WORKMASTER® has the air or electric operated Railcar Vibrators you need to eliminate the safety and productivity problems associated with the dangerous, dirty, and slow job of unloading open-top hopper cars and covered hopper railcars. We offer the industry’s most complete line of air- and electric-operated Railcar Shakers and Vibrators for emptying hopper cars, either compartment by compartment or entirely from one location. The flow problem can be solved by compressed-air-driven piston vibrators, rotary turbine vibrators, rotary HD roller vibrators, motor-driven adjustable eccentric-weight portable railcar vibrators, or electric-driven rotary railcar vibrators based on factors such as:
- Material being unloaded
- Number of hopper-bottom railcars unloaded per day, week, or month
- Unloading-site conditions, such as availability of compressed air pressure (PSI) and volume (CFM); electric power availability; neighborhood or plant noise restrictions; and site security
- Physical abilities of site worker(s) (railcar vibrators weigh 48-lbs to 110-lbs)
- Budget
Portable Railcar Vibrators
WORKMASTER Hopper Car Shakers allow most workers to easily lift and slide a vibrator with a male wedge bracket into the railcar’s universal female dovetail wedge bracket, or place a clamp-foot mount railroad car shaker vibrator on the railcar’s side sill. With the right railcar vibrator, even solidly jammed hopper cars, the kind that put workers into overtime or dangerous work situations like rodding, poking, sledging or hammering the hopper car, can be rapidly and safely emptied by a single worker. The power output of WORKMASTER Railcar Vibrators varies from 1,000 lbf to a whopping 14,000 lbf of centrifugal force. They operate at speeds from 2,000-vibrations per minute to 15,000-VPM for easy, fast, and safe unloading.
How to Select a Railcar Vibrator or Hopper Car Shaker
WORKMASTER Hopper Bottom Railcar Vibrators are engineered and manufactured to provide dependable, long-term service. Construction materials are chosen for their strength and durability, and we guarantee your satisfaction.
As you’ll see, any one of our train car shakers or railcar vibrators can make the job safer and easier. So how do you decide which railcar vibrator is best for your unloading site? Is it the fastest and most powerful (which consumes more power), or the quietest, or the least heavy? Your decision should be based on criteria such as:
- Flow characteristic of the material you unload. When the hopper car gate is opened, is material jammed solid? Does it begin to flow then stop due to bridging? Does the material tunnel or rat-hole in the hopper compartment? Does it flow steadily, but slowly? The material being unloaded and the type of flow problem guides us to how much force and frequency/speed is needed.
- Unloading site’s available power. To reach the required force and speed, all pneumatic railcar vibrators must be fed 80- to 90-PSI at start-up (can then be dropped to 60-PSI when sufficient material is flowing), and they must have sufficient CFM (cubic-foot-per-minute) air volume (21-CFM to 84-CFM based on model and size). A simple and inexpensive air receiver tank can be installed at the unloading site to supplement plant air and give you the PSI and CFM you’ll need. You’ll also need to use the correct-size hose, air valves, air couplings, and air line fittings — air line restrictions paralyze air operated railcar vibrators, and hopper car gate openers. Don’t be penny-wise and dollar-foolish when “feeding” air vibrators.
If you decide on an air vibrator but don’t have sufficient air available at the unloading site, that problem can be solved with the installation of a WORKMASTER Vertical or Horizontal Receiver Tank which provides the site with the air storage needed to start and run any vibrator (or gate opener or pocket unloader).
The compressed air supply must be clean, the air pressure must be regulated for efficiency, and the pneumatic railcar vibrator must receive small amounts of lubrication. Rust, scale, burnt oil, and other debris reduces vibrator power output and increases vibrator maintenance costs. A properly sized, correctly mounted, and well-maintained air filter, regulator w/gauge, and lubricator (FRL) is a low-cost insurance policy to guarantee long, maintenance-free railcar vibrator life. The costs of unloading site labor and unloading productivity problems far exceed the cost of installing and maintaining a WORKMASTER FRL. The Compressed Air must be clean and the vibrator needs small amounts of lubrication. Rust, scale, burnt oil, and other debris kills power output and increases maintenance costs. An inexpensive, properly sized and maintained air filter, regulator w/gauge, and lubricator (FRL) is an inexpensive insurance policy to guarantee long, maintenance-free vibrator life. The costs of labor and productivity problems far exceeds the cost of a correct-sized FRL - Budget. Hopper car vibrators range in price from $600 to $3,000 — but don’t let price be the primary determinant in choosing a hopper car vibrator. Our terms and conditions are flexible, so we can usually solve the budget problem while enabling you to buy the right vibrator for your application.
Finally, if you’d like our help in selecting the ideal Railcar Vibrator or Railcar Shaker, Male and/or Female Vibrator Wedge Bracket(s) for your site, or choosing a method to move and lift the vibrator from pocket to pocket, or car to car, give us a call. With the thousands of Hopper Car Vibrators we’ve successfully applied, we’re sure we can help you select the Railcar Vibrator or Shaker System that best meets your needs. And since we guarantee your satisfaction, we have no problem letting you try any WORKMASTER Railcar Vibrator or any of our other products before you buy it. If we can’t solve your unloading problem to your satisfaction – you can return our equipment for a full refund.
The RAIL-SHAKER Hopper Car Pocket Vibrator Assembly is a pneumatic, direct-impacting piston/linear type Vibrator that pounds the wall of the hopper car like a fast-acting sledge hammer to break the bond of the material to the wall, and then keep materials stimulated.
The CAR-ROCKER HD Dual Roller Hopper Car Vibrator is a rotary pneumatic railcar vibrator ideal for applications that require high frequency and high force. This lug mount railcar vibrator with quick change male wedge bracket is one of the original heavy-duty vibrators specified for unloading the most difficult products from railcars.
The CAR ROCKER Turbine Hopper Car Pocket Vibrator is a unique urethane-encapsulated turbine vibrator that produces more power with less noise than any other high-frequency / high-force pneumatic turbine vibrator on the market. This lug mount vibrator assembly is on a quick change male wedge bracket.
The BRUTE Hopper Car Vibrator Series is an air operated, low frequency, high force series of Railcar Vibrators which offers two models of wedge mount Pocket Vibrators (the CC and CCV4), and a Whole Car Vibrator (CCV6) which clamp-mounts onto the railcar’s side sill.
The ROLL-A-VIBE Hopper Car Vibrator Lift Cart is an economical portable lift cart that provides a lightweight, highly maneuverable method for a single worker to transport and place any make / model of railcar vibrator into a hopper car dovetail female wedge bracket.
These Hopper Car Vibrator Universal Dovetail Wedge Brackets are meant for fast and easy mounting of railcar vibrators into the individual two or three compartments of hopper bottom railcars. Our weld-on female wedge brackets are used on hopper car compartments with broken or missing vibrator brackets and when these powerful and portable vibrators are used to prompt material flow in large storage bins.