Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West

[roboted]

Bonne chance "J" 👍

[topchippyles]

Second that good luck jonathan 

[Mark Bolam]

Glad you’ve made a start J, hope it goes really well for you, work and life!

 

I was in Devon for New Year (north coast, just east of Ilfracombe).

Stunning part of the world, but I feel your pain about the roads!

It was really quiet out of season, but bollocks to even negotiating an arb set up down there, let alone forestry kit!

 

Keep us updated mate!

[Spruce Pirate]

On 22/09/2022 at 08:18, Big J said:

The locals think I'm mad for still swimming, but I'm in the lake every day. 

 

 

The locals aren't the only ones! 😂

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Big J said:

First day out with our forwarder today. 

 

 

We've started on a fairly complicated and difficult little site for a relative of a neighbour. Just testing the machine out really and it's doing well. Traction is very good, drive system nice, crane a bit sensitive and cabin lovely. It's a Novotny LVS 511.

 

 

How was the wood cut Jonathon?  Small harvester or hand cut?

[Mark Bolam]

Cut out of the window of his forwarder.

Low stumps.

Have you seen his arms?

[Big J]

13 hours ago, Mark Bolam said:

Glad you’ve made a start J, hope it goes really well for you, work and life!

 

I was in Devon for New Year (north coast, just east of Ilfracombe).

Stunning part of the world, but I feel your pain about the roads!

It was really quiet out of season, but bollocks to even negotiating an arb set up down there, let alone forestry kit!

 

Keep us updated mate!

 

We did a bit of work in North Devon - Minehead and near Barnstaple. The access was a huge issue. The job at Minehead required a 1 mile uphill extraction through a 2.2m wide bridleway to the nearest point you could get a lorry to. And then, no haulier wants to take the timber away as it's in the middle of nowhere. You can get 60t lorries everywhere here. It's nice to not have to think about that anymore.

 

12 hours ago, Spruce Pirate said:

 

The locals aren't the only ones! 😂

 

 

 

 

How was the wood cut Jonathon?  Small harvester or hand cut?

 

On this site, handcut. It's a royal PITA. But 95% of our work will be following harvesters. There are loads of Rottne H8s around here (the factory is less than an hour away). It's a good matchup with our size of forwarder.

 

 

[dumper]

 Can we see some video?

[Big J]

36 minutes ago, dumper said:

 Can we see some video?

 

I will get some next week. It might be better to wait until we're on the next site, which is more of a commercial forestry block (as opposed to someone's back garden).

[Spruce Pirate]

23 hours ago, Mark Bolam said:

Cut out of the window of his forwarder.

Low stumps.

Have you seen his arms?

 

I've seen Big J trying to squeeze himself into a van and through a doorway - I can easily believe he has to put his arms out the windows to fit in the wee Novotnay.😂

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Big J said:

On this site, handcut. It's a royal PITA. But 95% of our work will be following harvesters. There are loads of Rottne H8s around here (the factory is less than an hour away). It's a good matchup with our size of forwarder.

 

Hand stacking not too good in Sweden then?  H8 looks a good wee machine in flat ground that's reasonably firm - don't see any around here.

[Big J]

7 hours ago, Spruce Pirate said:

Hand stacking not too good in Sweden then?  H8 looks a good wee machine in flat ground that's reasonably firm - don't see any around here.

 

Yeah, I've asked the landowner to have a word with the cutter about the stacking. Very little professional hand cutting here. 

 

The H8 actually excels on very steep ground. There is individually controllable wheel articulation, with about 1 metre of vertical travel on each wheel. It allows it to stay level on steep slopes, as well as negotiating serious side slopes. 

 

I agree that it's not the best for soft ground, but it only weighs about 7-8t so it does quite well.