FAE mulching heads—the world’s leading brand of mulching attachments—are now offered by Columbus Equipment Company. FAE heads for use on skid steer loaders and excavators are available for purchase or rent.
FAE, based in Italy, has been designing, engineering and manufacturing mulching attachments for 25 years, according to Allen Tennis, Midwest territory manager for FAE USA. “The company has earned its reputation for producing the world’s best mulching attachment through leading-edge design and strict quality control. That reputation is backed up by a two-year warranty, which is the highest in the industry, twice as long as the industry-standard, one-year warranty,” said Tennis.
“FAE heads produce better overall results and higher, land-clearing production rates than competitive models,” said Tim Smith, Environmental Division sales manager.
FAE also excels in support after the sale, working closely with both dealers and end-users to support products. The company maintains $5 million worth of parts at its U.S. headquarters outside Atlanta “so parts availability and replacement is simply not an issue,” Tennis noted.
“Dedicated focus on customer support is one reason that a partnership with Columbus Equipment made sense,” Tennis said. “It was evident from the very beginning that Columbus Equipment has the same philosophy we do about responding immediately when a customer calls with a problem.”
Columbus Equipment’s lineup—with Takeuchi and Komatsu equipment—was the perfect match for FAE, he added. “They are both very good carriers for our attachments.”
“The Environmental Division has Komatsu PC290 excavators for rent that are set up to run forestry attachments, including the FAE mulching heads,” Smith said. “We also have Takeuchi skid loaders available to run them as well.”
Mulcher heads are available in sizes that work on a 5-ton mini-excavator up to the 40-ton excavator class. FAE manufactures both PTO-driven and hydraulic-driven attachments for skid steer loaders.
FAE also produces attachments for reclaiming asphalt, crushing rock, and for agricultural applications such as soil stabilization. While Columbus Equipment will distribute the full line of FAE attachments, Smith expects the largest demand to be for skid steer loader and excavator mulcher heads.
Environmental Division Adds CMI Line of
Specialized Forestry Mulchers
Columbus Equipment Company has added Crawler Mulching Industries Inc. (CMI) mulchers—purpose-built machines on a dozer-style undercarriage—to its Environmental Division lineup. CMI mulchers are designed for work including clearing trails and right of ways, pipeline construction, site preparation, forestry, and land development.
The partnership allows Columbus Equipment to bring the world’s best forestry mulcher to Ohio and surrounding markets, noted Tim Smith, Environmental Division sales manager. “The CMI machines deliver unmatched production. We have already had great success with the CMI product line, with sales and rentals to our forestry and land-clearing customers,” Smith said.
CMI mulchers are known for great performance and reliability, said Steeve Charest, CMI territory manager for the U.S. The machines are powered by John Deere or Caterpillar engines, depending on model, and are equipped with industry-leading FAE mulching heads, which are factory-installed by CMI and shipped to the customer.
All models have a heavy-duty undercarriage with a single grouser with mud holes, and the chassis and frame were designed specifically for mulching applications. The dozer-style undercarriage makes the machine more agile than competing models, built on an excavator- style base. CMI mulchers offer better ground clearance than competitors and have excellent power, traction and maneuverability.
“The simplicity of the machine is the key to its reliability and ease of use,” Charest said. “There are not a lot of electronics, and it is light and easy to transport.” Service points are designed for easy access.
“We have demonstrated the machine and its capabilities to several of our leading land-clearing contractors, and they have all said the same thing, ‘This is the best forestry mulcher we have ever seen’,” Smith noted.
CMI and Columbus Equipment share a commitment to customer support. “We understand that customers can’t wait, they lose money when they are down,” Charest said. “We are very pleased with the way that Columbus Equipment Company deals with customers for service after the sale.” Columbus Equipment has already stocked up on parts for CMI machines and sent technicians and sales personnel for factory training, he noted. “They are committed to our product and serving our customers.”
Available CMI models range from 125 hp to 600 hp. CEC current inventory models include:
- Hurricane C250 with a 275-hp engine and 89-inch mulching head. This low-ground- pressure machine is excellent in wet or other poor ground conditions. With the mulching head in place, the machine exerts pressure of only 3.3 psi. It is a good choice for wetland restoration, right-of-way clearing and land preparation.
- C400L with 400-hp engine and 91-inch mulching head. The high-drive track system gives the machine the highest clearance in the industry, 23 inches. This low-ground-pressure mulcher (4.5 psi) is ideal for drilling, power line clearing and road building.
- C450 with a 450-hp engine and 99-inch mulching head. This model can mulch deep roots and stumps, making it a good choice for pipeline construction, site preparation and other applications that require sub-soiling.
- C600 with a 600-hp engine and 98-inch mulching head. It is an excellent choice for site preparation and land development.
CMI got its start in 2000 when corn farmer Daniel Gosselin built a mulcher—essentially the first C600 model—for use on his property. Over the winter, he took the machine to Alberta, Canada, to work for an oil and gas company, and the mulcher generated so much interest he decided to build and sell them. The machines are assembled in Quebec province.
CMI mulchers have proven themselves in the oil fields of Alberta for 14 years. Now Columbus Equipment is introducing them to Ohio contractors. “The CMI outperforms every competitor—in every class size—especially when steep terrain is involved. Just give us a call at (330) 350-6860 and we will prove it,” Smith said.