Hand Cutter to Harvester, Bridging the Gap?

[LGP Eddie]

I work with some fantastic Cutters and they are an essential link in the chain on projects, being just so flexible plus able to turn out decent production.

We've been looking at so many options to try and speed things up a little, whilst reducing the need for so much manual input.

The need is really just to produce a tidy enough product suitable for Firewood/Chip and consistent in length to for transport.

We don't really cut for anything else and much is scrub clearance anyway.

 

Obviously a Harvesting Head mounted on my 8 tonne Excavator would be the way forward, but this all falls down in actual capacity versus cost terms?

The investment into an almost purpose made machine to carry the Harvesting Head that best suits my applications would be massive, so we decided to just get hold of a Stroke De-limber and see how it fitted in with what we've got?

 

Having just completed a block of Larch through it, the jury is totally out?

We had it setup on a lovely N163 Valtra we had on hire at the time, and the machine has performed almost faultlessly.

It will take up to 16" and really does have some power, being able to easily pull trees through that has the Kubota on it's knees just dragging them.

The operator really did get the hang of it toward the end of the project and we put close to 200 tonne through it, to get a good test.

 

It's really hard to weigh up at present, and I'm certain that having the Excavator involved is not the way forward? I think one operator with a Roofmount Crane would be most cost effective?

 

It just brings me back to the original question, there's really not much on offer in the middle ground between a Hand Cutter and Harvesting Head that can offer a decent capacity for reasonable cost?

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5nCA5Xztx0]VIDEO0048.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

 

Eddie.

[rowan lee]

Never really thought about it, but you are right, not much inbetween, especially if you dont want to dedicate an entire machine to the application.

 

This little video doesn't answer your question but is a slightly different type of de-limber in that it can pick up sticks as well. But needs a dedicated machine as you can see. There was an article about this particular jcb (could have been an 814) in an edition of excavator magazine some years ago.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L32jZ9loJvQ]JCB excavator with stroke processing boom - YouTube[/ame]

[roseyweb]

Do you skid the logs to the machine at a stacking area or work your way through the woods?

[shavey]

I work with some fantastic Cutters and they are an essential link in the chain on projects, being just so flexible plus able to turn out decent production.

We've been looking at so many options to try and speed things up a little, whilst reducing the need for so much manual input.

The need is really just to produce a tidy enough product suitable for Firewood/Chip and consistent in length to for transport.

We don't really cut for anything else and much is scrub clearance anyway.

 

Obviously a Harvesting Head mounted on my 8 tonne Excavator would be the way forward, but this all falls down in actual capacity versus cost terms?

The investment into an almost purpose made machine to carry the Harvesting Head that best suits my applications would be massive, so we decided to just get hold of a Stroke De-limber and see how it fitted in with what we've got?

 

Having just completed a block of Larch through it, the jury is totally out?

We had it setup on a lovely N163 Valtra we had on hire at the time, and the machine has performed almost faultlessly.

It will take up to 16" and really does have some power, being able to easily pull trees through that has the Kubota on it's knees just dragging them.

The operator really did get the hang of it toward the end of the project and we put close to 200 tonne through it, to get a good test.

 

It's really hard to weigh up at present, and I'm certain that having the Excavator involved is not the way forward? I think one operator with a Roofmount Crane would be most cost effective?

 

It just brings me back to the original question, there's really not much on offer in the middle ground between a Hand Cutter and Harvesting Head that can offer a decent capacity for reasonable cost?

 

 

Eddie.

 

hello it kooks a nice peice of kit, it could be handy for cutting up trees after being piled up after winching up the steep slopes what is the ball park cost approx for this machine cheers shavey

[Stephen Blair]

Mount it on the front of the tracked dumper and extend the back bed, job done mate.

[AlexB]

I'm not sure who make it but there is an option with the nueson gmbh machines for a shear head but with measuring wheels. So better for dirty sites and scrub. On a 2nd 8t machine could be a pretty hand bit of kit.

[difflock]

Why was the excavator not fetching the next stick (or sticks, capacity dependant) while the delimber was processing.

Instead of waiting unproductively to lift the cut lengths away.

Then keeping the delimber waiting while he trundled off for the next stick.

cheers

m

[LGP Eddie]

Thanks for the replies and I'll try and work through them.

 

That Stroke Boom looked a powerful old tool and I'd assume the idea revisited on a suitable carrier base could be pretty productive with a single operator tucked away safe in the cab.

 

Regarding Skidding or working our way through the wood, we simply felled a decent amount to get stack ready and then had a cutter working ahead whilst the Excavator fetched them over.

It was all learning and really leads me into the next reply for Shavey which I think he's pretty much spot on this setup would work great where trees have been winched up to trackside.

 

My own thoughts is it best suits a Roofmount Tractor, where someone working their own wood who's done some winching to trackside, can spend a nice easy time processing then simply collect the product after with a trailer.

We are hoping to go with a Roofmount shortly, so it's all just learning at present and a case of use what you've got.

 

The Dumper option has had much discussion too Stephen, but the one we keep coming back to is actually put it onto the 8 tonner blade and take it with you?

It could be done to work through my existing joysticks etc, but would cost a bit to get setup (nowhere near a Harvesting Head obviously) but not something I'd consider until it had been on a Roofmount to see how it goes.

 

I've never come across a Shear Head with measuring wheels? I'd like to know more on that if you could find any links it would be much appreciated.

 

You're right to ask why I was sitting there with the grab over the tree doing little else and there is an answer! To be honest the odd tree had a decent amount of brash Tractor side,and by placing the grab there it just pre de-limbed it rather than having it drag all up a shiny hired Valtra!

A bit sad I know, but remember this was just experimenting, and we obviously worked out with a Roofmount you could do this anyway if you liked without cutting production.

The grab there also reduces the see/saw effect and makes it much more comfortable for the operator.

I didn't do it every tree honest!

 

I forgot to add that our initial thoughts were to equip the 8 tonner with a grapple saw, so it can do some of the felling and some basic processing of anything nasty too.

The grapple saw should come in very useful on Scrub Clearance work, and running it under a Tiltrotator it should be very versatile.

 

As you've probably gathered we've certainly been throwing plenty of ideas about how best to move up a little from simply Hand Cutting when at this point a Harvester setup would be out of reach for us. The simple fact there's little in this middle ground and I see there's more and more work here? Not everyone wants a Harvester and Forwarder on their site and some jobs just need that bit extra above solely Hand Cutting.

 

There's another video just to get a better view of the processor, this was the last tree and was a outside one that has already been snedded out by hand.

Playing for the camera here so go easy please! But just gives some idea.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY-MzBecdUQ]VIDEO0054.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Eddie.

[Chris Sheppard]

That Stroke Boom looked a powerful old tool and I'd assume the idea revisited on a suitable carrier base could be pretty productive with a single operator tucked away safe in the cab.

 

I'm not 100% certain it's the same machine but I know of a guy local to us that built what sounded to be a very similar machine and he reckoned he made more money with that that he did with a harvester - not that it was massively fast, more that it was so simple and reliable.

 

The Dumper option has had much discussion too Stephen, but the one we keep coming back to is actually put it onto the 8 tonner blade and take it with you?

 

I like the idea of hanging it off the blade - was goign to suggest some way of dragging it round with the 360 but couldn't think how. Reckon the dumper crane wouldn't have hd enough rive for dragging whole trees with feathers on anyway.

 

I've never come across a Shear Head with measuring wheels? I'd like to know more on that if you could find any links it would be much appreciated.

 

Naarva (sp) do, or used to do, a shear head with either stroke delimbing or stroke delimbing with cable operated rollers - no measuring other than stroke counting but able to be dangled off a crane well enough and would fell too. I know Riko used to bring a few in so might be worth speaking to Jim E on here.

[difflock]

Front mount stroke processor, roof mount crane and forestry winch on the back?

Winch em in, swing em round, cut them up?

or front mount it to free up the back end for timber trailer, with roof mount crane.