A better view: a Fuchs handler with an elevated cab helps Empire Recycling see better results.

With a variety of loading and equipment feeding tasks facing them, hydraulic scrap handlers at Empire Recycling's Utica, N.Y., facility need to be productive. Joe Alberico, general manager of ferrous operations at the central New York facility, says the Fuchs 350 scrap handler the company acquired early this year has been exactly that.

Alberico cites a number of reasons why the Fuchs rubber-tired machine has been a good purchase, including its elevated cab for improved operator visibility, the cab's climate controls that keep operators comfortable and productive, fuel efficiency and dependability.

"The bard rubber tire platform has proven reliable," says Alberico. "We don't have the undercarriage maintenance and repair work we used to run into with tracked machines," he notes.

Empire Recycling took delivery of its Fuchs 350 scrap handler in early 2004, after researching the machines, including making visits to other scrap yards that owned Fuchs models. "The other owners liked their machines," notes Alberico.

"We liked what it could do, including the elevated cab, and we knew we would get good support from the dealer, Anderson Equipment," he adds.

Since taking delivery of the machine, Empire has used its Fuchs 350 to load outbound rail cars and trucks, as well as to feed its 500-ton Sierra shear.

The machine and its rotating grapple handle a variety of materials, including loose scrap, logs, bundles, motor blocks and piles of cut steel.

"The operators like the cab," notes Alberico. "It's new, comfortable and air conditioned, which has made this summer much better for them. They are able to do more work and stay comfortable."

In addition to added comfort, increased visibility has provided a boost to productivity. "With the elevated cab view, they can look into the truck trailers and railroad cars and fill them up more fully and effectively. They can get to spots they couldn't even see with a regular cab," says Alberico.

The company's experience with Fuchs has been positive enough to result in an order for a second machine, this time a slightly smaller Fuchs 340 model that Empire will take delivery of soon and primarily use to feed the shear. Empire runs just three scrap handlers at its Utica yard, but Alberico says the company is considering going with a third Fuchs machine when the time comes to replace its remaining scrap handler.

"We've been pleased with our Fuchs machine and we still have more features to explore," says Alberico. "Soon, we'll start using the quick-connect system to change out the grapple with a magnet," he notes.

The blue Fuchs machines should retain a mobile presence at the Empire Recycling facility for some time to come.