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Pressure sensors for mobile hydraulics

Danfoss pressure sensors control first ever mobile wood chipper

23 October 2008
Until now, there’s only been one way for forestry workers to produce wood chips from logs: a complex process, involving tractors, trucks and cranes, and special chippers which can transform logs into small chips. But all that has begun to change thanks to a Danfoss customer, who recommended Danfoss pressure sensors to the right company at the right time.

Small firm changes the industry

To transform a large log into small wood chips normally means using a lot of heavy equipment. Hardware, ranging from cranes and trucks to tractors and trailers with special chippers, has played a part in the wood chip production process. But in 2006, Albach, a German company which services heavy machinery, realised that a mobile wood chipper could make this process much easier.

So the seven-person firm began to develop their own vehicle. They received helpful input from a company that manufactures sugar beet harvesting machinery – machinery that Albach services. And this is where Danfoss enters the story. The sugar beet machinery manufacturer had been using Danfoss pressure sensors for the past eight years, and was very pleased with their performance – so they recommended Danfoss to Albach.

Albach has now developed the Silvator 2000, the world’s first mobile wood chipper – and five vehicles have already been produced and snapped up by forestry companies. At the heart of the vehicle is a 16 litre 612 HP Mercedes V8 engine. And Danfoss products help to keep the Silvator 2000 running smoothly. In every mobile wood chipper:
Pressure sensors
  • Four Danfoss pressure sensors MBS 3250 (0-400 bar) regulate the hydraulic pump (load sensing)
  • Four MBS 3250 (0-400 bar) in the supports ensure stability when the crane is in use
  • Two MBS 3250 (0-400 bar) monitor and control the working hydraulics
  • Two MBS 3000 (0-25 bar) control the pneumatic brake and clutch

The self-propelled chipper features a built-in crane, so it is possible to feed the logs directly into the rotary wood chipper. And a built-in ejector conveys the wood chips to the bed of a lorry. All these processes can be closely followed by the Silvator 2000 operator, who sits safely in the control cabin.

The Silvator 2000 is proving a safe and robust choice for forestry workers. Customers are now lining up to buy the wood chipper and Albach aims to produce a further 10 units during 2009.

Want to know more about Danfoss pressure transmitters? Contact your nearest Danfoss office.


By Thomas Dechert, Account Manager