5 Questions About Horizontal Grinders

1. How can grinder owners maximize their efficiency?

Maximizing your efficiency begins with making sure you have the right equipment: a grinder built for longevity, sized and configured for your operation with an eye towards future growth. Our Morbark Integrated Control System — or MICS — allows the operator to automatically adjust feed rates and monitor pressures and feed wheel position to maximize production and engine efficiency. Routine checks and maintenance will keep your machine performing at its best.

2. How do you know if a grinder is built for longevity?

Look for a tubular steel construction and wear-resistant steel where it’s needed most. Morbark grinders use wear-resistant steel for the yoke and replaceable wear plates in the mill chamber and under the infeed floor. The hydraulic system should have a large capacity with coolers and heavy-duty components. Your equipment should have built-in safety features to help protect against driveline and hammermill damage caused by contaminants; Morbark grinders have an exclusive externally adjustable breakaway torque limiter for this.

3. What can grinder operators do to keep their machines working optimally?

A daily walk-around is important to keep your grinder running in peak condition and can help catch issues before they happen. Regularly inspect your inserts and other wear parts. Keep your bearings greased; many require grease every 8 hours. During your inspection, you can find out early if a bearing is not taking grease. Check the belt tension — if it gets too loose, the belt can slip and require replacement. Check the infeed chain tension. Inspect the engine air filters and oil level. A little time and effort on a daily basis can reduce your downtime significantly.

4. What features make maintenance easier?

Morbark has reconfigured the area between the hood and the engine on our newest grinder models to provide a large work platform for better access to components for general maintenance or to change screens. All fuel, hydraulic and air filters have been consolidated for better access during replacement cycles. The Morbark 6400XT Wood Hog has an independent hammermill drive tensioning system for ease of adjustment. Our MICS system also aids in troubleshooting issues.

5. Why should you use OEM wear parts?

Wear parts from your equipment manufacturer have the highest quality and consistency for a longer wear life, which reduces your costs per hour or ton/yard of material produced. Your local authorized Morbark dealer will likely have the parts you need most in inventory and can provide other support for your machine.