What started out as a potential demolition job at an abandoned 14 acre rail yard ended up becoming a labor of love for Tom Bishop, a Virginia entrepreneur and history buff. Bishop recognized economic potential in the former Virginian Railway manufacturing and repair yard in Princeton, WV when he visited it in the summer of 2006. Rather than bidding on its demolition, he chose instead to purchase the historic site and convert it into an indoor scrap yard. Sennbogen material handlers help keep the facility running smoothly.
“While I was walking through the grounds and buildings with the demolition contractor, I was picturing in my minds-eye how the site was an indoor scrap yard already in place and I got interested in buying it,” recalls Bishop. “We took possession of the property in 2007 and set about converting it to our application. In 2008 we opened our doors to the public as Recycle West Virginia – a state-of-the art indoor recycling and metal-shredding operation that takes all kinds of scrap, including junk cars, copper, aluminum cans, radiators, brass, batteries, and white goods.”
A Trusted Brand
To feed the facility’s new mega-shredder and move materials in and around the yard, Bishop acquired two Sennebogen material handlers -- an 830 M D Series and 840 M -- from Adam Sanders at Power Equipment Company in Kingsport, TN.
Before he opened Recycle West Virginia, Bishop was already familiar with Sennebogen’s reliability and durability. In 2003, Bishop acquired a Sennebogen 835 M C Series fitted with a quick-attach for a magnet and 1 ¼ yd scrap grapple for use at Berry Iron & Metal, his scrap yard in Chilhowie, VA. Impressed with Sennebogen quality and performance, he acquired two additional machines for the yard -- an 825 M in 2006 and an 835 M in 2008.
“Sennebogen were the new kids on the block at that time. I was originally looking at a competitor’s machines, but availability became an issue,” recalls Bishop. “I’m always in search of the best equipment available and I’m not afraid to try new brands. Sennebogen had a machine available when I needed one, so I went with them. Prior to that, we had always used retrofitted excavators. But once we had the Sennebogen machines, we realized the value in having purpose-built material handlers. They have cut our load-up time in half.”
Recycle West Virginia’s Sennebogen Application
To keep his new Princeton facility running smoothly, Bishop acquired two new rubber-tired Sennebogen machines in 2008 -- an 830 M and an 840 M. Fitted with a 2 yard grapple, the 840 M is dedicated to feeding the yard’s Harris 98115 Shredder, fitted with a 4,500 hp motor. Housed in a 56,000 sq ft building -- the site’s largest -- the scrap handler/shredder application is unique, according to Bishop.
“Having the shredder indoors is a little bit out-of-the-ordinary, but it’s worked out really well for us,” he says. “The Harris Shredder is capable of operating at up to 180 tons per hour. While the Sennebogen machines don’t actually operate inside, their versatility and ability to zip around the yard wherever we need them, especially the 830 M, is very important to us.”
Fitted with a mag-grapple, the 830 M is used for general yard duty, unloading trailers and staging material for the 840 M to feed into the shredder. Both of Recycle West Virginia’s Sennebogen machines are in operation 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. Bishop went with rubber-tired machines for the mobility and speed he required on the Princeton facility’s concrete base. He has high praise for the visibility afforded by the elevating cabs on his Sennebogen machines and says that being able to see into the end of the trailers is a great benefit in terms of efficiency and safety. He especially likes the sliding door feature on the new 830 M D Series machine.
According to Bishop, his operators love the Sennebogen machines; one operator has become so efficient with the machines that he can “literally lift a coffee-cup with the grapple and flip it at another guy, hitting him in the head with it. He’s the best I’ve seen – he’s really got a knack for it.”
Is there another Sennebogen machine in the future for Recycle West Virginia? Bishop says he has considered acquiring a Sennebogen 305 C Multihandler. “With its elevating cab, it would be perfect for cleaning out bins and general uploading duties – so who knows?”
Would Bishop recommend Sennebogen machines to a colleague? He says that one of his business goals is to always buy equipment that will make it easy for his operators to do their jobs. “We’re very pleased with the performance of our Sennebogen machines in meeting this goal. We’ve been successful with them and we’ve stuck with them. So I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sennebogen machines.”