Isuzu Power Solutions Gives Extra Bite to Piranha Chippers

The performance of Australian designed and manufactured Piranha Chippers’ high-quality woodchipper units has caught the attention of plenty of arborists, councils and emergency services of late.

With local and state councils now on the hunt for sustainability credits and more environmentally conscientious outcomes, Melbourne-based Piranha Chippers meets the requirements of sourcing a locally manufactured machine that performs efficiently for the task.

“The increasing number of weather events has seen massive demands on clean-up operations and the line of inquiry has been very strong for us,” said Nathan Sangster, Director of Piranha Chippers.

“With so many trees coming down, they need to be cleaned up quickly with a chipper that can literally chew fallen trees up in seconds.”

Giving a second life to these trees, the byproduct can then be used for a variety of purposes.

“The byproduct of chipped wood is proving popular in stock farming for lining barns and providing beds for newborn animals,” Nathan explained.

“We also meet the more regular needs such as orchards, which usually have a 15-year life span on fruit growing trees.

“The practice of burning old trees is certainly no longer in favour, so they want a chipper that can reliably handle a large number of trees,” he continued.

“As a bonus, they end up with mulch they can reuse to help grow new trees, which is a fantastic outcome.”

New kid on the block

Though Piranha Chippers is relatively new on the scene, a focus on delivering high-end, sustainable solutions is seeing them well-placed to meet what Nathan describes as a growing demand within their sector.

After initially looking at various design options, Nathan found that local expertise provided the surest path forward for Piranha Chipper machines.

He reached out to Isuzu Power Solutions for a detailed discussion on power requirements and packaging inside the chippers, going with the engineer’s recommendation for the vertical water-cooled, four-cylinder common rail 4HK1 power unit.

With an output of 147 kW (197 hp) @ 2,100 rpm, the Isuzu 4HK1 engine powers the chipper drum system, and all associated hydraulic pumps and electrical needs.

This was a point of interest for Nathan, who has run Isuzu trucks also underpinned by the 4HK1 engine.

“I've owned Isuzu trucks in our other business and wanted to see if the technology that reliably drives the engine in the vehicle could also power our chipper,” Nathan mused.

“Once that was established, I leaned on Isuzu’s engineering expertise to not only supply the power unit but also build it in a way that suits our needs, particularly in terms of the serviceability of the chippers.”

Design smarts

Isuzu’s design has ancillaries (such as filters) placed at the front of the unit. This is a small but critical asset to Nathan, who wanted all service points accessible from one location when an operator opens the bay door of a Piranha Chipper.

"The two pillars we've built this woodchipper on are performance and serviceability; by performance, we have a very powerful engine that offers more power than the opposition,” he explained.

“On the service side, we have a machine that allows easy access, supported by consumable and replacement parts that are readily available.

“It's the only chipper on the Australian market that offers simple access from one side. The response from those who have looked at our product has been very positive around having considered that in the design.”

Put to the ultimate test

The Australian environment has proved an ideal testing ground for these machines, providing tree species and ground conditions that put the Piranha Chippers their paces across all aspects.

Nathan noted the 4HK1 power unit’s telemetry system allows data to be shared remotely, helping the business to analyse on-the-job performance.

"We've been using hardwood to test the chippers, mostly Australian gum trees, to really give them a go and meet the standard that customers expect.

“This type of testing puts an enormous load on all areas of the machines.

“We find the unit’s excellent power is complemented by the electronics system, which ensures the machine increases output only when it’s needed,” Nathan added.

Onwards, upwards

With a focus on building the manufacturing part of the business over the next 12 months, Piranha Chippers will be looking to employ a team of people, bringing a range of new skills to the business.

“Piranha Chippers has the facilities, so it will be a matter of being able to grow and keep up with that as we go forward,” said Nathan.

"We anticipate the need to take on a lot of staff to achieve this.

“But with interest from serious customers, who are reaching out to us wanting demos and wanting to see the machine in action, we are feeling buoyant—especially with the quality of partnerships like Isuzu Power Solutions backing us up.”