May/June 2001
Mounted on excavators or other machines mobile shears give scrap processors the cutting edge they need when processing ferrous and nonferrous material.
By Robert L. Reid
Robert L. Reid is managing editor of Scrap.
Shear attachments—or mobile shears, as they’re often called—do not seem all that controversial. After all, we’re talking about a mechanical device that’s usually mounted on an excavator and used to cut up large pieces of ferrous and nonferrous scrap. It’s an efficient tool, widely used within the scrap industry, but hardly the stuff of strong opinions, right?
Think again.
Based on information either submitted by mobile shear manufacturers for this article or gleaned from the manufacturers’ Web sites, it’s clear that a spirited debate is under way in the world of shear attachments. And while the various parties state their cases in generally polite terms—never referring to each other by name, of course—their viewpoints can be as cutting as the products they make.
Take cutting force, for instance. Various manufacturers point out that there are no industry standards for determining cutting force, in part because cutting forces can be measured at several different points. Thus, as one manufacturer puts it, each mobile shear firm is “trusted” to report “honest and comparable” information. Another, however, talks about “misleading criteria,” suggesting that some firms “manipulate this information to make themselves look advantageous.”
Likewise, a unique feature that one manufacturer describes as “field-proven” is dismissed by another for having “a history of causing damage” to both the shear and the excavator on which it is mounted.
And, of course, there’s always the potential for tension when one manufacturer’s brand name is so universally recognized that it’s used almost as a generic term.
Attachment Showcase
While these contentious undercurrents exist, there is also at least a surface similarity to many mobile shears—such as a movable upper jaw, stationary lower jaw, hydraulic cylinder power, and boom-mounting. Differences lie in those disputed cutting forces, cycle times, maintenance requirements, jaw openings and depths, the extent of bolt-on parts, the weight of the shears themselves and the size of excavators on which they can be mounted, whether or not the devices are straight or rotate (and how much they rotate—180º or 360º), as well as the strength of the metals used to manufacture the shears.
At present, eight firms manufacture one or more shear attachments for the scrap industry—a number down somewhat from recent years due to one merger and another firm’s decision to leave the market (see “Mobile-Shear Muster” on page 81). Here’s a review of what’s available:
- Allied-Gator Inc.: Based in Youngstown, Ohio, Allied-Gator offers shears in a range of sizes to fit excavators weighing 45,000 pounds up to more than 240,000 pounds. The company’s 2000 Series shears handle scrap material from light iron and tires to heavy structural steel, including barges, railcars, bridges, and other structures. Cast from a heat-treated high-steel alloy, these shears feature cutting power (focused near the throat of the unit) from 954 tons to more than 2,072 tons, the company says, with cycle times of 6 to 18 seconds.
Allied-Gator units weigh from 9,500 to 35,500 pounds, with jaw openings from 25.5 to 44 inches and jaw depths from 26.5 to 47.5 inches. In addition, the company offers additional adapters that enable users to switch a shear from one machine to another with virtually no downtime, while the hub assemblies require no field maintenance other than routine greasing.
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Allied-Gator says it manufactures shears “designed by people who work in the scrap and demolition industries every day.” Earlier this year, the company introduced its new MT (Multi-Tool) shears that feature dual moving jaws and a linkage system designed to “close on material with more force and speed” than a conventional shear. MT shears also feature various interchangeable jaw sets and are available in straight or rotating versions.
Allied-Gator backs its 2000 Series shears with a five-year warranty, which the company says is the longest in the industry.
- Caterpillar Inc.: This well-known manufacturer of excavators and material handlers took its first steps toward manufacturing hydraulic shear attachments in 1996 by acquiring the German firm Vibra-Ram GmbH, then quickly followed this move in 1998 by purchasing Netherlands-based Verachtert (which had offered shears in North America under the Veratech name).
Today, Caterpillar (Peoria, Ill.) offers more than a dozen models of mobile shears, including both 180º and 360º rotating versions as well as a “mechanical” alternative to the traditional hydraulic shears (in which the excavator’s own hydraulic cylinder powers the cutting device).
The 180º versions range in weight from 5,520 to 27,200 pounds, with jaw openings from 21 to 41.8 inches. The 360º models range in weight from 1,279 to 21,389 pounds, with jaw openings from 9.4 to 33.9 inches. Moreover, the 360º shears feature cutting force from 193 to 1,386 tons. Designed to cut ferrous and most nonferrous scrap, especially aluminum and copper wire, the 360º shears were, in some cases, tested by major U.S. scrap processors prior to introduction, Caterpillar says.
The units can be boom-mounted on various Caterpillar excavators weighing from 6,615 to 88,200 pounds. The smallest shear can even be mounted on a skid-steer, the company says. Plus, a comprehensive library of adapter brackets enables the shears to be mounted on most competitive excavators.
In addition to a high force-to-weight ratio, the 360º line also features a “robust” rotation system with two hydraulic motors on the largest models as well as replaceable knives with four indexable cutting edges made from a durable alloy steel. The knives are mounted on the side of the shear, where the operator can see them, to enhance control during the cutting process, the company notes. Other features are an overall low-maintenance design, including a large-diameter main pivot assembly that is easily adjusted and “trouble-free” speed valves to minimize cycle time.
- Genesis Equipment & Manufacturing Inc.: Based in Superior, Wis., Genesis was formed in 1997 by several former employees of rival manufacturer Stanley LaBounty. The company’s Pro Series Magnum shears currently feature a dozen models and sizes, including versions with 360º continuous rotation. Shear forces range from 695 to 2,065 tons, with jaw openings from 23 to 42 inches and jaw depths of 24 to 42 inches. The units weigh from 6,500 to 24,000 pounds and can either be stick-mounted on excavators ranging from 30,000 to 170,000 pounds or boom-mounted on machines from 45,000 to 250,000 pounds.
Genesis shears are designed with scrap processor input to meet scrap recycling needs, especially for tank processing, railcar and barge cutting, cable and wire processing, and other applications. Features include a proprietary custom-alloy steel plate construction, Genesis says, plus a large-bore hydraulic cylinder (14 inches in the midsized shears and 16 inches in the largest models). Other features include a heavy-duty main bearing assembly, indexable primary and secondary blades in upper and lower jaws, and the proprietary GenFlow hydraulic regeneration speed valve that helps achieve an 8-to-12-second cycle time, Genesis says.
The company also prides itself on “extensive use” of bolt-on parts to reduce maintenance and increase productivity. These bolt-on parts include the upper jaw wear plate and a razor blade spanning the inside face of the lower blade, both of which reduce the need for welding, as well as a one-piece piercing tip designed to work in conjunction with the wear plate.
Genesis shears incorporate the Auto-Guide adjustable wear plate adjacent to the main bearing assembly, which helps minimize jaw deflection, the company says. The firm offers an 18-month or 2,500-hour warranty on shear superstructures, plus a 15-month or 1,500-hour warranty on hydraulic components.
- Iron Ax Inc.: This company, based in Wadley, Ga., has the distinction of being both a mobile shear manufacturer and a scrap processor, having run its own processing facility for the past 30 years. “We do the exact same thing every day that our customers do,” Iron Ax explains. “Any change in the design of our shears is tested and operated in our scrap yard before it is ever offered for sale.”
Iron Ax began manufacturing shear attachments 11 years ago and today produces eight models that range in cutting force from 600 to 1,400 tons, with jaw openings from 22 to 40 inches and jaw depths from 25 to 45 inches. The company’s shears weigh from 5,400 to 22,100 pounds and will fit excavators or backhoes with minimum weights of 35,000 to 110,000 pounds.
Iron Ax prides itself on offering shears in which all replaceable wear parts are bolted on, especially the patented bolt-on cutting tip. Bolt-on parts, together with blades that extend from throat to tip, mean that no welding is required on the cutting edges, the company says, thus reducing potential metal fatigue from the continuous heating and cooling when parts such as cutting tips are welded directly on the shear.
Moreover, Iron Ax says its shears can be completely disassembled with hand tools. The company’s units also feature a patented hub design that allows the jaws to be adjusted from side to side, aligning the blades without using shims, and a center pin design that allows the jaw to be removed easily for maintenance, with the same pin then reused. Plus, a direct hydraulic drive rotating system eliminates the need for gear boxes, Iron Ax says.
A long lever on the pivoting upper jaw allows Iron Ax shears to use lower hydraulic pressure than competing shears, thus extending the life of pumps, seals, hoses, and other parts, the firm says. Also, an open throat design permits material to pass through easily without hangups.
- JRB Co. Inc.: JRB, founded in Akron, Ohio, in 1983, makes four models of hydraulic mobile shears with cutting force from 417 to 1,482 tons, jaw openings of 27.6 to 46.5 inches, and jaw depths of 29.9 to 46.5 inches.
Designed with scrap processor input, JRB shears can cut all types of ferrous and nonferrous metal, including solid bar from 2.5 to 5 inches thick and H beams from 10 to 27 inches deep and 10 to 12 inches wide, the company says. Models range in weight from 8,370 to 27,530 pounds and are compatible with excavators weighing 50,000 to 200,000 pounds.
The shears’ hydraulic system, which is recessed in the body to protect components during operation, minimizes the need for maintenance while providing exceptional cycle times, the company says.
Other features include 360º rotation on all models, bolt-on cutter blades made from high-tensile alloy steel, and a patented jaw design that drives material deep into the throat for a smooth, powerful cut that helps prolong the life of the blades, JRB says. Moreover, blade retaining bolts are collared to prevent bolt shearing.
- NPK Construction Equipment Inc.: Walton Hills, Ohio-based NPK was originally founded as a distributor of Japanese pneumatic construction products. In 1989, however, NPK acquired a local metal fabricating facility and became “a full-fledged designer, manufacturer, assembler, importer, exporter, and distributor” of attachments, according to the company’s Web site (NPK did not supply information for this article).
The company offers three models of “steel shears” and nine models of “material processors” that can be fitted with a jaw designed for shearing. The steel shears are available with a maximum cutting force at the tip from 177 to 206 tons, with jaw openings from 32 to 35 inches and jaw depths of at least 29 inches. The devices range in weight from 10,800 to 18,600 pounds and can be matched with excavators weighing 50,000 to at least 70,000 pounds (though excavator weight information was not available on the largest steel shear). The smallest shear is available only as a fixed-mount version, but the two larger units feature 360º rotation.
Other features include bolt-on blades with four cutting edges, a bolt-on piercing tip on the upper jaw, a fully replaceable lower jaw, and an intensifier system designed to automatically increase hydraulic pressure when the jaws meet resistance.
The material processors, which are all fully rotational, are available with maximum cutting forces at the tip from 78 to 170 tons, with jaw openings from 21.1 to 48.6 inches. The devices range in weight from 4,355 to 9,250 pounds and can fit excavators ranging from 38,000 to 100,000 pounds.
- Pemberton Inc.: Pemberton (Longwood, Fla.), which has been manufacturing shears for 10 years, offers 10 models of metal shears, including seven powered by their own hydraulic cylinder (supplied by Caterpillar) and three that work off a machine linkage. The units range in weight from 1,400 to 19,000 pounds and can be mounted on machines ranging in size from a skid-steer to a 150,000-pound excavator.
Tailored to scrap processor needs through customer feedback, Pemberton shears feature a newly engineered jaw design to cut metal ranging from “extremely light material” to “heavy structures,” the company says.
Features include rotation, welded-on replaceable piercing tips, an oversized main pin and bushing, easily adjustable top jaw assembly, six grease points to help extend pin and bushing life, and four-way indexable cutting blades.
- Stanley LaBounty: It is an irony of the alphabet that places Stanley LaBounty last on this list, given that the LaBounty brand name is practically synonymous with mobile shears.
Based in Two Harbors, Minn., LaBounty built its first mobile shear in 1976—a stick-mounted model that used the excavator’s bucket cylinder to open and close the jaws. A quarter-century later, LaBounty produces 20 standard models, some in both straight and rotational versions, which work either under their own hydraulics or through the base machine’s linkage.
These devices can be mounted on machines ranging from skid-steers up to excavators weighing 200,000 pounds or more. The smallest model weighs 1,100 pounds and features a 10-inch jaw opening and depth, while the largest version weighs 34,500 pounds, with a 44-inch jaw opening and 46-inch jaw depth.
Cutting force ranges from 160 tons to more than 2,100 tons—with a proviso. Stressing the lack of industry standards for determining cutting force, LaBounty says it prefers to use a mathematical worksheet with customers to calculate precise figures—based on the diameter of the cylinder bore, length of the lever arm, operating pressure of the base machine, and jaw design—either for LaBounty products alone or in comparison to a competitor’s shear.
LaBounty shears are designed to cut all types of ferrous and nonferrous materials, including large I-beams and other heavy structurals. The company advises operators, though, not to cut hardened steel such as railroad rails or axles because such material tends to break rather than cut, sending shards in all directions, LaBounty says.
Key features of LaBounty shears include a patented blade system (involving both the nose blade and cutting angles), a reverse-ported cylinder that helps provide better visibility for operators and enables scrap to fall away more easily, plus a patented spool-type speed valve that remains in speed-valve mode up to 2,800 psi and will not contaminate the shear if the springs fail, the company says.
LaBounty adds that its designs are based on input from customers as well as OEMs—to make sure, for instance, that LaBounty cylinders can match the higher operating pressures and flows in the latest excavators.
A Powerful Future
In a little over 25 years, shear attachments have gone from newfangled invention to ubiquitous workhorse of the scrap industry. While the manufacturer’s side is highly competitive, it’s also extremely optimistic, with predictions of widening global sales and technological innovations that will produce lighter, faster shears generating greater cutting force.
One manufacturer even suggests that mobile shears can help scrap processors attract the best workers. Why? Because it’s “easier to find quality labor if you are offering the air-conditioned cab of an excavator with a shear attachment versus a cutting torch,” the manufacturer notes.
Echoing that idea, another manufacturer points out that “most of the world is still processing scrap by hand torches.” But that will change, he says, as environmental and work-safety regulations tighten around the globe. The result “is a very bright future for mobile shears.”
Mobile-Shear Muster
The mobile shear industry in North America has cut itself down to size in the past few years with the absorption of the Veratech brand by Caterpillar Inc. and the recent decision by Cleveland-based Allied Construction Products Inc. to discontinue the mobile shear it had designated for scrap processors. As a result, the following eight manufacturers remain in the market.
Allied-Gator Inc.
800/624-2867 or 330/744-0808
(fax, 330/744-1306)
www.alliedgator.com
Caterpillar Inc.
(Contact your local Caterpillar dealer)
www.cat.com
Genesis Equipment & Manufacturing Inc.
715/395-5252
(fax, 715/395-5255)
www.genesisequip.com
Iron Ax Inc.
877/247-6629 or 478/252-0022
(fax, 478/252-9030)
www.ironax.com
JRB Co. Inc.
800/428-2538 or 330/734-3000
(fax, 330/734-3018)
www.jrbco.com
NPK Construction Equipment Inc.
800/225-4379 or 440/232-7900
(fax, 440/232-4382)
www.npkce.com
Pemberton Inc.
800/393-6688 or 407/831-6688
(fax, 407/831-7995)
www.pembertoninc.com
Stanley LaBounty
800/522-5059 or 218/834-2123
(fax, 218/834-3879)
www.stanleyworks.com
Mounted on excavators or other machines mobile shears give scrap processors the cutting edge they need when processing ferrous and nonferrous material.