The issue of bulk material clinging to the inside of a tipper slowing down the unloading process is something common to many operators carting bulk products like soil, fertiliser, stock feed, grains and sands.
In many cases the only way to get material moving is by ‘shunting’ the vehicle or manually digging out compact product at the end of a shift – both risky and time consuming for the operator and leading to excessive wear and tear on the vehicle.
Flow-Easy vibrators are designed to speed up the unloading of bulk products, providing an efficient, safe and controlled load discharge. The vibration loosens compacted material, effectively eliminating compact, residual build up – a costly and common issue.
Flow-Easy vibrators are distributed by Melbourne-based Enmin, an Australian market leader in the areas of materials handling systems and vibratory equipment. The vibrators were previously marketed under the Enmin brand but have recently been re-branded Flow-Easy.
Melbourne based Finns Cartage are just one of a growing number of operators who have fitted a Flow-Easy vibrator and enjoy the many benefits they provide.
Owner/Operator James Finn is involved with carting a wide variety of material and sub contracts to well-known Kingston Plant Hire.
One of his more common loads is taking clay from basement digs in the city to new building estates in outer Melbourne, where the material is used to raise the ground height. He also spends extensive time ‘on-site’ moving multiple loads short distances.
“When I’m on-site I can do 50-100 loads per day. Taking top soil very short distances form one part of the site to anther; if the load doesn’t completely empty you end up with more and more compacted material until you can tip only half a load – that’s one of the key reasons I decided to fit a vibrator,” James said.
“Previously I was constantly having to manually free the compacted clay and soil; the vibrator just saves me so much time and effort which in turn allows me to achieve more drops per day,” he added.
“Even things like rock and recycled concrete tend to ‘cling’ so the vibrator solves this problem too. It’s especially good when I have top soil that’s been ‘drenched’ in water which is particularly problematic. Drivers without a vibrator have to jump on and off the brakes to try and free this wet soil which is both dangerous and increases wear and tear on the truck,” James went on to say.
As well as being a simple, cost-effective alternative to body liners, a vibrator significantly reduces the risk of cross-contamination, particularly where grains and fertiliser are being transported. Over time body liners expand and overlap creating pockets where fugitive material can become entrapped, increasing the potential for material contamination.
The range includes 12 and 24 volt electric vibrators along with hydraulic and pneumatically powered options. Some transport applications require vibration to be applied for an extended amount of time, a scenario where the design characteristics of the hydraulic and pneumatic models come into their own. If required, they can be run continuously, rather than the more generally utilised intermittent operation of the electric models.
The truck vibrators are easy to install and only require minimal modification to the trailer body, making them a simple, low-cost addition that provides a number of benefits. As companies update their truck and trailer fleet the vibrators can be removed easily and quickly from existing trailers and installed on the new units.
“The Flow-Easy vibrator has proven its value over and over. For a relatively small cost it’s provided increased productivity, reduced my workload, improved safety and reduced wear and tear on my truck and trailer – I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one,” James concluded.