Established in 1994, Lambert Forest Products has grown into one of the largest logging contractors in Wisconsin. In 2009, owner Troy Lambert recognized that the development of several biomass fired power plants in his region would offer a sustainable market for wood fuel.
He first invested in a 540 HP MC266 Rotochopper horizontal grinder to deliver fuel to these markets. Later as his market grew he also added a whole tree chipper to keep up with the amount of biomass fuel that the power plants were asking him to deliver.
Consolidating into One Versatile Grinder
In the summer of 2012 he upgraded his MC266 Rotochopper and his whole tree chipper to one machine, a 765 HP B-66T horizontal grinder with crawler tracks and highway dolly. “We found greater efficiency by having one operation instead of two crews with the MC266 on one and the chipper on the other,” states Lambert. “The
765 HP B-66T uses way less fuel per ton than our 540 HP grinder did in the same conditions. The bigger grinder gives us great versatility to handle different types of raw material.”
He goes on to say that, “The finished product coming off the Rotochopper is incredibly consistent. We rarely get a complaint from our customers about the quality of the ground wood fiber we ship them. If a customer is ever dissatisfied, we can quickly fine tune the machine to get the finished products they want.”
Simplified Operation & Maintenance
Main grinder operator Matt Cournoyer says what he likes most is the ease of operation of the machine and how convenient it is to do the routine maintenance. “My
teeth and screen maintenance is a snap with this machine. In normal land clearing operations I can get about 150 semi loads before I touch the teeth. Then I flip them I get at least another 75 loads before I have to replace them. This machine is extremely fast. It only takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to fill a 120 yard walking floor trailer with a 30 ton payload. We have had very little downtime with this machine; the dependability and reliability are incredible. There are a lot of days that we produce more than 15 semi loads and still have time for our moving and routine maintenance,” says Cournoyer.
“I can pull up to a job site […] and start grinding in less than ten minutes.”
Less Hassle, More Uptime
Both Lambert and Cournoyer also appreciate the nimble mobility of the track and dolly system. “With the track and dolly system we did not have to invest another $100,000 in a low boy trailer big enough to haul the 90,000 pound grinder,” says Lambert. Operator Matt Cournoyer states, “I can pull up to a jobsite, unhook the semi, drop the dolly, and start grinding in less than ten minutes. It takes longer than that just to get another tracked machine off a low boy.”