Beyond heavy lifting: loaders perform a variety of tasks from material handling to primary demolition and site clean up

Construction & Demolition Recycling, Sept-Oct, 2004 by DeAnne Toto

The loaders employed on demolition sites and in construction and demolition recycling yards perform a variety of material handling tasks, but their usefulness goes far beyond loading processing equipment and outbound trucks.

It's this versatility that many manufacturers are keeping in the forefront as they design the next generation of material handling equipment, whether they be wheel loaders, skid-steer loaders or backhoe loaders.

Faced with all these choices and the numerous options available for loading equipment (see sidebar on p. 32), selecting the right mix of equipment for a particular demolition job or C&D recycling yard can be somewhat intimidating. However, determining the right loader typically starts with the material to be handled and the level of production required.

IN THE SHOWROOM

"A few key considerations that affect equipment selection would be the size of the job, the type of material being removed and the height of the structures," Rusty Schaefer, marketing manager for Case Construction Equipment, Racine, Wise., says. "Additional considerations include dust control, sound restrictions, and lift capacities of the equipment."

Schaefer adds that demolition contractors should also consider their project deadlines in order to determine the number of pieces of equipment needed, and the way in which the machines will be used.

Kelly Moore, product manager for Gehl, West Bend, Wisc., says that while compact equipment may be more suitable for jobs with space restrictions, he suggests choosing the largest loader a site will allow enables contractors to increase their productivity by getting more done in less time.

"Large equipment allows for more production on open projects," Lance Mathern, marketing manager for Bobcat Co., West Fargo, N.D., agrees. However, he adds that compact equipment, like skid-steer loaders, is often less expensive, easier and quicker to transport on and off site, can ht into tight spaces and can operate a variety of attachments.

Neil Leblanc, senior marketing consultant for Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., says that in the highly competitive demolition held, a contractor is most concerned with machine versatility, durability and dependability.

"All machines working at a site are often needed to perform multiple tasks. Various work tools, properly applied, are the key to success," he says.

As far as durability and reliability are concerned, Leblanc says, "Machines and work tool designs must afford for maximum tip time when utilized in harsh environments."

With this information in mind, selecting among the variety of wheel loaders, skid steers and backhoe loaders available should be a bit easier, though each machine offers different strengths that may be more suitable for a given job.

FREE WHEELING

"In demolition, the wheel loader most often supports the primary demolition tool, the excavator," Jack Bolton of Volvo Construction Equipment, Asheville, N.C., says. "The loader can set barricades and set steel plates with a set of forks or a material handling arm. When equipped with a broom, the loader can clean dust and debris blown out from the demolition site. Of course, when the loader has a bucket, it can load trucks and clean large debris from haul roads," he adds.

Leblanc says wheel loaders are often used to move bulk quantities of demolition debris, such as crushed concrete, blocks and wood, in primary and secondary demolition applications. "Staging materials and loading trucks are a common requirement," he says.

"In terms of demolition, a wheel loader is primarily a tool carrier because of its ability to change attachments," David Morice, heavy-range equipment manager for JCB Inc., Pooler, Ga., says.

When equipped with hydraulic couplers, which allow for quick attachment changes, Case's Schaefer points out that wheel loaders can be equipped with forks, scrap grapple buckets and brooms, increasing the machine's versatility and utilization.

SKIDDING ALONG

"Overall, skid loaders are probably more predominant in recycling or demolition because of their versatility," Gehl's Moo re says. "For overall purposes, whether it is any kind of recycling or demolition application, the skid loader is really going to be the best performer and producer that a contractor can look for," he says, crediting the machine's versatility.

Dan Rafferty, compact equipment product manager for JCB Inc., Pooler, Ga., says that skid steers offer small to mid-size C&D recyclers the versatility needed to handle multiple tasks thanks to the machines' quick attachment changing features and auxiliary hydraulics.

In demolition applications, Rafferty says skid steers can handle anything from sidewalk demolition to tearing apart a gas station.

LeBlanc also finds skid steers to be the most versatile equipment in recycling and demolition applications. "Their compact size, light weight, nimble maneuverability, ease of operation and endless array of work tools allows the SSL (skid steer loader) to perform many functions."

Additionally, compared to a wheel loader, Moore says a skid loader's cycle time is going to be considerably faster.