Special feature: Morbark XT3400 Wood Hog

Date: 20.12.2018

The fully-mobile chipper is built on a Caterpillar 320-litre undercarriage and is powered by a 570kW (765hp) Caterpillar engine, tipping the scales at 32,613kg

Commercial Outdoor Machinery (COM), the New Zealand Morbark agent, has recently landed a Morbark 3400XT Wood Hog unit at their Auckland premises and is available for demonstrations at selected sites across New Zealand.

The Morbark 3400XT Wood Hog is suitable for large-scale operations

The fully-mobile chipper is built on a Caterpillar 320-litre undercarriage and is powered by a 570kW (765hp) Caterpillar engine, tipping the scales at 32,613kg. Suited to large-scale processing operations, the Morbark 3400XT comes with a big 1450 x 9650mm infeed opening that is fed by a pinned rotor system, capable of turning the machine into a whole tree chipper, however, COM says the machine is suited for many other applications.

"The 3400XT is suited for a variety of applications, such as demolition waste, re-grinding waste from mills and turning it into mulch, and hogging forestry waste for biofuel," says industrial chipper sales specialist Ben Stanners.

The 3400XT folds out to 17.37 metres from its 11.63-metre transport length

In operation, the 3400XT folds out to 17.37 metres from its 11.63-metre transport length. The 4.88 x 1.46-metre reversible live floor of four strands of WDH-120 chain provide a massive feed bed for large piles of raw material to be dumped to be fed into the processing chamber.

"It can easily be turned into a very efficient whole tree chipper by removing the standard hammer mill and replacing it with a knife skin," Ben says. A hydraulic drive compresses the raw product being fed into the hammer mill, ensuring efficient and fast processing.

Once the raw product is chipped or ground, a large 24,419cm² screen sizes the material to ensure consistent finished product quality before being discharged on a 914mm (36 inches) stacking conveyor. The magnetised end pulley with collecting slide tray helps remove any ferrous metal prior to stacking.

Easy access to hydraulic connections

The Morbark XT3400 also comes with a dust suppression system and an automatic fan reversing system to help ensure engine temperature keeps within the manufacturer’s operating parameters. An on-board 8.2kW (11hp) compressor provides additional air power for helping keep the unit debris free and maintained.

Operation of the machine is described as straightforward, with a cordless remote control handling all aspects of operations. It also comes with tethered control back-up. "The 3400XT comes with numerous safety mechanisms to help ensure the machine isn’t being overfilled or used in a way that is dangerous to personnel," Ben says.

The Wood Hog is powered by a 765hp Caterpillar engine

COM says the unit would be ideal for an operator who wants to handle commercial quantities of waste, and they are happy to bring the machine to a prospective buyer’s site and demonstrate its capabilities.

"From the demonstrations we have done already, I have never seen a single New Zealand customer who hasn’t been seriously impressed with its capacity, and the massive screening area performs phenomenally on wet material that would block other machines," Ben says.

Morbark XT3400 Wood Hog specifications

For more information, visit commercialoutdoormachinery.co.nz.

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