows the customer to get creative, such as tilting the crusher to enhance oil drainage, the firm notes.
   Other options include an air compressor with a 120-gallon tank, and an auxiliary pump for fueling other equipment from the crusher’s 400-gallon storage tank.
   OverBuilt used to offer remote control as an option, but this feature became so popular that the company now includes it as standard on both of its crushers. The remote control enables customers to turn the units on and off, raise/lower the crushing lid, choose a flat or a rocking cycle, and select individual cylinder up-and-down cycles to adapt to unusual crushing situations.
   Contact OverBuilt Inc. at 800/548-6469 or 605/352-6469, or visit www.overbuilt.com. 

A Look at Loggers
The cargo securement rules that went into effect in 2004 have affected both car recyclers and manufacturers of car-processing equipment.
   For car crushers and others who transport flattened car hulks, the rules have required them to either use walled trailers or secure their loads with multiple tiedowns and specialized wrapping material. Logged cars aren’t subject to the same restrictions. They need only be secured with enough tiedowns to prevent them from shifting or falling off the vehicle. It’s not surprising, then, that some processors have found logging to be an attractive alternative to crushing, which has created new or expanded market opportunities for equipment manufacturers.
   “Some processors are tired of having to wrap crushed cars,” notes Curt Spry of Al-jon Inc., “so we now offer a logger, the 580, that’s useful for logging cars or baling loose tin in the yard.” Similarly, R.M. Johnson Co. Inc. offers its E-Z Auto Logger and Iron Ax Inc. makes an Iron Pack Baler to attract recyclers who prefer to log rather than crush.
   Though loggers are becoming more popular, they are more expensive than crushers. For instance, R.M. Johnson’s A Model E-Z Crusher costs $120,000 to $134,000, while its B Model runs $100,000 to 114,000. Compare those price tags to the E-Z Auto Logger that costs about $325,000.
   Likewise, Al-jon’s 580 logger costs $375,000—compared with about $137,000 for an Impact V car crusher—which means that “some of your mom-and-pop shops aren’t going to afford it,” says Curt Spry. Even with that price tag, however, Al-jon says it is selling more 580 loggers than car crushers these days.
   Granutech-Saturn Systems Corp., meanwhile, plans to introduce a logger in late 2005. Notably, the company is gearing its marketing efforts for that line toward scrap recyclers interested in processing white goods, loose tin, and similar obsolete scrap rather than toward auto recyclers. The firm made this decision for several reasons, including the price issue noted above and the fact that loggers are heavier than crushers, making them more difficult to transport to remote areas where scrap cars are often found. Granutech’s primary reason, though, is that scrap processors can often source miscellaneous obsolete scrap for a low cost, log it, and get the same price they would receive for crushed autos. “Also,” notes Jack Frank, “a crusher is still faster than a logger, and speed is a key element in the success of any auto recycling operation.”

One Step Beyond
Two companies—Al-jon Inc. and Iron Ax Inc.—take car processing operations one step further by offering more extensive car recycling systems that drain and otherwise prepare scrap vehicles for crushing or logging.
   Al-jon’s End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Recycling System provides the machinery to “dismantle, recycle, and crush or log cars in one efficient, environmentally-responsible operation,” the company says. After the customer has drained all automotive fluids from the vehicle, a knuckle-boom material handler removes heavy components such as the engine and transmission as well as the radiator, oil coolers, and heater core. These higher-value scrap components are put in bins for separate baling.
   The car hulk is then loaded into an Al-jon Impact V car crusher or 580 car logger for processing. The crusher’s rear wall opens for easy removal, and the hulk is loaded onto a semi-truck. Because the crusher is equipped with a quieter electric engine, the entire operation can be done indoors, which eliminates concerns related to stormwater runoff, Al-jon points out.
   Iron Ax provides a different approach. Using a specially adapted Daewoo material handler, the operator places the scrap vehicle on the Enviro-Rack auto fluid removal and dismantling station. Here, the tires are removed and each fluid—gas, oil, and transmission, radiator, and brake fluid—is drained separately and recycled or reused. Then, using the material handler, the operator feeds the vehicle into the Iron Pack Baler, which processes the car into a bale or log.
   According to Iron Ax, the Iron Pack Baler can bale or log a car in less than a minute and features programmable pressure settings, remote control, and hydraulic landing gear. The unit, which can come with an optional rear-mounted crane, can process material to densities of 35 to 90 pounds per square foot.
   Contact Al-jon Inc. at 800/255-6620 or 641/682-4506, or visit www.aljon.com. Contact Iron Ax Inc. at 478/252-0022 or visit www.ironax.com.

Peter Bates is a writer based in Roslindale, Mass.