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Taking Out the Trash
New York City waste management company gains efficiency with Komatsu Purpose Built Waste Handler
New York City is one of the most heavily populated areas in the world. And all of its residents produce garbage, the disposal of which most people take for granted after they toss it into the garbage can. That’s where Tully Environmental, Inc., comes into the picture. Since the 1980’s Tully Environmental has operated a large Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) transfer station in Queens, New York, and its biggest customer is the New York City Department of Sanitation. A waste transfer station receives garbage that has been picked up by the city, holds it in the station, and then loads it onto haul trucks to be delivered to the landfill. It’s the “middleman” between the curb and the landfill.
From the transfer station, Tully hauls its waste to various landfills – approximately 12 of them – most of which are out-of-state. “We have some that we use in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio – in addition to the sites in up-state New York,” says Kenny Tully, Jr., corporate secretary of Tully Environmental. At its MSW transfer station, it handles a multi-million dollar contract with New York City’s Department of Sanitation to haul and dispose of 900 tons of solid waste per day – coming from the Borough of Queens. Almost all – 95 percent – of the waste it handles is of the residential variety.
The company needed a waste handler wheel loader that could effectively manage its waste transfer station. It had two older machines on site, but Tully was looking to upgrade for more efficiency. Having a long-standing relationship with its equipment distributor, Edward Ehrbar, Inc., made it the logical place to start. “Our history with Ehrbar goes back to my grandfather,” notes Tully. “Our businesses have purchased Komatsu excavators, wheel loaders and other equipment from Ehrbar for years.” The company works with Chris Thompson, salesman with Ehrbar.
It’s A Dirty Job, But Somebody’s Got to Do it
Before making a decision, Tully was careful to look at all comparable machines on the market – not just what Ehrbar had to offer. But in the end, the company asked for a demo of a Komatsu machine, resulting in Ehrbar bringing out a new Komatsu WA480-5 waste handler for a static demonstration on site. “Initially, the price and availability of the Komatsu machine was enough to sway them into trying out their first Komatsu waste handler,” notes Thompson. “All in all, they’ve been very happy with how it’s performed.”
It’s now been on site for around 7 months – and it already has about 1,200 hours on it. “We have two machines that we use in the station, so we try to run the new WA480-5 during the day and run the other machine at night,” adds Cinquemani. “We recently had to institute that because the operators didn’t want to get out of the Komatsu machine – they liked it so much.” All in all, Tully runs two, 12-hours shifts – making the MSW transfer station a 24-hour operation. “We have to be ready to receive waste at any time,” says Cinquemani.
The WA480-5 Waste Handler is part of Komatsu’s line of purpose-built machines for work in waste transfer stations. The waste handlers come from the factory with a guarding package designed to protect exposed components from harmful debris and contaminants, including guards for the hydraulic tank, fuel tank, center hinge, windshield, front frame, transmission, axle seal, boom cylinder and hose, headlight and taillight. The package is completely customizable and components can be added or taken away to match individual needs. The Tully machine is equipped with an optional bucket weighing system – purchased and installed at Ehrbar.
Tully’s waste handler manages the waste piles inside the transfer station. Waste is brought in and dumped by various trucks on a constant cycle. The handler, which has a pushing and loading capacity of 8.5 yd3, then pushes the dumped waste into a manageable pile. It’s equipped with a special bucket, designed for pushing and loading, with a large spill guard to efficiently move high piles of material. Periodically, the WA480-5 also loads Tully’s 39 transfer trailer haul trucks that come to pick up the waste and haul it to various landfills. “We’re actually thinking about replacing our second, older waste handler machine with another Komatsu in the near future,” says Cinquemani. In the meantime, they’ve been renting a smaller Komatsu waste handler – the WA380-5 – from Ehrbar to help out with business.
Brawn and Comfort in One Package
“Some of the biggest differences we noticed in this machine versus previous ones we’ve run is the power – it has a lot more,” says Cinquemani. “Also, it’s more operator-friendly and has great visibility. It’s really performed better than we expected.” The waste handlers’ spacious operator’s cab provides a comfortable work environment for maximum operator productivity. The cab provides more leg room and storage space and the viscous damping mount system helps to minimize noise, shock and vibration in rough working conditions. The pressurized cab reduces noise levels to a low 71db (A) and keeps dust and other particles from the cab’s interior, important when working with solid waste all day.
The WA480-5’s high-rigidity frame is perfect for withstanding the forceful twisting and bending when loading or pushing the waste material pile. Also, its automatic reversing hydrostatic cooling fan keeps the radiator from overheating, and the perforated hood mounted air inlet limits the amount of debris entering the radiator and additional perforations in engine side doors.
No Maintenance Issues
Tully Environmental performs its own maintenance on its equipment – including the WA480-5. “We’re thinking of changing that soon – maybe having Ehrbar service them to free up some more man-hours,” says Cinquemani. “We’d probably start out having them service half our fleet, and we’d continue to service the other half. They have an excellent service department.” But they’re quick to point out that the WA480-5 hasn’t had any maintenance issues to date. “It’s really stood up to the challenging situation we’ve put it to work in.”
For easier diagnostics, the WA480-5 includes a Equipment Management Monitoring System (EMMS), which displays 38 different machine functions. Other incorporated service items that minimize the machine’s downtime are full side-opening gull-wing engine doors, improved drive shaft seals for extended greasing intervals, 500-hour oil and filter service intervals, and sealed DT connectors resistant to dust and corrosion.
Komatsu’s line of purpose built waste handling loaders and landfill dozers are designed to out perform the competition and not only give you the opportunity to sell a second or third machine but also opens the door to sell your distributors maintenance contract services. Stop wasting opportunities driving by transfer stations, recycling centers or landfills. You have the purpose built products this industry is looking for.
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