To help operators reduce costs, TANA has released a series of compactors which have been purpose-built for landfills.
A broken machine leads to increased downtime which can affect productivity.
That’s why Tana has designed its E Series landfill compactors for maximal uptime.
The E Series frame is constructed out of two modular drum frames, connected by the upper frame. It acts as a shell around the drum, which prevents waste being pulled up and brought into the machine’s workings.
Peter Lawrence, Fleet Coordinator of Albury City Council’s landfills, purchased an E380 Tana landfill compactor due to its design.
“One of the major issues with any machine on the waste is entanglement. Pieces of waste can get pulled up from the wheels and get stuck in the driveline,” he says.
“A typical four-wheel vehicle with cleats will have issues as they pick up rubbish while compacting. The waste can wrap around the axles and flick the rubbish up onto the windscreen, which reduces visibility and becomes a safety hazard.
“The E380’s design doesn’t allow that to happen because of the configuration of its drums. Anything moved stays under the machine and can’t impact any vulnerable sections.”
Peter says the fact the machines have no rotating shafts in an area vulnerable to waste means the amount of maintenance required on the machine is greatly reduced.
“It makes it easy to maintain. On top of that, external drain ports mean that you can just unscrew a plug and drain any fluids,” he says.
“There’s no need to get onto side shafts to open up panels for servicing, which has also made working on the machine very simple and safe.”
As a purpose-built machine, Peter says it takes into consideration all the issues an operator would usually face with their landfill compactor.
“Tana has taken into account a lot of the specific needs for a landfill compactor and have included things as standard that, 10 years ago, would have been modifications.”
Previously, Peter says the older machines his team had been using before purchasing the Tana were down for maintenance every couple of days.
“We’d need to pull them apart before we could send them back out into the landfill, which meant the machines were non-productive for up to two days,” he says.
“The Tana E380’s high uptime has not only helped productivity but meant that we would be able to predict when major work is incoming to plan servicing needs better.”
EFFICIENT DESIGN
The E Series of compactors were built with a rigid articulating frame which provides up to 100 per cent greater crushing force on a single drum, compared with an oscillating four-wheeler of a similar weight.
The wide drums provide traction, stopping the machine from slipping below the waste. Its design also means the machine movement is cut in half, which saves both time and fuel for the operator.
Each drum also has crushing teeth which are highly resistant to wear and provide penetration of each fresh waste layer.
Peter says the machine strikes a balance for compaction and cost, which gives great results in the long and short term.
“We do a whole-of-life analysis with any machine we take into consideration, which includes its fuel efficiency, disposal costs and servicing costs. The balance the E380 presents is reasonable and gets results,” he says.
“Cleaning it is also relatively quick and easy, with most of the waste, dirt and grime only on the lower of the machine.”
Peter says the machine is operator friendly, with plenty of vision for the operator’s surroundings.
“The controls are easily accessible with your right hand, with a fully adjustable seat that includes an armrest with joysticks,” he says.
“The seat is able to rotate with the operator able to be in the correct position at all times, which helps make the machine reliable and predictable to use.
“At the end of the day, when operating a landfill compactor, that vision and awareness of your space is critical to safety. The ease of control is one less thing to worry about when operating the machine, which helps productivity,” Peter adds.
The Tana E Series was purchased from supplier GCM Enviro, which Peter says have been great at getting results.
“They have pulled out all the stops to make sure we’re able to get everything done and all repairs and parts out to us on time when we needed it,” he says.
“I can’t praise them highly enough. They will move mountains to deliver on what they promise.”
PRODUCT SNAPSHOT:
The E Series of Tana machines range from 26 to 52 tonnes.
Tana E380:
Weight: 38,000 kilograms
Total length: 9050 millimetres
Total width: 4500 millimetres
Total height: 4320 millimetres
Wheelbase: 4050 millimetres
Ground clearance: 890 millimetres
Inside turning radius: 3310 millimetres