Great question and a lot of other people are in the same
situation you are. What to do?
Let’s assume price
doesn’t matter and that you can afford the $150-200,000 price difference. What
are the differences?
·
Production- This is the only reason you would
purchase a 1000 horsepower(HP) engine over a 750 HP engine. Obviously a 1000 HP
grinder can grind more than a 750 HP machine. How much more is dependent on the
grinder, the material and the screen size?
But at what cost?
·
Fuel- You won’t use double the fuel with a 1000
HP grinder, but 50% or more is easy to do.
·
Filters, Parts, Etc. – There are more filters
with a 1000 HP engine than a 750 HP engine, along with more oil, pistons,
liners, etc. So your maintenance costs are going to be higher.
What are things to consider and questions to answer and before
deciding on engine horsepower?
·
Is the rotor, hammermill or chipper drum the
same for a 1000 HP machine as a 750 HP machine? If they are the same, getting
that weight to spin at maximum rpm will be much easier to do with a 1000 HP
engine. Typically, they are not the same. The 750 HP machine would, in general,
have a smaller diameter, width and weight than a 1000 HP machine.
·
Engine RPM- A 1000+ HP grinder will have 12
cylinders, compared to 6 cylinders on a 750 HP machine. So being able to get
back to maximum rpm or maintain rpm is much easier to do with 6 cylinders.
·
Fuel- A 1000 HP engine will use 300-400 gallons
of fuel per day. Do you have the ability to fuel the machine efficiently every day?
Using a 100 gallon tank in the back of a pickup truck will take 3 or 4 trips to
the Gas Station every day.
·
Moving Equipment- Usually the higher HP machines
are much heavier and take trucks with an extra axle or more permitting than the
lower HP machines, all which includes extra expenses.
·
Computer Controls- With Automatic Feed Systems
monitoring the engine rpm, engine load and infeed belt speeds, it is much
easier to maximize the production with the lower HP machines so they can grind
almost as well as a 1000+ HP machine.
·
Support Equipment- This is the number one issue
and should be the number one factor in your decision. Consider for example, a
1000 HP machine, would grind 100 ton per hour(TPH). This means, the log loader,
wheel loader or excavator feeding the grinder would need to be able to load 100
TPH into the grinder. You would also need to remove 100 TPH from underneath the
discharge conveyor and you will need 100 TPH within reach to load in the
infeed. 100 TPH every hour of every day. If this is not possible, why bother
with the 1000+ HP. Most companies do not maximize a 750 HP grinder.
I have customers that swear their
750 HP machine grinds equal to their 1000 HP machine. Again, it really depends
on what grinder, what material and what screen size. But the computerized
grinder infeed systems can make all the difference in the world. They are not
all the same. They may use the same brand of computer system, but the actual programming
and monitoring is what makes the difference. Some companies do a much better
job in their electrical controls department than other companies. If you
haven’t run them all before, you won’t know the difference. But when you run
more than one, you will notice who has the better mousetrap. And it is
significant.
In either case, when you decide on
a engine manufacturer or horsepower, be sure to purchase the extended warranty.
As much as you can afford! It is not IF the engine is going to need repaired or
replaced, it is WHEN is it going to need repaired or replaced. BUY THE
WARRANTY!!
Questions? Dave Whitelaw, grinderguy@askthegrinderguy.com
