Making the cut: many recyclers rely on hydraulic shears for prep work and other tasks in the yard.

Of all the tools at the disposal of a scrap metal recycler, the hydraulic shear is among the most basic and most useful. Many recyclers have come to rely on the attachments for preparing material for additional processing, sizing it for transport and even cutting it to meet mill specifications.

What kind, size and number of shears to have at a given yard may differ depending on the operation, but many recyclers agree that with a little forethought and a commitment to maintenance, hydraulic shears are a worthwhile investment.

PREP WORK. Mark Leder of Leder Bros., Minneapolis, just purchased his first hydraulic shear about a year and a half ago.

Leder says his company invested in the shear to help prepare scrap for further processing in the yard's stationary guillotine shear. "We needed to increase our throughput and we wanted to eliminate some torching," he says. "This machine also lends itself to pre-sizing for the [stationary] shear and cuts the dangers of torching down."

Robert Weber of Garden Street Iron & Metal, Fort Myers, Fla., says the hydraulic shear attachment at his yard is also used to prepare material for further processing through a bigger shear. Weber says the shear attachment is also used to shear mild steel from tempered truck axles as well as to separate springs from mild steel on truck frames before processing. "It's a safety factor--you don't want to put heavy springs through a heavy shear," Weber says.

Excavators, with their hydraulic capabilities, are the preferred carrier for many scrap recyclers who use hydraulic shear attachments. More standard material handlers can also be used, but their reach, which makes them so useful in some material handling applications, can make them a more impractical choice, some say. "Excavators have a lot of hydraulics, material handlers have a lot of reach," says Scott Ulrich, All Recycling, Englewood, Colo. "You don't need the reach for a shear that you do for a material handler."

However, depending on the application, alternative carriers can come in handy. For instance, Brian Baumann of B&B Wrecking & Excavating Inc., a Cleveland-based demolition company, has a fleet of 10 different shears of various sizes. He says he usually mounts the shears onto excavators, but for jobs that call for interior demolition, skid steers are a better choice. "Skid steers can get inside because of the smaller size, and also, rubber tires save wear and tear on concrete," Baumann says.

When it comes to choosing a shear, recyclers say a lot depends on what the shear is expected to handle and how it's expected to handle it.

SHEAR POWER. Shears come in rotating or straight models, and recyclers have different opinions on the perceived advantages of each.

Leder says he opted against the rotating shear partly because it was his first foray into the world of hydraulic shear attachments. "Rotation can speed things up and make things easier," he says. "We felt we wanted to try to see what we could do without it."

Added up-front expense and increased potentials for problems contributed to Leder's decision. "Rotating is more expensive, there's potential for more repairs against the rotating unit [because of the] additional hydraulic usage," he adds. "For someone cutting railroad cars or for demolition where you need to turn things, it's very desirable. For us, where our material is just dumped on the ground, we can move the machine around and it's a not a big deal. We're OK for the moment not having a rotating shear."

Weber says his shear is also a straight model. "The problem you run into with a rotator," he says, "is the attachment is heavier, so you go down a size and sacrifice power." Weber adds that at his operation, where material is handled one item at a time, the straight shear has worked fine.

However, recyclers using hydraulic shears to prepare scrap for mills would do well to consider a rotator, according to Ulrich. "For us, rotation is great," he says. "When you're trying to size it to a spec, rotation comes in handy."

Baumann, who also uses his shears to prepare material for mills, agrees. "When you're preparing steel, the rotation is very advantageous," he says. "You can prep with a straight shear, but most operators prefer rotation."

Ulrich advises recyclers to think carefully about what kind of material they want to process when buying a hydraulic shear. "Sometimes, it's money well spent to go to the bigger size," he says. When he shops, Ulrich says he'll listen to what the manufacturer says the attachment will cut, and then go up one size. This strategy serves two purposes, he says. "Someone's always going to try to cut something one size bigger," Ulrich says. Buying the next larger size allows a recycler to accommodate the occasional operator tendency to push the equipment beyond its manufacturer-recommended limit. He adds that by buying the next size up, recyclers also have room to grow their businesses.

However, buying bigger doesn't offer blanket protection for a hydraulic shear attachment. Recyclers must pay close attention to maintenance to keep their shears running optimally.

TAKING CARE. "You do have a substantial investment in the piece of equipment, so maintenance is very important," says Leder.

Daily greasing is a must, and most recyclers recommend keeping to a regular maintenance schedule, which differs depending on the operation. "Do [maintenance] before it wears out," recommends Ulrich. In addition to daily greasing, preventative maintenance for shears revolves mainly around changing out the blades, which Ulrich says is done every 10 days at All Recycling. However, the frequency of blade change-out depends on the material the shear is cutting. "If you're cutting beams, I think you can go two weeks before changing," Ulrich says. "If you're cutting hard parts, your blades may last more like seven days."

The wear areas around the blades also need regular attention, says Leder. "You can kind of self-destruct a portion of the shear if you let things get too worn down," he says. According to Leder, if the wear areas around the blades become too worn, material can get stuck, jamming the shear, an unenviable event for any scrap recycler. "It's a terribly hard thing to un-jam a shear," Leder says. "You might have to sacrifice a set of blades, which can be $2,000, so you have to be diligent."

According to Leder, some operators go so far as to schedule their material to save wear on their blades, setting an order so that the blades cut certain material when they are at their sharpest and other material when they are dullest. For instance, "a lot of people will wait until the blades are very dull to crush cast iron," Leder says.

While strategies differ, many recyclers agree that regular maintenance is the best way to get the most out of an investment in a hydraulic shear. "We knew we'd be spending money on maintenance on the shear," says Leder. "You just can't skimp on it."

The author is associate editor of Recycling Today magazine and can be contacted at [e-mail].