52 minute read
My Take
JESSICA JOHNSON
It’s Their Hearts: The People Of Seaway Timber Harvesting
Each time the committee behind the Timber Harvesting Logging Business Of The Year award meets to discuss nominees the conversation defaults to their business acumen. And for this year’s winner, their business acumen is one of the brightest and strongest we’ve seen in many years. Their diversification streams rival those of South Carolina’s Williams family and their takecharge attitude echoes Oregon’s Millers and Idaho’s Ikolas. The Curran family joins a long list of logging families throughout the country who’ve won this award while remaining humble and remembering where they came from— and who helped them get there.
While all three brothers, Pat, Lee and Tim, are involved in daily operations, all agree Tim is the driving force in the woods. Pat comments, “The award that has been given is because of Tim’s push in the woods. That’s what this is about.” Tim checks on all the crews each day, does the most machine operating on a daily basis and is the one who interfaces with the numerous woods crews the most. Each brother excels at a different aspect, they agree that without the extremely dedicated team at Seaway, nothing would ever roll.
Furthermore, the brothers agree that without the efforts of Seaway Timber office staff Judy Converse and MaryLou Babcock literally nothing would ever roll. Pat admits the four women in the two company offices do enough work to keep 10 men busy. “When I watch some of them do things that would take me all day to do in 10 minutes, I am like ‘wow’,” he laughs.
For Tim, the employees are dedicated because that’s who they are: “It’s your heart. It’s your pride. You’re going to finish it whatever it takes. You’re going to get the job done.” The culture of Seaway is one of hard work: Everyone puts their hands in and gets the job done and the bosses are no exception. Tim adds, “Every one of our employees knows if
The shop crew, from left, Bobby Richards, Ben McKane, Parker Aldous, Zach Rolland, Rodney Aldous, Jacob Rakitis and Bradley LaRock Gary Prashaw, left, with Dylan Aldous ➤ 37
Paul Coffey Keith Fenner
Woods crew, from left, Tom Foster, John Hubbard, Chad Griffin, Andy Green, Dusty Green, Matt Foster and Romeo Thibault Woods crew, from left, Mark Curran, Trever Jeror, Dave Guyette, Reggie Francis, Seth Gabri, Kevin Johnston and Richard Woods
Thinning Work Lowers Fire Impact
Racing through tinder-dry pine forests and scrub land northeast of Klamath Falls in south central Oregon, the Bootleg fire is one of the nation’s largest at more than 350,000 acres and was about 80% contained as this issue went to press in August. Early evidence is showing that managed and thinned forests around the Sycan Marsh Reserve led the fire to drop out of the canopy and move to the ground as it burned from untreated areas and encountered thinned forest areas.
The 30,000 acre reserve was acquired by The Nature Conservancy in the 1980s and over the years the organization has worked with the local Klamath native American tribe to thin areas around the marsh and introduce prescribed burns to mimic pre-settlement conditions. According to news reports, The Nature Conservancy officials say it’s still early and more research will need to be done, but reports are the fire moved “gently” along the ground and didn’t harm a research station in the reserve.
Similar effects have been noted in other fires, notably the Wallow Fire in Arizona in 2011 and last year’s North Complex Fire near Quincy, Calif. In both cases communities had thinned and treated areas surrounding small towns—and those areas weren’t as damaged when fires swept through their respective regions.
Thinning work in southern Oregon
Huber Plans Sixth OSB Mill
Huber Engineered Woods LLC (HEW), a subsidiary of J.M. Huber Corp., announced it will build a new oriented strandboard (OSB) facility in Cohasset, Minn. The plant will increase the company’s production of its ZIP System and AdvanTech structural panels.
The manufacturing facility is projected to provide more than 150 direct new jobs to Itasca County and surrounding areas, while contributing growth opportunities in adjacent local industries including timber and trucking.
Contingent upon site acquisition, approval of certain legislative initiatives and financial assistance from additional state entities, the Cohasset location will be HEW’s sixth mill in the U.S. and its first presence in Minnesota. The mill will expand HEW’s current production footprint of five mills located in Georgia, Maine, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Virginia.
The facility will be located on more than 400 acres. The mill will significantly increase HEW’s ability to service the Western and Midwestern housing markets.
Huber Engineered Woods is building an OSB mill in Cohasset, Minn.
Minnesota Counties Offer Logger Relief Programs
Minnesota counties have provided more than $1 million in various forms of assistance to logging companies in the northern areas of the state, according to a recent report in theACLT Updatefrom Associated Contractors Loggers & Truckers of Minnesota. Northern Minnesota counties manage more than 20% of the state’s timberlands, and are big stakeholders in helping maintain the region’s healthy forestmanagement and a vibrant forest products economy.
Recognizing the importance loggers play in their respectiveeconomies, county officials have developed a variety of grants and related“logger friendly” policies concerningcounty timber sale and forest management policies to reduce the economic impact of the COVID pandemic. Using funds from the federal CARES Act that passed in 2020 and included $150 billion to state and local governments, several northern Minnesota counties decided to use some of their funding to support the timber industry. Some of the actions reported include: ● St. Louis County provided grants to reimburseforfeited downpayments on timber permits turned back to the county. This provided more than $130,000 to 10companies on 18 permits. The county also set aside $750,000 on ROW contracts specifically for logging companies. ● Itasca County modified conditions of some timber permits, offered free one-year extensions onpermits that expired before June 30, 2020 and also developed aBusiness Relief Grant program that awarded 25 grants totaling $309,000 to county loggers in amounts ranging from $3,000-$37,000. ● Koochiching County allowedowners of select timber permits to either get a refund on a turn back or a two year free extension. ● Lake County allowedloggers withfewer than 50 employees to turn backtimber permits under certainconditions, and also allowed free one-year extensions.
FRA Recognizes Gray As Outstanding Logger
Forest Resources Assn. and STIHL Inc. honored Gray Logging, LLC from Madison, Fla., as the National Outstanding Logger at FRA’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting on May 19. A large group of family, friends and colleagues attended the virtual meeting to watch former FRA Chairman Lee Alexander of International Paper honor Jerry Gray during the Zoom session. Gray received an honorary wooden plaque and a $1,000 check from
STIHL. Gray Logging was one of five regional finalists for the prestigious national award. Jerry praised his father, W.C. Gray, who started the business in 1971, and his wife, Ginger, who is active in the business’s day-to-day operations. “I’ve always said that I have the best employees in the Southeastern U.S., and now I can say that I have the best employees in the nation,” Jerry says. “It is a great honor, and I’m so proud and humbled.” Jerry is a 40-year veteran of the timber industry, a Florida Master Logger, and a Certified Tree Farmer. He is the current Vice President of the Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. and a member of both the Florida Forestry Assn. and American Loggers Council. The entire Gray family is active in their local community by sponsoring a college scholarship fund, a week-long hunting and fishing trip for combat marines and their children (including a tour of local logging operations and consuming mills), and routinely sponsoring Fellowship of Christian Athletes and little league ball teams. Furthermore, Jerry was the driving force behind the creation of a CDL Driving School at a local community college, and he actively contributes to the Log a Load for Kids program. Gray Logging, LLC was Florida District Logger of The Yearin 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2010, Florida Logger of the Yearin 2010 and FRA Southeastern Region Outstanding Loggerin 2010 and 2020.
Oregon’s Roseburg Looks To Carolina
Roseburg Forest Products continues to expand operations in the Southeast U.S. with the recent announcement it will build a 400MMBF annual production capacity, 375,000 sq. ft. facility on 200 acres in Weldon, NC in Halifax County.
The sawmill operation, which will be called Roanoke Valley Lumber, is expected to begin site work in early 2022 with startup expected in the fourth quarter 2022.
Roseburg is already the largest private timberland owner in the Roanoke Valley area, following its 2017 purchase of 158,000 acres of timberland in North Carolina and Virginia. Once completed, the mill will also make Roseburg a significant employer in the area, with 137 new jobs anticipated over the first two years.
Roseburg currently has 14 manufacturing facilities in North America, including the country’s second largest short lumber stud mill in Dillard, Ore. The company carefully selected the site for this new mill, with criteria including market demand, business climate, and workforce readiness at the top of the list. The selected site’s proximity to the company’s Roanoke Rapids timber management office was a factor as well.
Sierra Pacific Buys Oregon’s Seneca
Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) is acquiring Oregon-based Seneca and affiliates, combining two family-owned
WA DNR Projects Extra Log Revenue
The recent quarterly revenue forecast report from the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) projects an extra $4 million in revenue for the 2021-23 biennium, bringing the total to $364 million. For fis- Washington state timber harvest revenues projected to increase. cal year 2021, the revenue had decreased slightly, down $100,000 to $165 million. Log prices for DNR timber sales followed the pandemic narrative: initial uncertainty and a low of $498/MBF in April 2020 before demandfor lumber (and timber sales) took off last summer.
The DNR saw pricespeaking at $718/MBF in April 2021. Prices have backed off some since, but are expected to remain higher than normal through 2022, the report states.The report also stated the DNRplans to offer around 540MMBF for sale in fiscal year 2021.
According to state statute, 70% of state timber sale revenues are used to fund schools, public safety and infrastructure costs in the counties wheresales are harvested.
forest products businesses with strong historical roots on the West Coast.
Founded in 1953, Seneca operates a 175,000 acre sustainably managed tree farm, sawmills, and a biomass plant in Oregon. SPI is a leading lumber producer thatmanages more than 2.1 million acres of timberland in California and Washington.
“Aaron Jones (Seneca) and Red Emmerson (SPI) are both icons of the wood products industry.They were also friends and had a deep mutual respect for each other as industry leaders,” says Seneca CEO Todd Payne in reference to the founders of the respective companies. “This proposed transfer makes so much sense given the companies provide complementary products, and have shared family values and company culture.”
Both SPI and Seneca have a strong focus on sustainable tree management, also managing their timberland for thriving wildlife, healthy watersheds and soils, and world-class recreation.
The companies also share a company culture that recognizes employees as their most valuable asset, values the support of the communities they operate in and serve, and gives back by being dedicated to education and administering scholarship programs.
Seneca has been co-owned by Becky Jones, Kathy Jones-McCann and Jody Jones. In addition to sawmill operations, the company operates Seneca Sustainable Energy biomass plant.
Robbins Lbr. Purchases Limington Lumber
Two longtime Maine family-owned businesses have joined forces. Robbins Lumber, Inc., a fifth-generation operation based in Searsmont, announced the acquisition of Limington Lumber Co. of East Baldwin, a second-generation manufacturer of eastern white pine. Limington Lumber will operate as Robbins Lumber East Baldwin, LLC with management and operations staying under the guidance of Win Smith.
Established in 1961, Limington Lumber produces 17MMBF annually in dozens of patterns. The last two decades have seen an aggressive modernization program at the mill.
Robbins Lumber Inc. owns and manages 30,000 acres of its own forests and buys logs from more than 150 independent loggers. Milling operations are located on a 40 acre site in Searsmont.
ReGenerate Purchases Biomass Power Facility
ReGenerate Energy Holdings, LLC , a recently formed joint venture between Ember Infrastructure and ReEnergy Biomass Operations LLC, has completed the acquisition of Albany Green Energy, a biomass heat-and-power facility in Albany, Ga. from a subsidiary of Exelon Generation Co. LLC.
The Albany Green Energy facility, also known as “AGE,” uses woody biomass from mill residue, forestry waste, recycling and agricultural waste sourced within a 75-mile radius of the facility to provide 50 MW of electricity to Georgia Power, process steam to the nearby Procter & Gamble paper products facility, and process steam that is used to generate electricity for the nearby U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base. The facility’s 25 employees will join the ReEnergy team.
With the acquisition, ReGenerate owns 137 MW of operating biomass power generation across three facilities, including ReEnergy Stratton and ReEnergy Livermore Falls, both located in Maine. ReGenerate plans to continue the expansion of its platform across North America to deliver sustainable bioenergy products to utilities, corporations and other partners.
Ember and ReEnergy formed ReGenerate in April 2021. ReEnergy, founded in 2008, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ReEnergy Holdings LLC, which, in addition to the Maine facilities, owns ReEnergy Black River, a 60 MW biomass power facility located on the U.S. Army’s Fort Drum installation near Watertown, NY, and ReSource Waste Services LLC, which operates five facilities in New England that recycle construction and demolition waste materials.
Ember, founded in 2018, is a New York-based private equity firm delivering capital solutions to businesses and assets seeking to reduce carbon intensity and enhance resource efficiency.
The Albany operation started up in 2017.
Forest Services Names Moore As 20th Chief
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Randy Moore will serve as the 20th Chief of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest
Service. Moore will serve as the first African American to hold the role of Chief of the Forest Service.
Current Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen is retiring.
Moore has been serving as Regional Forester in the Pacific Southwest Region in California since 2007 where he has responsibility for 18 national forests, covering one-fifth of the state on 20 million acres . Additionally, he oversees State and Private Forestry programs in Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.
Previously Moore served as the Regional Forester for the Eastern Region headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis.
Moore started his career in conservation in 1978 with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Dakota. His Forest Service career began on the Pike and San Isabel national forests in Colorado and the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas. He served as Deputy Forest Supervisor on the national forests of North Carolina and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri before serving as Forest Supervisor of the Mark Twain National Forest. Moore also has national-level experience in Washington, DC, serving as acting Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System and the National Deputy Soils Program Manager.
Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.
CLA’s Smith Leaves For US Endowment Position
The Carolina Loggers Assn. (CLA) recently announced that Ewell Smith, Executive Director, is leaving to assume a full-time position working with the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities.
According to a statement from the CLA board chairman Chip Capps, “We will lean on the NC Forestry Association,our brothers in theSC and VA Associations, and the ALC to continue the progress we all have made politically the last years.”
The CLA has current staff in place, Jonzi Guill, Communications Director and Joanne Reese, Finance & Accounting, to continue the projects in place for 2021 and 2022. “With the speed we are seeing changes in our industry now this continuity and forward movement is critical,” Capps added, noting that Smith in his new opposition will continue to support the logging industry though programs such as the recently unveiled timberhauling.com.
“Our industry must constantly look for new ways of creatingefficiencies and cost-savings for our businesses, and this idea has unlimited potential there,” Capps said.
COMING IN TH:
— ALC Coverage — Steep & Wet Logging — Supplier Directory — New Tech 2022
Minimizing Soil Damage On Skid Trails, Crossings
Niels de Hoop
Back before Best Management Practices (BMPs) were published, loggers used to ask me, “Is it better to use one skid trail and do a lot of damage in one place or should we run all over the place, making more skid trails, but none of them quite as bad?”
I wasn’t sure of the answer at the time, but we decided that it was a little better to stick to the one place that was already damaged.
It turns out that sticking to one skid trail is the better option.
Pore space is important in soils — it brings water and oxygen to the roots (yes, roots need oxygen). Rutting compresses pore space, so the fewer ruts, the better. Studies have shown that roughly 60% of the soil compression happens with the fi rst pass of the skidder. Eighty percent of the compression happens with the second pass, and 90% of the compression happens with the third pass. In other words, running over the same spot 10 more times won’t make the soil any worse than it already is.
Effectively, all the soil damage has already happened after the third pass. Thus, it is better to use one skid trail and try to confi ne damage to one place. Also, a small damaged area is easier to repair, such as by fi lling in ruts or coming aback later with a ripping plow to try to restore soil porosity. (To make things more complicated, one longleaf pine stand study had better tree growth after a skidder simply ran around between the trees. They think it helped the sandy soil stick together better.)
Crossing streams is another headache in logging. In many situations, it is best to go as far upstream as possible
to cross, especially with small, poorly-defi ned ephemeral streambeds that have water in them only after a rain. In other situations, it may be better to make a single downstream crossing instead of multiple upstream crossings.
The main environmental concern with stream crossings is to protect water quality downstream. Damaging stream banks and bottoms muddies the water. That mud fl oats downstream, fi lling in fi shing holes and covering riffl es and rocks. This affects the ability of fi sh to fi nd food and lay eggs.
An effective way to cross small streams (especially ephemeral streams or drains) is to lay logging slash, treetops and trash trees in them before crossing. This protects the ground underneath while allowing the water to pour through. Ideally, this slash should be removed upon completion of the logging job, but in many cases it does more damage to remove the slash, making leaving the slash in place the better option. This is often the case where the crossing is a broad crossing near the top of a drain.
If the slash impedes water fl ow, or if it may wash downstream and cause a problem, it should be removed.
Like so many other things, moderation is key. For example, a little slash in a stream can be a good thing. It provides hiding places for minnows and other aquatic life. Biologists call this “Large Woody Debris.” On the other hand, too much rotting slash in the water depletes oxygen from the water, making it diffi cult for aquatic life to live or breed.
If the stream crossing is small and has solid banks, consider using temporary bridges (steel or wood) that can be emplaced with a grapple skidder. Where usable, these bridges save time (which saves money) and do almost no damage at all to the streambed or stream sides.
In order to protect water quality, we leave Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) around streams, wherein we avoid clear cutting and minimize entry. This does two main things for water quality—preventing siltation of the water and shading the water. Keeping stream water cool is important for fi sh and the aquatic life upon which they feed.
The forestry BMP manual provides many more details on these topics. The Louisiana Forestry Assn., Offi ce of Forestry and Cooperative Extension Service usually have copies available (see www.laforestry.com).
The manual also covers culvert sizing, water bars, mandatory BMPs in wetlands, federally protected Scenic Rivers (Louisiana has 52) and much more. Every logger, forester and forest landowner should be familiar with its contents. TH
C.F. “Niels” de Hoop is an Associate Professor at the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, LSU AgCenter.
MLA Boosts Program, New Deere Simulator
Event showcases new technology.
PatrickDunning
JACKSON, Miss.
Loggers and forestry groups across the state made a strong showing at the inaugural Mississippi Ag & Outdoor Expo August 6-8 at the Mississippi TradeMart in Jackson. Hosted by the Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks Foundation, the 110,000 sq. ft. event featured more than 100 exhibitors in the agriculture, wildlife and forestry industry. From Red Stag hunting guides, Gulf Coast fishing charters, farming equipment to turkey calls and everything in between, the state’s outdoor expo catered to avid outdoorsmen with more than 7,000 people attending throughout the weekend.
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson says the expo was successful in connecting the public with wildlife and outdoor industries, and that the Mississippi TradeMart building, completed in Spring 2021, is a reflection of the state’s beauty.
“It was a great turnout. We were pleased to host inside the Mississippi TradeMart,” Gipson says. “Every piece of lumber in the TradeMart, the wood walls and exposed wood, was raised and harvested in the state of Mississippi. We did that to promote our forestry industry. That way people who come to the TradeMart get to see the beauty of Mississippi wood products.”
Among the crowd was the Mississippi Loggers Assn. (MLA) touting John Deere’s recent development, a rubber tire feller-
buncher simulator. The prototype simulates an actual cab and is currently the only one of its kind. The John Deere Forest Factory in Finland began developing this simulator three years ago with plans to utilize it in the classroom and increase the number of skilled equipment operators in the woods. U.S. Southeast forestry sales consultant, Berry Johnson, and Justin McDermott, John Deere forestry sales and tactical marketing manager, U.S. and Canada, worked with David Livingston, executive director, Mississippi Loggers Assn., and Scott Swanson, president, Stribling Equipment, to get this technology to the classroom and bolster the logging workforce. “We were hearing from folks across the country, a lot of concern about the shortage of skilled labor and how are we going to help Ag & Outdoor Expo draws 7,000-plus crowd to the Mississippi TradeMart. create the next generation of operators in the field. Kept getting asked if we had training aids or simulators and at the time we didn’t on the full tree side. We’ve had cut- to-length simulators for years for European markets,” McDermott says. “We told our engineering group there’s a need in the industry and it’s a growing need to find new operators. Can we take the technology we have to date, adapt it and make it available to the market? And that’s what we did. We adopted it for full tree.” To further boost the mission of developing new woods machinery operators, the Mississippi Loggers Assn. and Mississippi Forestry Commission are partnering with Hinds Community College to offer a Logging Equipment Operator Academy, which will feature four John Deere rubber tire simulators: two wheeled feller-bunchers, two track feller-bunchers and several desktop models with joysticks. “We appreciate all the help from Stribling, John Deere and Hinds allowing us to have input on what the industry needs. We worked closely with Hinds on developing the From left: Wayne Withers, new operator program instructor; David Livingston, executive director, MLA; program and Wayne has done an Berry Johnson, U.S. Southeast forestry sales consultant, John Deere; Brandon Martin, Southern Mis- outstanding job pulling resources sissippi sales manager, Stribling Equipment. together,” Livingston says. TH
Loggers First; Loggers Always
JESSICAJohnson
MASSENA, NY
Sometimes being in business means finding problems to solve. Other times it means solving problems that are already there. Over 30 years ago when the Curran brothers, Pat, Lee and Tim, started their logging business—aptly named Curran Logging—they thought they knew what to expect. Hard workers from basically birth, this bunch from upstate New York has never met a challenge they won’t push through. Remembering an incident from just this past winter, when a machine got stuck and froze into the earth, Pat and Tim were trying to get it out. Tim remembers Pat asking if he thought they were going to get it out. Without hesitation Tim said yes, he recalls, because there’s literally nothing the pair hasn’t been able to do when they work at it.
“Our father taught us to never quit,” Tim says. “Both our parents, really, taught us to never quit.” That never quit attitude has served them well and is evident in their business. Curran Logging, which started it all, has since morphed from just the family to more than 85 employees running under the Seaway Timber Harvesting banner, which includes Curran Logging’s four logging and chipping crews, a fulltime full-service shop, sand and gravel pits, a parts business that services the public and in-house needs, and a fully automated pellet plant.
The pellet plant wasn’t part of the plan 30 years ago, but now it is an integral part of the operation. How does a logging company get into plant operation though? Easy—the brothers saw a problem and they fixed it. Pat explains, “We would have never done this if we had a solid paper industry in our area. That’s how we built the forestry side is supporting the paper industry. As of today, we’re not delivering a single load to the paper industry.”
At one point Curran’s logging force was trucking over 120 loads per week to the Domtar paper mill just across the border in Quebec, running 34 to 38 trucks to get the 200 mile one-way haul handled. But that market shrunk 15 years ago and is almost nonexistent now. Thankfully, Curran Renewables is there producing 80,000 tons of wood pellets annually.
The brothers decided to build the plant to diversify their operation with the goal of being more independent. The push from the New England
The Curran brothers, from left, Tim, Pat and Lee
Shop Manager Rodney Aldous runs a tight ship—a necessary component to the Seaway Timber Harvesting business, with 35 trucks, 60 trailers, 22 skidders, six chippers and grinders, and five feller-butchers.
states to transition the home heating market definitely helped drive the decision, Pat says. The opportunity was in front of their collective faces, so 13 years ago the plant was built. “None of it would have ever happened without the finances to pull it off,” he adds of the monster $10 million investment to get the project off the ground, up and running. Looking back? The Currans admit they were a little forward thinking, but in the space of a heartbeat they say they would do it all over again—even after COVID-19 dealt them a blow to markets further.
Pat believes that without the pellet plant, and the other diversification streams, because of what happened with COVID, there’s a chance the company might not have made it. Once again showing the brothers’ collective ability to think outside of the box and be flexible, they changed their business and kept it afloat.
“We’ve had to do other things that
Tim likes to have his bunchers working at least a week ahead, so he has flexibility.
Skidders are often on long drags, so having more than two helps the wood flow.
Loaders concentrate on three main sorts for logs.
forced ourselves deeper into the aggregate business,” he admits. “But we will always remain in the timber business. Timber is going to be here until we leave the Earth, but as a company you have to do a lot of different things to survive, to keep your people working.” And keeping the people working has been a driving desire for the Currans. Tim adds that, especially with COVID, counting on the mills is hard. “We need the mills, but we can’t count on them,” he says.
Because of this, the family, and its businesses Curran Logging and Seaway Timber Harvesting, are the 2021 Timber Harvesting Logging Business of the Year, making them the first winner of this award from the state of New York.
The Woods
Aided in the woods by a staff of more than 85, including other brother Mark, the Seaway Timber Harvesting crew moves more than 25 loads of chips per day to Curran Renewable Energy, working on tracts of anywhere from 200 to 400 acres. Of that, tracts are mainly thinnings, sometimes purchased by a brokerage and contracted to be cut by Seaway, sometimes purchased by Seaway to be cut by Seaway. The crews, usually three but sometimes four, focus on three main separations for logs, plus at times veneer logs, plus pellet plant chips.
Of the crews, one focuses on clean up, grinding and chipping for biomass—basically a one-man show, while the other two use either three or four skidders. Crews meet in the woods and Tim tries to keep the guys working as close to where they live as he can. Sometimes it is 60 to 70 miles away, but that is unavoidable. To help cushion the blow for the employees, Seaway pays for their gas.
Most in-woods iron is John Deere, with some Caterpillar machines mixed in, because Tim feels it works better for them and the land they work. Having tried one other brand, it wasn’t a good fit, he says, “I didn’t like it, it just felt bulky to me.” Chippers and grinders are Morbark and Peterson. Trucks are Western Star; trailers are Manac.
Each day, Tim’s goal for the crew is to make sure the job is done right and everyone gets home at night. “We need production,” he says, “But you also have to make sense of that production. If you have production that everything is smashed and crashed, that isn’t very smart.”
A big part of doing the job right, in Tim’s mind, is taking care of the roads. He will often go out of his way to build a new, or clean up an existing, road: “If you don’t fix a road it is time on your trucks; trucks will break down, even the personal vehicles coming in and out, it will beat everything up.”
Because of Tim’s attention to the roads in the winter, the crews typically will lay out wood ready to be trucked during the wet conditions and spring breakup, so those that want to work still can.
Of course, at any time of the year keeping trucks on the road is a major challenge due to driver shortages. A unique perspective on the situation, Tim says the labor force shortage is partly the logger employers (like him) who are at fault. “We all complain about it, but we’re so busy working we’re not doing anything about it. You can’t correct a problem unless you do something about it. We have to get with educators and politicians to help change things.”
However, he’s quick to point out that the crew he does have is second to none. “Nothing can be done no matter how much Lee, Pat or myself do without all of them,” he says. Adding that Judy Converse and MaryLou Babcock (office staff) are the heart of the place, “I know I do everything that I can, but I can’t do it without everybody. What else am I going to do? Retire? No I am not. I am a logger. And I can do about anything, whatev-
er’s got to be done; I can make it work,” he says with conviction.
Giving back to the community atlarge is an important part of Tim’s work, and the employees as well. The week TH visited the crew for this story, the crews donated time to a local wild center cutting poles for a project. “The community is everything,” he believes and not just in special cases like the wild center, but in regards to stepping out and building a pellet plant, too. “If you can create something in your local area and use your raw materials to create jobs, that’s what you do.”
The Shop
Back at the office in front of the shop, “Nothing works without Judy,” Pat states about the operation. The woods crew gets it done, but Converse is the one making sure they can. Parts Manager Gary Prashaw and Assistant Parts Manager Dylan Aldous, whom Pat says can do anything, keep the machines rolling for the sand and gravel operations, trucking, logging and the pellet plant; plus, a fairly decent outside parts sales business to the local area at a rate of about 75/25 in-house to outside sales. They keep a couple million dollars in inventory across both OEM and aftermarket options. Aldous says he does a lot of hydraulic hose making for the outside, too.
The shop is staffed by six full-time mechanics and one dedicated roaming mechanic, or two if he has to, says Shop Manager Rodney Aldous (Dylan’s father), a former John Deere road tech who’s been with the Currans for 33 years. For Aldous, who runs an incredibly tight (but very clean) ship, everything is done in-house unless it has to be machined. Aldous recognizes that his guys are the heart that keeps the whole thing going—so while he tries to plan each day, it doesn’t always work out that way. “It’s a constant battle to keep everything going,” he emphasizes, “You never know day in and day out what’s going to happen. We try to work on things based on urgency.”
There are dedicated truck and trailer technicians, with trucks being serviced every two weeks checking brakes, lights and greasing. The inwoods operators handle woods machine servicing. Servicing is done every 250 hours on those pieces. Truck oil is pulled every 10,000 miles. Everything is tracked on Aldous’ iPad using EverNote.
Pat says this is by design to keep a grip on costs, but also because if he was having to sub out this work, the company wouldn’t be able to survive. “Yes, the overhead is crazy,” Pat admits. “But if we had John Deere or Cat doing all this maintenance, you wouldn’t exist, you just can’t.”
Aldous says it’s a busy business to be in, but he’s worked with, and for, the Currans his whole life and knows there’s no one that works quite like the Curran brothers do: “They don’t think about themselves. They are out for their employees. Work just as hard as I work and that’s something to be proud of. They do well for all of us.”
Seaway Timber Harvesting Machine Roster
● Excavators: Caterpillar (10); John Deere (2) ● Loaders: Caterpillar (6); John Deere (3) ● Grinders/Chippers: CBI (1); Morbark (3); Peterson (2) ● Skidders: Caterpillar (10); Timberjack (3); John Deere (9) ● Feller-Bunchers: Caterpillar (5) ● Dozers: Caterpillar (4) ● Harvesters: Caterpillar (1) ● Heads: Quadco (1) ● Trucks: Western Star (24); Kenworth (11) ● Trailers: Manac (54); Pitts (3); Big John (1); Homemade (2)
The paper industry introduced the Currans to chipping, but chipping for biomass is now the driver of their business.
What’s Next
So, what’s next for the brothers? Pat says there’s a lot of places to be next. “The problem with anything is securing a decent market for whatever is next,” he admits. “You can have 100 ideas, and if none of those ideas have a market that is solid enough to get into you still have to stay out of it. Somewhere along the line you have to have a financial institution that wants to believe in you, and you need to believe in yourself at the same time.”
For Lee, he wants to see enhanced utilization of equipment and personnel than ever before but in the end he knows one thing: “We have to watch our costs all the time—if you take a wrong step today, you’re in trouble.” Pat says he isn’t worried about the labor force after COVID. He believes there will always be people who want to work and will work hard. It’s just a matter of making sure there are ample opportunities. And Tim knows he simply doesn’t plan on quitting, so it’s a matter of finding more markets for the forest products. TH
Tech Spotlight Dash Cams Improve Safety, Reduce Liability
Relatively small investment can pay off big.
KIMWall
EDITOR’S NOTE: Several years back, Bob and Kim Wall, owners of Wall Timber in Osyka, Miss. took a proactive approach and installed dash (windshield) cameras in their 29 tractor-trailer rigs and in some of their crew trucks. A lot has changed since then. For example, the 29 log trucks are now sixafter a round of downsizing. But the results the Walls have seen after making the investment have stayed the same: Dash cam technology can improve overall safety and reduce the high risk and liability exposure of trucking in the logging industry.
Watching the dash cam systems pay for themselves repeatedly after they were installed, drivers for Wall Timber went from being leery and suspicious of the new dash cams to being the first to notify others if there’s any issue with the camera.
“They like it now and are quick to tell me if their cameras go out,” says Kim Wall, adding that the dash cams “have vindicated us many times and helped drivers save their jobs.”
Another change from the initial install is the camera: After initially going with a Top Dawg camera, the company switched to a Vicon camera system after the initial set didn’t handle off-road conditions too well. And after getting rid of some of their log trucks, the Walls put those systems on company pickups.
Kim Wall wrote about her experience with dash cams for a Forest Resources Assn. report, available from FRA. Here is Wall Timber’s dash cam project, in her own words:
We began research on these cameras in September of 2014, after watching a news segment showing how a trucker’s camera recorded an accident in front of him and proved how the accident really happened, not as all the different witnesses reported it. In October of 2014 we installed the cameras.
We went to Custom Audio, McComb, Miss., for the installation. We elected to install the cameras on the passenger-side windshield with a tamper proof mount and cable, although these cameras may be installed just by plugging them into a cigarette lighter.
This system, with the improvements we selected, such as longer-playing SD cards professionally installed with tamper-proof mounts and cables, cost $275 per unit, including Custom Audio’s setting up our office computer and providing a demonstration. Custom Audio came to our shop and installed the cameras after work hours, so installation did not shut any of our trucks down.
The camera records the driver’s view and even has audio to record everything on a driver’s shift. GPS on this system has the ability to track video playback with Google Maps, showing the truck’s location as well as its speed and direction. The video is recorded on a micro memory card in AVI format, suitable for playing back on a PC, laptop, or TV using the AV cable, the included HDMI cable, or USB 2.0 cable. This camera also features G-sensor technology, which can detect an impact or collision and will automatically save and lock the video file recorded 20 seconds prior to and after the impact onto the SD card. Drivers do not turn the camera on or off: it is running when the truck is running or idling. We upgraded the SD card to enable it to record in 8-hour loops. While in the truck, the Dash Cam displays what the driver is seeing on the 1.5 in. LCD screen. To view an SD card, one need only stop the engine, take the card out, and view it on a computer. We bought extra SD cards, so when we want to view a card, we just install the extra one. We also bought extra cards so if an incident occurs we can keep the original on file. One may also copy files onto a flash drive.
Kim Wall
Controlling Costs
Insurance costs in the logging industry are high, and the trucking/auto category is almost always the highest, due to these vehicles’ exposure to the public. This system will help prevent fraudulent claims against your drivers and trucks. The video evidence gives proof to your insurance carrier that
After seeing positive results, drivers went from skeptics to camera supporters
your driver and truck are obeying the law. Since this system makes our drivers more aware of their driving, we feel it also represents a safety improvement. Furthermore, it helps the woods crew’s awareness: They know if a truck is pointing in their direction, they are on camera!
High liability exposures threaten cost-effective trucking. Video evidence of this type can prove your truck was obeying the speed limit, was on the proper side of the road, did obey the traffic lights, signs, and so on. It can also verify the other driver’s actions. In short, the camera is your witness— not humans who make mistakes, forget, and can be swayed.
At first, the drivers did not want these cameras at all, because to them it seemed as if we were spying on them rather than protecting them. However, after the first incident, in which the video record overturned a driver’s ticket, several drivers became convinced that the advantages were overwhelming. Then after a second incident, only a few drivers are still unhappy about the camera. We feel that this system has already paid for itself, as the following two incidents show: Two days after installing the Dash Cams, we received a call about a sideswipe with another tractor/trailer (oversize rig with escort vehicle). Our driver called 911, took pictures with his accident camera from his truck’s kit, and did all the other correct procedures. When the authorities arrived, the other party stated he had three witnesses who claimed that our driver was speeding and over the yellow line into oncoming traffic. Our driver was ticketed based on these witnesses’ word. When our driver returned to the office, after his post-accident drug test, we viewed the card. We discovered that the escort vehicle with two witnesses was well in front of the other truck, so there was no way they could have seen the accident. Additionally, the other truck was on the yellow line and his mirrors were extended well over the yellow line. Our driver was doing 51 MPH in a 55 MPH zone and was on his side of the yellow line. In a second incident, our office received a call from a woman stating that one of our trucks had thrown a rock into her windshield, shattering it and getting glass on her, and causing her to drive off the road. Having explained to her that the incident appeared to be a normal “road hazard” (which her own insurance should cover) and having given her our insurance agent’s name and number, we retrieved the card from the unit in question. By that time, she had called our agent and told a different story, claiming that our driver had forced her off the road, that something had fallen off the truck, and other assertions.
Upon viewing the video, we found where she stopped our driver. Although she approached the truck from the rear, so she is not visible in the video, the audio picked her up. She could be heard telling the driver that a rock had hit her windshield but saying nothing about the driver forcing her off the road or that anything had fallen from the truck. From the audio recording it was also clear that she had not been hurt in any way. Our driver’s identifying himself, providing our phone number, and providing his explanation of “road hazard” to her were also all on the tape. We went back over the entire morning’s worth of the tape and discovered that at no point did our driver meet this car on the road or veer onto a driveway edge where he could have thrown up a rock or other object.
Each of these incidents saved the insurance company from paying a false claim, kept our insurance costs down, and protected the driver’s record. TH
MN Offering New Job Site Security Systems
In what may be the first of its kind, Associated Contract Loggers & Trucker of Minnesota (ACLT) has developed remote security systems that can be utilized to monitor logging sites and provide protection from criminal activity. These systems can operate anywhere there is a cell signal (even weak). The ACLT Site Monitoring & Security Systems have been field tested for months and four systems are currently in operation.
The SMS systems only require a cell phone signal, and are otherwise self-supporting stand-alone systems. The cameras and floodlights are battery and solar powered. The wi-fi router can be powered by conventional 110 volt if available or generator, otherwise it is battery-powered and solar-charged.
The cameras have built in motion sensors, night vision capabilities, auto and remote activated lights, remote activated audible siren and two-way communication. All functions and data are fed and activated by the monitor’s smart phone (multiple smart phones can be programed to receive information).
The objective is to act as a deterrent and avoid damage to logging equipment. However, in the event that the signage, intruder activated floodlights, audible site communication and sirens do not deter criminal intent and activity, the video footage is recorded and archived for proof and documentation, even if the monitoring equipment is damaged.
The components (cameras and floodlights) are all networked and integrated so that when any unit detects motion all cameras and floodlights activate and record. Separate concealed motion detectors have been incorporated to pre-activate the devices prior to proximity activation of the other units. Activation of any component sends an alarm to the monitor’s smartphone. The SMS system is expandable and can support additional cameras and floodlights.
The ACLT will lease the SMS systems to members that want to use the systems on their logging sites. The ACLT will install the systems, maintain the systems, and along with the logging company, monitor the system activity. The lease for a full (2 cameras, 2 floodlights, wifi router and solar panels) is $1,000 plus a monthly $100 service and monitoring fee. TH
Automatic system provides security data backup.
With the continued growth of the steep slope market and the movement from manual felling in mind, John Deere recently announced its newest large-class directional felling head, the FL100. The FL100 model provides customers with a larger, more durable directional felling head solution. The robust, durable design of the FL100 makes it ideal for steep slope, shoveling and traditional felling appliThe increased durability of cations. Featuring increased grip strength, grapple capacity and shoveling performance, the FL100 the FL100 reduces potential grapple arm effectively handles both small and downtime in tough conditions, while allowing excelextra-large timber. The increased durability of the FL100 reduces potential downtime in tough conditions, while allowing excellent access to maintenance and service points. Factory installed on the John Deere 959ML Shovel Logger/Directional Feller, the FL100 oflent access to maintenance fers the ideal solution for felling and maneuvering timber in steep slope applications. To and service points. learn more about the FL100 Felling Head, as well as the full line of John Deere Forestry equipment, visit a local John Deere Forestry dealer. Visit johndeere.com
Iggesund Harvester Bars
Iggesund Forest has a wider and stronger range of harvester bars than any other manufacturer on the market. All harvester bars come with optimal stability and our unique heat treatment that makes them rigid and durable. Along with the Blue Line .404 bars, Iggesund has introduced the Vyking ¾" harvester The Open End system will bars and slasher bars. Blue Line—Open End .404". Along make changing bars even with the numerous benefits Blue Line has quicker and bar mainteto offer, we are excited to introduce the nance time will also be Blue Line with an Open End mounting system. The Open End system will make changing bars even quicker and bar maintenance time will also be dramatically reduced. dramatically reduced.
Vyking—New ¾" Bar. Introducing our most powerful ¾ bar to date, the new Vyking series can handle any and all conditions. Featuring an advanced metal alloy, HD power tip for optimal performance and lifetime, and revolutionary endurance rails with a 60 degree rail angle. All these benefits will reduce downtime and increase productivity.
Vyking-Slasher Bar—while the Blue Line series continues to change the forest industry around the world, now we’re adding our most powerful ¾" bar to the lineup: Meet the brand new Blue Line Vyking Slasher Bar. Specially designed for ground saws, the Vyking Slasher Bar has proven to be a reliable and productive saw bar in all conditions. Visit iggesundforest.com
Ponsse Harvester Heads
The Ponsse harvester head collection covers the entire range of harvesting needs, from energy wood harvesting to heavy-duty regeneration felling. Ponsse harvester heads are widely used in both wheeled and tracked base machines. All Ponsse models offer productivity and accuracy as well as durability and long service life.
In Ponsse’s harvester heads, durability and reliability come first. The heads’ delimbing knives must withstand extreme stress, while being as accurate and gentle as possible, without damaging the stem surface unnecessarily. This is why Ponsse’s harvester heads have been developed together with their users. Innovative design, continuous R&D and decades of experience have made Ponsse harvester Innovative design, contin- heads the quality leaders in the markets. Ponsse harvester heads offer a superior perforuous R&D and decades of mance. Their solid structure, effective functions and precise control guarantee excellent experience have made Ponsse harvester heads productivity, a high level of quality and, of course, a long service life—all being easily adjustable and serviceable. A strong, reliable structure starts with durability through high-grade materials and the quality leaders. good design. The correct frame length controls the stems well but also passes curves and must also be service friendly.
Wide feed roller geometry means even large stems are carried underneath by feed rollers, improving grip and lowering friction. This allows lower pressure settings, giving higher effectiveness and lower fuel consumption.
Ponsse harvester heads have a large high speed saw motor with lots of power. Good saw geometry prevents bending saw bars and cracking trees, and large sawing diameter allows the heads to handle flares at the base of the tree.
Accurate feeding to length features controlled acceleration and deceleration, and a large tilt angle allows smooth head feed without hitting tilt frame stoppers, causing less stress. A strong feeding system delivers a balance of high power and speed in different harvester head size classes, with optional motor sizes to fit different needs.
Clean delimbing systems have long knives to grab trees easily: Four optimally designed movable knives and one adjustable
bolted top knife ensure clean delimbing results. Longer processor knives and rear knives are available as options.
Ponsse harvester heads advanced Opti System enables accurate measuring and easy settings. The system includes a useful and easy-to-use reporting program. Flexible system allows use of GPS positioning, data transfer and different kinds of Windows-compatible software. Ponsse harvester heads also offer a wide variety of options, including: top saw, saw chain grease lubrication, heavy-duty version for tracked carriers, saw box lights, processor knives. bolted rear knife, and a find end sensor. Visit ponsse.com
Schwab Hose Assembly Device
Your delimbers take a beating every single day. Keep your delimber up and running with Schwab Brothers Hydraulics—Compact Hose Assembly Device (CHAD). These units allow you to build hydraulic hose assemblies for your delimber or processor and any other hydraulic hose assembly for any of your equipment without ever leaving the woods. These up-time oriented units easily crimp up to 1" 4-wire hoses. The CHAD’s durable, service truck mountable, compact design and air-over-hydraulic crimping capability easily give you the ability to efficiently build hose assemblies in minutes, on-site! In today’s production-based markets, downtime can be catastrophic. By implementing the CHAD on your job site, you are guaranteed to cut downtime costs due to hydraulic hose failures.
Visit schwabbrothershydraulics.com
Tigercat Harvesting Heads
Tigercat harvesting heads are built to match the high-performance capabilities of Tigercat track and wheel carriers and are well suited to a variety of jobs including at-the-stump harvesting, roadside processing and debarking.
The 570 is most productive working with trees 15-50 cm (6-20 in.) diameter in softwood and hardwood stands. Although best suited to the Tigercat H845 series, the 570 is designed to work with the H822, H855 and 1185 carriers, or a 20-25 tonne forestry excavator. With optional hydraulically timed processor knives, the 570 can also be used for roadside processing. The 570 has recently proved itself beneficial in debarking eucalyptus.
The 575 is a heavy duty three-wheel drive harvesting head also best suited to in-stand harvesting in the 175-560 mm diameter range. It is very effective in tough applications like large limbed hardwood and crooked trees. With optional mechanically timed processor knives for easier picking, the 575 is also an excellent roadside processing head. The 575 features Tigercat’s unique three-two drive system. When processing a tree, the head starts in three-wheel drive, maximizing feed force for faster acceleration and quickly powering through bigger trees. As the load drops, it automatically shifts to two-wheel drive, improving efficiency and increasing feed speed up to 30%. Both the 570 and 575 use larger diameter hoses and larger capacity valves than similar class heads to match the greater hydraulic flow and power of Tigercat harvester carriers.
The 568 harvesting head is a robust, high performance head designed for tracked carriers. It is best suited for road-side processing applications, with trees in the 15-55 cm (6-22 in.) range.With timed knife arms and triangulated wheel arms, the 568 can quickly pick and maintain positive tree contact and control. The patented 4WD-2WD auto-shift drive system provides extra power and positive grip when feeding large trees, fast speed in smaller trees and full manual control when needed.
Knife arms feature double-edged, replaceable blades with optimal contour for clean delimbing. The front floating knife with spring preload follows the contour of the tree further enhancing delimbing performance. Other features of the 568 include optional conventional boom or through-tip boom continuous rotation, laser diffuse or through-beam find end sensors, colour marking and various feed wheels. Visit tigercat.com
Tigercat heads are built to match the high-performance capabilities of Tigercat track and wheel carriers and are well suited to a variety of jobs. Build hydraulic hose assemblies for your delimber or processor or any other hydraulic hose assembly without ever leaving the woods.
Trilink Bars, Chain
At TriLink Saw Chain we believe that quality is the key to success. Our manufacturing facilities are certified ISO 9001-2000. This certification gives our customers the confidence that they are buying from a company that is committed to providing quality products and services. TriLink Saw Chain also offers a complete line of saw chain that has been tested, approved, and listed by Underwriter’s Laboratories as meeting all standards for low kickback chain in accordance with the American National Standard Safety Requirements for gasoline powered chain saws. Our manufacturing facilities are audited quarterly by Underwriter’s Laboratories to maintain this listing and your confidence in our products.
TriLink saw chains are engineered for precision, balance and low vibration. All chains are man-
ufactured with advanced heat treatment and a hard chrome finish on the cutters to provide an improved cutter performance. Our semi-chisel chains cut faster and stay sharper longer in dirty and gritty cutting conditions. The full chisel chains are designed specifically for the professional cutter. The square cutter edge on our full chisel chains is designed to reduce cutting friction for an extremely smooth clean cut and faster chip clearance. Visit trilinksawchain.com
North America Supply Offers GB, Orbit
Loggers can now purchase GB and Orbit products online for fast and easy delivery right to their location. North America Supply offers a wide range of products for mechanical harvesting, and $500 purchases qualify for free shipping. Orbit harvester saw chain is manufactured with high quality alloy steel and offers professionals the best balance of quality and value in the industry. The Orbit ¾" pitch saw chain has micro radius semi-chisel cutters and increase kerf width similar to Orbit .404 pitch chain. Both Orbit lines of harvester chain are engineered for maximum performance and fast cutting speed. All Orbit saw chain is manufactured with enhanced multi-layered chrome plating providing excellent durability and wear rsistance.
Since 1959, GB has built a solid reputation by manufacturing products that set new industry standards, playing an active role in the development in the forestry equipment industry. An innovative blend of titanium and alloy steel yields the ultra-high strength material with uniform metal hardness throughout the bar, and because the rail is non-tempered this reduces rail flexing and cracking. This alloy steel is extremely durable, resulting in fewer bends and better “memory” allowing it to return to original shape which increases run. time for operators.
GB Professional Harvester Bars are available in both .404" and ¾" pitch and are designed with mounting configurations to fit most mechanical harvesting processor heads. The .404" XV line has a patented 15 tooth sprocket that reduces RPM resulting in less friction and wear. This, combined with the patented “Lube Direct” channels to directly feed the bearings lubrication, improves overall performance and life. The ¾" BC tip has the “Lube Direct” system and a machined edge to control chipping. Please visit northamericasupply.com
North America Supply offers on-line ordering and free shipping for $500 purchases.
Waratah HTH624C 4x4 LP
Waratah Forestry Equipment recently debuted the HTH624C 4x4
LP—a loader-processor built for increasing productivity. The multi-use head features attributes of a standard processing head with extra capability for manipulating multiple logs, making it extremely efficient.
“The HTH624C 4x4 LP makes quick work of loading or processing,” said Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah. “In addition to the benefits of a four-wheel-drive processor, it features a large sawing capacity and an extra-large delimb opening for handling multiple One of the key benefits is logs to clear the deck fast. At its ability to work in tight spaces. As a multi-use Waratah, we’re always looking for ways to boost customer productivity and efficiency, and the tool, it can handle the jobs HTH624C 4x4 LP delivers.” of multiple pieces of The four-wheel drive, four-roller head has a shorter tilt frame that helps loading equipment. trucks or extend reach with higher deck piles—working effortlessly to manipulate logs on carriers with or without live heels. Its larger delimb opening enables operators to grab multiple logs, clearing the yarder chute or shovel more efficiently. With a wide maximum delimb opening, the HTH624C 4x4 LP can manipulate large single logs and improve log deck picking.
Likewise, the HTH624C 4x4 LP also features a large sawing capacity with an 815 mm (32 in.) maximum sawing capacity.
It’s also fit for 27+ metric ton carriers, meaning that it can carry out large jobs.
One of the key benefits of the HTH624C 4x4 LP is its ability to work in tight spaces. As a multi-use tool, it can handle the jobs of multiple pieces of equipment – a key feature when space doesn’t permit several pieces of equipment.
With a weight of 3,560 kg (7,848 lb.), the HTH624C 4x4 LP provides added capacity and delimbing force to tackle the big jobs. Its minimum delimb close of 120 mm (4.7 in.) allows it to process a wide range of diameter classes.
Visit waratah.com/product/hth624c-4x4-lp/
