Twister B4 Bucking Machine

How a Twister Bucking Machine Handles a Mixed Stem Load

Stems are not uniform, and that is the whole problem a bucker has to solve. The feed entry here has three holes rather than one, sized at 1/4 in, 1/2 in and 3/4 in. An operator picks the hole that matches the stem instead of forcing everything through a single aperture. The largest stem it takes is 3/4 in across. Throughput is 150 lbs an hour or better on fully hydrated material, and it will run dry stock as well. Two numbers behind that figure are worth more than the headline. Pull strength is above 430 lbs, and pull speed is adjustable from roughly ten to 30 in a second across ten settings. Strength is what stops a thick stem stalling the rollers mid pull. Speed is what you trade against cleanliness of the break. The drive system adjusts as the stem thickness varies rather than running at a fixed roller gap. That is the mechanism that keeps jams down on a mixed load. Rollers are neoprene sets rather than hard plastic, so they grip without crushing. Feeding is single branch, one at a time, so one operator works the machine. That matches the output of seven to ten people hand bucking. Run your own time study before building a labour plan on it.

Cartridges, Power and What Owning a Twister B4 Bucker Involves

The cartridge is the part that makes this machine different in a facility under quality control. It lifts out as a unit, so a dirty cartridge comes off and a cleaned one goes on without stripping the machine down. The whole unit also breaks down for cleaning in under two minutes. Budget for a spare cartridge, because the part carries a serious price and the point of the design is having a second one ready. Power is the specification to get right on this machine. It runs on a single phase 120V supply at 60 Hz, drawing under 2A in normal operation with a 14.8A maximum. That calls for a 20A breaker through a NEMA 5-15P plug. A 15A circuit does not cover that peak. The motor is 1 HP at 1750 RPM, sealed to IP66 and IP69K, so the machine takes a pressure washdown. The maintenance interval is over a thousand hours. The unit measures 37.5 in long by 13 in wide by 14.5 in tall and weighs 285 lbs, shipping at 338 lbs, with the cartridge alone at 57 lbs. It will sit on a stainless bench or a table, and a stand is made for it but sold separately. One last point to go in with open eyes. The standard warranty on this machine is one year, where the T2 trimmer carries ten.

Key Features

• Three feed apertures: Sized 1/4 in, 1/2 in and 3/4 in so stems are matched, not forced.
• 150+ lbs an hour hydrated: It takes dry material too.
• Over 430 lbs of pull: Which is what keeps a thick stem from stalling the rollers.
• Ten speed settings: Roughly ten to 30 in a second, traded against a clean break.
• Gearing adapts to stem size: Rather than a fixed roller gap, which is where jams start.
• Cartridges lift out: A clean one goes on for a strain change with no strip down.
• IP66 and IP69K sealed: A 1 HP motor at 1750 RPM that takes a pressure washdown.
• One year standard warranty: Shorter than the ten years on the T2 trimmer.

Technical Specifications