In this series of articles, we will be sharing exclusive coverage from all aspects of APF 2022.
GENERATING even more excitement, Timberwolf’s new TW 280HB Hybrid, the result of a five-year development process, was shown off at the exhibition for the first time, with thousands of visitors heading to the stand to see it in action.
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Said to be an industry first, the 8” chipper has a processing throughput of over seven tonnes per hour and runs on a combination of a diesel engine and energy-efficient supercapacitors.
And Timberwolf’s boss says it will provide lower running costs in the long term compared to more ‘traditional’ chippers.
Managing director Chris Perry said: “One of the easy things is we have no after-treatment. With that comes the benefits of a less prescriptive requirement for fluids.
“And the maintenance costs are simply reduced – this is proven in the automotive sector with hybrid power. Fuel consumptions are reduced. Emissions are reduced. The clever bit is down to the programming and that’s what the team has done a good job of.”
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Originally started by Jeff Haines (now of Dragon Equipment), the development process saw various power sources tried and tested, before Timberwolf settled on the supercapacitors, alongside a 4.8 hp (18.5 kW) Kubota D902-TE4 turbo diesel engine.
Crucially, the chipper is set up in such a way that the technology could be run without the need for fossil fuels in the future.
“Our ambition is to move towards zero-emissions machinery,” Chris said. “But we took a view we had to start and do this progressively. We are looking to develop a real-world, and usable, zero-emissions chipper.”
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