NZ Logger Dec/Jan 18

December 2017/January 2018 | $7.20

ISSN 1176-0397

ROB make s steep slop e harvesting easier

Millburn mill upgrade

94 years carting logs

contents DEMEBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018

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FOREST TALK New Minister to kick-start tree planting; forestry sees hope in new Minister; nurseries wary of new government tree planting plans; Waratah puts simulator users in the box seat; heavy-duty Volvo harvester arrives; Kiwi Komatsu customers on Japan and China trek; FICA members turn out to farewell founders; Jason Wynyard lifts ninth world championship.

FORESTECH 2017 The annual ForestTECH conference in Rotorua highlighted some interesting ideas and technologies that will become part of the fabric of forestry in the future.

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SHAW’S WIRE ROPES IRON TEST Harvesting steep slopes using winch-assist technology is now firmly established here and while NZ Logger has sampled most of the new systems on offer, there was one notable gap in our coverage – the Remote Operated Bulldozer developed in Northland.

Our Iron Test team ventures north this month to get acquainted with ROB.

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TALL TIMBER Log truck drivers are among the unsung heroes of the forestry industry. This group of hard workers is essential in keeping the wood flowing from the forest to the mill or wharf. In this issue, we celebrate two drivers who collectively have 94 years behind the wheel.

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NZ TIMBER Our quarterly focus on the New Zealand milling and processing sector looks at the recently upgraded sawmill at Millburn, which is now an essential part of the Pan Pac organisation. And Thode celebrates the opening of its new headquarters in Rotorua.

DEPARTMENTS 2 editorial 48 fica 50 top spot 52 new iron 58 classifieds

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 1

from the editor

Change is in the wind

December 2017/January 2018 | $7.20

ISSN 1176-0397

PHOTO: JOHN ELLEGARD

ROB make steep slop s e harvesting easier

Millburn mill upgrade

94 years carting logs

The ROB winch-assist system working with Skipps Logging crews in Northland.

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HANGE IS COMING TO FORESTRY IN NEW ZEALAND ON THE BACK OF promises made by the new government.

The well-flagged plans to increase tree planting and establish a new stand-alone Forest Service in Rotorua have already been set in motion.

But we are unlikely to see any real progress for at least another year, especially when it comes to new trees, as it’s too late for the 2018 plant-out season – those seedlings are already being grown at nurseries around the country. Look to 2019 on that score.

And as new Minister of Forestry, Shane Jones, realistically admits in an interview with NZ Logger on page 4, the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, so don’t expect the Forest Service to pop up suddenly in downtown Rotorua.

The intent is good and there’s stuff going on behind the scenes that will become apparent in time, so let’s be patient.

What is good to see is the enthusiasm shown by Mr Jones for forestry and his willingness to meet with industry people and others in the community and listen to what they have to say.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the previous administration is that it rarely listened to the forestry industry. And when it did, it never took much notice of what was being said.

In Shane Jones, we have an enthusiastic supporter of forestry and hopefully, that will rub off on his Cabinet colleagues when key decisions affecting our industry have to be made over the course of the next three years.

During our interview, Mr Jones was at pains to point out that he shares much in common with forestry people. He grew up in the Awanui/Kaitaia community, next to where the big Radiata Pine forests were being established along 90-Mile Beach. His family had a farm and grew trees as well. And whilst he cut his teeth in the fishing industry he says his roots are firmly planted in the soil.

Curious that his Cabinet colleague, Labour’s Stuart Nash, worked in the forestry industry and has been created Minister of Fishing, while Mr Jones’ experience in fishing has seen him get the forestry portfolio. That’s politics.

What really matters is what actually happens over the next three years. And beyond.

Planting an extra 500 million trees over the next decade is going to provide an opportunity for forestry to grow in the future, not stagnate. However, those trees have to be planted in the right place so they will grow well and be relatively easy to harvest and transport at maturity. And then it would be nice to have some more investment in wood processing to take advantage of that resource locally, instead of shipping the opportunity overseas. Shane Jones says he would like to be involved in attracting that investment here and has already established some contacts.

That’s the sort of change we all want to see. NZL

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forest talk

New Minister to kick-start tree planting SHANE JONES, THE NEW MINISTER OF Forestry, has embarked on making good on his pre-election promise to double the number of new trees going into the ground and he wants to see progress as soon as possible.

Work has already started on identifying where the additional trees can be planted and he has instructed officials to talk to land owners and come up with a plan.

Mr Jones has also put the wheels in motion to establish a separate Forest Service in Rotorua.

He told NZ Logger magazine that the new Forest Service will be based on the Crown Forestry unit currently situated within the Ministry of Primary Industries, although he cautioned that it could take a while before we see officials occupying a building in Rotorua.

“We are going through a process of adjusting their mandate,” he says. “There are some proven ‘soldiers’ in that part of the bureaucratic field and we’ll be empowering that unit and making it a lot more active.

“Once you start this sort of restructuring you are at the mercy of the State Services Commission. Working with the bureaucracy to bring about a new organisation, you can’t push that through at breakneck pace.”

In the meantime, efforts are going on

behind the scenes to gather as much information as possible, with officials talking to those who may be part of the new tree planting programme.

“It’s already started, we picked up some of the work of the former Minister, such as the announcement to expand our erosion control investment – that is only going to grow,” says Mr Jones. “A lot of that (erosion planting) is likely to be Manuka and in many places, as it expands, it’s going to be permanent forest sink.

“In respect of exotic tree planting, the Crown Forestry unit has already established contact with the variety of nurseries and they are providing advice in terms of what is practical and what is deliverable.”

Mr Jones says it will be important to “bring the community with us” to ensure the new government achieves its goal of adding another 50,000 hectares of new tree planting each year, over and above the 50,000 hectares replanted after harvesting.

He wants to see the consultative net cast wide, including service clubs, NGOs, schools, local and regional councils, as well as Maori land owners and farmers “to see how we can all work together”.

He has also met with key stakeholders in the forestry industry, including the NZ Forest Owners Association and the Wood

Shane Jones, new Minister of Forestry.

Processors and Manufacturers Association.

The WPMA told Mr Jones that it wants to see more progress on combating nontrade barriers and subsidising of lumber in export markets, which puts our timber at a disadvantage, and he has promised to keep officials focused on those objectives.

Additionally, the WPMA has put forward the idea of establishing a working group to look at the security of wood supply for mills in various parts of the country – an issue Mr Jones and NZ First leader Winston Peters campaigned on during the election. Mr Jones says he has asked MPI to look at assisting with setting up and funding the working group. NZL

Forestry sees hope in new Minister IT’S STILL EARLY DAYS, BUT LEADING FIGURES IN THE NEW Zealand forestry industry are optimistic the new Minister of Forests will be good for the sector.

Those who have met with Shane Jones since he took up his new ministerial role are impressed with his attitude and interest.

“He’s very keen to work with the industry and the good thing is that he doesn’t pretend to have all the answers and is listening to what we have to say,” says David Rhodes, CEO of NZ Forest Owners Association.

One piece of advice Mr Rhodes is hoping the Minister takes on board is to think very carefully about placing any restrictions on the exports of raw logs, as a result of issues regarding log shortages raised by saw mills in Northland.

Mr Rhodes says: “There are some unique circumstances in Northland and there is a willingness among those in the industry to come up with a solution from within, rather than see restrictions placed on exports by the government.”

The key, adds Mr Rhodes, is to get everyone involved in the issue to sit around the table, share information and come up with solutions. He believes that can be done through organisations such as the Northland Wood Council. That same collaborative approach could work in other parts of the country.

As for assisting the Minister to achieve his goal of doubling the

4 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

number of trees planted in New Zealand over the next ten years, Mr Rhodes says that while forest owners may not be able to provide much new land – this is likely to come from the Crown, Maori and farmers – the NZFOA is still keen to play a facilitation role.

“There’s a wealth of experience among our members and we can certainly provide input into establishing new plantations and what is required to make them succeed,” adds Mr Rhodes.

The Wood Processors & Manufacturers Association has been quick to meet Shane Jones to talk about issues facing all of its members, not just the wood shortages in Northland.

Brian Stanley, Chair of the WPMA, says current markets are not working because New Zealand wood processors and manufacturers face unfair competition from overseas rivals who get government subsidies.

Mr Stanley says that he is heartened by the (new government’s) desire to see the NZ wood industry thrive by remedying these “grossly unfair” trading conditions.

“We look forward to working closely with the new government to urgently bring about these much-needed changes,” he adds.

Meanwhile, NZFOA President, Peter Clark, sees equal significance in the Green Party’s James Shaw taking on the role of the Minister of Climate Change, which he believes will drive more tree planting to offset carbon emissions. NZL

forest talk

FOREST NURSERIES WILL TAKE A CAUTIOUS approach to gearing up their planting programmes to answer the coalition Government’s call for one billion new trees to go into the ground over the next decade.

That’s because many got burnt when the introduction of the ETS scheme promised to deliver a forestry expansion bonanza a few years back, only to see the expected boom turn to bust as the price of carbon credits plummeted.

Many nurseries who increased their plantings with those expectations in mind, ended up dumping thousands of seedlings and losing money.

The collation agreement between Labour and NZ First laid out plans to take jobs to the regions with roles in planting and nurseries, based on a target of 100,000 hectares to be planted each year. Of that total, nurseries already supply young trees for replanting 50,000 hectares that has been harvested, so the new goal will double that amount.

“Nurseries will be cautious about the government’s intentions and whether they will increase plantings is another matter,” says Peter Clark, head of PF Olsen that supplies young trees to plantation forests around the upper North Island from its Glenbrook nursery.

Mr Clark, who is also President of the Forest Growers’ Association, says: “The government needs to identify the objectives it wants to achieve with its planting programme, depending on whether it just wants to meet its climate change obligations under the ETS or whether it wants to grow trees that will be available for processing.

“If it’s for climate change only they’ll want to look for faster growing species, but those trees might not necessarily suit wood production or have long term value as native species.

“Where is that land going to come from? The government has some land that it can make available for planting trees, but it is largely going to be Maori and farmers who will need to step up and plant trees on their land. This is a different proposition to the 1990s when land was relatively cheap and it was easier to acquire large parcels to create new forests.

Land is much more expensive now and it would take a significant investment to purchase it for creating new forests. Even with existing land, owners are going to need to be convinced that it is going to be a worthwhile exercise.

“Nurseries will want to be confident that there will be land available for planting trees before they invest in planting seedlings. If they choose to increase their plantings and the land isn’t available, it would result in commercial losses.”

If large tracts of land are made available for new forests, the additional trees won’t be ready until the 2019 planting season because the seedlings being grown for planting out next year are already in the ground.

Mr Clark believes nurseries can gear up quite quickly, adding: “I don’t think it would be a problem to meet the ambitious planting targets set by the government.” NZL

Nurseries wary of new government tree planting plans

Nurseries can meet the ambitious tree planting target, but will be cautious.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 5

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forest talk

Mike Hurring, closest to camera, watches as son Josh is put through his paces on a Waratah simulator.

Waratah puts simulator users in the box seat NEW ZEALANDERS WERE AMONG THOSE INVITED TO THE FIRST of a new series of forums held by Waratah in Australia to help forestry trainers make the most of their equipment simulators.

Representatives from Otago-based Mike Hurring Logging and Rotorua’s Toi-Ohomai forestry school, who both operate simulators, were part of the inaugural course recently run in Melbourne. The Waratah Forestry Simulator Lead Users Forum drew people from Asia and Africa, as well as New Zealand and Australia.

The aim of the event, which is planned to run annually, is to provide more information on the best use of simulators, along with updates to help keep them abreast of the latest technology and developments.

According to Jules Larsen, General Manager Distribution and Operations of Waratah’s Asia Pacific and Africa operations, this first forum was very timely.

In recent years, a large number of training providers have either had donated or purchased various types of forestry simulators. But, over time, the aftersales support for upgrading and maintaining them falls away for various reasons, the original trainers move on and there are changes to training institutions, which contribute to the reduced effectiveness of simulators.

“One driver that is not changing though is the increased dependence on mechanisation and advancing user compliance in forest operations,” says Mr Larsen.

“We, as an industry, are changing and coming to realise the need for off-site training of new employees and upskilling existing staff.

We cannot continue to expect new machine operators to get in these machines and learn as you go.

“And we cannot achieve off-site training without committing to and investing in local training providers – they are not only the key to recruitment, but also vital for retention of existing staff.

“Forest simulators enable off-site training to be performed very effectively and they are in training hubs all over the region, and we should be utilising these more effectively to improve industry quality.

“Our aim with the annual Simulator Forum is to create a means for refreshing the physical training tools, scope the latest training needs, share training packages and most importantly, build a strong

8 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

network of support.”

Those attending the Forum at the Waratah Distribution Centre in Melbourne got to see and run first-hand a wide range of simulators and software packages, from everyday data management skill training right through to competency-based programmes for forwarders and harvesters.

The sessions were overseen by Waratah New Zealand’s Jason Huitema and Simo Tujula, John Deere Technology Consultant from Finland, who presented the latest developments from around the world in forest simulator training and set out examples of how these can be applied locally to help trainers in this region.

Attendees shared experiences and were able to pinpoint gaps, scope and opportunities within the region for better use of simulators.

Mike Hurring attended with his training supervisor Neville Muir and son Josh, who has just entered the industry. Josh found himself as the allotted trainee in many of the exercises.

“It was a good event, we got a lot out of it,” says Mike.

“It’s going to help us make better use of our simulators and train people to do more things on the machines.”

Mike Hurring Logging purchased a John Deere simulator to provide training not only for people in its own crews using wheeled forwarders and harvesters, but also those working for other contractors in the southern regions of the South Island. Mike says it has been difficult getting contractors to support his training plans, but he feels there is now a realisation that it is for the benefit of the whole industry and the first course supported by outside contractors took place at the end of November.

Toi-Ohomai’s Richard Stringfellow described the Melbourne Forum as “very valuable” and says it gave him a much better insight into the capabilities of simulators, especially in being able to tailor them to replicate New Zealand harvesting conditions, such as contours, age class of tree, stocking, tracks and even working close to rivers.

He also sees the opportunity for students to be able to use the Timber Skills function to score themselves while learning how to operate heads and forwarders/harvesters – their scores are posted onto Waratah’s cloud-based computer facility for trainers to access. NZL

forest talk

Heavy-duty Volvo harvester arrives

The all-new Volvo EC380D has been produced with New Zealand harvesting contractors in mind.

A NEW ZEALAND-INSPIRED HEAVY-DUTY forestry harvester has been developed by Volvo for worldwide markets and the first one to come off the production line has now arrived.

The Volvo EC380 is the latest swing machine designed specifically for forestry applications and joins the EC250D and EC300D introduced two-and-a-half years ago.

Like the two smaller models, the new EC380D owes its existence to demand from customers in New Zealand.

“After we were successful in getting the factory to build the EC250D and EC300D for our forestry customers we then said to them ‘we need to talk about a 380’ and they thought we were joking at first,” says Ewen Satherley, Territory Manager for TransDiesel.

“With my background operating 40-tonne harvesters I was able to explain to them the importance of having a machine in that

segment of the market, especially with the emphasis on mechanising forestry operations.”

When Canada also backed the proposal to make the EC380D a factory-built model, it finally received approval from Volvo.

The new model was made possible because it takes the track gear from the 50-tonne EC480D, providing it with three top rollers per track, slew bearing guard, heavy-duty track guards and under-guarding. The high and wide undercarriage endows it with a ground clearance of 700mm.

The upper structure has been donated by an EC380D, which has sufficient room to fit the EC480D’s Volvo 13-litre engine that develops 310hp peak power. Like the EC250D and EC 300D, the new model gets a forestry guarding package, heavy counterweight and forestryspec cab with 32mm polycarbonate front screen, all built in the factory, so no need to go

into a workshop to prepare it for the bush on arrival in New Zealand – once the attachment is fitted, the new Volvo can go straight to work.

Compared to the EC480 on which it is based, the new EC380D has different gearing so that it can tackle the varied terrain it will encounter in our forests. And it comes with a dedicated rotor circuit and a pair of pumps providing ancillary flow for attachments.

Equipped with a heavy-duty boom and arm, the world’s first EC380D has been fitted with a SATCO SAT325T fall and de-limbing head spec’d with topping saw and full optimisation and is ready to go to work in the central North Island. A second one is due to arrive shortly, bound for Northland.

Ewen Satherley says there is also an option for contractors to purchase the EC380D with a knuckle boom for those who want a heavyweight shovel loader. NZL

Kiwi Komatsu Forest customers on Japan and China trek KOMATSU RECENTLY PLAYED HOST TO A VISITING GROUP OF New Zealand customers at its plants in Japan.

The focus of the trip was to visit the Komatsu factory in Osaka and the Techno Centre in Atami and enjoy the sights of Japan and China along the way. The group was hosted by John Kosar, Sales Manager for Komatsu Forest in New Zealand, and his wife Kay, affectionately referred to by the group as Team Leader and Camp Mother.

The Osaka plant is known as a ‘Mother Plant’ within the Komatsu System, as it not only produces machines but also manufactures large components for other plants, such as final drives, slew motors, hydraulic pumps etc.

The machines built at this plant are medium and large excavators (PC160-to-PC2000), hybrid excavators (HB205-to-HB365), medium and large dozers (D85-to-D575), automated excavators and dozers (PC200-to-D155) and recycling machines (BR100-to-BZ210).

While at the Osaka plant, the group was taken into the Global Hansei Operation Centre where the contractors could ‘view’ their machines working back in New Zealand on a large screen using Komtrax, the Komatsu satellite machine monitoring system.

The Techno Centre is based in a quarry at Atami and is a facility

specifically set up for operator training and operating/viewing of the latest machinery from Komatsu. Mr Kosar says the New Zealand group members were very impressed with the facility and managed to get behind the controls of several machines, including a WA900 wheel loader, D475 dozer, PC1250 excavator, 785 dump truck etc.

“As you can imagine the guys couldn’t get out there quick enough,” says Mr Kosar, “but the ladies didn’t miss out – they were all individually driven around the quarry in one of the large dump trucks by a trainer.” NZL

New Zealand contractors and their partners pose with the world’s largest bulldozer.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 9

forest talk

Above left: FICA President, Ross Davis, presents a gift to Paul Olsen on his retirement from the board.

Above right: Ross Davis, FICA President, presents John Stulen with a gift on his retirement after 15 years’ service as CEO of the organisation.

FICA members turn out to farewell founders THE FICA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND AGM IN TAUPO DREW A large contingent of contractors from around the country as the organisation officially recognised two of its leading lights.

It was the last conference/AGM for John Stulen, who steps down as CEO this month, while Paul Olsen retired from the board recently to become a regular member of FICA – both were recognised for their long service.

Mr Stulen presented his last yearly update to the organisation he helped found in 2002 and there were presentations from key industry organisation leaders who work with the Association on various projects.

Among those was Fiona Ewing, National Director of the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC), who highlighted the newly launched SAFETREE Contractor Certification system. She acknowledged the contributions of contractors through the FISC action groups, their board and the participants in the certification pilot trials. More than 116 contracting companies are now progressing through the process, with two-thirds of those registered for certification being FICA members.

Meanwhile, long-time industry advocate, Warwick Foran, CEO of Crown Forestry and an NZFOA board member, spoke about a new cooperative training effort. Earlier in the year, FICA worked with Fraser Field to support the need for pan-industry work to lift the number of new recruits coming into logging by supporting a practical training course being run by the forestry team at Toi-

10 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

Ohomai Institute of Technology.

Adding to that initiative, Mr Foran reported on the new forestry industry training and careers action group that includes FICA – board member, Steven Yeoman, represents FICA members on the group.

At the request of a government agency – the Tertiary Education Commission – Mr Foran invited several contractors to attend a meeting in Wellington to discuss primary industry training issues.

Finally, Mr Stulen reported on the Association’s activities and financial statement over the year. After 15 years, he says he is proud to report a very sound position financially for FICA and to be able to help members by resourcing the group’s participation in new industry initiatives.

After 15 years of constant growth, FICA now boasts over 220 members. Mr Stulen also recounted the various workshops that members had benefited from during that time, which covered a range of topics from negotiating, practical people management skills and communication techniques, to managing business risks.

He reported that FICA’s original sponsor network has now grown to 27 industry service and supply partners, thanking them for their long-term support. Mr Stulen went on to say their people provide key linkages and networks for FICA members, while their financial support allows FICA to perform its representation and advocacy roles. He noted that this work now achieves results for all forest contractors, not just FICA members of this industry. NZL

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forest talk

Hot stuff – Jason Wynyard wields his hotted-up chainsaw on his way to winning the Stihl Timbersports world Championship trophy for the ninth time.

Jason Wynyard wins ninth world tile STIHL TIMBERSPORTS SUPERSTAR, JASON WYNYARD, picked up his ninth individual world championship in Norway last month, just after helping his New Zealand colleagues lift the team title.

Defending his crown in front of 5,500 spectators packed into the Hakons Hall in Lillehammer, Jason showed again why he is the best logger sports athlete in the history of the event, blitzing the field with his strength and precision to win the singles competition.

Jason showed his class right from the start as he dominated the leading group, which included top timbersports competitors from Canada, Australia, the US and Europe.

He took the lead by setting the day’s record in his showpiece discipline ‘Single Buck’ – the strength-sapping manual saw. Jason took advantage of his lead and didn’t let go of it until the very end, finishing with an exhilarating performance with his trademark monster hot saw.

Jason literally ‘blew’ away the competition, relegating Australia’s Brad De Losa and Canada’s Mitch Hewitt to second and third places respectively.

In spite of his triumph, the big New Zealander felt he could have turned in a better performance, saying: “I am not completely happy with my competition today, but the title means a great deal to me.

At the end, it all comes down to the Hot Saw and here the smallest details matter.”

A day earlier, Jason had joined his fellow New Zealanders in a bid to win back the team title they last held in 2013. The reigning world champion Australians were hot favourites but were disqualified on

12 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

their way to the finals after surprisingly losing against Poland in the semi-final, resulting from a time penalty due to an early start.

On their triumphant road to the finals, the New Zealanders defeated teams from Great Britain, the USA and then produced a miraculous time of 48.36 seconds to beat their personal best time at 49.76 seconds to down the tough Canadians in the semi-finals before going on to win the championship against the plucky Poles.

“Congratulations to the Polish team, who have demonstrated their skill with a great performance. For us it was a long journey to come here – that‘s why it‘s great to return home with the trophy,” says New Zealand team member Jack Jordan.

Australia took third place after defeating Canada in the minor placings race. Next year the Stihl Timbersports World Champion competion is being held in Liverpool, England. NZL

The World Championship-winning New Zealand team.

ForestTECH 2017

Timberlands takes to the skies NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST FOREST GROWER NOW HAS EYES IN the sky to assist in measuring and managing its vast estate in the central North Island.

Timberlands is among the first to adopt the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, better known as drones, as a key tool in its operations.

But instead of outsourcing everything to a professional drone operator, the company has decided to purchase its own fleet of UAVs and train personnel to fly them for a large percentage of that work.

Hazel Swanson, Forest Engineer at Timberlands told the ForestTECH 2017 conference in Rotorua last month that having this facility in-house provides more flexibility for staff to be able to use the new technology at relatively short notice.

For highly technical tasks, such as LiDAR surveys and thermal imaging during fires, it still uses outside expert assistance from Interpine, which has developed a large UAV resource over the past couple of years, including training people to gain flying qualifications and also supplying drones and support equipment.

Ms Swanson says Timberlands has put six of its staff through the comprehensive 5-day training course already and will be training more users in the future. The company currently has two drones in-house.

“We are still learning, but there is potential for UAV’s to become a very useful resource in our toolbox,” she adds.

The Timberlands team has been using the drones this year to map cut-overs and assess post-harvest blocks for any final work that needs to be done prior to re-planting. One hour spent mapping an area from the air can replace countless hours walking the site on foot.

The drones also came into their own during the mid-winter storms that wreaked havoc in parts of Kaingaroa Forest.

Ms Swanson says the drones were able to provide detailed aerial views of slips and damage to tracks, as well as highlighting where debris was littering water courses, so that remediation plans could be drawn up relatively quickly. Some of these localities were only assessible safely by air. It was also used to direct crews to areas where wind-blown trees needed to be salvaged.

Others tasks drones are being used by Timberlands includes making safe behaviour observations of those working and travelling through its forests to support its H&S programme. The ability to view tree falling, processing and other hazardous operations in close proximity, without putting people in danger, is important.

However, operating drones is not as easy as it appears, says Ms Swanson. There are weather-related issues, since UAV’s are not waterproof and cannot be used in the rain and low cloud limits visibility. They are not able to operate in strong winds, either. Other issues facing operators include drones being attacked by birds and taking extra care in the presence of power lines running through the forest, as well as watching for skylines and yarder lines on a landing.

Drones are fragile and can easily be damaged and Ms Swanson cautions others looking at adopting the technology to budget for

breakages.

Operational restrictions include drones only able to fly within line of sight and under a maximum 120 metres altitude, as well as away from airports and other aircraft. Also, a drone can usually fly for around 20 minutes on one battery charge, so it would pay to purchase spare batteries for larger jobs.

These negatives are outweighed by the advantage and Ms Swanson says Timberlands is looking to upgrade its drone fleet in the future and wants to get contractors involved with the new technology. There could be opportunities to use drones for flying yarder strawlines across gullies and valleys – Interpine is aiming to develop this capability. NZL

Timberlands Forest Engineer, Hazel Swanson, with a Phantom UAV supplied by Interpine.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 13

ForestTECH 2017

Taking a ‘virtual’ walk through a forest VERY SOON, YOU COULD BE WALKING through a forest, checking on standing trees and scouting harvesting sites, without actually being there in person.

Or, a technician will be able to guide you through a repair to equipment in the forest whilst viewing 3D images from a location hundreds or thousands of kilometres away.

Welcome to the world of Virtual Reality.

You know, those goggles that allow you to be transported into a world where everything looks real, but isn’t.

Virtual Reality, or VR for short, is already being used in computer games, but the future of this technology is about to touch the lives of many people in business, including forestry.

A pair of VR demonstrations at last month’s ForestTECH 2017 conference highlighted some of the applications we are likely to see in the very near future.

VR is an extension of the way training institutions currently use machine simulators to train people to operate equipment before they’re let loose on the real thing. But the images are in 2D and often not life-like.

In some of the latest VR applications that have already been created, such as one being used by Hiab to allow a driver to operate a log-loading crane from inside his cab, the images seen inside the goggles are from cameras placed high on the vehicle, which work in unison with the hand controls moving the jib and grapple.

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Aaron Gunn, Technical & Resource Manager with Port Blakely forest managers, tries out VR for himself – on the screen behind him is the image seen in the goggles.

In others, an electronic image is created to provide a 3D view.

Lance Bauerfeind, of Pepper Creative, says VR can transport a person into a 3D world that is a replica of the real thing, where they also have the ability to interact with what they are viewing. In this way, someone can be placed inside the virtual world.

It can become a more effective training tool, not just for beginners who are getting to know a machine or process, but also for qualified technicians who need to be able to rehearse a procedure before attempting the real thing.

“Being able to repeat a procedure until you are competent is a major step towards doing the real thing,” he says.

Mr Bauerfeind’s company has already created VR technology for use in the dairy industry, providing a virtual replica of a modern milking shed that off-site engineers can use to monitor systems in real time, test and troubleshoot a process remotely and see a system working.

Another application he forsees with VR is where an expert who is located in a town or city far away can ‘see’ into a process or machine and talk someone through a repair or maintenance procedure on site. So, if a fault develops in a harvesting machine in a remote forest, a techie might be able to talk through a solution to the operator using VR. And don’t worry about looking like a nerd, Mr Bauerfeind says the cumbersome VR

goggles that are currently in use are likely to be replaced by streamlined glasses or even contact lenses in future.

Meanwhile, a VR application that is specific to forestry is being developed by a team at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory at the University of Tasmania.

Dr Winyu Chinthammit, Deputy Director of the Laboratory, says his team has taken LiDAR point cloud information to create a 3D image of a forest that can be walked through using VR technology.

Even with high resolution LiDAR, there are still gaps in the images, which meant that the trunks of some trees disappeared during early trials with the new system.

Experimenting with aerial and land-based LiDAR imagery, Dr Chinthammit and his team discovered that when they increased the size of the pixels the forest “came to life” and it was easier to navigate through the virtual forest and see the ground, trees and even foliage details.

Using a reference point, a forester wearing the VR goggles could measure trunk girths and gain other aspects from within the forest, without actually setting foot in it physically.

Using this technology, foresters could check on blocks that have had recent LiDAR measures and see how they compare with previous images, to gauge growth. Forest engineers, could also use VR to obtain on-the-ground views as part of their planning for roads, skid sites and yarder landings. NZL

WoodTECH 2017

Forestry subject to Mega Trends TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES ARE GOING TO HAVE A HUGE EFFECT on the future roles of people in forestry, according to an Irish expert.

Jobs will change and the way we work will alter, compared to today, according to Enda Keane, CEO of Irish forestry technology company Treemetrics.

Mr Keane told the ForestTECH 2017 conference in Rotorua last month that he had just returned from a major technology conference in Europe that convinced him the 4th Industrial Revolution – also known as the Industrial Internet of Things – is gathering pace faster than anyone imagined.

“What I saw over the last few days shows that they are planning for an even bigger wave of changes,” he says.

“There are Mega Trends happening in the world that you as foresters, you’ve got to take notice of, especially what’s going on in other industries.

“Machine learning, artificial intelligence, automation and all these other smart technologies are having a huge impact on many industries.

As foresters, you have got to think ‘what is this going to mean’ as far as your role is concerned.

“I know they are predicting that we won’t even need accountants in 20 years, so is forestry going to be any different? No, there will be changes, because change is the only constant.”

Mr Keane says the AgTech industry is leading the way in developing intelligent products, processes and services that communicate with each other and with people over the internet. He is keen to ensure

forestry keeps up with those developments.

Over the past few years, Mr Keane’s company has been developing a suite of technologies that can assist foresters to keep track of their operations and inventory.

Now all these developments have been brought together under an umbrella system called Forest HQ. Mr Keane says that a major drawback with current forestry operations is that they operate in silos and the various peoples working in areas such as mapping, inventory, biometrics, planning, harvesting, marketing and so on rarely talk to each other.

Forest HQ will create a horizontal platform to facilitate collaboration that will control forestry operations more efficiently and effectively.

It groups activities under three key headings; Manage, Measure and Harvest. Information is coordinated across the organisation in a way that makes it easier to share and use.

It will use the latest technology developments to ensure foresters have relevant information on which to base decisions. For instance, sensors in the forest can supply real-time information on tree growth, climatic conditions and soil nutrients/moisture levels. At the harvesting end, the technology will be based on cutting to value and machines are not only linked to the contractor and forest manager electronically but also to each other, so they can work together in a more effective way.

Mr Keane, says his company is looking to partner with people and organisations in New Zealand to deliver the advantages of Forest HQ. NZL

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WoodTECH 2017

Fighting fires with satellites and drones THE DISASTROUS FIRE ON THE PORT HILLS in Canterbury earlier this year saw the first combined use of satellite imagery and drones in containing a blaze in New Zealand.

And forestry consultant, David Herries of Interpine, can see these high-tech tools becoming increasingly important in combating rural fires in the future, as well as assisting foresters in their work.

Mr Herries, who is also a rural fire officer and Resource & GIS Analyst, General Manager Fire & Emergency NZ, told the ForestTECH 2017 conference in Rotorua last month that when he was called to help fight the Port Hills conflagration one of the first things he did was check the latest satellite images for the area.

Until recently, satellite imagery was only useful for providing historic data, which could be weeks or months old, but now a number of satellites pass over New Zealand regularly and some provide free access to their images. He found one that had passed over within hours.

“Using satellite images we could see the extent of the fire,” says Mr Herries, adding that this gave fire fighters a good overview of what they were facing.

In a fire that is spread over a wide area, satellites can be useful in providing a wideranging view, even when the ground is obscured by smoke and clouds, as observers can see near infrared photos of the surface.

Mr Herries called in further assistance from his Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) crew in Rotorua, who flew to Christchurch to deploy drones over the fires, providing real-time coverage of the action much closer

to the action.

Images provided by the drones was used to help direct fire fighters to where they were most needed, as the fire raged across the hills. And after the fire has passed through, drones were then used to pinpoint hot spots, some under the surface, that needed to be doused.

Mr Herries says the two technologies proved that satellites and drones could work in real time during a fire emergency.

With more satellites going into orbit over

New Zealand, he says the opportunity to make use of this resource in general forestry work is also expanding. He believes that even though the free images made available for public use are relatively small in scale, they can still be worthwhile for tasks such as monitoring harvesting operations and checking on storm damage.

Illustrating this, he showed the audience an image of harvesting taking place in a woodlot that clearly identified where the trees were being removed. NZL

Free satellite imagery can be used in everyday forestry work in New Zealand, such as capturing harvesting operations, like this woodlot.

Guide to cost of aerial photography A NEW ONLINE TOOL THAT WILL HELP foresters to calculate the cost of mapping their trees from the air is to be made freely available soon……..courtesy of a group of Australians.

Aerial photography has long been regarded as expensive, but highly useful for generating wide-scale information about the growth and health of a forest. But, until now, it has been difficult for people within forestry to get a grip on the costs of such an exercise without specialist aviation knowledge.

Thanks to a project coordinated and largely funded through Forest & Wood

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Products Australia, foresters will be able to work out the cost of various types of aerial photography to suit their own requirements.

Dr Jon Osborn, a senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania, has been a leading member of the group tasked by FWPA to assess the latest developments in aerial photography and their uses in forestry. This resulted in the production of a Technology & Innovation guide on the deployment and integration of aerial photography for forestry use.

As part of that research, the team has also produced a report called Photogrammetry

for Forestry Inventory that details the costs of utilising aerial platforms, from various light aircraft, down to UAVs, or drones, as well as types of cameras that can be used.

There are tables for the location of the forest, the area to be flown over, flight times and the number of people required, along with details of photographic equipment.

Using this information, the online tool provides an approximate cost of the exercise.

The aerial photography costing tool will go live on the www.fwpa.com.au website over the next few weeks and there will be no charge. NZL

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ROB makes steep slope harvesting easier

The ROB winch-assist system working with Skipps Logging in Northland. Note the stake in the ground connected to a motion monitor behind the dozer to alert the operator should it move.

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The John Deere 850J’s big blade is well and truly dug into the dirt.

I

T MADE PERFECT SENSE THAT WHILE THE NZ LOGGER team was in Northland visiting one of the Rosewarne crews to see the new John Deere 3156G and SouthStar QS630 in action, as tested in last month’s issue, we should also look at their ROB winch-assist system.

After all, we’ve Iron Tested the other major competitors in this uniquely home-grown steep slope harvesting segment, but have yet to put ROB, the Remote Operated Bulldozer, under the microscope.

Lars Rosewarne is not one to blow his own trumpet and it took some gentle persuasion. But when he did agree, in a typically under-stated fashion he suggested it would be more appropriate for us to test a ROB system operating with a customer, rather than one of those working in his crews.

We’d get a more independent and valuable viewpoint, not the selfserving company line, was the reasoning.

While that might speak volumes about his personal integrity, it also underscores the confidence the Rosewarne team has in the ROB system.

It’s a diligent approach, which the ROB team and also other leading manufacturers of winch-assist technology have been following in New Zealand. And with good reason.

All of them acknowledge they are pushing the envelope with this technology, but there is a keen understanding that it has to be thoroughly researched, developed, engineered and then proven, to ensure each of their respective systems is safe and effective to operate.

Any failure could undermine their collective efforts.

No one wants that. As well as putting back the advances made in mechanising more of our forestry operations, it would surely hurt the lucrative export drive that has been built on the innovation of this leading group of New Zealanders. More winch-assist systems are now being built for overseas buyers than for our own market, with Canada, the US Pacific North-West and Chile the main destinations.

I was surprised to learn that of the 26 ROB systems now working in overseas and local forests, just eleven are here in New Zealand, four of

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them in Rosewarne crews.

The machine we are looking at for this Iron Test is among the latest to be delivered locally, which went to work for Tom Skipps in March. Tom operates two crews in Northland and shares the ROB system between them.

But before we begin the Iron Test, let’s recap on the background to the creation of ROB, the Remote Operated Bulldozer, and what led Lars Rosewarne to develop his own approach to harvesting forests on steep land, instead of taking the easy route and buying a winch-assist system from someone else.

As its name suggests, the ROB system is based on a bulldozer, differing from most other winch-assist machines, which are built onto excavator bases.

It’s a direct link back to the original experiments in tethered harvesting conducted by Ross Wood in forests behind Nelson a decade ago. Ross built his simple winch-assist prototype onto a secondhand bulldozer and used it for many years until replacing it with an excavator-based TractionLine designed and built by EMS of Rotorua.

Ross fitted his bulldozer with a single winch drum that ran a line down to a bunching machine to begin with, before later switching to tether a harvester.

Mounting the winching system onto an anchored machine from which a harvester is tethered is sometimes referred to as the Dynamic rope approach, because the rope or ropes are constantly moving across the terrain, as the winch winds or unwinds. The alternative Passive rope system, devised by Nelson-based Kelly Logging/Trinder for their ClimbMAX harvester, has the winch mounted on the harvesting machine down the slope and tethered to either a deadman or stump – so the rope itself remains largely static.

The Dynamic approach appears to have won over most contractors wanting to use winch-assist technology on steep slopes due to the fact the harvester remains largely standard and can be used independently of the winching machine. And whilst the capital outlay on two machines

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can be significantly more at the outset, it’s cheaper to replace the harvester later on.

The new question is whether to go with two ropes or one rope.

Single ropes are still used by ClimbMAX harvesters and also the Falcon Forestry Engineering winch-assist excavators, with each having their own fail-safe systems in order to meet the ACoP rule on secondary safety devices. Others, such as EMS and ROB, have adopted a twin-rope approach to meet the ACoP rule.

Up in Whangarei, the ROB team watched the developments in Nelson with keen interest as they could see the benefits of replacing manual falling with tethered machines that could safely operate on steep terrain in nearly all weathers and conditions.

They preferred two ropes over one, but still liked the idea of fitting the winch drums to a bulldozer because these machines have an inherently lower centre of gravity, compared to an excavator. Secondly, the blade on a dozer is much bigger than an excavator bucket and makes an excellent anchor. And thirdly, Lars believes that bulldozers give the tethered machine a wider working arc than an excavator, as the fairleads deliver up to 45° working width either side of the bulldozer. Newer fairlead designs for some of the latest winch-assist excavators has improved their work spread, but ROB still has the edge in this respect.

Thus, the decision to go with a twin-rope bulldozer base was made.

Trouble was, no one was building the system Lars wanted, so he approached Whangarei forest machinery engineer, Iain May, and together they devised the Remote Operated Bulldozer winch-assist system under a joint venture called Rosewarne & May Limited.

Starting from scratch on something as complicated and safetyconstrained as a remote-controlled, tethered harvesting system that will

be working on slopes as steep as 45-degrees, wet or shine and in vastly different temperature zones, is not an easy task.

Lars freely admits to many hours of frustrations that taxed the ROB team’s patience, especially in developing the complex electronics.

“It was an absolute pain,” he says. “Wireless communication in the bush is difficult at the best of times. Sending signals one way is OK, but it’s harder to get two-way transmission to work successfully all the time. You don’t want to be losing the signal half-way through a tricky operation on a steep hill.”

The team’s persistence paid off and four years ago the basic development work on ROB was behind them and the first machine was delivered to a Rosewarne crew.

They settled on a D6 size bulldozer as the base for their winch-assist system, initially using the 20-tonne Liebherr 734, one of which was delivered to their first New Zealand customer, Alan Sinton. But more recently they’ve been working with the similarly sized John Deere 850J. The choice of dozer is dictated by whether it is equipped with hydrostatic drive. Hydrostatic drive is more user friendly, offers more precise and smoother control and has the benefit of hydrostatic braking, which means no frictional, external braking system is required.

Hydrostatic braking is also maintenance free and no need for manual adjustments.

Due to the hydrostatic system there is better traction control, which reduces track spin on hills and soil damage is minimised. That gives the operator the ability to work up to 45 degrees.

ROB is fully electronically monitored through its computer. Any problems with overheating, oil and water levels, or blown hoses and the machine will automatically shut down and apply the holding brakes.

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Above: The ROB bulldozer is positioned on a tight platform next to the main landing so that the last trees in this pocket can be harvested.

Above right: The John Deere 909MH harvester begins its descent.

Right: The drums on the John Deere 850J bulldozer play out the rope through the large sheaths attached either side of the blade.

ROB also has a system that instantly shuts down the winches in the event a rope jumps off the drums. This can only be reset manually from inside ROB itself. And if the whole dozer moves up on the top of the slope, a motion monitor fitted to a stake in the ground behind it will also shut the system down as a precaution.

“When you are tethering, you don’t see the machine, so anything can happen, and we’ve built simple fail-safe systems into it, as this is what you rely on,” adds Lars.

The ROB system runs two sets of ropes – each 500 metres of swaged rope – through a pair of sheaths on either edge of the dozer blade, running down to a wedge socket, which connects to a 4-metre chain and is shackled to a pivoting drawbar. The early models were fitted with an equalising block and a fixed drawbar, but this modification has less moving parts and is simpler for the operator. This gives a total of 21 tonnes safe working load, although Lars adds “we only use up to 10, as we are tethering, because it’s assist, not support”.

When you calculate the 4-to-1 multiplier effect on the safe working load of the ropes it works out at an astonishing 86 tonnes, so there’s a lot of safety margin built in.

ROB’s winches are engineered for a 5-to-1 ratio if the rope is upgraded to a 7/8 power-pak instead of swaged.

Inside the harvester on the slope, the operator can monitor the amount of tension that is on the rope through the screen via information fed from the ROB bulldozer. ROB has two individual tension monitors, but the operator can view both ropes off the one screen and is aware if tensions have altered, at a glance.

Apart from the obvious difference between a bulldozer and excavator, ROB works pretty much like the other winch-assist systems we’ve sampled – with one major exception, ROB does not have a pedal sync

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system. Other systems make use of electronics that sync the winch controls to the foot pedals, so that when the operator is walking the harvester up and down the slope the rope winds in or out automatically.

ROB uses trigger controls instead and this was designed for simplicity and flexibility.

Lars says the initial aim was to make ROB simple and fool-proof, eliminating opportunities for things to go wrong.

They are currently looking into offering a D8 or D9 dozer as an option to the D6 base, which will not only add more anchorage weight at the top of the slope, but also deliver even more line pull. Is that move really necessary? For most crews, probably not, but those who operate in exceptionally tough locations and need the extra bang they’ll get for their bucks, it would be a useful upgrade.

Latest New Zealand customer, Tom Skipps, is happy with the way his John Deere 850J-based ROB is currently performing and doesn’t see the need for a larger dozer base, in spite of the difficult terrain and ground conditions. His ROB winch-assist system is tethering a John Deere 909 MH levelling harvester fitted with a Duxson felling head.

Since NZ Logger last visited Tom in 2012 his operation has gone from just a single crew harvesting forests on the Northland east coast for Rayonier / Matariki to a two-crew set-up working for HFM (Hancock) on some very steep sites further inland.

One of the conditions for working with HFM is that harvesting needs to be fully mechanised for safety reasons, which necessitated a change from manual falling for the Skipps Logging team.

“Mechanisation is the way the industry is going,” says Tom. “At the end of the day, if you want to carry on logging you’ve got to move with the times and we’re looking to make things as safe as we possibly can for our crews.

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Right: The John Deere 909MH walks down the hill with minimal tension on the ropes.

Bottom: A pair of huge chains connect the ropes with the chassis of the harvester.

“When we picked up this work with Hancock it was part of my agreement to get a felling machine on a tether – we’d been looking at it anyway, and it was handy that we have two crews that we can alternate it with. Allows us to work it more productively.”

Log making is already done mechanically by processors with both crews and the only manual work still undertaken is breaking out – though they do use automatic chokers, which dispense with the need for a poleman under the towers.

When shopping around for a winch-assist system to mechanise the falling operation, Tom decided to keep it local, saying: “I wanted to support a local business, and if anything goes wrong the back-up is on the doorstep.”

He cites others reason for going with the ROB: “It’s the strongest machine on the market. It’s got double what anything else has. And just the stability of the blade – it’s a lot more solid in the ground than a bucket.

“Some of the places where we are working would be very tricky with an excavator, whereas the bulldozer allows you to do more. And the system on the ROB means you can set your resistance and turn it right

down if you want to and walk away without putting too much strain on it.

“The safety features on it are excellent. It will only give you 450 metres of rope and then it will stop. If the rope flicks off it will tell you.

“But the biggest thing for us was the winching power – that’s a 45 tonne machine (the 909MH) on the end of the rope and we had it stuck before and we managed to pull it up, with double purchasing the ropes through a couple of blocks. There was no way that could have been done with another machine.

“And if the dozer gets stuck it will get itself out of trouble.”

Tom likes the compactness of the John Deere 850J, especially when there isn’t much room to position it at the top of a slope – like today, where it’s squeezed onto a narrow shelf adjacent to the landing where Crew 81 has the Thunderbird yarder situated, as well as the processing, stacking and loading operations.

Crew 81 is clearing the last of this block right at the top of a bluff in the Opouteke Forest, south of Kaikohe and it’s one of the more difficult sites to reach, up a steep and twisting track that becomes even more difficult for trucks and utes after heavy rain – like today.

Those conditions need to be kept in mind when shifting the winch-

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Above right: The design of these sheaths allows the harvester on the ropes to work in a wide arc on the hill.

Above left: Operating controls and monitor inside the bulldozer cab.

Above centre: Adjusting the tension on the ropes is easy through the control monitor. The manual trigger that controls the speed is just visible on the right handset.

Main: Iron Tester, Stan Barlow, deftly picks up the chains and ropes to ensure they don’t get tangled in stumps or debris on the ground as he walks out to the spur.

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assist/harvesting machines between the Skipps crews – on top of the 909’s 45 tonnes, the 850J’s base weight of 20 tonnes has risen to 26.5 tonnes with the additional drums, rope and sheaths of the ROB system.

Tom says they try and keep the two machines at one site long enough to put a decent number of trees on the ground before swapping them to the next crew. And it helps that Skipps Crew 80 is not too far away, at Pipiwai Forest, which is about an hour’s drive.

Since the two John Deere’s arrived earlier in the year, the supply of wood to the landing has improved markedly.

“That’s a situation I haven’t been in for years,” says Tom. “It’s good when you are falling and you’ve got little pockets that would normally hold you up, or you might have a bit of wind-throw that you are having to deal with. Being able to do that with the harvester on the rope makes it all work without putting people in danger or holding things up.

“We’ve definitely made some good gains in production and that is helping pay for the machines. And being able to run them across the two crews you are getting twice the benefit. For a single crew in our situation, it would be quite difficult to justify the expense.”

Tom likes to be involved in establishing each winch-assist setting, along with the operator. Between them, they walk the slope and discuss the best position for the dozer and what the harvester will be able to reach, as well as identifying hazards.

The arrival of the two John Deere machines this year has been a double dose of new experiences for Tom – it’s not only his first winchassist system, but also his first harvesting machine with a levelling cab, which pleased the operator because he found it easier being able to work at a more comfortable angle.

Because the 909 arrived more than two months ahead of the ROB dozer, the operator was able to acquaint himself with how it felt on the slopes prior to tethering and he believes it helped because he wasn’t having to get used to two new pieces of equipment at the same time.

He did, however, admit to a few butterflies in the stomach the first time he went harvesting on the end of a rope and was happy being able to fall trees on the slope and “not be putting myself in danger than I would be if I was harvesting without a rope”.

Although I’ve seen the Sinton ROB system up close and familiarised myself with its workings, his two machines were different, being a Liebherr dozer and Cat harvester. So it was useful to see how the

controls for the ROB system are set up in this pair of John Deeres.

The dozer first. It’s a beautifully engineered piece of kit. The big dual winch assembly on the rear is well crafted and there’s just a short distance for the rope from each drum to feed through the sheaths built onto the top outer edges of the blade. And the blade itself is buried well into the ground.

In the cab there’s not much sign that this is anything other than a standard bulldozer, except for a monitor on the left of the dashboard and three switches next to it, which are for operating the ROB winches when in ROB mode. The bulldozer can still be operated like any other normal bulldozer.

The monitor shows the tension on the ropes connected to each drum (marked as A and B) on the left side, with the speed displayed on the right. These settings can be made from up here in the dozer, as well as in the 909.

Down in the 909 cab is an identical monitor that enables the operator to mimic the same inputs from his seat while he is piloting the harvester on the hill.

The operator can watch the rope being played out on the screen underneath the monitor, via a camera on the back of the 909 that looks towards the dozer. There are no cameras up on the dozer itself, watching the drums or looking down to the 909.

While the maximum tension is just over 10 tonnes per drum, it rarely goes anywhere near that limit.

The operators have never seen it go above three tonnes during regular operation, adding that it might peak at four tonnes when dropping over a steep lip at the top of the slope.

The tension is usually set at 2 or 2.5 tonnes and they may “tweak it a bit” if they are walking down, just to hold the machine back, then reduce it when the slope flattens out so it doesn’t act as a drag.

As mentioned earlier, the operator has a trigger on each of the Sure Grip hand controls that work the winches, spooling out or winding in the rope at a set speed. The speed is entered on the monitor and for most work on the hill it is usually kept around the mid-way point, at 38. This equates to the 909’s turtle walk speed.

The operators who have been on the harvester appear to be happy controlling it through the triggers and aren’t fazed about not having the winches operating automatically through the foot pedals.

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IFICATION

SPECIFICATIONS – ROB – REMOTE OPERATED BULLDOZER BASE MACHINE

BLADE

PAT closed cell design Model Type John Deere 850J on standard tracks with single grousers, forestry guarded Width 3,708mm Engine Height 1,230mm John Deere PowerTech Plus 6090H common rail diesel, Tier III Gross Power Lift Height 143kW @ 1,800rpm SAE (192hp) 1,071mm Max Torque Tilt 498mm 828Nm @1,500rpm TRANSMISSION Type

Automatic, dual path, hydrostatic drive; independently selectable ratios

HYDRAULICS Load sensing System type 163 L/min Max flow Pressure 3,625psi

Above and below: The distinctive ROB branding on the dozer.

BANNER BANNER BANNER 1 71

TWIN WINCH SYSTEM

Winch drum size Winch pull effort Winch speed

Standard drum holds 500m of 7/8’ swaged wire rope x 2 21 tonnes (10.5 tonnes per winch) Variable and auto, set on the machine by operator, controlled by handset triggers Winch Hydraulics 170 BAR pressure needed Surveillance Camera on back of harvester provides view of rope and dozer ROB operating weight 26,500kg

They haven’t experienced any heart-in-themouth moments on the hills and say the whole set-up is very stable and safe.

It’s all about anchoring. Together with Tom, they look for positions that are as flat as possible so the blade can be dug in deep. The idea is to always have some tension on the ropes, but without feeling like the machine is being held back as they go in to fall trees.

Falling trees with the added safety of being on a tether, regardless of steepness of the slope, is a comforting thought. Being able to operate the 909 with the seat at or near level is a bonus. By picking the right approach, there have only been a few times where the slope has got anywhere near the self-imposed limit of 45-degrees.

Even though the hill where it is perched today looks very steep in places, the harvester is able to negotiate the spur down to the trees without it going over 30 degrees after it has dropped over the lip. There’s no electronic device to show the slope angle, but the operator can check with a hand-held level if necessary.

From a safe distance, Iron Tester Stan Barlow and I watch as ROB plays out the two ropes until the harvester gets to a point where it is turned to the left to start falling the first of the trees.

The operators like the speed and dexterity of the Duxson head and we are seeing those attributes put to good use as trees are quickly laid on the ground and then bunched for the yarder.

After creating a wide pathway into the stand, the harvester is walked out, with the ropes picked up in the head’s grapple to raise them off the ground as the ROB system winds in so they are not

caught up or damaged.

Although the winches are not automatically synchronised with the 909’s travel speed, the manual system seems to work effectively, even if it is something else the operator needs to think about. Stan is thinking about that, too, as this is the first manual winch-assist system he’s experienced.

Before Stan takes over in the cab, we agree that he will test the winch-assistance on the spur so he can familiarise himself with the trigger operation and see how much tension he requires on the ropes before he goes falling – having previous experience on a 909 he already knows how the machine itself operates.

Driving up and then back down the hill, Stan soon gets to grips with the ‘feel’ of the manual trigger operation and the tension that is on the ropes. Once he’s comfortable, he decides to walk into the stand and clear some trees for Eric. You can read his comments on page 30.

The fact that he’s on a slope of some 28-to-30 degrees underlines the importance of how winchassist systems like ROB enables a 45-tonne harvester to access and then fall trees safely and productively.

Lars Rosewarne has calculated that a single operator can harvest as much as 700 tonnes per day utilising the ROB system – figures that a ground base crew would be proud of, let alone one that is working on steep terrain. Yes, there’s much more investment in machinery, transporting and setting it up, but you can’t argue with those returns.

Tom Skipps certainly isn’t. NZL

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CONFIDENCE BY DESIGN. “We typically harvest wood in the two to three tonne piece size and we are doing 500 to 600 tonnes per day.

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11/21/17 4:31 PM

iron test: Stan Barlow

Learning the ropes

I

’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE ROB Iron Test, as it is my first experience of a winchassist system that uses a bulldozer as the anchor and winching machine, instead of an excavator.

I do like the way it’s set up. Very neat and simple.

The idea of positioning the ropes close to the ground keeps the downforce low in case it does pull forward, so it digs itself in deeper. It will take a lot to shift that blade, which is kind of comforting when you’re in a 45-tonne machine on the end of a 7/8” wire rope on a hill.

That wasn’t the only thing I found different with the ROB system. On other winch-assist machines, the mechanism to control winching the ropes in and out is done automatically through the travel pedals on the harvester. Not in this one. You’ve got manual triggers on the hand controls.

For someone jumping into the cab for the first time it is something else to think about and I did have to consciously make a decision when wanting to wind the rope in or out. With time in the seat that would become second nature. I made a few trips up and down the slope to familiarise myself with how to match the winching of the ropes with the travel speed of the 909 and it didn’t take long to feel comfortable.

Yes, it would be great if it was integrated into the pedals, but having said that, it works, and it works well. It’s less complicated, too, so maybe something less to go wrong.

So, for the record, the trigger to wind in the rope is on the left-hand control and to wind out you press the trigger on the right.

Fortunately, the controls for the 909 are set up in the Cat pattern, which is very familiar to me, so I didn’t have to think about too much else.

Walking the machine down on that face, you’re not very conscious of the ropes behind you, even though you can see them on the screen, from the rear-facing camera. The slope was not that steep and the 909 had good traction, so it wasn’t necessary to have much tension on the ropes. In fact, it almost felt like I was travelling on the flat, especially with the cab tilted level.

As this was my first time, I did keep a close watch on the screen to see what weight was on the ropes. If it heads into the red then you know you are starting to put more weight on them. So I’m making sure I have the right balance operating the foot pedals for the tracks and the triggers on the joysticks for the winches. You’ve got the two levels on the display to let you know that the winches are synchronised, reading the tonnage on both. It was good to see that when I was winding in, both were in sync.

If they are not in sync there is a dial on the display you can turn up or down to get a higher speed. During one of the test runs, walking up the hill, the 909 was travelling a bit faster than the winches were winding in as I weaved across from one side of the track to the other, so turning that dial I was able to get them to the same speed.

Once I mastered the rope tension and use of the

Iron Tester, Stan Barlow. triggers, it was time to try some falling.

I made sure my approach to the tree was right first time, as I didn’t want to back up with the ropes behind me. Once I had the felling head positioned to grab and cut there was no need to lock the winches or anything, just make the cut. It all felt very stable. A couple of times I had some slack in the ropes and felt a bit of movement in the base so it was just a matter of applying some tension to make the machine stable. The felling was made easier with the Duxson head, it’s got good grip and a very fast saw.

I’ve operated a few 909 harvesters and they are never short of slew or lift power. It’s a good feeling to be able to swing the tree as it’s coming down and put it exactly where you want.

On the way back up the slope I did need to use the grapple arms to lift the ropes off the ground and away from stumps and debris. Once I was pointed straight I kept a little more tension in the ropes to help with traction on a few tricky places, but mostly the 909 had enough power and traction to keep climbing.

It was another new experience for me, but an enjoyable one. NZL

K • • • • • •

K • There’s a maximum of 21 tonnes of pull available from the pair of ROB winches on the rear of the dozer.

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Above: The new Thode Knife & Saw headquarters in Rotorua has more space for its latest manufacturing and sharpening machines.

Thode’s new HQ officially open

S

AW MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER, THODE KNIFE & SAW, has officially opened its new headquarters building in Rotorua, where it is better placed to service and support customers in the sawmilling and wood processing sector.

Being closer to major sawmilling customers was a strong consideration for moving the head office from Auckland, in addition to being able to have a larger building that was more cost-effective, says Adrian Hoogeveen, General Manager of Thode Knife & Saw. The company has shifted two kilometres down the road from the previous branch location to a building in a more high profile position in Te Ngae Road. It’s around 35% larger and offers more showroom, workshop and warehousing space and facilities, along with better parking for customers.

“The new building is far more suited to our operation particularly being an approved transitional facility we have the room and layout to handle containers freely,” says Mr Hoogeveen.

“Our capacity has increased considerably for bandsaw manufacturing and servicing as a result of new equipment and we can now service circular saws in Rotorua as well as Auckland.

Our machines are all state-of-the-art CNC, requiring less operator input and able to do a far superior job.

“The move gave us the ability to create a much better, more efficient factory layout and introduce new machinery in a controlled well-planned manner with room and planning for future development.”

32 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

December 2017/January2018 | issue 39

Among the features of the new equipment that Thode has installed at Rotorua is the introduction of waterjet cutting of saw blades, which creates greater efficiencies along with CNC grinding machines and automatic tension and level machines.

There is also greater room to display product and machinery, including the latest range of new Iseli sharpening machines to sell to customers.

With the new premises fully operational, the Thode team took the opportunity to host an official opening event recently to show customers the latest in saw and sharpening technology.

Thode now has 20 staff working out of the new premises in Rotorua, along with others around New Zealand and also in Australia.

Established back in 1946, Thode remains a New Zealand-owned company servicing and supplying industrial knives and saws and its sales consultants are qualified saw doctors with many years of experience. NZL

timber profile

Milburn gets a new lease of life Words & photos: Jim Childerstone

Above: The new 7-megaWatt Politechnik boiler is run from waster produced by the mill.

Top right: The Milburn saw mill site after redevelopment.

Bottom right: Bin sorter operator, Villane Foster, with Operations Manager Blair Watson.

A

FTER FLIRTING WITH CLOSURE UNDER ITS PREVIOUS owners, the sawmill at Milburn, south of Dunedin, has been given a new lease of life under Pan Pac ownership.

Three years ago, things were looking glum for sawmilling in this part of the country after Southern Cross Forest Products, which owned the Milburn plant, was placed in receivership.

While some parts of that business closed for good, Pan Pac decided to make its first foray into the South Island and purchased the Milburn plant to boost its wood production in this country.

Following a major additional investment in new plant and equipment, costing around $23 million, the newly refurbished mill was declared fully operational in July of this year, resulting in

a visit by NZ Logger/ NZ Timber to see how it’s all come together.

The revamp has doubled the mill’s output from 50,000 cubic metres of lumber per year to 100,000 cubic metres.

When we visited the mill, near Milton and just off the main highway south, it was processing some 900 tonnes of logs for the day.

This converts to roughly 450 cubic metres of lumber, of which, 95% is destined for overseas markets. Chip production is transported to the Dongwha Mataura MDF plant near Gore.

What’s left, in the form of bark and sawdust, fuels the company's massive 7-megaWatt Polytechnik boiler, which effectively keeps the new Windsor continuous drying kilns supplied with all the heat they need.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 33

Plant Operations Manager, Blair Watson, says that while the mill is targeting some 100,000 cubic metres per annum to start with, it has the capacity to increase this as demand requires. The plant occupies just 5 hectares of the total 37-hectare site, so there is plenty of scope to increase its footprint.

All the bells and whistles – full automation This really is a state of the art operation, featuring some of the newest and most environmentally efficient wood processing technology available and utilising electronically monitored automation, from log entry to finished product, to boost efficiency and product quality.

It employs 37 mixed gender, full-time locally-sourced employees, up from 25 people prior to the upgrade. Some working in cabs viewing banks of screens, while the rest are involved in hands-on roles, stacking and loading machines with others monitoring operations from the floor. Health and Safety is very much to the fore. Outside, there’s one person operating the wheeled loader, handling logs in the log yard.

Above: Debarked logs on the log deck before heading into the mill.

Opposite page: Barbara Harwood operating the dry mill stacker.

New optimism Things are most certainly looking bright under the Pan Pac ownership, but it wasn’t always that way. The mill has had a chequered history. The site was originally bought by a US-based company, Brightwood, nearly 20 years ago.

As the forestry industry’s fortunes waxed and waned, the Milburn sawmill’s fortunes followed suit and Brightwood eventually moved on. It came under the control of Southern Cross, whose efforts to establish it as a sound business were undermined by stiff competition from more modern overseas wood processors.

Now under the control of Pan Pac, it’s future is looking much brighter. The Japanese-

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34 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

No Th up ge

Ca

owned company, now part of Oji Holdings, has been part of the forestry structure in New Zealand for the past 44 years, through its mill and forest assets in Hawkes Bay. The annual turnover of Pan Pac’s operations in New Zealand exceed $350m p.a. and is mostly export focused with lumber exports going to more than 17 countries. The key markets, ex-Milburn, are Asian Pacific rim countries, including China.

Many were surprised by Pan Pac’s move into Otago, but company boss Doug Ducker said at the time of the purchase that it was a strategic move that would help support the overall business in New Zealand. Over the next decade and a half, a large amount of wood will be coming out of the Otago / Southland forests that were planted in the 1990s and the Milburn sawmill is well placed to process it.

The annual harvest is forecast to increase from approximately 2.2 million cubic metres today to around 3 million cubic metres in the late 2020s, and should be maintained at these levels due to an increasing volume of Douglas-fir coming to maturity (see Processing opportunities in Otago and Southland, for more details of the forestry resource).

Mr Watson says the company is confident that the investment will pay dividends with those sorts of numbers coming into play.

Logs are sourced from various local forest owners, including woodlots, which are expected to become a much bigger source of supply in the future. The Otago trees arriving at Milburn produce small-to-mid-sized logs from the upper stem cut at four metre lengths measuring down to 20 cm small end diameters for K grade, and averaging 30-40 cm for desired A grade logs.

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The lumber is marketed predominantly for re processing into clear wood grades for furniture and interior linings at destination. The rest of the cut is targeted as industrial wet or Kiln dried flitch products for packaging.

Maintaining this output requires some 30 truck and trailer loads a day into the log yard. From here automatic conveyor belts send logs in quick succession through a de-barker for scanning, using a USNR scanning and positioning system into the quad band saw. Flitches are cut into desired sizes and dimensional boards are cut for standard cutting grade sizes.

From there, they are conveyed through the automated sorting system for filleting and stacking ready for drying.

The brand new continuous kiln system incorporates pre-heating, drying, forced cooling and conditioning phases all in one extended chamber.

The timber is automatically advanced through the 60-metre long drying line on two opposing rails, based on temperature (around 95degC), time and moisture content. It takes around 65 hours for timber to emerge from the kiln, travelling at an average speed of 1.5 metres per hour.

The system provides improved uniformity

38 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

Above: Timber on the trimmer outfeed table.

Below: Mill Operations Manager, Blair Watson, keeps an eye on the trimmer unscrambler.

Top left: Luke Muckle at the controls of the saw mill stacker.

Top right: The new boiler and continuous drying kiln are controlled through these computer screens.

in drying and energy efficiency gains, Mr Watson explains.

Although the mill currently operates with one shift, the kiln works around the clock.

Prior to the latest upgrade, Pan Pac had been using the redundant Millstream plant at Milton for kiln drying, but has now consolidated the production on a single site. The on-site dry mill plant completes the process of sorting for customer requirements.

Processing opportunities in Otago and Southland Lumber production in the two provinces has averaged 340,000 cubic metres p.a. over the five years from 2012 to 2016 (march year figures). The majority of this production is exported, with an average of 191,000 m3 of sawn timber going through Port Chalmers and Southport annually. The proportion of the regional harvest processed in some form (principally sawn timber and MDF board) has ranged between 40% and 45% over this period.

The balance of the harvest has been exported as logs. The log export trade from this region in the same period (2012-

40 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

2016 June figures) averaged just under 1.1 million m3 p.a, with approximately two-thirds of the volume passing through Port Chalmers. The regional harvest has the potential to grow to a sustainable level of around 3 million cubic metres from the late 2020s, according to official forecasts.

The forecasts note that the growth in Douglas-fir supply from the mid-2020s provides further opportunities to develop new markets and product lines.

Important challenges over the next decade include coordinating the timber supply from smaller growers (particularly those with single age stands), attracting and retaining skilled workers and maintaining the scheduled shipping links to key markets.

Within the sector, there are opportunities for productivity gains through the greater use of high productivity vehicles (both for logs and processed timber products), along with further automation of processing systems and increased skill training.

There are also significant gains to be made in the recovery of wood to increase lumber production using optimised scanning systems and improved sawing technology. NZL

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Ninety-four years carting logs Words & driver photos:

By John Cohen-du Four

Two recently retired Nelson Forests log truck drivers look back with pleasure on their long careers.

T

HIS YEAR SAW THE RETIREMENT OF TWO OF NELSON Forests’ longest-serving log truck drivers – Gary Gardiner of Waimea Contract Carriers and Peter Friend from Stuart Drummond Transport.

With a combined total of ninety-four years behind the wheel, there’s not a lot these two haven’t seen.

And while many changes have come and gone over time – not least the rigs and regulations – one thing has clearly never wavered: their infectious love for the log trucking life.

Gary first hit the road as a twenty-year-old in the mid-1960s, saying: “I cut my teeth in the industry over in Collingwood with Sollys. They had a fleet of Bedfords and I drove every one of them.”

In the ‘70s Gary began driving for Irvines on general freight.

“They were different times back then,” he laughs. “Like when the rail was out – we could easily put in 18-to-20-hour days! I think my longest stint was a run from Nelson to Christchurch, to Blenheim, back to Christchurch, down to Invercargill and back again to Christchurch.”

42 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

In 1981 Gary switched to wood. He welcomed the change, adding: “By that time I was sick of freight, of working under covers. My very first job, as a young man, had been in a sawmill, so I’d always had a connection to timber. Besides, I’m a deerstalker, hunter and fisherman – I love the outdoors. Carting logs seemed a pretty good idea.”

Gary drove with Radiata Transport for the NZ Forest Service and says: “I was mainly carrying native Beech, plus some pine leftovers out of the Golden Downs.

“As time went by I worked for TNL and Peter Gibbons. In 1998, I went to Waimea Contract Carriers and never looked back.”

With an impressive fifty years of experience, Gary has a unique perspective on how the industry has developed.

“To my mind, the biggest changes have been with the quality of the trucks themselves. Innovations such as higher stanchions, with no extension or pop-up pins. Lowering the suspension allowed for their greater height. It kept drivers off the back of trucks. This was around the year 2000, and was a big move in Health and Safety.”

tall timber

Gary recalls an industry-wide consultation process that brought further health and safety improvements, like the shift to lighter chains, which “went from 7mm down to 5-6mm, easier to throw over”.

Another change was the move from using twitches.

“We called them racks,” he says, “because you’d rack down the load (to winches). Winches gave us tighter, safer loads, with less risk of losing logs.”

Perhaps, from a pure driving point of view, some of the greatest changes Gary recalls were in horsepower and suspension. ”Horsepower effectively doubled,” he says. “We needed that grunt – it allowed our payloads to go up from 23 tonnes to 34, and made it easier for us to get out of the forest tracks.”

Meanwhile, improved truck and cab suspension was another welcome development.

Above: The fleet of Bedfords at Sollys in the ‘60s, which Gary Gardiner drove.

Opposite page: Gary Gardiner in front of his last Waimea truck, his beloved Scania 500, 4-axle trailer multi-bunk.

Bottom: Gary Gardiner’s first real log truck, the LW Kenworth of Radiata Transport, c.1981.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 43

“Those early Kenworths and Mercedes, with their rigid seats and cabs,” Gary chuckles, “you used to put your jersey underneath you.”

It’s the comfort factor for Gary that also puts European trucks like Mercedes, Volvo and Scania ahead of their American counterparts, adding: “They’re easier to get in and out of.”

Gary retired in April this year but is still doing the odd stint for Waimea, such as taking empty trucks for their CoFs. What does he miss most about a working life spent on the road and in the bush?

“I just love driving,” he says.

“Looking at the countryside, the scenery. My favourite stretch was the ‘peeler run’ to the Coast. I’d take peeler logs to Greymouth, unload at International Panel and Lumber for manufacture into plywood, head into the bush anywhere between Reefton and Hokitika, and fetch export or chip logs back to Nelson.

“It was an all-day shift – one load down, one load back.

In the wet, it’s a whole lot better than changing loads 4-to-6 times. That’s why we wore shorts – I still do – legs dry quicker than wet pants!”

Above left: A proud Peter Friend with some well-earned recognition.

Above right: ‘Lady’ in the rough – Peter Friend’s Western Star being loaded on the skid site. (Photo: Truck Journal).

I

T p t a g i

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44 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

NZ-Log

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Above: Peter’s favourite truck, his Western Star ‘Star Lady’. Below: Peter Friend’s LW Kenworth crossing a river. (Photos: Truck Journal).

Like Gary, Peter Friend’s first working experience was with timber.

“It was 1970, I was fifteen years old and couldn’t get away from school fast enough,” Peter says. “I went to work felling trees. But it was really tough going – the kind of work senior bushmen should’ve been doing, not a kid.”

Peter switched to a sawmill where he drove the forklift and loader. He liked the driving and three years later took to a life on the road, starting with local contractor Snow Edgar.

“I wasn’t with Snow for long, but he managed to have me sit as many licenses as he could. I got them all, except bus and taxi.” Peter laughs. “It was the only time in my life I swotted!”

Sitting behind the wheel of an 18-tonne single-axle tip trailer Commer truck, Peter remembers the feeling: “I thought I was made.”

Peter drove for WE Wilkes for eight years, handling a variety of rigs, before moving on to Mytton Bros, where he travelled all over Nelson and the West Coast hauling mainly native logs.

After a move to Port Transport for a

46 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

WHANG Marcus

NORTH Charles James

“When they finally had to let me go, Stu held my position for an extra six weeks just to give me the time I needed to sort out my finances,” says Peter.

“As a subcontractor that meant a lot to me. But then Drummonds is like that – old school values. They look after their team.”

Peter was immediately hired back by the company as a driver, where he remained until his retirement this year.

“My hip gave up,” he says, “but I’ve got a new one booked in before the end of the year!”

Peter reckons NML has been the best company he’s ever worked for – especially regarding the company’s rigid commitment to Health and Safety.

“They are sticklers when it comes to safety,” he says. “Like when they insisted all trucks change from racks to winches. And reduced driving times to reduce fatigue and error. Also, how they keep their skid sites clean to reduce the chance of slips.

“At Kaituna Mill, they even insist drivers remain in their trucks until they’re fully unloaded. And NML’s roads are so well maintained. And their servicing of gear, the regular maintenance – it’s absolutely stringent. It’s all about keeping people safe.

After all, everyone wants to get home at night.”

Peter will miss his life behind the wheel – but not the early starts.

“Over the last five years I’ve been up at 3am every day, five days a week, on the road by 4:30,” he says, then adds with a broad smile: “Folk reckoned when I fired up, I was Rai Valley’s alarm clock! NZL

LG26711

six-year stint, Peter was champing at the bit to become an ownerdriver in his own right.

He says: “I took the plunge. Mortgaged my house, borrowing at – get this! – 26.5% interest. It was a hell of a lot to take on. But H Baigent & Sons really helped me by giving me a 5-year contract with right of renewal. It was the security I needed.”

Peter paid them back big time, hauling for Baigents for a total of twenty-five years.

“The hours I put in were incredible,” he says. “And back then, early on, I did all my own maintenance, too.”

Peter soon built up a reputation for focusing on improving his own Health and Safety measures, like fitting scales to his rig to stop the loader from overloading his truck: “It maximised my on-highway loads and protected the forest roads from being unnecessarily churned up.

“When Tom Broderick from Baigents heard about this, he immediately gave me a 5% rate increase and offered it to all drivers to encourage them to make the outlay to fit scales. He understood that our investing in the best gear and best practice promoted safety in the forest. He also ensured operators worked reasonable hours, even having us knock off by 1pm on Fridays so we could go home and service our trucks.”

But times were changing. The mid-‘90s saw the industry start to swing away from owner-operators. By 2004-5 Peter was the very last one in the region, finishing off working for Nelson Management Ltd (NML) through Stuart Drummond Transport.

Logging took a downturn and it was a hard time. But Peter can’t say enough about Stu and Brodie Drummond.

www.abequipment.co.nz WHANGAREI Marcus Bourke 027 241 6126 NORTH HARBOUR Charles Dryden 021 751 158 James Maunsell 021 937 304

AUCKLAND Colin Saunders 027 593 2661 Byren Ware 027 287 8902

TAUPO Steve Mellar 027 565 3956 Garth Topless 027 579 6597

HAMILTON Tony Hennessy 027 839 8153

MT MAUNGANUI Andre Muller 027 550 1729

Forestry Project Manager: Mark Hill 027 503 0483 HASTINGS Ben Kendrick 021 658 554

NELSON Chris Jones 027 574 1712

DUNEDIN Cory Hellyer 027 288 1952

WELLINGTON/ PALMERSTON NORTH Mardi Pritchard 021 335 873

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INVERCARGILL Dean Cousins 021 932 246

NZ LOGGER – THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF FICA

Partnerships key to future industry success I

N MID-NOVEMBER, SILVICULTURE contractors across the country came together to attend a public meeting that also included frontline managers from forest companies.

The reason for the meeting was to highlight concerns that are now seriously challenging the viability and sustainability of many silviculture contracting businesses. These include labour shortages, training issues and financial stresses in their operations.

At the meeting, FICA members identified a number of key issues that a pan-industry action group could deal with, including: 1. Immigration New Zealand Income Threshold Policy; 2. Special considerations necessary for work visas in silviculture; 3. Lack of training and career development; 4. High turnover, low retention and chronic shortage of skilled workers; 5. Need for better worker and contractor financial incentives and rewards.

Later in the month, FICA took a delegation of silviculture members to meet with the board of the NZ Forest Owners Association (FOA). The group summarised the concerns associated with the above key issues, with a view to gaining agreement from the FOA to bring together a small action group to work on solutions that will bring positive change to

overcome the constraints and challenges that are limiting and threatening silviculture work across the industry.

This submission is the collective input from over 50 silviculture contractors across a number of regions around the country.

FICA highlighted the concerns of both members and non-members, the common thread is that the issues raised are causing considerable financial stress on both companies and individuals leading to stresses. Left unaddressed this could lead to considerable loss of silviculture business capability within the forest industry…..all at a time when the new government is looking to double the rate of tree planting.

FICA is proposing that FOA agrees to jointly form a Silviculture Action Group to confirm, quantify, prioritise and create change to address the issues raised in this submission and others that come to light through an open and consultative process with key stakeholders in the New Zealand forest industry.

Silviculture is among the most physically demanding jobs in the country, where workers have to endure adverse weather conditions, navigate through extreme terrain and avoid various hazards on a daily basis. It is a job most New Zealanders do not find desirable and, unfortunately, it is attached with the stigma of

low income, poor housing and living conditions for those working in the sector.

Additionally, a silviculture worker has to be qualified to work unsupervised and must be drug and alcohol free. A top silviculture worker on the East Coast can earn over $50k per annum, but it’s rare, while an average worker may target just above minimum wage (excluding travel time). In comparison, a top shearer who is not subject to an alcohol and drug policy or qualifications, works in a relatively safe environment and can earn $150k in a season. A young shearer with 1-3 years’ experience can earn around $40-50k.

Industry figures from five years ago show that a silviculture contractor with a crew of 10 workers earns little more than $70k.

Then take into account crew start-up costs ranging from between $80-100k, excessive safety administration (as a result of recent legislation), plotting and data analysis and managing operations in addition to normal business accounting. Throw in high operation overheads that not only include wages but also transport, PPE and work equipment and it is not surprising that silviculture is an unattractive business proposition.

We hope to report on a positive outcome for this very important group of people in the near future. NZL

An industry study group has been formed to consider ways of improving the lot of silviculture contractors and their workers.

48 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

CONTACT FICA: PO Box 1230, Rotorua 3010 | John Stulen Tel 07 921 1386 Mob 027 275 8011

Truckers & Loggers FISHING TOURNAMENT Put yo u chair rself in the for th e Truck ers & 2018 Logge rs

22nd - 24th March 2018 Paihia, Bay of Islands Hosted by the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club (Inc)

REGISTER ONLINE NOW:

www.nztruckanddriver.co.nz/truckers-loggers.html

2018 TEAM NAME:______________________________________________________________

BOAT NAME: ____________________________________________

MOB NO:

VHF RADIO:

______________________________________________________________

YES

NO

ANGLER: 1. _________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________

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5. _________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________

6. _________________________________________________

IF MEMBERS OF YOUR CREW ARE NOT MEMBERS OF A CLUB AFFILIATED TO NZ SPORT FISHING INCORPORATED A TOURNAMENT MEMBERSHIP OF $25 PER ANGLER IS REQUIRED. PLEASE TICK BOX IF TOURNAMENT MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED FOR ANGLERS.

TOURNAMENT MEMBERSHIPS REQUIRED No: __________________ @ $25, TOTAL: $ _________________ (Tick Box Alongside Anglers Name) $125 PER ANGLER, No: ___________________________________________ TOTAL: $ _________________ GUEST ENTRY (non anglers) $50 each, No: ___________________________

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WE WILL BE FISHING FROM ANOTHER AREA ON THURSDAY MORNING:

YES

NON-REFUNDABLE 25% DEPOSIT with entry to Tournament. Balance payable no later than Wednesday night briefing. Cheques payable to: Truckers & Loggers Fishing Tournament.

DEPOSIT: $ ____________________________

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CHEQUE

top spot

Safety/performance/quality

Top Spot work is almost complete AND THAT’S 2017 DONE AND DUSTED, well not quite.

The last of our Top Spot assessments will be completed in early December and our team will meet in Rotorua to go over Period 4 and full year results.

The aim is to get these completed so that results are ready to be announced and prizes distributed in the New Year.

With this being the last issue for 2017, we have included more photos of top place getters from Period 3 – the first issue of 2018 with have the top achievers of Period 4 and the full year.

As we run down to the festive and holiday season, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our participants and

COREY TAMAKA, OF MOEHAU 99, WAS SECOND IN BREAKING OUT CABLE FOR PERIOD 3.

50 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

we will all be back into work mode.

With more crews now participating in Top Spot, we’re look forward to a new year and new competition.

Sponsors – they don’t have to do this but they choose to! supporters for the enthusiasm they have shown towards assessors and the Top Spot programme this year.

Also, our thanks to forest companies and sponsors for their ongoing support.

As always, we wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas / New Year and hope you enjoy your time off with family and friends.

Before we know it, 2018 will be here and

WAYNE JOSLIN, OF TOHAIA FH 60, WAS SECOND IN TREE FELLING FOR PERIOD 3.

Awesome companies, awesome people and awesome support!

They back you and your workmates to succeed as professionals, so why wouldn’t you support them.

They believe in what we do and what you do.

So, a big ongoing thank you to our Strategic Partners – STIHL and NZ Logger and sponsor SWAZI.

SAM HODGES, OF FML 820, WAS THIRD IN GROUND BASE EXTRACTION FOR PERIOD 3

top spot

Safety/performance/quality The best way to keep our industry working is to get out and support those businesses that support New Zealand.

Participating Companies This competition wouldn’t be what it is without our participating companies.

We understand the commitment it takes from them to be part of Top Spot and value their ongoing support and feedback.

Our ongoing thanks to Rayonier/Matariki Forests, Nelson Forests, Wenita Forest Products, Port Blakely, Crown Forestry, Fraser Logging, Brand Logging, CMH Logging, Phillips Logging, Hauraki and Moehau Logging, Griffin Logging, Roxburgh Logging, Thomassen Logging, Te Waa Logging, Lakeland Cable Logging, Logged on Logging, Pakiri Logging, Rosewarne Cable Loggers, Inta-Wood Forestry, Otautau Contractors, SAW Contracting, Heslip Silvicuture, Waikato Forestry Services, Hodgson Silviculture, SFNL, Makerikeri Silviculture, NJ Simns Forestry Services, SAS Forestry, X-Men, Central Forestry Services, Mangoihe Logging, Kohurau Contracting, Tohaia Forestry Harvesting, Kuru Contracting, Dennis Hayes Logging, Swain Logging, Lumberjack Logging and Ernslaw One. Into safety?

Into performance?

Into quality?

Give us a call now!

Contact Shane Perrett on 0274 781 908, 07 3483037 or at primefm@xtra.co.nz. NZL

STEVE WAGHORN, OF FRASER 740, WAS SECOND IN MECHANICAL PROCESSING IN PERIOD 3.

new iron

NICK’S SUMI

FOXPINE CAT

Nick Bunn, of NAB, has taken delivery of this new Sumitomo SH350TLFS, fitted with a SATCO 325T processor to harvest the Radiata Pine around Wanganui. Nick is very happy with the lift, reach and power of the new machine, which has made processing a lot more efficient. Having factory high and wide undercarriage, along with factory guarding speeds up delivery to the customer.

Nick is pictured with the new Sumi. The sale was made by Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment, lower North Island..

This noteworthy Cat 325FL excavator is a new arrival for Foxpine Logging and owner Russell Oxnam. Featuring a compact radius, the 325FL works with a ground based crew predominantly in woodlot harvesting throughout the Manawatu region. Because the operation often only has a small skid or worksite off farm tracks and laneways, the compact radius gives the Cat unit more flexibility to work productively in confined spaces and access narrow entrances.

The 325FL is impressing to date, with the Foxpine team blown away with the lift capability, smooth operation and operator comfort. The machine was sold by Carl Southee of Gough Cat.

KOMATSU FORWARDER FOR JENSEN

BIG HITACHI FOR BIG BARK

Russell and Margaret Jensen, of Jensen Logging, have taken delivery of another new Komatsu 875 forwarder for their thinning operations in Kaingaroa Forest. Russell says: “Over the years this is the fifth Valmet/Komatsu forwarder we have purchased from ‘Honest John’, they have given us a very good run, with minimal down time”.

Pictured, from the left, are Bruce Craigshead (foreman), Karl Fisher (operator), Rachael Brown, John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ) and Jono Cuff (Komatsu Forest NZ).

BBL Contracting (aka Big Bark Logging) recently took delivery of a big Hitachi ZX530LCH-5 for its forest roading operation in the Waimata Valley, near Gisborne. Operator, Brian Deam, loves the power and stability of this large class ZX-5. Replacing a very loyal ZX520LCH-3, the newcomer has big shoes to fill and is stepping up to the challenge well. The machine was sold and supported by CablePrice Gisborne.

52 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

new iron

TIGERCAT PAIR FOR SOUTHERN CROSS Southern Cross Harvesting has added a couple of Tigercats to its Kaingaroa operation.

The Tigercat LH855D levelling harvester has a Woodsman Pro750 and is operated by Kane Rogers, who does all the falling and processing for this crew. The Tigercat 1075C, which is the more recent addition, has the new Tigercat low wide bunk system and Tigercat crane, and is operated by Glen Curtis.

SOUTHSTAR FOR GT HARVESTING

CAT FOR MANMAC

Geoffrey Lewis, owner of GT Harvesting, has taken delivery of a SouthStar FD750 felling head mounted onto a Cat 324DFM. The SouthStar head was fitted up with a quick hitch system allowing it to be interchanged with a grapple. It is specified with features that include Valve in Head, Saw Limiting, Auto Tension, Saw Spin Back and Dual Harvest Cylinders complete with harvest down activation.

Pictured, from the left, are Jared, Darren, Iszack, Seule and Eugene.

Manmac Logging’s Kevin and Wendy Mickleson recently took delivery of a new Cat 336D2L working in the Douglas-fir plantations of the central North Island. The Cat package is coupled with a new Woodsman PRO 850 processing head, providing operator, Willie, with increased production and operator comfort, along with fuel efficient performance, which is fully backed by the Rotorua branch and Cat network. The machine was sold by Shayne Kennedy from Gough Cat.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 53

new iron

TIMBERPRO FOR KURU

KOBELCO FOR STUBBS

Riki and Leanne Kuru, of Kuru Contracting, have taken delivery of a new Timberpro TL 765C, which is fitted with a Woodsman Pro FH1350 felling head, working in Tolaga Bay. Riki is very impressed with the TL 765C and the way it handles the big wood in this region.

Pictured, from left, are Mark Graham (Heavy Equipment), Jaz Kuru, Riki Kuru, John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ), Richard Skoczen (Komatsu Forest NZ) and Mike Jones. Photographer: Leanne Kuru.

Gisborne-based Robert Stubbs (pictured front right) and the team at Stubbs Contracting have just taken delivery of New Zealand's first Kobelco SK300LC-10 high & wide excavator from MIMICO and immediately put it to work near Ruatoria. The high & wide specification on the new Kobelco provides generous ground clearance and extra crawler width, as well as other enhancements to suit forestry applications. Active VMA, in Rotorua, provided the aftermarket guarding.

SUMITOMO FOR BURGESS

HITACHI FOR HT KING

This Sumitomo SH240TL was delivered into a forest on the Kapiti Coast parallel to the new Transmission Gulley route heading into Wellington. Road lining for a hauler crew is always challenging but with this new SH240TL machine owner/operator Jason Burges has no hesitation in taking this machine into places where others may fear to tread. He is very impressed with the slew and walking power, as well as being smooth to operate. Pictured with AB Equipment’s Mardi Pritchard (far left), who sold the machine, are Jason Burgess, Gareth and Pete.

Hamiroa King, of H T King Logging, has taken delivery of a new Hitachi ZX250L-5 log loader. Guarded with a CablePrice Engineering side door guarding package, the machine is a great fit for his Gisborne-based logging operations. Operator, Chum Ranginui, likes the speed and operability of the new Hitachi, which was sold and supported by CablePrice Gisborne. Pictured with the machine, from left, are Amos Ross and Vincent Kaimoana.

54 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

new iron

NEW SATCO ON FIRST TIGERCAT 855E Steve Yeoman, from Volcanic Plateau Harvesting, has taken delivery of his new SATCO 325M on the only Tigercat LH855E in the world.

Steve has Dasa5 optimising and auto saw chain tensioning on his SAT325M, which will mostly undertake felling and delimbing, with the option of processing if the need arises.

FIRST SOUTH ISLAND SOUTHSTAR

CAT FOR KURU

BUTTON TIGERCAT

Kuru Contracting is one of the first companies to invest in a new Cat 538LL forest machine for its East Coast operations. It joins a number of other new Cat units acquired over the last 18 months by Tolaga Bay-based owners, Ricky and Leanne Kuru. The purposebuilt 500-Series FM range features outstanding performance, fuel efficiency and optimised work tools while increasing horsepower, swing torque and reach, as well as improving stability through wider, heavy-duty track frames. Heath Stewart from Gough Cat sold the machine.

Dave Button, of Canterbury-based Button Bros Logging, has taken delivery of another new Tigercat leveller. Dave bought the first LS855C with the Tigercat FD5195 in New Zealand and is very happy with the improvements that have been made from his first machine to this new D-series, which also includes the long undercarriage and factory tether mount. Operator, Shane, is pictured looking very happy with the upgrade from his old machine. The sale was made

by Steve Varcoe, of AB Equipment.

Russell Sinclair, owner of Sinclair Logging, recently took delivery of a new SouthStar QS600 4x4 harvester processor fitted to a Madill HT2250C, which is now working in mid-Canterbury. This is the first of a run of SouthStar attachments to go into service in the South Island. Pictured, from left, are Ben Addenbrooke, Jacob Wynn and Blair Adamson.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 55

new iron

CRAWFORD KOMATSU

SATCO FOR TAMA RAKAU

Ian and Sheryl Crawford, of Crawford Logging, have taken delivery of a new Komatsu PC 270LC-8, featuring an Active guarding package and Woodsman Pro 1350 felling head. It’s now working in Kinleith Forest and operator, ‘TJ’, is impressed and reckons it has “heaps of power in the tracks, lift and slew”. Pictured, from left, are Adam Aldworth (Woodsman), TJ (operator), Troy Jorgensen (Active Engineering), Ian Crawford and John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ). Photographer: Mike Lepper (Active Engineering).

Shane and Andrew Woods, of Tama Rakau Logging, have taken delivery of a new SAT630E, fitted to their Madill HT2250C. The machine is tethered to fell and bunch for the haulers Shane and Andrew are operating on the East Cape, near Lotton Point. Pictured with the newcomer is operator, Darren Jeeves.

CAT FOR NEMONA

CENTRAL SUMITOMO

West Coast-based Nemona Logging’s Bruhno, stands with his recently delivered new purpose-built Cat 324DFM, alongside operator, Kerry. The stability and smoothness of the Cat forest machine has impressed Kerry, as well as the easy access to the cab and engine bays with well-placed grab handles and steps. The Cat unit was supplied and serviced by Gough Cat Greymouth.

High demands and consistent work flow meant it was time for Mike Pook, of Central Logging, to step into a new machine and ensure constant production and minimal down time. He settled on this new Sumitomo SH240TL with factory high and wide, guarded at Devine Engineering and featuring a Wedgelock hitch and bucket set-up. Mike, who is the owner operator, is impressed with the smoothness, quietness and power of the machine, which was sold

by Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment, lower North Island.

56 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

new iron

SATCO & JOHN DEERE FOR FRASER Nelson-based Fraser Logging’s 740 Crew has taken delivery of a SATCO 630EA for felling and bunching on the end of a John Deere 909MH. Operator, Craig Hocking, has been looking forward to cutting some trees with the new JD / 630 combo. The SAT630 has auto chain tensioning for ease of changing the chain on the steep country.

SATCO FOR C&CA MARSHALL Turangi-based C&CA Marshall Logging has taken delivery of its new SAT325M and CAT 552-2 with SATCO boom and stick to perform felling and trimming in Lake Taupo Forest. Operator, Shane Marshall, had come off the old hydraulic 424 Fell & Delimb so there were a few more buttons to get used to. The head has the measuring system with the Plus1 controller. Shane is pleased with the performance of the new head.

CMH CAT

COMPLETE SOUTHSTAR

This Cat 326D2L is a new arrival for Conan and Francis Hemsworth, of CMH Contracting. The Cat is a multiple role machine fleeting, loading and shovelling in the CNI pine blocks. Quentin, the operator, really likes the new investment Conan has made, removing a trusty 14,000-hour Cat 320DL to make way for this modern replacement.

Features of the 326D2L are quiet operation and pinpoint accuracy in the hydraulics, a hallmark of Cat equipment. Shayne Kennedy from Gough Cat sold the machine.

Major Nelson, owner of Complete Logging, has taken delivery of a new SouthStar QS600 4x4 harvesting processor fitted to a Tigercat LH855D, which was installed by Total Hydraulic Solutions in Rotorua. Pictured, from left at delivery, are Garth Topless, Major Nelson, Quentin Frew, Chris Dowzall, Blair Adamson and Ben Addenbrooke.

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 57

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

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QUOTE

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BRAKE AIR VALVES / TREADLES

1027 REXROTH HD-2-FX CONTROLAIR SERVICE KIT

1158 WILLIAMS SB90 SERVICE KIT

1173 WILLIAMS 104774 CAM FOLLOWER

1178 WM 305 SINGLE TREADLE DUAL VALVE & REPAIR KITS

1047 WILLIAMS 472 & REPAIR KITS

1177 1176 BENDIX DUAL WILLIAMS ACTION BRAKE WM352F TREADLE MODULATING VALVE

AIR DUMP VALVES

1174 WILLIAMS QUICK RELEASE VALVE

1208 WPT DUMP CALVE

1186 DUMP VALVE

1026 TWIN DISC CLUTCH DUMP VALVE & REPAIR KITS

1052 FAIRCHILD MODEL 20 HIGH CAPACITY VOLUME BOOSTER

AIR COMPRESSORS

1109 BENDIX TF 1000 AIR COMPRESSOR

1109 BENDIX DF-596 COMPRESSOR

1190 CUMMINS BRAKE AIR COMPRESSOR

1179 WILLIAMS AIR DUMP VALVE & REPAIR KITS

1172 BENDIX T-240004-D DUMP VALVE

E 82

AIR RAMS

1187 QUINCY 325, 350, 370

1021 MADILL 122/124 GUY WINCH AIR RAM

1022 1153 MADILL 122 THUNDERBIRD GUY WINCH AIR TSY 155 RAM

1 EAT

NEW STY

HYDRAULIC PUMPS / MOTORS

1078 BELL V20 HYDRAULIC PUMP FOR BELL MAIN LIFT RAM

1077 ENSIGN HYDRAULIC MOTOR

1077 MADILL 123/124 GUY WINCH HYDRAULIC MOTOR

www.drdiesel.nz

1080 BE85 GUY MOTOR

1154 WARATAH 626 MAIN DRIVE MOTOR

1202 SATCO 630 SAW MOTOR

sales@drdiesel.nz

WAT 90

w

0

t

REY

OL

S F NG

2 X 4-D ALVE

RD

nz

GT-460 ULTRA GOLD

ULTRA DEGREASER 1000

5th Wheel / Turntable Grease Replacement

1004 OREGON 3/4 HARVEST CHAIN

Dissolves Black-Tac

1055 FULLER'S EARTH POWDER 250G

1164 POWERUP GEARMAXX

DEUBLIN VALVES

1009 DEUBLIN 1” NPT

1010 DEUBLIN 5/8”-18

1015 DEUBLIN 1”-14 NPT

1016 DEUBLIN 1/4” NPT

W NE

1030 EDWARDS 820 BUTTON

1011 DEUBLIN 5/8”-18

1129 DEUBLIN

1012 DEUBLIN 3/8” NPT

1017 DEUBLIN 3/8” NPT

1013 DEUBLIN WICHITA CLUTCH 18”, 19”, 21”

1057 WICHITA CLUTCH AIR TUBE BLANK ADAPTER

1159 DEUBLIN THUNDERBIRD WATER UNION

1014 DEUBLIN 1” NPT

1156 WICHITA LONG WATER UNION ADAPTER

SWITCHES / BUTTONS

E YL ST

1201 EDWARDS 820 BUTTON (NEW STYLE)

1023 MADILL 122-123HI-LO TRANS SWITCH

1024 MADILL 122-123 TRANS F-REVERSE SWITCH

1101 DETROIT 60 SERIES ENGINE THROTTLE SWITCH

1008 POTENTIOMETER 4 POLE TERMINALS

1031 KOBELT 124 CONTROLLER REBUILD KIT

SEAL KITS

1167 EATON 218 / 224 NEW AND OLD STYLE SEAL KIT

1169 MADILL 122, 123, 124, CENTER JOINT SEAL KIT

1168 TMY 50 70 OUTRIGGER SEAL KIT

1134 MADILL 122/124 180MM MADILL NITROGEN TRACK ADJUSTER SEAL KIT

1143 WARATAH HYDRAULIC MOTOR SEAL KIT

1005 WATER UNION SHORT KIT

1170 WILLIAMS R472 SERIES KIT

1061 ENSIGN 1500 GRAPPLE RAM SEAL KIT

WATER PUMPS

1203 WATER PUMP 90252008

1081 ACT 06 WATER BREAK PUMP

1206 MONARCH NT2L8S

www.drdiesel.nz

1082 BE70-85 WATER BREAK PUMP

1194 WATER BRAKE RETURN SCREEN FILTER

1121 WICHITA RECONDITION 224 WATER BRAKE

sales@drdiesel.nz

NZ LOGGER classified

HEAVY EQUIPMENT CONTRACTORS PLANT NZ LTD 59 Broadlands Rd - Taupo

NEW STOCK

REDUCED PRICE

Caterpillar D6K Tractor: ROPS canopy with screens, sweeps, PAT dozer, Cat winch with fairlead. $165,000 plus GST

Caterpillar 525C Grapple Skidder: 5,500hrs, dual function, winch, 30.5 tyres $P.O.A.

Daewoo 220 Log Loader: Purpose built LL, Logger boom and arm, high-wide, Ensign. $75,000 plus GST

Doo 3,70 War

Caterpillar 330DL Processor: Full guarding, Logmax 12000 head 12,000 hrs.

In stock Taupo $285,000 plus GST LE MP O SA HOT P

Caterpillar 525 Grapple Skidder: Volvo 460CL / Waratah 626 Processor: Tidy older machine with near new tyres. Winch.

Full guarding with bonnet, Waratah 626. $45,000 plus GST

Sumitomo SH240LC Log Loader: Forestry guarding, Ensign grapple.

$85,000 plus GST

Caterpillar 325CL Log Loader: Forestry guarding, Ensign grapple.

Thunderbird TMY70: 5 guyline, new Nov 2017 ropes and rigged ready for work. $P.O.A $P.O.A

$75,000 plus GST

Caterpillar 324DL Log Loader: Forestry guarding, Ensign grapple.

$110,000 plus GST

John De 30.5’s, d

Tigerca 30.5’s, d

62 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

Mobile: 0274 948 742

or

07 378 6844

LG27567B

Contact: Peter Wilson Email: cplnz@xtra.co.nz

LG27567A

Trades Considered – Finance Available (normal lending criteria applies)

C E

NZ LOGGER classified

ENT REMARKETING EQUIPMENT SALES

NEW STOCK

CE

BROKERS

HIRE

NEW STOCK

Hyundai 250LC-9 Log Loader: Logger configured with linkage, quick-hitch and bucket.

Very tidy machine, Avaialble for immediate delivery. $P.O.A.

Doosan 300LL / Waratah Processor: 3,700hrs, Purpose built Log Loader with Waratah 626 head. Timberite computer.

s GST

$P.O.A

ROTORUA

Volvo L90F Wheel Loader: L5 tyres, radiator guard, full mudguards, Ensign Log Forks, auto-grease. $85,000 plus GST

k. $P.O.A

John Deere 648GIII Grapple Skidder: 30.5’s, dual function, winch.

HIRE FORESTRY M: 027 595 0019 P: (07) 345 4343 MACHINES:

PALMERSTON NORTH

E: philt@heavymachineryservices.co.nz

Harvestline Cat 330DL: 3 drum Harvestline plus straw-drum on Cat 330DL. EMS cab, roped, Grapple, MSP, camera’s - ready to go to work. Harvestline build from new only approx. 2,500 hrs. Immaculate condition, Available for IMMEDIATE delivery. $P.O.A

CONTACT: PHIL TODD

Edco Wildcat Hauler: Madill 046 tower, recent refurbishment.

Machine presented in very good condition. $P.O.A $P.O.A

- Hyundai 250LC-9 Log Loader - Doosan 220LC Log Loader - Cat 325BL Log Loader - John Deere 648G Grapple Skidder - Tigercat 630C Grapple Skidder

Contact for hire terms and conditions;

us GST

Tigercat 630C Grapple Skidder: 30.5’s, dual function boom, 10,000 hrs.

John Deere 2154D Log Loader: Purpose built LL, high-wide, Ensign grapple, only 8,500hrs. $125,000 plus GST $P.O.A

Peter Wilson: 0274 948 742 Phil Todd: 0275 950 019

LG27567B

LG27567A

Trades Considered – Finance Available (normal lending criteria applies)

Contact: Phil Todd Mobile: 0275 950 019 Email: philt@heavymachineryservices.co.nz

or

07 345 4343

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 63

H

H

A

G

Hooked on fishing? Get more bites with this CLARK Track offer !

PURCHASE ANY SET OF CLARK TYRE TRACKS & YOU’LL GET A FREE $500.00 PREZZY CARD, PLUS YOU’LL GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN A PREDATOR KONTIKI PACKAGE WORTH $2840.00!

(Only until 18th December 2017)

S SAVE UPTO 10%

FREE FREIGHT

FREE PREZZY CARD

Why use CLARK Tracks? n Increased machine stability & traction n Increased load capacity & pulling power n Reduced fuel consumption & less ground disturbance n Your tyres will last longer n Heavier duty design for longer service life

WIN A KONTIKI

A

s

Large range in stock to suit Harvesters, Forwarders & Skidders HEAVY DUTY MULTI TERRIAN TRACK (FX) Available for Tigercat Skidders & Forwarders n Dual Wheel Track 750/55-26.5 (to suit FKF Tyres) n Dual Wheel Track 750/55-26.5 (to suit TRS Tyres)

n Dual Wheel Track 780/50-26.5 (to suit TRS Tyres)

Grip

Flotation

ULTIMATE CLIMBING SINGLE TRACK (GSG) Available for all models of Skidders & Tyre Sizes n Single Wheel Track 30.5/32 n Single Wheel Track 35.5/32

Grip

Flotation

SINGLE TYRE CHAINS NWS (net with studs) Available for all models of Skidders & Tyre sizes n Single Wheel Chains 19mm 30.5/32 NWS n Single Wheel Chains 19mm 35.5/32 NWS

Call 0800 654 323 now to secure your set & be into WIN the ultimate fishing package!

To find out more visit our news page at www.west-trak.co.nz/blog/

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 65

NZ LOGGER classified

Madill 122 Grapple Swing Yarder

F

Valuation Services Include:

Build: November 1988.

Approx. 12,000 engine hours.

Several spares with machine; grapple and slack pulling carriage.

Location: Tasmania, Australia.

LG26849

$POA

Contact: Kevin Muskett +61 428 144 984 musketts@bigpond.com

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Forestry Civil construction and contracting Transport Mining Quarrying and extractive industries Any heavy plant & machinery Valuations for financing Valuation for financial reporting Valuations for insurance purposes Sale and purchase advice of assets Asset management Company acquisitions Lease provision Equity position Market Values Liquidation Transfer of assets into company or trust

W

Contact: James Peacocke 0274 222 476 Email: james@mountmachinery.nz Mail: PO Box 4254, Mt Maunganui, 3149

LG27096

Mechanically A1, very well maintained machine.

STRONG & RELIABLE GRAPPLES STRONG && RELIABLE RELIABLE GRAPPLES GRAPPLES STRONG Made in NZ

• M SERIES 852 AND 864 – STRONG & RELIABLE GRAPPLES

Grapplesand andall allspares sparesinin Grapples stockwith withovernight overnightdelivery delivery stock

• GRAPPLES AND ALL SPARES IN STOCK WITH OVERNIGHT DELIVERY

LG27145

•SERIES PROVEN AFTER 852 and864 864 MMSERIES 852 and SALES SERVICE STRONG&&RELIABLE RELIABLE STRONG GRAPPLES GRAPPLES

66 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

ProvenAfter AfterSales Sales Proven Service Service ContactMarty MartyororBruce Bruce Contact Ph027 027324 3249091 9091 Ph 79Chambers ChambersStreet, Street,Tokoroa Tokoroa 79 enquiries@cdlloggrapples.co.nz enquiries@cdlloggrapples.co.nz

A DIVISION OF

Waratah Forestry Services For more information contact:

0800 4WARATAH or 0800 492 728

FL85 SERIES 2

Designed for 20-25 tonne carriers or where a mid-class size felling head can add value through not compromising larger carrier base stability and reach, such as tethered applications. Our FL85 series II has substantial cutting capacity together with auto-tension mainsaw which increases daily uptime and a low overall cost to run- and like all of our heads, when you put one to work, our Waratah support team goes to work – to get you going and keep you productive.

Waratah FL95

25-35 tonne carrier class felling head. The new Waratah FL95 is a heavy duty, fixed saw box directional felling head that is specifically designed for steep slope felling, handling oversized trees and shovel logging.

With its massive 1580mm grapple opening and 45” mainsaw bar the FL95 is your felling head solution for all applications.

Price $69,000.00 + GST Waratah H415X

Waratah H415X harvesting head features a rugged main saw box with heavier steel plating, extra component guarding, hose protection, and increased drive arm durability.

Our four roller feed arm geometry ensures rollers grip solidly in all diameters, improving responsiveness with unprecedented tree-processing performance with best in class delimbing quality – Ideally suited to thinning or post and pole applications.

Price $85,000.00 + GST Waratah 626

Waratah 626 harvester, Well proven constant producer in large timber. Featuring Hi Flow Parker valve, Alpine feed rollers, 3/4 auto tension main saw, Laser find end, side entry full rotation and paint marking.

Price $240,000.00 + GST

Price $151,000.00 + GST

Less automation

EXTENSIVE HARVESTER REBUILDS At Waratah Forestry Services we offer extensive rebuild options to cater for your needs and to fit within an allocated budget to have your machine operate in the most productive manner.

BEFORE

AFTER With our rebuilds: • Only Waratah genuine parts are used in the rebuild • All new parts fitted and work conducted by WFS carries a 3 month warranty • Completion time between 6 – 8 weeks

All our work is carried out by our trained service technicians who have the tools and expertise to make your head built to work.

We offer the following rebuild options: • Chassis structural repair and line bore • Tilt frame, delimb knives and feed arms repairs • Sand blast/repaint chassis, feed arms, delimb arms, hanger bracket, topsaw box • Complete harvesting head re-hose • Rebuild MS18 motors • Major and minor pin replacement • Reseal OMV 800 motors • Cylinder Reseals

• Valve bank reseals • Saw motor shaft seal replacement • Feed roller replacements • Saw swing arm rebuilds • Cylinder and link bush replacement • Measuring arm bearings and wheel replacements • Replace bushes and reshim all arms and tilt frame • Replace buffer stops • New valve guards • Replace front knife guides

t

super tough

seat covers

Alpine Grapples Price $80,000 + GST

Trucks • Utes – Vans – Commercials • Construction Machinery • Agriculture Machinery • Quad Bikes

Two models available AGC-3 suited to skyline operations (1.3 tonne) AGC-2 suited to running skyline operations (1.1 tonne) One AGC-3 Now in Stock

w Order nomas t for Chris

SEAT COVERS

• Over 3000 patterns available • Protect your vehicle investment • Overnight delivery available on most products

0800 158 479

sales@blackduck.co.nz

0 158 479 - sales@blackduck.co.nz - www.blackduck.co.nz www.blackduck.co.nz

68 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

LG27576

• Genuine high quality 12oz canvas • Manufacturing for over 25 years • Water & rot proof • Easy to fit - easy to clean • Side airbag compatible • Genuine high quality 12oz canvas • Tailored specifically to fit each type of seat • Manufacturing for over 20 years • Water & rot proof • Over 3000 patterns available • Easy to fit - easy to clean • Protect your vehicle investment • Side airbag compatible • Tailored specifically to fit each delivery type of seat • Overnight available on most products

• Full continuous rotation grapple • Power opening grapple • New strengthened grapple • No engine • Simple construction • Reliable LG27387

UPER OUGH

NZ LOGGER classified

Call for more info Spencer Hill 022 348 5833

NZ LOGGER classified

"A name you can trust" www.forestryfirst.com We ship world wide!

YARD FULL OF WOODS READY LOGGING EQUIPMENT Excellent selection of refurbished/serviced equipment Consistent/accurate written condition reports on all equipment New Nokian Logger King Tires at great pricing

07 Valmet 475FXL 9300 hrs Quadco 24" 360 saw - $210K

16 Tigercat 870C 2100 hrs logmax 12000 - $489K

16 Doosan DX225LL 600 hrs Southstar DD750 - $259,500

16 Tigercat 635E 2300 hrs - $362K

05 Tigercat 250T 16,460 hrs - $69,500

14 Tigercat 620E 7443 hrs - $139,500

09 Tigercat 610C 6350 hrs - $92,500

13/14 Deere 748H 3863 & 4794 hrs - $157,500 each

11 Tigercat 635D 4309 hrs - $275,000

*pricing in USD

Lexington SC USA (P) 001.803.708.0624 - sales@forestryfirst.com December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 69

NZ LOGGER classified

E L A S R FO

2011 PC300 LC-7 Komatsu Forestry guarded, Purpose Cab 13,500hrs. Full service history Single bar grousers. Track gear 90%

• Single lever hydraulic cab • 60 Series Detroit engine • Full maintenance & insurance covered by log lease LG27455

LG27507

Our rebuilt 071 is now available for lease

$250k + GST

If you are interested please ring Ross 0274938460 or Sarah 0273072848 / sarah@loglease.co.nz

Ph Alan @ 027 534 9440

www.loglease.co.nz

www.chains.co.nz

ENGINEERED WITH EXPERIENCE....

LG27476

Clark Grouzer Super Grip with 28mm links for 30.5x32 Firestone tyres is the single wheel track that delivers maximum climbing capability for 6-wheeled machines.

GSG’s give exceptional traction and require less maintenance than tyre chains. $11675.00 per pair including GST while stock lasts. Chain Protection have been Clark Tracks NZ agent for 20 + Years.

Chain Protection Services Ph: 03 338 1552 • E: chainpro@xtra.co.nz • www.chains.co.nz 70 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

MUFFLERS INDUSTRIAL

EARTHMOVING

NZ LOGGER classified QUALITY REPLACEMENT

MUFFLERS

We Have

EXPERIENCED CABLE HAULER CREW FOREMAN REQUIRED (MASTERTON):

EARTHMOVING

Moved

QUALITY REPLACEMENT

MUFFLERS

Over 1500

lable for: mufflers avai

CATERPILLAR Sending us We Have SUMITOMO a sample?

Moved KOMATSU INDUSTRIAL

EARTHMOVING

Sending us TO SEND IT We Have a sample?

This position would suit an applicant with excellent man management skills who can perform in a professional environment consistantely. You must have a sound understanding of cable hauling systems, health & safety management and environmental compliance requirements. Relocation costs considered for the successful applicant.

KOBELCO HYUNDAI DOOSAN HITACHI VOLVO SATCO

602 602

Moved SEND IT TO

Sending us a sample?

Tremaine Tremaine Avenue Avenue 602 SEND IT TO

PALMERSTON NORTH PALMERSTON NORTH Tremaine CATERPILLAR Avenue 100% 06 754HITACHI 7460 CATERPILLAR PALMERSTON NORTH KOMATSU HITACHI sales@musket.co.nz KOBELCO CATERPILLAR VOLVO KOMATSU HITACHI www.musketmufflers.com YANMAR PROUDLY KOBELCO MADE CASE 100% NZKOMATSU KOBELCO ISUZU VOLVO VOLVO HINO YANMAR YANMAR PROUDLY CUMMINS NZPROUDLY MADE CASE 100% TIMBERJACK CASE NZ MADE ISUZU ISEKI HINO ISUZU & Trucks MORE& Machinery CUMMINS HINO 602TIMBERJACK Tremaine Ave ISEKI CUMMINS Palmerston & North MORE PhTIMBERJACK 06 75 47 460 602 Tremaine Ave Email ISEKI

Applications treated in the strictest confidence.

100%

LG27557

PROUDLY NZ MADE

LG27568

INDUSTRIAL

Contact Rob bushlinefh@outlook.co.nz 027 5555 192

manheim.co.nz

ASSET SALE SPECIALISTS

Palmerston North sales@musket.co.nz

& MORE

Ph 06 75 47market 460 leader for Manheim is the www.musketmufflers.com Email Truck, Trailer & Machinery Sales. sales@musket.co.nz Offering Tenders, Online & Onsite Auctions or Buy Now Options, www.musketmufflers.com we take the hassle out of Fleet & Asset Disposals.

602 Tremaine Ave Palmerston North Ph 06 75 47 460 Email sales@musket.co.nz

www.musketmufflers.com

WHAT WE DO FOR YOU

Ian Ramsey Phone 022 466 1825 Ian.ramsey@manheim.co.nz

Karl Taylor Phone 027 204 3840 Karl.taylor@manheim.co.nz

Brad Gardiner Phone 027 242 1709 Brad.gardiner@manheim.co.nz

EG27348

TENDERS CLOSING WEEKLY & ONLINE AUCTIONS FORTNIGHTLY. PLUS A SELECTION OF ASSETS ON BUY NOW.

- Valuations - Remarketing Consultancy & Advice - Tenders - Onsite & Online Auctions - Buy Now Retail Sales - Finance arrangement

December 2017/January 2018 | NZ LOGGER 71

NZ LOGGER classified

Forestry Insurance Solutions LG23616

0800 55 54 53 info@stal.co.nz

www.sweeneytownsend.co.nz

Forestry Insurance Solutions

NOW AVAILABLE FOR HIRE

www.facebook.com/RWFSfieldservice

LG26859

visit us on

72 NZ LOGGER | December 2017/January 2018

LG25750

Ph: 07 348 0501 Email: Info@rwfs.co.nz Mob: 027 817 9448 Workshop 41 Riri Street, Rotorua

FOR SALE: Clark F665, 666, F667, Cat 525B Grapple Skidder, JD648G, TJACK 460, 560.

DOZERS: Caterpillar, D4H, D6C, D6H, Komatsu D65 + D85, tie back dozers, D85/21.

Excavators: Caterpillar 320, 322, 325, 330, B,C & D. Hyundai 250/9 Volvo 240C log rigged.

Teebar manufactured and sold. Wheeled loader WA470/3.

Lakeland Heavy Machinery Ltd

Branches now in the NZ LARGEST RANGE OF SKIDDER FOR SALE: Clark 664, 666C, 666B, F67 Grapple Skidders No rth & South Island CHAINS, HEAVIER AND BETTER Komatsu D65/6 and D85/21 log rigged, CAT 936, 950B and Komatsu WA470/ wheeled loaders, buckets or forks.

Forestry Tyre Chains NZ largest raNge Of skidder

Branches noNZ w in LARGEST the North & South IslSTOCKS and

Super Heavy Dutyheavier aNd Better ChaiNs, 35.5x32 - Weight 10000kg 30.5x32 - Weight 950kg 29.5x32 28L Super Heavy Duty 23.5x26 30.5x32 - Weight 950kg

Forestry Tyre Chains

OF DOZER

NZ largest + DIGGER stOCks CHAINS, OfROLLERS dOZer + digger IDLERS, ChaiNs, SPROCKETS rOller available Roller rebuilding/reshells Track press service idlers, Mini Excavator tracks sPrOCkets

35.5x32

Heavy 29.5x32 Duty

30.5x32 -23.5x26 Weight 650kg Heavy Duty Machines

30.5x32 - Weight 650kg

Zaxis 270Standard with teebar. Teebars in stock.

D7H with30.5x32 winch - Weight 365kg Machines

Roller rebuilding/reshells available Track press service available Mini excavator tracks also available

PC350/6 with teebar or grapple DYH with winch

Cat and Komatsu Pumps Komatsu Pumps

WE QUOTE HEAVY TRACK CHAINS We DUTY QuOte heavy duty traCk ChaiNs BONING OUT DISMANTLING 525 CAT 518,CAT 525A B & C, Clark, WRECKING, SKIDDERS, John Deere TJack.

BULLDOZERS, LOADERS, Excavators all makes, CAT EXCAVATORS All Models, 3x 33OD Cat, FOR SALE: Dozer parts

NYLON / FIBRE DRIVE GEARS NYLON / FIBRE DRIVE GEARS

CAT D5B, D6D, D7H D65 & D85 KOMATSU POA TRY US WE ARE FOR WORTH IT! SALE: More Machines On Our Website NEWParts PARTS, CAT, KOMATSU, New Clark off the shelf MACHINES $2476-$6884 + gst.

Grouser Bar From $36 per 3 EXCAVATORS metres HITACHI & SUMI ADJUSTERS DOZERS + DIGGERS Scrap Handling units also 32.5x32 FIRESTONE available Used Tyres RECOIL SPRINGS AVAILABLE 126-136 View Road, PO Box 1976, Rotorua Email: info@heavy-machinery.co.nz • Phone: 07 347 0765 • Fax: 07 349 2325 • Mob 0274 945 886 ROTATING GRAPPLES TO FIT 1 TO 40 TONNES ROTATING GRAPPLES MACHINES $2476 to 30K + gst.

TO FIT 1 TONNE TO 15 TONNE Shears, dredge buckets

126-136 View Road, PO Box 1976, Rotorua Email: info@heavy-machinery.co.nz

• Phone: 07 347 0765 • Fax: 07 349 2325 • Mob 0274 945 886 Check our website for more info www.heavy-machinery.co.nz

Check our website for more info www.heavy-machinery.co.nz

EXCAVATOR WORLD

Hokitika South Island BuLLDOzERS EXCAVATORS SkIDDERS

All NEW Stock

orS ExcAVAt for SAlE

er in 0/3 30 tonn Hitachi EX30 et or grapple. ck bu r de or nice + GST $39,000

LG25750

• • • •

Buckets Cabins final drive Parts grapples

• • • •

Pump Parts ram seal kits rOPs slew drives

ALL MAKES, NEW WINDOWS, NEW DOORS + PANELS, NEW RADIATORS AND COOLERS, ENGINE KITS + GASKETS, COMPUTERS, FINAL DRIVES AND PUMPS

Merry Christmas.

The The team team at at Cookes Cookes wishes wishes you you and and your your family family a a Merry Merry Christmas Christmas and and a a safe safe & & happy happy New New Year Year!!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS AND AND A A HAPPY HAPPY NEW NEW YEAR YEAR FROM FROM THE THE TEAM TEAM THAT THAT KNOWS KNOWS THE THE ROPES ROPES Northland Northland Lana Power Lana Power 029 773 0744 029 773 0744 Auckland/Waikato Auckland/Waikato Andy Palmer Andy Palmer 027 474 6032 027 474 6032

Tauranga Tauranga Lance Godfrey Lance Godfrey 027 480 9589 027 480 9589 Rotorua/Lower North Island Rotorua/Lower Dave Caulfield North Island Dave Caulfield 027 474 2809 027 474 2809

Upper South Island Upper South Island Mike Beleski Mike Beleski 027 479 6806 027 479 6806 Canterbury/Lower Sth Island Canterbury/Lower Sth Island Steve Marshall Steve Marshall 027 434 7148 027 434 7148

www.cookes.co.nz www.cookes.co.nz