Crushing Attachment Turns Concrete Trash into Cash VIDEO
July 1, 2010
Multiquip's EZ Grout Hog Crusher can recycle brick, block, stone, rock, asphalt and nonreinforced concrete up to 4 inches thick. It reduces material to 2 inches or smaller.
Removing excessive waste from his company’s jobsites was a problem for Pat Tanner, owner of Tanner Excavating in Ann Arbor, Mich. For each yard of construction trash, Tanner was charged $10 at the local landfill, in addition to the cost of transporting the debris from the site to the landfill. The costs quickly added up.
Three years ago—in an effort to save money—Tanner began transporting debris to his farm with plans to eventually dispose of it. But this proved to be time-consuming. For each load, he would fill his truck with about 14 yards of debris from the excavation site and make the trip to his farm. Depending on the size of the job, sometimes up to 12 trips back and forth were necessary to remove the waste from the jobsite.
Not only was this waste removal method time-consuming, but soon the amount of waste on his property spun out of control. The small pile grew to a mound that was about 200 feet long, 25 feet wide and 10 feet tall. If Tanner continued to dump on his property, he would be at risk of violating Michigan law.
"In Michigan, you are not permitted to create a dump site or landfill on your property," Tanner says. "However, storing for rescaling is allowed."
Searching for a Solution
The EZ Grout Hog Crusher easily attaches to a skid steer loader or forklift. It features heavy steel plate construction and weighs 1,400 pounds when empty.
Weighing 1,400 pounds when empty, the EZ Grout Hog Crusher features heavy steel plate construction, a half yard capacity and a 24-inch crushing rotor. It requires 15 gallons per minute (gpm) at 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi) minimum and a maximum of 25 gpm at 3,500 psi. Additionally, the EZ Grout Hog Crusher uses replaceable carbide bits and a hardened breaker, as well as cleaner and cheek plates for easy on-site maintenance such as for greasing and replacing broken and worn out teeth.
Multiquip arranged for a demonstration of the machine at Tanner’s farm through its local dealer, Michigan CAT. When the Multiquip field representative arrived at Tanner’s farm with the EZ Grout Hog Crusher, the representative had it connected to Tanner’s Cat 257 skid steer in less than five minutes. Because the concrete waste that had accumulated on Tanner’s property ranged in size and weight, Tanner used a mini-excavator to help load the large slabs into the hopper of the EZ Grout Hog Crusher. Within two hours of crushing, he had approximately 12,000 pounds of usable fill that he could sell. Tanner purchased the machine on the spot.
Money-making Machine
After using the EZ Grout Hog Crusher for six months, Tanner recently accepted a project that could potentially produce as much as 300 yards of construction trash. By taking the EZ Grout Hog Crusher with him to the site and selling the fill from that location, he will eliminate his hauling charge and increase his profit to $16 per ton.
Tanner says the EZ Grout Hog Crusher is a cost-effective, durable product. Because it can pulverize recyclable material in minutes, Tanner has eliminated the need to remove debris from his jobsites. And though Tanner knew the EZ Grout Hog Crusher could churn out fill, he has also found it can help his company churn out profits. Since purchasing the machine, he says it has saved Tanner Excavating tens of thousands of dollars in disposal costs each year.
"I have literally turned my trash into cash, contributing to our company’s bottom line," Tanner says.