Komatsu Forest grinding its way to the Top End

When home is 700 kilometres away you need equipment you can rely on. For Phil Snell’s grinding operation in the Northern Territory, Komatsu Forest helps get things done.

A remote location, the wrong equipment and monsoon rains – Phil Snell’s entry into the recycling/grinding industry was far from polished.

“It was quite challenging to get the job across the line,” Phil recalls. “Looking back now, we probably looked like hillbillies going into the bush.

“It was definitely a learning curve.”

Phil admits that 19 years ago he’d never heard of putting mulch or woodchip on a garden. 

When a government contract to replace 100 kilometres of fence in the Northern Territory required the old timber to be mulched, he was out of his depth. So much so, that for his first attempt he used a backhoe.

“It was quite unsuccessful,” Phil says with a chuckle. 

The wet season may have beaten him back then, but Phil, the owner/operator of Snell Contracting and Hicway Pty Ltd, has found a home away from home in the red dirt of East Arnhem Land.

He built his business on land clearing and grinding green waste for local councils and has secured a five-year contract for site clearance and rehabilitation at Rio Tinto’s 15,000-hectare bauxite mining lease in Nhullaby, formerly Gove.

The Gove site has been supplying the global aluminium industry with bauxite for more than 40 years but is expected to cease later this decade. Work to support closure of the operation and rehabilitate the area is already under way.

Phil and his team are clearing and mulching timber to be used to rehabilitate the mine’s burrow and red mud ponds. 

“We delivered 80,000 cubic tonnes of soil enhancer last season,” Phil says. 

“We’ve got to work around the wet season so we ramp things up where we can. We’ve got two grinders working 12 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Phil’s knowledge of the grinding industry has developed over the years, and he’s now quite discerning about having the right equipment for the job. He purchased his first grinder, a second-hand Peterson 2400, direct from Jeffries Garden Soils in Adelaide.

Since 2016, he’s purchased five Astec/Peterson 2710D Grinders, including two in September 2022, from Komatsu Forest, and is looking to upgrade to a bigger machine in 2024.

“The weather is harsh on everything here, so we don’t keep machines for very long,” Phil says. “We use them for 3000-4000 hours then move them on. We get good return on our investment then step into a new machine.”

Phil’s stayed with Komatsu Forest, and Peterson, because they’re focused on the timber industry and do it well. 

Brenton Yon, Komatsu Forest National Sales Manager, says the Peterson 2710D is ideal for Phil’s operation because it’s designed for high production and frequent moves between jobs. 

“It’s powerful, with a Caterpillar Tier II C18 765 hp (570 kW) engine for export, heavy duty and mobile, and has outstanding production throughput for a machine of this size,” Brenton says.

“The large feed opening, measuring 153 centimetres x 81 centimetres, is ideal for processing odd-sized feedstock and when boosted by Peterson’s high-lift feed roll, the feed opening’s maximum lift of 112 centimetres, is among the largest in its class.”

Brenton says the up-turn, three-stage grinding process provides better fracturing of material and a consistent product, and the patented Impact Release System’s air bags provide uniform grinding and protection from contaminated feedstock, a feature unique to Peterson grinders. 

Urethane cushions and shear pins offer a second line of defence, helping to protect the mill from catastrophic damage in the event of impact from contaminants in the feedstock.

Phil says Peterson machines have improved over the years, making a tough job, a little easier.

“There’s been huge development,” he says. “Those early machines were hard work. Even today, knowing what I do, I wouldn’t want to go back to some of those original machines.”

What has also developed over the years, is a relationship between Phil and Komatsu Forest.

Gove is the fourth-largest town in the Territory and a nine-hour drive from Katherine. For the Rio Tinto job, Phil’s equipment is transported by barge and remains onsite for six months. 

The remoteness adds some complexity to servicing or any issues that arise, but Komatsu Forest “gets things to happen”.

“At the end of the day we’re a contractor and we have to make sure we deliver our jobs on time,” Phil says.

“Komatsu Forest have been true to their word.”  

For more information, visit: www.komatsuforest.com.au