Equipment seminars, model updates and new machines were showcased for a worldwide audience of dealers at the Bandit Industries 2011 Dealer Meeting, held August 23-26 at the company’s headquarters in Remus, Mich. Bandit hosted 155 attendees from 19 countries, making it the largest dealer meeting in the company’s 28-year history.
The company announced new loader options for hand-fed chippers, new engine and feed system options for the company’s popular Model 1590XP, and new equipment previews that included a screen chipper with a top-load discharge chute, a compact stump grinder, additions to the Model 490-series drop-feed chipper, and a small disc chipper called the Model 75.
Attendees also received an exclusive look at the latest compact forestry mower called the Model 3000, and at Bandit’s all-new, patent-pending hybrid technology, which is designed to capture and store energy from machines that are running but not processing material. That energy can then be returned to the cutting head to supplement engine power, boosting overall processing power. A prototype Model 65 hand-fed chipper with a gasoline engine was shown to dealers, and with the hybrid system installed the processing power of the chipper was nearly doubled. Though still in the development phase, this new chipper/grinder technology is expected to be available in the near future.
“Fuel efficiency is a very important issue for us, and it’s something we really focused on during this event,” said Kim Hasenbank, Bandit Industries marketing manager. “We’re aware that our customers are struggling with high fuel prices, and we’re working hard to stay ahead of the curve on building efficient, long-lasting machines. We’re pushing technology in this industry further than ever with our new hybrid designs, but we also wanted to show dealers how our existing machines already achieve industry-leading levels of efficiency.”
The company provided hands-on seminars at its outdoor demonstration site and attendees were given a tour of Bandit’s manufacturing facilities.
