Skip Units and its sister company Truck Specialists have developed an innovative bottom discharge solution for textile recyclers, where tipping is not possible.
The Skip Units solution consists of a vehicle with a specialist body working in conjunction with bottom discharge containers designed to reduce the cost of emptying, collecting and weighing the contents of textile banks. Two of the vehicles and ninety containers are already in use.
Textile banks have traditionally been emptied by a 'man and a van' using a 3.5 tonne van or a 7.5 tonne truck. As they have become more widely used, the banks have grown in size and it can take 30 to 45 minutes to strip out a large bank. Various methods have been tried to replace this labour-intensive procedure, reduce collection costs and improve efficiency.
The method recommended by Skip Units Group is to adapt the modular banks that are used in paper and plastics collection. These banks are not unloaded through the traditional door in the front but are are lifted up by a remote control crane into the discharge vehicle and a release mechanism operated from the crane opens flaps in the bottom of the bank to discharge the load. Using this method, a single man can unload a textile bank in about ten minutes.
The vehicles already supplied by Truck Specialists are based on a MAN TGS 26-400 6 x 2 chassis with a steering rear axle and fitted with a HMF1220K3 hydraulic crane behind the cab. The crane has a textile bank release mechanism and features full remote control and a Class IV loadcell installation, which allows the issue of a Weights and Measures-approved weight ticket that confirms the weight of the textiles received at the point of collection. The same concept can be can be tailored to the needs and applications of smaller operators, using vehicles of 12 tonnes or 15 tonnes GVW, with smaller cranes and bodies.
The crane discharges the contents of the textile banks into a 27'0" x 8'0" body fitted with a Keith Walking Floor and 'Slide'n'Cover' sheeting system to keep the textiles dry. On return to the depot, the textiles can be discharged into stillages so that the load can be sorted progressively rather than blocking the user's sorting and discharge area.
Approved to ISO 9001:2000, the Skip Units Group is the largest manufacturer of steel containers, skips and equipment for the waste industry in the UK. As well as Truck Specialists Ltd, the other members of the group are Waste Equipment Rentals, Castle Containers and Randalls, which manufactures the Simpak range of compactors.