Larger Virtus Equipment Granulators have a time saving system for opening the hopper with hydraulics. Cleaning the rotor for product changes requires an open cutting chamber and routine maintenance/inspections also require the removal of the hopper. Maintenance and cleaning are easy with the Virtus hydraulically actuated hopper. The hopper can be lifted together with the hinged upper housing to enable complete access to the rotor. This saves time cranking on the traditional hopper tilter or using a fork lift to completely remove the hopper.