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 (JUNE 20, 2008) ENID, OKLAHOMA — Hauling scrap metal in standardized shipping containers from North America to overseas destinations is big business. But companies handling this loading process have struggled to find a safe and efficient way to load the containers to their maximum weight capacity and to load them without damaging the metal sides and floors.
Current methods include using a skidsteer to drive into the container to deposit the scrap metal, and dropping the scrap into the container from a tipper-type mechanism. Each method has its drawbacks — either in the quantity/weight that can be loaded or in damage sustained to the container. However, STECO, a manufacturer of transfer and dump trailers that specializes in custom manufacturing, has come up with a very different solution.
The STECO Scrapper® Container Loader is an innovative, complete container loading system designed to safely and quickly load shipping containers to their maximum capacity, without causing damage to the containers’ walls or floors. The two-part system is comprised of the transfer trailer base and the container packer/loading sleeve (CL unit). Scrap material is loaded into the CL unit then transferred to the container. So it is the CL unit taking the brunt of impact, not the shipping container.
How it works
The STECO Scrapper® Container Loader travels on its own street-legal transport trailer and requires no special set-up at a job site. Since it is self-contained with its own diesel-powered unit to drive the hydraulics, it can be moved to wherever it is needed. The CL unit can be loaded from the top with any kind of loader. The shipping container is placed directly behind the transfer base trailer so its floor and the trailer floor are at the same height.
The Scrapper® Container Loader comes with an integrated weight scale. This means the operator can monitor the load to match the maximum weight capacity of each container. Once the desired weight is reached, the operator then activates the controls to hydraulically insert the CL unit into the open side of the shipping container. Another control pushes the contents out with a push-blade assembly that is built into the CL unit itself. The CL unit is backed out as the contents continue to empty. Since the materials are simply pushed sideways into the shipping container, the container itself sustains no impact damage. Once the CL unit is empty, the operator retracts the push-blade assembly and then extracts the entire container packer unit back onto the transfer base trailer. The load transfer process takes less than five minutes.
For more information, contact STECO at 800-627-8326 |
