Burn debris on-site. Cleanly.
Rent a Merris WX-5 or WX-8 air curtain burner anywhere in the United States. Process land-clearing, storm, and forestry debris on the jobsite — 90%+ less smoke, 95% volume reduction, fully EPA-permittable.
A blade of air. Trapped heat. Less smoke.
A diesel-powered blower forces a high-velocity sheet of air across the top of an insulated firebox. That curtain traps heat and unburned particulates inside the box, where temperatures climb past 2,000°F — burning the smoke before it can escape.
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01
Load the firebox
Wood debris, brush, stumps, or storm waste loaded by excavator or grapple. Capacity scales with model: 3-6 tons/hr (WX-5) to 6-9 tons/hr (WX-8).
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02
Ignite & engage blower
Diesel-driven fan forces a horizontal sheet of air across the open top. The curtain pins smoke and embers down inside the firebox.
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03
Re-burn at 2,000°F+
Trapped particulates oxidize in the heat. What escapes is mostly water vapor and CO₂, not the dense black smoke of an open burn.
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04
Reduce to 5% volume
Continuous-feed operation reduces a debris pile to a small bed of clean ash. No hauling. No tipping fees. No landfill.
Two sizes. Both Merris.
We rent the Merris WX-5 and WX-8 air curtain burners. The WX-5 fits tighter residential and small-commercial sites; the WX-8 is built for production land-clearing, forestry, and major storm response.
Merris WX-5
The right unit when access is tight, debris volume is moderate, or the project runs under a few hundred yards.
- Throughput3-6 ton / hr
- Burning area13'-4" × 5'-6" × 6'-0"
- External size22'-7" × 7'-3" × 7'-3"
- Weight18,000 lbs
- Engine24 HP Yanmar / Kohler
- Best forSites < 5 acres
- TransportCable hoist truck
Merris WX-8
Production land-clearing, forestry slash, and major storm response. Continuous feed, biggest firebox we rent.
- Throughput6-9 ton / hr
- Burning area21'-5" × 5'-6" × 6'-0"
- External size30'-4" × 7'-3" × 7'-3"
- Weight24,000 lbs
- Engine47.9 HP Yanmar / Kohler
- Best forSites 5–500+ acres
- TransportCable hoist truck
Eight jobsites where the math works.
Air curtain burners shine wherever clean wood waste piles up faster than chip-and-haul economics can keep up. These are the calls we get most.
Land clearing
Lot prep for residential, commercial, and solar developments. Stumps, brush, and oversized debris go in the box instead of on a truck.
Storm response
Hurricane, tornado, and ice-storm cleanup. FEMA-eligible operation when paired with documentation. Often the only legal disposal option.
Forestry & logging
Slash piles, cull logs, and post-harvest residue. Eliminates pile-burn smoke complaints and clears the floor faster.
Right-of-way clearing
Pipeline, transmission, road, and rail corridor work. Process debris in-place rather than convoying out to a chipper site.
Wildfire fuel reduction
Defensible-space and prescribed-fire prep. Reduce dead-and-down fuel loads cleanly without smoke-permit conflicts.
Agriculture & orchards
Orchard pull-outs, vineyard removal, and farm debris. Cleaner alternative to traditional ag burns where allowed.
Municipal yard waste
Volume-reduction backstop for compost yards and transfer stations during peak season or storm-debris surges.
Demolition (clean wood)
Wood-frame demolition where lumber is unsalvageable. Pairs well with a concrete crusher on the same site.
Permits
before delivery.
Air curtain burners are regulated. We help you get clear before the unit ships.
Most states require an EPA-recognized air curtain burner permit plus a county-level burn authorization. Lead time runs 2–6 weeks depending on jurisdiction. We've shipped through every Southeast state and most of the Mountain West — we'll point you at the exact agency, form, and turnaround for your county before you commit.
Common gotchas: opacity limits, setbacks from property lines and structures, burn-ban watch in drought conditions, and FEMA documentation if you're operating on federally-reimbursable storm cleanup. None of these block a project — they just need lead time.
Ask About PermitsAir burners on rent. Nationwide.
Headquartered in Smyrna, GA. Active service across the Southeast today; expanding to additional regions through 2026. Don't see your state? Call — long-haul delivery is on the table.
Currently active
Five Southeast states with same-week dispatch. Air burner pricing is consistent across active states; long-haul fees apply to expansion regions.
What contractors ask first.
No: treated wood, pressure-treated lumber, painted material, plastics, tires, household waste, metal, asbestos. Specifics vary by jurisdiction; your state's accepted-materials list is included with every quote.
From the GCS blog.
Operator notes, permit walk-throughs, and the math on when air curtain burners beat chip-and-haul.
Grinder vs Air Burner: The Real Cost of Processing Wood Waste
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Land Clearing Cost Per Acre: What Contractors Pay in the Southeast
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Construction Site Prep Equipment: What You Need to Clear, Crush, and Screen
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Get air burner pricing.
Tell us about your project — acreage, debris type, target start date — and we'll match you with WX-5 or WX-8, walk through permits, and quote inside one business day.
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm EST · Since 1973 · Sales@grindercrusherscreen.com