No one can say Morbark’s Wood Hogs and tub grinders have mulch for brains. Morbark is now including a proportional feed and digital equipment monitoring system as standard equipment on all Wood Hog horizontal grinders and on the 1300 and 1600 tub grinders. The IQAN system, a proprietary programming system supplied by Parker Hannifin, analyzes data gathered from sensors located throughout the machine. With the machine’s performance data at hand, the operator can easily adjust feed systems from the control panel, keeping the engine load constant for peak productivity and maximum fuel efficiency.
TROUBLESHOOT VIA INTERNET
Morbark’s grinders offer an optional satellite linkage for the IQAN system that allows remote monitoring of the grinder’s functions and components. Real-time performance data can be sent to a remote laptop computer, and displayed in several graphic formats. If a machine bogs down, contractors can trouble shoot the problem using diagnostic data from the IQAN unit to quickly locate the problem. If additional assistance is needed, the IQAN system will connect to Morbark’s service center via the Internet, where the department can take the grinder’s diagnostic data and advise the contractor how to best address a field service issue. Phil Harless of Pape Machinery, a Morbark dealer network in California and Oregon, observes, “Troubleshooting is an age-old problem of ours. With this system, there is no reason to troubleshoot in the field. With IQAN we can see it problem area on the monitor before we start work on the machine.”
The smartest part of Morbark’s IQAN system is the operations software that lets the operator choose from five pre-set operating modes that take full advantage of the grinder’s capabilities in many applications. Depending on the material being shredded, the operator can also adjust any of the grinder’s operating parameters to fine tune the machine to fit the job. The pre-set modes are permanently programmed into the IQAN’s software, so any changes the operator makes to an operating parameter can be set back to the original setting by simply pressing ‘reset.’
Street-legal 3800 Wood Hog
Morbark’s Model 3800 Wood Hog horizontal grinder clears debris and mixed mid-range wood and green waste. The 3800’s engine options include Caterpillar or Cummins diesel engines with horsepower ranging from 400 to 630 horsepower, and is also available with electric power. The 60-inch-by-38-inch infeed opening allows material to move smoothly into the mill chamber. An internal hydraulic drive on the feed wheel, along with a six-tooth drive sprocket on the bed chain, increase torque to the yoke and infeed to eliminate wayward debris and congestion at the mill site. The 3800 weighs less than 53,000 pounds and its 35-foot transport length allows it to be transported without road permits. It comes with either rubber tires or tracks.
Morbark has also updated their 1300B tub grinder with a new, larger 3,730-inch screening area and a longer 20- by 63-inch rotor. The 1300 retains its 13-foot tub opening, and choice of Cat or Cummins diesel engines going up to 1,000-horsepower will chew up a tree stump like it was popcorn. The redesigned operator cab has a larger curbside window and improved heating and cooling features. The 1300B can be equipped with a loader and will be available with tracks soon.
