CBI horizontal grinders have the heaviest rotors and most rugged hog box in the industry. They’re designed for maximum throughput in difficult operations and can tear through the most rugged materials. There are many impressive examples of big things going into a CBI grinder. However, money is made based on what’s coming out of the grinder. Optimizing for consistently high production tonnages will improve profits. Many CBI customers swear by the proven design of CBI stump shears to increase throughput in forestry applications.

Maximum Cost Per Ton Performance

CBI’s hog box, shaft, bearings, and rotor are designed to thrive at high speeds. By operating at high RPMs, the rotor reduces impact shock load and powers through material with fuel-efficient ease. Shears enhance this concept. Shearing oversized material down to a smaller diameter assures continual operation at max RPMs and improves the overall cost per ton.

One example is a 5800BT working in 36” diameter oak. The 5800BT can process the material without issue but will slam the oak through at four times the cost per ton if the material is sheared beforehand.

Oversized material may also lift or become concaved after an initial strike, resulting in a brief period of missed or partial strikes. When the rotor isn’t continually grinding material, it can result in production intermittency with nothing coming off the discharge belt. Material and equipment should be set up for constant streams of production tonnage. Sheared material is presented to the rotor for controlled obliteration, maximizing the amount of product coming off the discharge belt without interruption.

Reducing Wear

Dirt is your enemy when grinding. Eliminating dirt goes a long way towards reducing wear and extending the life of components. Stump shears can grub, pull, load, backfill, shear, split, and shake dirt and rocks loose from stumps and root balls. Limiting the exposure of dirt and rocks to your mill goes a long way towards extending the life of any horizontal grinder and its components.

Consistent Product Sizes

It’s also important to remember how the material is presented to the rotor. When an oversized butt log is presented to any upswing grinder, it can result in explosive or partial strikes that may produce unwanted fines. Sheared material is presented to the rotor at an ideal height and results in a more controlled striking sequence that produces desired end products.

Versatility

Some experienced CBI customers use their stump shears to load their grinder. The value of shearing and loading with the same piece of support equipment lies in the trucking costs, because an extra machine may not be necessary. Reducing the amount of trucking to and from the job site can produce a significant savings over the course of a few years. For operators that favor other attachments for loading their grinder, the shear’s quick disconnect allows it to be easily swapped out.