Reaching for the top: SENNEBOGEN 835 R Special's height and mobility make a perfect fit for B&B Metals.

Eric Burrows, Vice President of B&B Metals, relied on the reputation of his first SENNEBOGEN purchase when he was in the market for a new material handler.

The performance of the 835 M "C" Series crane he'd bought for his Newton, Wis., scrap processing operation two years ago set the precedent for the newest addition to his line of "green giants"--a 835 R Special Material Handler, another SENNEBOGEN green line machine.

When Burrows was looking for a machine to feed scrap into B&B Metal's 1,100-ton Vezzani shear, he knew he needed a machine that was more than just strong. He needed some serious height to reach the shear, which stands nearly 35 feet in the air.

"We needed something with some height, something stable, dependable and quick," Burrows says. "And with the new, 266-hp Caterpillar engine they have in there, we knew this was the machine for us."

With a working radius of up to 68 feet, 11 inches, the 835 R Special has the reach covered. "We went to some other major brands, but nobody had the height," Burrows says.

In addition, Burrows says he's impressed with the machine's stability. He's climbed into the operator's cab himself and picked up loads. "It's much more stable than I expected," he says.

The Midwestern scrap processing facility has been in business for more than 40 years since it was started by Burrows' parents, Robert and Sally. B&B Metals has been family owned since the beginning and now has 35 employees.

With the solid relationship SENNEBOGEN built with B&B during the purchase of the first 835 M, Burrows was more than willing to look to the green line again.

But for the machine to truly meet his ideal needs, Burrows wanted something mobile, as well as tall and sturdy.

"We wanted something portable, but we still needed the height," Burrows says. "We didn't want something you had to stick in the ground, like a pedestal crane. That way, if the shear breaks, the crane can go do something else."

The 835 R Special's primary job is to feed the Vezzani shear, which processes around 2,500 tons a month, says Burrows. But with its tracked undercarriage, the material handler isn't limited to its partnership with the shear. If the shear is down, Burrows and the B&B Metals equipment operators have the option of taking the 835 R across the yard and putting it to work in other ways. If the machine lacked that mobility, its productivity would hinge on that of the shear.

"It does some serious lifting," Burrows says. "We can also use it to feed the baler and the shredder. It's very portable and very balanced."

Burrows was again impressed with the personal attention he received.

With the scrap industry booming, many manufacturers he's dealt with have put him on the back burner, Burrows says. "They'll say, 'We've got a lot of orders on the shelf, we'll get to you when we get to you.'"

With SENNEBOGEN, Burrows felt he and his company were a priority, not just another part of a busy schedule.

"We were looking for something special, and they took the time to help us find what we needed," he says. "And it's a well-built machine--I'd recommend it to anybody."