NZ Logger Magazine May 2018

May 2018 | $7.20

ISSN 1176-0397

t a c r e g i Big T a s a e l nimb t a o G n i Mounta

World’s forest engineers descend on NZ

Full steam ahead!

Puffing haulers

contents MAY 2018

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FOREST TALK Another Komatsu Forest acquisition; support needed for Wairoa rail hub; women earning more than men in forestry; Gisborne gets on ‘Wood First’ bandwagon; Rotorua Forest Service plans in Budget; Daiken cleared to buy Southland MDF plant; eight forests up for sale; new ways to measure log loads to be unveiled at WoodFlow; Cat grows its 500-series range in NZ; Nelson contractor first with forestry certification; ‘fees-free’ apprenticeships to boost forestry; first John Deere 2656G arrives; award for southern forestry student; Gough Cat apprentice wins international award.

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FOREST ENGINEERING 2018 Forest engineers from around the world gathered in Rotorua last month to discuss advances and challenges in their chosen field. It’s the first time this international event has taken place in New Zealand.

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SHAW’S WIRE ROPES IRON TEST Watching the full-size Tigercat 1085C – the first to go into operation here – behave like a mountain goat on a steep forest slope in Southland with 22 tonnes on board is a rare and interesting sight. But DM Logging manages to make the task look simple, hauling more than 220 tonnes of blue gum out to the skid site each day.

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BREAKING OUT What would we do without log haulers to drag in wood off our steep slopes? In fact, what did the foresters of old do before modern towers and swing yarders were developed? Our resident forest historian, Trevor Coker, has the answers in this fascinating look at the early steam-powered haulers.

DEPARTMENTS DEPARTMENTS 2 editorial 51 top spot 52 fica 54 new iron 60 classifieds

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 1

from the editor

May 2018 | $7.20

ISSN 1176-0397

PHOTO: JOHN ELLEGARD

Big Tigercat nimble as a at Mountain Go

World’s forest engineers descend on NZ

Full steam ahead!

Puffing haulers

The first Tigercat 1085C in New Zealand, working in blue gums with Southland’s DM Logging.

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2 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Working like a pro, bro G

REAT TO SEE NELSON’S MECHANISED CABLE HARVESTING BECOME the first forestry operation in New Zealand to achieve contractor certification.

That wise old innovator, Ross Wood, continues to lead by example in this industry.

But while part-owner, Ross, was a prime mover in the process, it was Nathan Taylor and the boys on the ground at MCH that really made it happen.

Read our article on page 10 and you’ll come away with the impression this team wholeheartedly embraced it and made sure it happened. Nathan actually wrote much of the article himself, which demonstrates the level of enthusiasm and commitment to lifting the professional standards of New Zealand forestry.

It wasn’t easy. In fact, it pushed them right out of their comfort zone at times.

But the experience has made them a better crew, according to Nathan, and there were many benefits gained, such as improving the engagement among the team so they work together more cohesively. Who doesn’t want that?

When the scheme was first mooted, there were criticisms that it would create an elite tier of contractors who would cream off the lucrative jobs and the process would shut out smaller crews from future work and make it almost impossible for those engaged in woodlots to win contracts.

If it gets rid of the riff-raff, then that’s a good thing. There’s no room for people who run loose operations that open their workers up to unsafe practices and refuse to change.

But I do hope the people running the scheme acknowledge the difference in resources between the larger, corporate forest crews and those at the other end of the scale, who require more assistance and a little bit of leeway to make the grade.

It would be a bloody shame to lose good contractors and workers through bureaucratic rigidity. We need all the people we can get and if that means putting more time, effort and expense into helping them, so be it.

This industry has changed considerably since I took over the reigns of NZ Logger just over ten years ago and it’s fair to say it has become a lot more professional.

There’s still a way to go, but it just makes good sense to work like a pro, bro. NZL

forest talk

Women earning more than men in forestry WOMEN HAVE GOT IT MADE IN FORESTRY, according to data released by Statistics New Zealand.

In a study of the pay gap between men and women, forestry, along with mining, are the only sectors in New Zealand where the median wage for women historically exceeds that of men.

Statistics NZ data shows that from 2006 to 2010, the median wage for women was significantly higher than men. At its highest, in 2009, the median wage for women was nearly $3 higher per hour than the median wage for men, although the difference has shrunk slightly in more recent times.

The wage difference between the two sexes surprised New Zealand Institute of Forestry

General Manager Tim Thorpe.

He says that while forestry is often associated with the macho image of men on chainsaws, there were a lot of scientists working in the sector, as well as marketing professionals and forestry managers, where female workers are more likely to be found and these jobs attracted higher salaries.

But there’s good news for men as well, because the shortage of skilled forestry workers has been driving up wages in general, especially on harvesting sites. Some experienced yarder operators are earning five-figure sums in areas where it is hard to attract people.

As the Wall of Wood continues to build over the next decade, the demand for workers in the forest will increase, but many contractors are

already experiencing difficulties finding people, experienced or not. That sort of pressure is expected to drive wages even higher. NZL

Support needed for Wairoa rail hub AS WORK RAMPS UP TO BRING THE RAIL LINE FROM WAIROA TO Napier back into service, a forestry leader says support from forestry and also Kiwirail is vital to the success of the project Hawke’s Bay Forestry Group Chief Executive Keith Dolman told the local Wairoa Star newspaper that local forestry operators have committed around 20 % forestry volume to rail and are getting behind the proposed hub.

“If KiwiRail committed to four-to-six daily loads to a Wairoa railhead, this commitment would be much greater,” Mr Dolman told the Wairoa Star.

Work began recently on re-habilitating the Napier-to-Wairoa rail line as part of the Government’s $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund, more than six years after the line was closed following storm damage.

The Government has allocated $5 million to the project, which is expected to take two years to fully complete, but the first log train service is expected to commence sooner, probably by the end of 2018. There is little likelihood of the northern section to Gisborne being re-commissioned.

KiwiRail Chief Executive, Peter Reidy, says it is “committed to enabling sustainable and inclusive economic growth and the Government’s investment in promoting rail in the regions will enable us to step up that work”.

“Moving logs by rail takes pressure off the roads, and reduces greenhouse gases. The Wairoa-Napier road is not designed to cope with the growing volumes of logs now that the ‘Wall of Wood” is coming on stream and rail is the ideal way of getting that timber to overseas customers.

“We have estimated that using the Wairoa-Napier line to move

4 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

the logs could take up to 5,714 trucks a year off the road and reduce carbon emissions by 1292 tonnes.”

Large tracts of forests are starting to come on stream in the Wairoa area, mostly privately-owned investment ventures. Logs cut from these forests will be trucked to a log yard to be established just outside the Wairoa town centre for transport by rail to the port at Napier. NZL

ANOTHER KOMATSU FOREST ACQUISITION KOMATSU FOREST HAS MADE ANOTHER PURCHASE, ITS second in recent months, having recently bought processing and harvesting head manufacturer, SouthStar.

The latest target is Oryx Simulations, based in Umeå, Sweden.

Komatsu Forest and Oryx Simulation share a long history.

During the 1990s a project was started by Komatsu Forest and Umeå University that was the starting point for Oryx Simulations.

This led to Komatsu Forest selling simulators developed

by Oryx Simulations all over the world and the cooperation has now further deepened with Komatsu Forest buying the Swedish company.

forest talk

Gisborne gets on ‘Wood First’ bandwagon GISBORNE IS ABOUT TO JOIN ROTORUA in declaring a ‘Wood First’ policy for new civic buildings and restorations in the city.

The ‘Wood First’ policy was voted in by the Gisborne District Council last month as a way to support an industry that supports the community.

The new policy will see the Gisborne council seek to use wood wherever possible for new buildings projects and in refurbishments, whilst also encouraging developers in the region to follow suit.

Gisborne Mayor, Meng Foon, says It will “help the community to use this sustainable resource in as many projects as it could”.

Among projects that are likely to fall under this policy are the proposed $28.5m redevelopment of the city’s Olympic Pool and also a possible new ‘wood-rich’ airport passenger terminal.

Mr Foon says the local wood industry can play a major role in Gisborne’s economic growth and he acknowledged the lead

he had taken from Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick, adding that he “absolutely knew he was on to a good thing” with the move.

Coincidentally, the council decision was made just the day after Wood Processors and Manufacturers’ Association of New Zealand (WPMA) held its regional meeting in Gisborne, with CEO Jon Tanner describing it as “perfect timing”.

“We now look forward to this trend in local government support for wood growing from the bottom up and meeting the central government’s wood encouragement policies coming from the top down,” says Dr Tanner.

He went on to say that Gisborne is an example of where the wood industry has an opportunity to grow much larger, with only 20% of wood coming out of the region being processed locally.

But he says the new government is making all the right noises about supporting forestry and is backing that up with actions

and he believes Forestry Minister, Shane Jones, will make a real difference to wood processing and manufacturing.

“There is definitely a buzz in the air when it comes to the NZ wood sector,” says Dr Tanner.

“A buzz that that has not been heard in a long while and a buzz that is loudest in the regions. We have just got to make sure that [chainsaw] buzz turns NZ logs into NZ jobs.”

Although the Juken NZ mill was recently forced to make changes to its mill that will affect the jobs of 100 people, Gisborne has been buoyed by the re-starting of the Prime sawmill under new ownership and the developments at that site under the Wood Engineering Technology programme backed by the Eastland Community Trust.

Those new developments could see the amount of logs processed on the East Coast grow in future. NZL

Rotorua Forest Service plans in Budget FORESTRY MINISTER SHANE JONES SAYS PLANS TO ESTABLISH a 21st century version of the Forest Service in Rotorua are on track, but he’s giving little detail away until this month’s Budget.

At the Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future conference in Rotorua last month, Mr Jones spoke about his vision for the Forest Service he wants to see headquartered in the city by the end of this year as part a multi-million dollar revamp of the industry.

He says forestry leaders “had kind of been the poor cousins in terms of debates about primary commodities in New Zealand for such a long time”, but says that in building up the new organisation in Rotorua he wanted to avoid it becoming a “bloated bureaucracy”.

“I want people planting trees, not pushing pens,” he says.

He went on to add that he foresees “a great deal” of collaboration between the new Forest Service in Rotorua and Scion “to give a level of confidence and security as to how the state provides funding for that particular scientific institute”.

The new Forest Service is being created from what is currently the Crown Forestry division within the Ministry of Primary Industries. Rather than be a separate ministry, it will continue to be part of MPI, but will focus specifically on this country’s forestry sector and will run under the name Te Ururàkau, which translates to a small patch of timber-growth.

The new Forest Service will be charged with enacting government forestry policy and liaising with the industry to promote the good of forestry in New Zealand. A special unit has been formed within MPI to

Forestry Minister, Shane Jones. work on the establishment of the new division, which aims to be up and running this year.

Mr Jones says more details on the new Forest Service will be provided in the Budget 2018, which the Finance Minister will deliver on May 17.

He went on to say that, as minister, he has “the task of rehabilitating the status of the New Zealand forestry sector”, adding: “It is something that has slipped off its place of pride.

“Not only over the past nine years, but I would hazard a guess since we started the process [through structural adjustment] of privatising and corporatising New Zealand’s state-owned forestry interests.” NZL

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 5

forest talk

Eight forests up for sale A SHORTLIST OF PROSPECTIVE BUYERS IS BEING DRAWN UP AS part of the sale of a portfolio of eight forests located in Northland, Waikato, Gisborne/East Coast and Canterbury.

The eight forests, collectively held under the Project Tapuwae Forest Estate, total around 2503 hectares of mostly Radiata Pine, all ready for harvesting or currently being harvested.

The sales process was divided into two stages, with a campaign to bring in expressions of interest by the end of April, which are now being evaluated and a short list of prospects selected to begin the final negotiations.

Colliers International, which is handling the sale, says 55% of the estate is freehold land and crop, with the remaining 45% being forestry rights only.

“All eight forests, owned by the Australasian Timberland Fund II and NZFIT Limited, are in regions renowned in the forestry industry for the quality of their crops,” according to Warwick Searle, forestry specialist with Colliers International.

“The estate has been expertly managed by forestry services provider PF Olsen, which has maintained an extensive network of harvest infrastructure across many of the forests.”

“With a substantial portion of the crop available to harvest now, investors have the opportunity to draw income from these timber assets almost immediately.”

About 1,496ha is unpruned and the balance is pruned, with a small area only partly pruned.

The Northland forests in the estate, Waima and Tapuwae, are located on either side of Hokianga Harbour and have a total crop area of 487ha.

Tapuwae Forest, on the northern side of Hokianga Harbour, has a 26-year single rotation forestry right that started in November 2006. The 246ha crop, planted between 1991 and 2002, is mostly pruned Radiata along with 41ha of Cypress.

Waima Forest, on the opposite side of the harbour, is a freehold land and crop with a net stocked area of 240ha. The Radiata was largely planted in 1993 and 1994, with a small area planted in 1998. Just under half is pruned.

In the Waikato, Stoneleigh Forest is freehold land and crop with the 127ha landholding sited just south of Te Kuiti, directly off State Highway 30.

Rangikohua Forest, northeast of Gisborne, is a 35-year single rotation forestry right that started in July 2008. The forest comprises 48ha of Radiata planted in 1998 and a further 341ha planted in 2008, the vast majority being unpruned.

Ngatapa Forest, located 25km northeast of Gisborne Port, is freehold land and crop, largely pruned. The 163ha forest was mostly planted in Radiata in 2002, with another 8.8ha planted in 2012.

Buddo Forest, south of Gisborne, is a 23-year forestry right that started in January 2009. The 197.1ha of Radiata was planted between 1981 and 1996, is mostly part-pruned.

Okare Forest, 56km inland from Wairoa, is a 35-year forestry right that started in July 2008. The 291ha forest, which is mostly pruned, was planted between 1995 and 2005, and chiefly comprises Radiata, along with 5ha of minor species.

The sole South Island forest in the portfolio and also the largest, Glen Arlie is located southwest of Christchurch and is freehold land and crop comprising 847ha first planted in 1975 with mostly pruned Radiata, along with 42ha of Douglas-fir and 5ha of Cypress. NZL

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An aerial view of part of Tapuwae Forest, on the northern side of Hokianga Harbour.

Daiken cleared to buy Southland MDF plant THE COMMERCE COMMISSION HAS GIVEN DAIKEN NEW ZEALAND clearance to acquire 100% of the shares in wood products manufacturer Dongwha New Zealand Ltd. Japanese-owned Daiken, which manufactures and supplies MDF in North Canterbury, sought clearance to acquire Dongwha, which manufactures and supplies MDF from a plant it operates in Gore.

In making its decision, the Commission considered competition issues in the national market for the manufacture and supply of raw MDF panels.

Deputy Chair, Sue Begg, says the Commission is satisfied that the merger will not substantially lessen competition in the relevant market, adding: “We were satisfied on the evidence before us that the market is currently delivering competitive outcomes and that the proposed acquisition is not likely to substantially change that situation.”

The Dongwha New Zealand operation is 80% owned by Dongwha International Limited of Hong Kong and 20% owned by Laminex Group (NZ) Limited. Its products are used locally and exported. NZL

The Dongwha MDF plant in Gore has been sold to Daiken.

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forest talk

New ways to measure log loads to be unveiled at WoodFlow A KEY FOCUS FOR THIS YEAR’S WOODFLOW 2018 conference running in June is log measurement, scaling and tracking.

It’s a major issue for the forestry industry and technologies trialed over the years haven’t quite lived up to the hype.

Wood represents on average about a third of delivered log costs at the mill or port.

Accurate, quick, clean, repeatable and costeffective wood volume estimates are therefore critical to the forest owner, manager and contractors.

Poor log measurements impact not only on the returns for the grower, the harvester and haulage contractors but can also have a major bearing on contractual business relationships. Although laser scanning has become a mature and more affordable technology for log measurement in forestry operations, it still remains expensive to adopt and, in some instances, difficult to

implement in some real-life operations.

Measurement where payment is based on green weight, manual measurement or weight to volume conversion factors all have their limitations.

At WoodFlow 2018, Mauricio Acuna from the Australian Operations Research Alliance will present findings from recent trials undertaken with local industry using multi-view photogrammetry and commercial 3D image processing software. It’s being tested as an alternative method to automated volumetric measurement of truckloads. The study has also been investigating the accuracy of truck volume calculations using photogrammetric methods and 3D reconstruction software compared to manual systems.

Tasmania’s largest private forestry management company, Forico, has also been evaluating log measurement systems. As well

as managing 100,000 ha of timber plantations the company operates two woodchip mills in NE Tasmania at Bell Bay and NW Tasmania at Hampshire.

Over the last 12 months, the viability of installing a 3D laser measurement system to get the solid volume of bulk hardwood logs has been top of mind. In addition to cost and operational improvements, the company’s aim has been to shift from log measurement in green metric tonnes to cubic metres to enable log drying across the estate to improve freight outcomes for woodchip and the log transport task.

Forico has opted for a 3D laser measurement system that has been supplied by Chilean technology company, Woodtech Measurement Systems. It has already been installed and is being used by mills in Europe, the US and in Latin America.

In addition to highly precise measurements (more than one million measurements per vehicle load) the measurement system reduces operational costs. Fewer operators are involved, quicker measurements can be taken, and truck turn-around time is able to be reduced. Measurements are also taken on moving trucks. With 100% of the loads being measured, no sampling or conversion factors are required.

The system was commissioned by Forico in late March and trials are still underway at the company’s Hampshire operation. It’s the first time the Logmeter system has been deployed at a mill in Australia, New Zealand or South East Asia.

Darren Herd, Strategic Resource and Logistics Manager with Forico, will be outlining the company’s investigations into suitable log load measurement systems and results from their recent trials, along with Woodtech.

Woodflow 2018 runs on June 20/21 in Melbourne and again on June 26/27 in Rotorua and in addition to the two days of tech updates, conference delegates also this year have the opportunity of registering for two pre-conference workshops, one on cloud-based operations management and the other on transport planning. Details are on www.woodflow.events. NZL

A 3D laser measurement system being used to measure logs loads in Australia. Photo – Forico.

8 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

forest talk

Cat grows its 500-series range in NZ TWO NEW MODELS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE CAT FOREST MACHINE range in New Zealand.

Gough Cat is introducing the 548 and the 558, the latest models in the Cat 500 series to go to work here, joining the 538 that debuted last year and larger 568.

Both machines feature outstanding fuel efficiency and optimised work tools while increasing horsepower and swing torque.

“We’re delighted to have these new Cat 500 Series Forest Machine models now working out in New Zealand forests,” says Wayne Baker, Gough Forestry Industry Sales Manager.

“The Cat 548 and 558 Forest Machines underscore Caterpillar’s commitment to research and development to enable the forest products industry to move forward.”

Goughs says there are major new advancements with the two new models that will appeal to New Zealand contractors.

Both models deliver a strong all-round performance, thanks to dramatic improvements to swing torque (up 20%), along with increased engine and hydraulic horsepower and from their new fuel-efficient engines.

Thicker plating, box frame structures and forestry-duty undercarriages provide longer life to help reduce downtime and operating cost per hour.

Both new models offer a choice of purpose-built rear entry or

enhanced side-entry cabs, while LED lights and heated /cooled seats are standard equipment. New grouser options offer improved versatility on a variety of terrain.

The 33-to-35-tonne Cat 548 replaces the 324DFM and is configured for forestry tasks ranging from road building and site preparation to processing logs roadside or at a landing, whilst the 548 LL version is ideal for loading logs and shovel logging. Both can take small-tomedium sized processing heads.

It gets a new Cat C7.1 ACERT engine that delivers 152kW (204hp), up 9% on the previous engine. Other changes are an enhanced hydraulic system, upsized pumps, improved layout of components, and back-toback main control valve to optimise hydraulic oil flow, ensuring work tools function more quickly and smoothly. The new hydraulics allow the engine to run at a lower steady state rpm while maximising power, providing significant fuel savings.

The 42-tonne Cat 558 replaces the previous 325DFM in the Cat forestry line-up, and contractors might also view it as an alternative to the 336, because of its wide-ranging versatility that adds loading and shovelling duties to its potential as a processor.

There’s a more powerful version of the Cat C7.1 ACERT engine in the 558, producing 178kW (239hp) of peak power, together with similar enhancements to hydraulic performance as its smaller sibling and improved fuel efficiency.

Mr Baker says of the two newcomers: “They are designed for maximum efficiency and maximum productivity in order to provide more profit potential to New Zealand logging contractors.”

The first Cat 548 and Cat 558 machines have already arrived in New Zealand and are either out working in the forest or on their way. NZL

Above: The new Cat 548LL, seen here in shovel logging mode.

Left: Rotorua contractor CMH is among the first to put the new Cat 558LL to work in New Zealand.

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 9

forest talk

Nelson contractor first with forestry certification

Nathan Taylor, far right, with his Mechanised Cable Harvesting crew. Photo – Mike MacKinven.

NELSON-BASED MECHANISED CABLE HARVESTING IS THE FIRST in New Zealand to become a certified forestry contractor.

The company, run by Ross Wood, Hamish Matthews and Nathan Taylor, will soon be joined by other contractors from around the country as the certification process gathers speed.

The Safetree Certified Contractor scheme was established in the wake of the 10 forestry deaths in 2013, prompting the Independent Forestry Safety Review, which recommended creating certification schemes for contractors and workers.

“This is big step for forestry and is a sign of the industry’s growing professionalism,” says Fiona Ewing, National Safety Director of the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC).

“Certification will help lift safety standards – which is good for contractors, for workers and for forest owners and managers.”

Ms Ewing says most contractors have to comply with safety standards set by forest owners and managers and pass safety audits, but until now there was no single certification system that applied across the industry.

“Safetree Contractor Certification provides that industry-wide recognition,” she adds.

Mechanised Cable Harvesting was set up just over four years ago. Currently its crew of nine work for Tasman Pine Forests and it is in the process of establishing a second crew to work for Nelson Forests.

Nathan Taylor says becoming the first certified contractor was a great thing, adding: “What I like about this scheme is that it goes beyond the paperwork.

“It includes an on-site audit that looks at things like whether you’ve got a good crew culture. That’s important because your culture affects what happens on the ground every day – whether

10 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

people take ownership and look after each other. It’s really important in making a good workplace.”

Nathan says the certification process wasn’t onerous and took less than a day and a half of his time.

“If you run a good operation you should be proactively doing all these things anyway.”

He goes on to say: “For me, becoming the first Certified Safetree Contractor was about more than bragging rights or being able to put a nice logo on our trucks. We got certified because we want to support efforts to make our industry safer and more professional. We think certification is also a way to raise the status and mana of contractors.

“There are also benefits in having a single, nationally-recognised scheme for independently auditing contractors’ health and safety.

This could help to prevent the situation some contractors find themselves in when they work for different clients, of having to comply with different health and safety pre-qualification/audit schemes.

“Our experience is that the Certified Safetree Contractor scheme delivers much more than other types of audits, like the old ACC Workplace Safety Management Practices (WSMP) programme.”

The scheme has two parts. First there’s an online assessment that covers your insurance certificates, incident statistics and provides advice to make sure you’ve got your employment arrangements right, which Nathan describes as “pretty straightforward if you’ve already got your systems and paperwork in place, adding that “if you haven’t, there’s help to get this stuff sorted. It took me about an hour to fill in all the forms.”

He says: “What we liked best about the certification process

forest talk

was that it doesn’t stop at the paperwork. It includes an onsite audit of your practices by an independent auditor. We think that’s important, because for forestry to move ahead we need to get past the view that health and safety is a generic thing that’s just about paperwork.

“The independent auditor visits and looks at how risks are being managed on site (particularly critical risks). They look at your forestry practices and whether your workers are competent for the jobs they’re doing. Importantly, they also look at the way you and/or your foremen lead and engage with the crew.

“We think that focus on leadership and good engagement is really important because these affect your crew culture. And your crew culture affects what happens on site every day – whether people take ownership and look after each other. A good crew culture is the key to a safe workplace, in our view.”

Nathan says he and his team didn’t find the audit too difficult, saying: “It took about three-quarters of a day and the things the independent auditor focuses on are things you should be doing anyway if you run a good operation.

“We found the audit useful because it verified our processes and gave us an independent confirmation that we meet the standards. It reinforced some of the good stuff we’re doing, which was positive. I also liked that the auditor talked to our people in the field to get their points of view. It was good to hear from the auditor that the crew were very open to talking.

“One thing that probably simplified the audit for us is that we are a mechanised operation – which removes the risks associated with harvesting using chainsaws.

“Overall the process went pretty smoothly and we think it was worth the investment of time and money.”

The experience with the certification scheme led Nathan to become a certification auditor himself.

“The reason I decided to do this is because I think it’s really important for contractors to be supporting each other to lift standards,” he says. “For me, it’s about developing the skills within our industry and not just relying on external auditors.”

Once certified, contractors go onto the register on the Safetree. nz website. The register includes contact details and where contractors operate, enabling forest owners and managers to search for certified contractors to meet their requirements.

“We’d like to see forest owners and managers use the register and support this scheme” Nathan says.

“It would be great to see contractors who make the effort to get certified being recognised by the industry. It would also be great to see forest owners and managers support their contractors who aren’t yet certified to help them through the certification process.

“This would help make our industry safer and more professional.

And everyone in forestry is going to benefit from that.”

More than 100 contractors have begun the certification process and around 130 workers have also been certified under the Safetree Professional Forest Worker scheme, established in 2016.

Certified contractors pay an annual fee of $695 (ex GST) to be part of the scheme. They also pay for the audit, which has to be done every two years and costs about $800 to $100 a day depending on the auditor used. NZL

Greater Productivity and Longevity,Tough and Reliable

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FORESTRY SPECIALIST TODAY

DEALERS NATIONWIDE

Northland Marcus Bourke 0272 416 126 Auckland Colin Saunders 0275 932 661, Byren Ware 027 287 8902 Nth Harbour/West Auckland James Maunsell 021 937 304 Western BOP Andre Muller 021 950 347 Hawkes Bay/Gisborne Ben Kendrick 021 658 554 Waikato/Coromandel Tony Hennessy 027 839 8153 Sth Waikato/Central Nth Island Steve Mellar 0275 653 956, Garth Topless 0275 796 597 Manawatu/Taranaki/Wairarapa/Wellington Mardi Pritchard 021 335 873 Nelson Chris Jones 0275 741 712 West Coast/Canterbury Steve Varcoe 021 969 323 Otago Cory Hellyer 027 288 1952 Southland Dean Cousins 021 932 246 Forestry Product Manager: Mark Hill P: 0275 030 483 E: markh@abequipment.co.nz

Freephone: 0800 30 30 90 or visit: www.abequipment.co.nz 11773

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 11

forest talk

NZ foresters meet Prince of Wales

TWO NEW ZEALAND FORESTERS TOOK PART in a unique meeting with Prince Charles recently.

They met the Prince of Wales during a forestry roundtable meeting hosted by the Institute of Foresters Australia, in Queensland’s beautiful Mossman Gorge.

James Treadwell, President of the NZ Institute of Forestry was invited to attend along with Alfred Duval the inaugural winner of the Prince of Wales Sustainability Cup. Mr Treadwell says it was a great honour to spend time with his Royal Highness again and discuss the importance of all forests to the world.

“It was incredibly generous of His Royal Highness to invite two New Zealanders to the top of Australia to discuss New Zealand’s role at promoting and implementing sustainable forestry practices,” says Mr Treadwell “We discussed New Zealand’s place in world forestry and the goal of planting 1billion trees over 10 years.

“His Royal Highness has been promoting the benefits of forests for decades and most people are only just waking up to the benefits forests bring to all people in terms of clean water, recreation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity and general well-being.

“I was very pleased one of our future foresters, Alfred Duval, was invited to attend.

Alfred is only 24 years old and at the beginning of his forestry career, this was a great honour for him, but also highlighted the importance of future sustainability to his Royal Highness.

“His Royal Highness is a passionate advocate of sustainable forest management and I look

Prince Charles is a champion of forests and natural habitats. forward to continuing our relationship and looking for ways to promote forests within New Zealand and the rest of the world.”

Mr Duval says the visit was inspiring and has strengthened his resolve to promote forests and all the benefits they bring to all people.

He understands that, as the inaugural winner in 2017 of the Prince of Wales Sustainability Cup, he has a responsibility to deliver a new forestry future for New Zealand, which is underpinned by sustainable practices and an integrated approach to land use. This year’s award will be announced at the NZIF annual conference in Nelson in July and nominations have already closed.

However, applications for other awards and scholarships offered by the NZIF Foundation for 2018 have just opened. With the addition of The New Zealand Redwood Company Scholarship and the Invercargill City Forests Awards this year, the total value of awards offered is $44,500.

The awards open for application are:

NES NOW IN EFFECT THE NEW NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS COVERING plantation forestry activities in New Zealand came into effect at the beginning of May. Staff from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) travelled the length of the country over the past six months hosting workshops for councils and more than 500 forestry workers on the new standards.

The new nationally consistent regulations replace regional and district council plan provisions and are based on existing good practice standards for the forestry industry.

The NES covers eight core activities in the life-cycle of a plantation forest, with most forestry activities permitted, provided certain conditions are met. Otherwise a resource consent will be required.

Three risk assessment tools are available to help foresters and councils determine when consents will be needed for forestry activities. These tools identify the risk of wilding conifer spread, erosion and disturbance to waterways while fish are spawning.

Under the NES-PF plantation foresters will need to familiarise

12 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

• Two Future Forest Scholarships for post graduate research of up to $10,000 each • The New Zealand Redwood Company Scholarship of $5,000 for an undergraduate scholarship at the University of Canterbury School Forestry • Invercargill City Forests Award of up to $5,000 to assist a resident of Invercargill with forestry related study, research or travel relevant to forests or forestry • Chavasse Travel Award of up to $3,500 to assist a mid-career person to travel overseas or to bring an overseas person to NZ • Jon Dey memorial award of up to $3,500 to assist research projects in the areas of work study or new technology aimed at improving forest engineering and harvest productivity • Otago Southland Award of up to $3,000 to assist a project of relevance to forestry in the Otago/Southland region • Mary Sutherland Scholarship of $1,000 for a polytechnic student • University Undergraduate Scholarship of $1,000 • Frank Hutchinson Postgraduate scholarship of $1,000 • Student Poster prize at NZIF Conference (1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes of $800, $500 and $200) Applications must be received by the Foundation administrator (foundation@ nzif.org.nz) by June 20 and winners will be announced at the NZIF conference dinner on July 10. More details are on www.nzif.org.nz. NZL

themselves with the requirements for each forestry activity and understand how the three tools apply to their own land.

When required they will need to prepare (and keep records of ) a forestry earthworks management plan, harvest plan, and quarry erosion and sediment management plan for submission to council.

MPI has produced guidance on the NES, which is available for download on the MPI website User Guide and the Consent and Compliance guide.

“We have met with more than 500 foresters during the NES-PF workshops. The general feeling is that these regulations provide more certainty for the sector, and the long-term benefits for both the environment and forestry sector productivity are welcomed by both the forestry industry and local authorities,” says MPI’s Oliver Hendrickson.

A second round of workshops will be hosted by MPI and the New Zealand Institute of Forestry starting this month, providing another opportunity to apply the NES in a scenario-based activity, assessing forestry’s ability to apply and navigate the regulations.

See the FICA coverage on page 52 with comments from contractors on the NES. NZL

forest talk

First John Deere 2656G arrives

THE LATEST JOHN DEERE SWING MACHINE to upgrade to the new G-series, the 2656G, has now gone to work in New Zealand, says distributor, CablePrice.

The new 2656G replaces the previous 2454D in the 34-tonne category in the John Deere line-up and delivers a number of improvements.

First to get the new model locally is Hickford Logging, which is working just west of Whanganui. This machine sports a factory-fitted live heel and a Duxson grapple for loading and shovelling All new 2656G machines now come with a rear-entry cab as standard, featuring windows in the floor and polycarbonate screens for better views of the tracks and working area. Like other G-series models, the cab-forward design improves visibility to the right. Other fatigue-beating creature comforts include a more efficient climate control, heated/cooled seats and new ergonomic controls.

For early morning starts, buyers can opt for the 14-light LED package, which

delivers 40% more illumination.

Longer track frames are also standard, putting more track on the ground, for increased stability and providing up to 14-percent more lifting capacity – with the boom/arm stretched out to 7.6 metres it can lift an extra 1.7 tonnes over the previous model.

Improvements to the 6.8-litre Tier 3 PowerTech™ Plus engine reduce fuel consumption by 5-to-8% percent while still delivering the same 145kW (194hp) output as before. The new ‘half-lever’ hydrauliccontrol system reduces fuel consumption by another 3-to-5%, depending on application.

Contractors could probably save more fuel through smart use of the three productivity modes that allow the operator to adjust the machine to the application. The accumulated fuel savings have led John Deere to reduce the tank size to 800 litres from 1000 litres without any material effect on re-fuelling intervals.

The hydraulically driven, variable-speed fan runs only as needed, further conserving

Whanganui-based Hickford Logging is the first to get the new John Deere 2656G in New Zealand. power and fuel, and there’s an auto reversing option John Deere has fitted larger, more durable coolers along with improved airflow to help reduce hydraulic operating temperatures, for maximising component life.

The 2656G has also received a more dependable electrical architecture that simplifies wiring harnesses and reduces the number of electrical connectors, fuses and relays by approximately 25%.

Other upgrades include beefing up the undercarriage X-frame and upper frame structures, which are said to deliver significantly longer life than previous models — in some cases up to 67% more.

And new larger diameter lower rollers with polished shafts and improved seals extend wear life, while reducing downtime and maintenance costs. NZL

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 13

forest talk

Logger A

Tuesday

Gough Cat apprentice wins international award Marty Turek, left, and his trophies, with Kylie Martin, Apprentice and Online Training Advisor – Gough Group.

COMPETING AGAINST THE BEST FROM Australia, Indonesia and the United States, Gough Cat’s Marty Turek has won the Caterpillar Top Apprentice of the Year award, held in Melbourne.

Marty, working from Gough Cat’s Rotorua branch but based in Tauranga, defeated five other entrants from CAT dealers, two from Australia, two from the United States and one from Indonesia.

Based over three days, the competition included a 10-minute Formal Presentation, a Knowledge Assessment that is comprised

of a 50-question test paper on basic mechanical knowledge and a Skills Olympics, where six work stations were set up with equipment.

“It was an extremely challenging three days,” says Marty.

“Some of the machines we had to work on in the competition we do not see in our day-to-day experience. While you had to think outside the square, you also must follow the Caterpillar diagnostic process.

“Caterpillar has a very process-oriented, troubleshooting process that you must work through when assessing machines as we did in the Skills Olympics.”

Marty’s success did not come without hard work. Having won the New Zealand title as Top Apprentice for Gough Cat last year, the next few months leading up to the Melbourne contest in March were consumed with Cat learning and practical work.

He says: “I went down to Christchurch a couple of times to the Gough Institute

of Training to work on different types and aspects of Cat equipment, while I also went through my formal presentation, received feedback and made the necessary tweaks.”

It was for his formal presentation ‘The Future of Hydraulic Systems’ that Marty was awarded top marks. He was runner-up in the overall Skills Olympics.

Aged 30, Marty is a relative latecomer to the MITO New Zealand heavy diesel technician apprenticeship programme.

“The first phase of my working life was in the hospitality industry, firstly in New Zealand, then overseas including London and also Valencia when it was hosting the America’s Cup. I then spent three and a half years in the Army, and whereas that was great general experience, I wanted to learn a specific skill.”

For his success, Marty wins a two-week trip to Caterpillar Head Office in Peoria, Illinois, plus VIP tours associated with Caterpillar in the US. NZL

Award for southern forestry student A UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY FORESTRY student has received top forest industry honours with the award of a major scholarship.

This year’s Southern Wood Council (SWC) Scholarship has gone to Rob Sheppard, a Bachelor of Forestry Science student.

Rob is a mature student with extensive work experience in agriculture and tourism, as well as an outdoors background including guiding (canoeing, horse trekking and hiking), instructing and animal control. He also has family interests in both sawmilling and farming and was employed by a SWC member company, Port Blakely, for three months work experience during this past summer.

The scholarship is the seventh awarded to students as part of an annual scholarship programme set up by the Council in 2011.

The annual scholarship awarded by the SWC is one of the most prestigious and valuable awarded to forestry students in New Zealand.

In any one year, the SWC has up to $13,500 committed to three student scholarships.

“The Annual Scholarship is an opportunity for forestry and wood products companies in the lower South Island to put back something into the industry and to support outstanding students studying towards either the Forestry Science or Forest Engineering courses at the School of Forestry,” says SWC Chairman, Grant Dodson. NZL

Southern Wood Council Scholarship winner, Rob Sheppard.

14 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Logger

Logger A4 1805 Tuesday, 17 April 2018 12:50:42 PM

Logger A4 1805

Forest Engineering 2018

NZ leading the world in winchassist technology IT’S NO SECRET THAT NEW ZEALAND HAS BECOME A WORLD leader in developing winch-assist technology to mechanically harvest trees on steep slopes. The extent of our leadership was showcased at the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month.

Keith Raymond, who has led the Steepland Harvesting programme for the past eight years – first with Future Forests Research and now with Forest Growers Research – highlighted the developments to visitors from more than 22 countries at the conference, who had travelled from as far afield as France, Finland, Poland, Latvia, Thailand and the Americas The figures spoke volumes. More than 180 winch-assist units produced by New Zealand companies have been sold to date, with 90 going into North and South America. Around 70 locallydeveloped grapple carriages and 100 camera systems have also been sold. Advanced mechanised harvesting software developed here has captured 20 customers, too.

“We’ve seen more than $110 million in sales of new harvesting machinery and equipment developed here in New Zealand since 2012,” says Mr Raymond.

A total of 19 new products have been developed in the last five years, some under the research programmes and others funded by contractors and engineers, with 13 going on to be commercialised

This ClimbMAX was among the first NZ-developed winch-assist machines to be exported – seen here lowering itself down a snowy slope in British Columbia.. and six reaching prototype stage.

A major benefit seen in the forests around New Zealand has been a 60% reduction in serious harm injuries between 2012 and 2017, with more than 200 people removed from manual falling and breaking out. A 25% increase in productivity from cable harvesting crews has been attributed to the introduction of winch-assist and grapple carriage technologies since 2013 – mechanisation has improved ground-based productivity by 33%. NZL

Where have all the yarders gone??

AN INTERESTING TREND HAS SURFACED in the latest survey by the University of Canterbury on the number of yarders working in New Zealand forests.

The survey, carried out every five-to-six years, appears to show fewer yarders are working in corporate forests in 2018,

compared to 2012. So where have they gone?

Hunter Harrill, a researcher with the university’s School of Forestry, told the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month that whilst the survey has yet to be completed, only 193 swing yarders and tower haulers had been identified so far, compared to a total of 305 working six years ago.

“Although some forest owners have not yet responded, that doesn’t make up for the lack of numbers showing in the information collected to date,” says Dr Harrill, “Some of the older towers, the Madill 009s, have been retired, but the others seem to have moved into woodlots or they are working with smaller forest managers and we haven’t yet been able to identify them. That was to be expected with more

The Madill 124 is the most popular swing yarder in New Zealand.

16 NZ LOGGER | April May 2018 2018

woodlots now coming on stream, but it makes the task difficult, especially when there are reckoned to be 14,000 individual woodlot owners in New Zealand.”

Few new towers are being built today, as the emphasis goes on swing yarders that can grapple logs from the hillsides, a trend also showing in the survey, with the Madill 124 still being the most numerous model in the bush.

More motorised carriages are being used

by New Zealand loggers, too. Back in 2012, less than 30% of yarders/tower crews were employing motorised carriages, but that has grown to 50% of those surveyed, with scabbing now becoming less common, although the venerable North Bend system is still a popular configuration.

And six years ago, no one was using grapple-equipped carriages, whereas they are used by an increasing number of crews in 2018.

NZ Logger will carry the full results when the survey is completed. NZL

Forest Engineering 2018

Winch-assist study highlights utilisation

IKEA buys forests for its furniture GLOBAL FURNITURE PHENOMENA, IKEA, has begun buying its own forests to ensure it is supplied with enough FSC-certified wood to keep its 403 worldwide stores satisfied.

Senior IKEA manager, Christoph Leibing, travelled to New Zealand last month to address the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference to brief attendees on the company’s wood-based activities and plans.

IKEA is the world’s largest single consumer of wood and started its own MDF factory to produce lightweight, yet strong tables and other furniture made from fast-growing Poplar harvested in Europe, and they now form the corner-stone of its product range.

The company also uses fast-growing Acacia from Vietnam.

Mr Leibing explains: “We can now produce five tables from the same raw material as one solid wood table”.

The company uses close to 16 million cubic metres of round wood equivalent every year and plans to source all of its wood and paper from sustainable sources by 2020, with the aim of helping to prevent deforestation. As part of that plan, IKEA recently invested in forests in Romania and Latvia. No word on whether New Zealand will be on the forest shopping list – the company does not yet have any stores here but there are ten in Australia. NZL

WHEN SPENDING BIG BUCKS ON A WINCHassist system to improve productivity and safety levels on steep slopes, you want to make sure it is constantly working.

But, as many contractors are discovering, that’s easier said than done. So, Pan Pac decided to commission a survey to find out exactly how much a new TractionLine winchassist system put to work by contractor DG Glenn in its Hawkes’ Bay forests was being utilised.

“Pan Pac is paying a day rate to the contractor for the winch-assist unit, so they were wanting to make sure it was being used,” says University of Canterbury forest engineering student, Ben Reriti, who studied the winch-assist operation over the summer.

To date, there has been no in-depth or longterm evaluation of winch-assist machines, so utilisation is an unknown, he told the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month.

The DG Glenn TractionLine used in the winch-assist study.

An accurate estimate of utilisation will allow for better planning and efficiency of the system, he adds.

Pan Pac has set a target of 75% utilisation and Ben was able to check whether it was working to plan by fitting a GPS unit to monitor the TractionLine and the Cat 552 harvester, recording when they were ‘On’ and ‘Off’.

Ben found a clear difference between the utilisation of the winch-assist machine and the harvester. The TractionLine was used on 49 out of a possible 70 days and worked a total of 268 hours. Whereas the harvesting machine worked 357 hours when used in conjunction with the winch-assist Hitachi. And it was also operated off the tether on ground-based felling at times, with the TractionLine parked up, so the Cat ended up with 510 ‘On’ hours over the 70 days.

Ben calculated that when used together, the winch-assist machine did indeed meet the Pan Pac 75% utilisation target, but overall that figure dropped to 53% when the off-tether work of the harvester was included.

With the winch-assist machine being ‘Off’ for 21 of the 70 days it was available to work, that leaves room fpr improved utilisation, says Ben, which is expected to come when a second harvester joins the operation shortly. The study, which is ongoing, will also need to determine what the winch-assist machine was doing when it was ‘Off’ and not actually parked up. NZL

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Forest Engineering 2018

Winch-assist improving soil – study

AMERICAN RESEARCHERS BELIEVE TETHERED harvesters might be improving soil on steep slopes and the effect of tracked machine movements over the surface may also help it to absorb more moisture.

Woodham Chung, Associate Professor of Forest Operations at the Oregon State University, has been leading a study into the effects of cable-assistance operations on reducing soil disturbance during mechanical timber harvesting along machine corridors.

Soils can be improved with tracked winchassist machines running over them.

It is widely acknowledged that a tethered machine reduces damage to the ground when compared to an untethered machine, but the Oregon State study alludes to more interesting results.

Prof Chung told the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month that the study was commissioned

as a result of more machines going onto slopes and the need to understand their benefits or otherwise. Weyerhaeuser alone has 21 winch-assist units working in its Pacific North West forests, which formed part of the 2017 pilot study.

It confirmed what contractors already knew, that tracks are better engaged through their entire length when the tethered harvester is heading down hill. There’s less soil disturbance, too. But the study found the same is also true when the machine is working uphill.

Researchers were surprised to find that the top section of soil actually benefitted from a tethered machine walking over it, as the tracks mixed up the soil, which helps improve nutrient delivery to the tree roots.

The team also discovered that the top soil segment was able to better absorb moisture and this water-holding capacity might even reduce water flows, thus lessening the potential for flooding. This aspect still requires further research to quantify, as well as qualify, the results and what soil types it relates to.

When the final study is completed, Prof Chung and his team will produce best practice guidelines for environmentallyresponsible use of winch-assist machines on steep slopes that could be of interest to New Zealand contractors as well as those in North America. NZL

PORT BLAKELY FORESTRY IS ONE OF THE EARLY PIONEERS OF the US tree harvesting industry, with its roots dating back to 1852, when business founder, Nova Scotia sea captain William Renton, built a sawmill in Puget Sound in Washington State.

But it has still learned plenty from its forestry operations here in New Zealand, according to Court Stanley, President, of Port Blakely’s forestry divisions.

He told the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month that while the company has been harvesting wood from forests on steep land in both Washington and Oregon states for more than 150 years, it’s methods have been updated recently thanks to technological advances made by contractors and others in New Zealand.

Blakely Pacific was its first international operation, created in 1993 to harvest forests purchased in New Zealand’s South Island and has expanded into the North Island, which includes the Skookum barge business in Tauranga, servicing Matakana Island.

Through Blakely Pacific, recently renamed NZ Forestry, Port

18 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Blakely has been exposed to the development of winch-assist technology and other advancements to improve safety and productivity on steep terrain.

Mr Stanley told the conference: “We’ve certainly taken some of the lessons from mechanised harvesting operations on steep forestry terrain developed in New Zealand on board for our US Forestry division.”

He also gave the audience an overview of the environmental hoops foresters are required to jump through in Washington state before they can harvest trees, which includes a pre-harvest wildlife review five years out from cutting any trees. He went on to say that by comparison, the National Environmental Standard (NES) being introduced to New Zealand leads him to believe “there is nothing in there that scares me”.

Mr Stanley says environmental responsibility is part of the Port Blakely stewardship policy and with the company still in the hands of the Eddy family (who purchased it from Captain Renton) after five generations, that is likely to continue. NZL

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Forest Engineering 2018

Roof-top camera records wind-blown timber A UNIQUE GOOGLE EARTH-STYLE CAMERA mounted on top of an SUV was created to help Polish foresters record trees recovered from a massive windblow event suffered last year.

When a major storm struck Europe in August 2017 it flattened more than 10 million cubic metres worth of standing trees in central Poland, which sent the industry into overdrive to harvest the remains.

Poland has a significant forestry estate, amounting to 7 million hectares, and every year it harvests approximately 40 million cubic metres, much of which goes into furniture making. When the weather bomb struck, it effectively dumped a quarter of the annual harvest on the ground in one go.

Piotr Mederski, from the Poznan University of Life Sciences, told the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month that the windthrow event caused multiple challenges for the crews and the forest owners, especially as wind damage to forests on this scale is not common in Poland.

Not only did crews have to learn how to safely work around the tangle of downed trees without causing harm to themselves, they also needed to be able to recover as much of the wood as possible. Severe damage, such as long splits in the trunks of the mainly Scots Pines, complicated the job,

OR ORESTRY

DI

P

H Just like a Google Earth camera car, this SUV has been set up with roof-top cameras to scale log stacks. even with the use of mechanical harvesters.

Then, once it was cut, the massive stock pile had to be carefully managed so as not to flood the market with wood, crashing prices.

One of the biggest challenges, however, was timber scaling. Even though most of the logs had been put through a processor, the information was not always reliable and

trying to manually measure all those logs would have taken far too long.

So, a special photo-recording system was developed and the camera pod placed on top of an SUV that could drive through the stacks of logs and record the numbers at speed.

The drive-by scaling task across the scores of skid sites was completed quickly and quite accurately, with results of + or – 2% achieved.

The Polish team wants to improve on that accuracy with fine tuning to their recording technology. NZL

SA L

Overseas investors keen on NZ forests IT IS NOT ACCIDENTAL THAT NEW ZEALAND CURRENTLY IS ONE of the most desired locations for investors outside of their own countries, says a major forest owner.

Brendan Slui, CEO of Rayonier NZ, was quoting from the Forest Owners Association annual report for 2017 when he delivered those words to the 6th International Forest Engineering Conference in Rotorua last month.

And while that statement reflected the high international regard for our forests last year, the sentiment remains the same in 2018, in spite of a change of government.

Our business-friendly environment remains largely intact, we have fast-growing trees, good forest management practices, a high-quality workforce, an improving safety and technology outlook with an innovative culture, good infrastructure and good access to mills and ports, which all count in New Zealand’s favour. When investors see our rising harvest numbers – both wood produced and prices gained – in recent years they are impressed.

20 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

And it’s set to grow even further, with an additional 5 billion trees to be planted as part of the government’s 10 billion trees in ten years programme, beginning with 70,000 hectares of new forest plantings in 2019, rising to 110,000ha in 2021.

That will take New Zealand’s plantation estate from the current 1.7 million hectares to more than 2.2 million hectares.

There are good markets for our products, with China and other overseas customers readily accepting our logs, along with rising consumption by our own saw mills and wood processors.

Mr Slui told the conference that New Zealand forestry looks pretty good from a financial point of view, with $12.5 billion in assets and annual revenue of $4.2billion, which provides a return on assets of 5.7%. You don’t get that sort of return from putting money a bank deposit.

He did, however, warn that there were challenges facing the industry, from low R&D investment to scarcity of new workers, though we do have a good base to build on for the future. NZL

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t a c r e g i T o t n i s n r tu n i a t n u o m a t a o g Story & Photos: John Ellegard

I’ve seen some strange sights in the forest but few of them compare to an outsized Tigercat forwarder behaving like a spritely mountain goat on a steep slope.

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EST 1909 EST 1909 BANNER 1 THE SUPPLIER TO THE NEW ZEALAND HEAVY NEW INDUSTRY EALAND HEAVY INDUSTRY THE SUPPLIER TO ZEALA SUPPLIER TO NEW ZEA 22 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

EST 1909

THE SUPPLIER TO NEW ZEALAND HEAVY INDUSTRY

Above: The Tigercat 1085C at work on a steep slope in Southland blue gum.

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EST 1909 EST 1909 EST 1909 BANNER 1 THE SUPPLIER TO NEW WWW SHAWS OTHE NZ ZEALAND 0SUPPLIER 00 HEAVY SHAWSINDUSTRY EALAND INDUSTRY W ZEALANDHEAVY HEAVY INDUSTRY TO NEW ZEA May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 23

EST 1909

THE SUPPLIER TO NEW ZEALAND HEAVY INDUSTRY

Above: Over she goes – these are some of the steepest slopes you’ll see a forwarder working on without being tethered.

I

WAS FINDING IT HARD ENOUGH STAYING ON MY FEET AS I struggled on what must have been a 45-degree angle at one point, so how Craig Braven in the operator’s seat didn’t pitch-pole his 30-tonne machine and 22 tonnes of wood down the hill beats me.

There was no tether to provide the Tigercat with any sort of assistance.

They sure do breed people with nerves of steel down here in deepest Southland.

And yet, what makes this act so unusual is that it isn’t really out of the ordinary for Craig and his boss, Dean Dahlenburg.

You see, DM Logging has become expert in harvesting and removing logs from the sort of country that others shy away from. And steep slopes come right at the top of that list.

“We’ve tended to specialise in steep forests more recently because not a lot of people are into it, and that’s why I’m buying gear to suit,” says Dean very matter-of-factly after we’d witnessed Craig nose off a lip that defied belief.

As we watch the underside of the forwarder’s bunk disappear from view, he adds: “Yeah that is a bit steep, but if you know what you are doing and approach it the right way – and you’ve got the right gear – it shouldn’t be a problem.”

We’ll talk about the “right approach” in a minute, but first I want to know why the new Tigercat 1085C is the “right gear” for this deathdefying work.

A bit of background. This is a blue gum operation, which you might have guessed from the location – Southland has the largest

1 ER 1BANNER BANNER 1

concentration of Eucalyptus forests in the country and most are within a stone’s throw of Invercargill, like here in Drumfern Forest, 20 minutes north-west of Winton. They are planted on undulating and occasionally steep sites, so forwarders are the key to transporting logs to a place where road-going trucks take over.

After serving his apprenticeship in pines, Dean went on to cut his teeth in gums, being one of the early loggers to work in these southern ‘euc’ forests some 17 years ago, along with Waka West and Blanchy. That was right at the start of SouthWood Export’s venture to supply the Japanese pulp mills with chip.

But the ebb and flow of Eucalyptus supply saw Dean return to Radiata forests until five years ago, when he was asked to tackle a steep block of windblown gum in Drumfern that others had walked away from. Once in, he never left.

To make that job work, Dean figured it would require a BIG forwarder that would do regular runs from the cut-over to the skid site with a good-but-not-too-large load on board. There are two reasons behind such thinking; not pushing the limit with the load keeps the height down and lowers the centre of gravity, thus making it more stable, and it also reduces weight, so less strain on the machine.

Keeping the forwarder to a steady flow of wood, rather than pushing the envelope is part of the recipe for success in these challenging blue gums.

Dean has seen a few forwarder operators go hard-out to carry as much as possible, as fast as possible, and reckons they won’t beat a smooth and steady person at the controls.

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Right: DM Logging has kept the bolsters two stops in from their maximum width to maintain stability on these steep slopes.

“I’ll back my man any day against someone who goes like the clappers,” says Dean. “He’ll bring in just as many loads.”

Around the time the windblow job came up, one of the biggest forwarders working in Southland forests also became available; the Caterpillar 584HD that Scott Bradley was running in Eucalyptus forests near Tuatapere. Tipping the scales at 20 tonnes and able to carry a similar size load, it was among the largest of any purpose-built log forwarder when introduced and Scott was the first to employ one in New Zealand, which NZ Logger Iron Tested in September 2011.

When he got his hands on it, Dean worked the Cat to his formula of carrying reasonable loads at a steady pace and made it pay in the windblow. But running secondhand gear is never ideal, especially in such unforgiving country so when the 584HD began getting up in hours he cast around for a replacement.

By now, Caterpillar had decided to get out of the forwarder market, which narrowed the choice slightly, although there was nothing available locally that precisely matched Dean’s requirements.

That is, until AB Equipment suggested he look at Tigercat’s flagship forwarder, the 8-wheel-drive 1085C. Even though the 1085 had been added at the top of the range more than three years ago, none have been sold in New Zealand.

Both AB Equipment and Tigercat were keen to see it introduced to our market, especially as several are already hard at work in gums across the Tasman. Some have been reported to regularly transport 35-tonne loads – against an official maximum capacity of

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25 tonnes – so it can obviously handle big weights (over the short term, at least).

“We’d never think of putting 35 tonnes on it in here,” gestures Dean, “but it can easily cope with 22 tonnes on some of our steeper blocks. That’s good enough for me.”

At 22 tonnes, it gives Dean a weight buffer of 3 tonnes under the 1085’s maximum, so it’s not likely to be flogged. It’s also more than the 20-tonne capacity offered by the Tigercat 1075, the previous top-of-the-range model that already works with a number of New Zealand operators.

“I didn’t consider a 1075 – I really couldn’t see the point, except for the price,” adds Dean.

While it cost more than a 1075, the larger Tigercat hit the sweet spot for Dean and when the Cat 584HD was finally traded in at 14,000 hours a couple of months ago, he became the owner of the first 1085C in New Zealand.

It wasn’t just the load factor that swayed Dean. He likes other features, adding “This thing is exceptionally strong in lifting and that was the other reason I went with this because it had the big crane. Plus, it has a stronger slew, the bigger bogies and the power to make it climb really well, even on slopes this steep. I like the single speed transmission, too.”

Dean didn’t go with the unique low-wide bunk introduced as an option on the 1085C as part of the C-series upgrade over the previous B-series, preferring to stay with the more conservative regular configuration bunk to keep the load within the confines of

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the wheel tracks……..and even then he’s not using the entire width.

“It’s only sitting in the second hole on the bolsters so we haven’t opened it up yet, there’s another two to go,” he says.

“If we were in green gums and opened it right up as wide as it would go, we’d end up with 35-to-40 tonnes in there, which would be way over weight. It wouldn’t get up the hills anyway, but even on the flat I still wouldn’t run it at that weight because you are inviting problems down the line. Anyone can load a machine young and get away with it, but at 8-to-10,000 hours, that’s when you start to do bogies or diffs and drop boxes. So we base our business on the 20-to-25 tonne range and as long as we keep ticking over with that, it’s doing what it’s supposed to.”

The 1085C has been built with large loads in mind, according to Tigercat, which describes it as an “severe duty” machine. While it’s based around the 1075, the newer machine has been upgraded in key areas, including larger, heavy-duty bogies and axles, a heavy-duty centre pivot and more steelwork around the frame.

In place of the 1075’s two-stage hydrostatic transmission, Tigercat has developed a unit it calls the WideRange transmission in the 1085C, similar to the one equipped to the 632E skidder we sampled last year, but without the EHS technology. Essentially, this is a CVT-type variable-speed hydrostatic box incorporating a pair of piston motors to offer an infinitely variable drive with no set gear changes. Tigercat

says it delivers “extremely high tractive effort” to boost performance, especially when transporting full loads up steep slopes and Dean concurs with that description, adding: “It just powers up.”

Another advantage of this type of transmission, compared to a conventional two-speeder, is the quicker working travel speeds. Dean says the 1085C gets along at 6-to-7km/h, whereas another forwarder might be doing 5-to-6km/h on the same challenging terrain. The only drawback with this transmission is the top speed on easy tracks is limited to 8km/h, compared to 17.5km/h for the 2-speeder in the 1075, But the WideRange does deliver better fuel economy. We already know from experience with the new FPT engines adopted by Tigercat that they sip less diesel, but that advantage is increased when coupled to the new WideRange tranny.

Below: DM Logging’s Tigercat 1085 can safely carry 25 tonnes of wood, but loads are usually restricted to 22 tonnes on steep terrain.

Opposite page: New Zealand’s first Tigercat 1085C, specially selected to work in challenging Southland Eucalytpus forests by DM Logging.

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Top left: Under the forward-hinged bonnet is the 308hp FPT engine that delivers excellent performance.

Top right: Additional slats were added to the headboard to prevent small logs slipping through the grille.

Midlle left: Blades are not usually fitted to forwarders, but DM Logging wanted one on their 1085C to clear tracks and since our visit it has been modified to be deeper to clear dirt easier.

Midlle right: In addition to the small instrument screen on the armrest Tigercat has fitted displays for the two cameras on both dashboards in the cab.

Bottom left: The rear-ward looking camera is in the chassis recess on the right, while a light sits in the other recess.

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Above: All the main controls are mounted at the end of the armrests on the swivelling seat.

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“It’s certainly more economical than the old 584,” says Dean.

“Before it went onto tracks it was only using 120 litres for the day and we got almost three days out of the (370-litre) tank. But with the tracks fitted, and in this mud on the hills, it’s gone up to 170-to-180, or around 17 litres per hour. The 584 would use up to 300 litres a day.”

The 6.7-litre, 6-cylinder FPT N67 engine is exactly the same as used in the latest 1075C model, and also the bigger Tigercat skidders, built to Tier 2 specifications and delivering a rated power output of 230 kW (308hp) @ 2,000 rpm, which is up there with the best.

“The power in it is phenomenal,” confirms Dean. “And it’s so quiet, it can creep up on you without you knowing.”

To ensure all that power is transferred reliably and more effectively to the ground, especially in slippery conditions, Tigercat has equipped the bogie axles with a friction clutch differential lock or MDDL (multi disc differential lock). This allows the operator to engage and disengage the differential locks while the machine is moving, instead of having to stop.

The 1085C also has some other tricks up its sleeve to aid progress, or should I say, slow progress on particularly steep hills.

“Forwarders don’t like going down hills fast,” explains Dean, “so you can wind the engine revs back with one dial, and also wind the transmission back with the other dial, like a retarder. You definitely need that because it will try and get away on you, especially when the fully-loaded weight is 50-to-60 tonnes, although since the tracks went on they’ve helped.”

But the tracks, or bands, currently fitted to the DM Logging machine are not the ones that Dean ordered and they have a tendency to become clogged with mud – Dean says that while it will climb, “when it gets to a certain angle on this ground it starts to skid because it runs out of traction, and that’s down to the tracks (bands)”.

A new set with more aggressive grousers are on order and should have arrived by the time you read this.

Another important part of the operating equation for any forwarder is the loading crane; it needs to have good reach, be capable of lifting weighty logs and do the job quickly. The Tigercat 1085C ticks all three boxes with the heavy-duty F195T85 telescoping crane and medium capacity FG43 grapple.

The crane and grapple are well matched, having both been designed with the aim of assisting the operator to grab good loads without compromising speed, making for quick cycle times.

The crane is built to last, with thick walled bushings, a heavy-duty link, and rotator/swing dampener to reduce shock loads. Nice to see the hoses are routed through the box section to provide good protection from wayward logs.

Selecting the right grapple is an art-form, but the design of the FG43 seems to blend good bunching with the ability for the operator to easily pick up single logs when needed. It has a capacity of 0.43m, which is large enough for up to six or seven narrow logs or one big 3.5-to-4-tonner!

That’s right, some of these southern Eucalyptus 6-metre logs can weigh the same as a large Radiata log, which really tests the lifting ability of the crane, even with 195kN-m (143,825 lb-ft) at its disposal.

“It can handle most logs, but heavy ones can be difficult to load, especially on a steep hill,” says Dean.

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Above and left: The heavy-duty Tigercat crane and grapple are well suited to picking up slippery blue gum logs.

“Technically it’s supposed to be able to lift a 3-axle trailer off a truck.

But you can’t get close enough.”

Effective maximum lift is around 3.5 tonnes if the log is close to the machine, but when the boom is stretched out to its full 8.5 metres reach, the theory of quantum mechanics kicks in.

Both Dean and Craig have developed a neat flip-over manoeuvre to coax heavy logs into the bunk by lifting them end-over-end.

They’ve also developed a smart way of loading the wide variety

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of logs on the steep stuff that most effectively utilises the Tigercat’s prolific carrying capacity. And it answers the question about why Dean decided against the low/wide bunk.

“If we were only on the flat, the low/wide would be great, especially being able to fill it up and have a lower grille, but it doesn’t work on slopes – you’re spreading the weight further out,” says Dean, who then goes on to explain his approach to forwarding.

“Forwarders are designed to go up and down, not to be on sidings.

So we have to do a lot of planning to make sure we get it right. And that starts with me making sure I put the logs down when harvesting (with the Komatsu PC300 and Woodsman PRO800) and do my bit right, otherwise he could be four or five loads down.

“Then he has to figure out how to load it. There’s no point doing all

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the easy stuff and then struggling later with the hard bits – the idea is to be consistent right through and pick the right logs and progress down the hill. No point doing 20/20/20 (tonnes) and then finding you’re out of room and ending up doing 6/6/6.”

Consistency is the name of the game, says Dean, adding that we won’t see Craig spending ages trying to place the last few logs on the top so that they are well contained within the bunk and behind the frame. That time is better spent travelling, not juggling.

Like the 1075B we tested a while back, there is a conventional rising headframe to protect the cab from logs trying to shift forward when the Tigercat is bumping its way down a hill. Dean points out that the frame is not what it seems.

“We took it off and we made the space between all the slats in the headboard about 35-to-45mms wide, compared to the original 70mm,” he says.

“Some of the smaller stems can force their way through the larger gaps. It’s not just the cab and your man you need to protect, because your hoses, fire extinguishers, everything is in front of that grille.”

It was an extra expense, but necessary, and Dean thinks the factory may well adopt it as an option for future buyers.

Also unusual is the blade fitted to the front of the 1085C, which Dean specified because it enables the operator to clear the track of slash and debris without calling on assistance from a separate machine. It was designed to be used in snow in much colder climate and is a bit skinny for the job envisaged by Dean.

“They don’t usually put blades on because forwarders aren’t designed to push, so it’s not as deep as we wanted,” adds Dean. “It needs more of a scoop, so the dirt goes where it’s supposed to and at the moment it’s piling over the top.”

A few weeks later Dean had re-fashioned the blade with an extension that rolls the dirt over and works much better.

Such attention to detail underlines the success of the DM Logging approach to the difficult task of making money from harvesting Eucalyptus, which is notorious for tight margins.

Through planning, employing the “right gear” and careful execution, Dean and Craig are able to pack off eight truck loads to the SouthWood Export chip plant outside Invercargill each day – around 220 tonnes.

And they’ve been able to achieve that in spite of the steepness of some slopes and the difficulty posed by windblow, which has dogged DM Logging since arriving in Drumfern.

Having watched the Tigercat 1085C from afar, Craig has now brought the beast to the skid site adjoining the steep, twisting road into the forest. It looks much bigger up close, every bit the 27.5 tonnes plus an additional 4.5 tonnes of tracks on the bogies, even though the dimensions are no different to the 1075.

The only external difference I can make out is there are now four lights per side on the top of the cab instead of the seven on the 1075B we last tested five years ago, working with Phil Russell in a Canterbury thinning operation. They are all LEDs and turn “dark mornings into daylight” according to Craig.

Inside the cab, it’s pretty much how I remembered the 1075B, roomy, modern, with the joystick controls nicely placed at the end of each arm on the swivelling seat and a small instrument display fitted at the end of the right arm. A pair of separate screens mounted on top of

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Above: DM Logging owner, Dean Dahlenburg (left) and forwarder operator, Craig Braven (right). the front and rear dashboards offer views from the two cameras; one fitted between the lights above the front screen to give the operator a good close-in view ahead of the machine and the second enclosed in a small housing at the end of the chassis for an expansive rear view.

Craig says he uses the cameras all the time, adding: “I had it on this morning when I dropped over that other hill. The camera points down so it shows more than you can see from the seat. Quite handy. Then I had the forward camera playing on the rear screen when I was facing backwards so I could still see what was ahead of the machine.”

He’s a fan of the cab layout and says there’s plenty of storage spaces to keep things tidy, however he would like to have a pie warmer, just like the Komatsu forwarders.

Iron Tester Stephen ‘Pud’ Unahi will flesh out more details on the cab and controls in his column on page 35.

Back outside, tipping the bonnet forward, the view is similar to the Russell 1075B, even with a new engine now sitting under the air cleaner, with all daily checks in the same easy-to-reach positions.

With dark clouds massing above us, the predicted showers look like they are on the way, so Craig gets back into the cab for a demonstration run on one of the steeper sections to allow ‘Pud’ to

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Fortunately, the clouds blow over and the demonstration doesn’t need to be hurried. After offloading onto a small skid site at the foot of the hill, ‘Pud’ replaces Craig in the hot seat (no harness, strangely) and receives his operating instructions. Having driven plenty of forwarders in his time, the briefing doesn’t take long.

For his test, ‘Pud’ decides to start at the bottom of the hill because he’s experiencing this machine for the first time and wants to ease himself into the task without the added pressure of negotiating a long drop from the top. It’s a good move because he is facing up the hill and is able to concentrate on loading the mostly skinny logs.

Craig is happy to take a break and says: “Working in blue gums can be challenging at times. It’s pretty steep in places and when it’s wet it gets a bit hairy. We’ll need those tracks with the bigger grousers because we do this sort of steep stuff every summer.

“That’s why we went for that machine. It’s pretty much tailormade for what we do. It’s ticking all the boxes so far – I’m probably doing one extra load a day than before, and we are noticing a lot more wood going out the gate.”

When this hill is completed, Dean and Craig are due to move to another Eucalyptus forest nearby with easier terrain to work on over winter before they hit the steep stuff again.

And when they do, they’ll have the “right gear” to make a good fist of it. NZL

IFICATION

observe his technique and for me to grab photos.

Following the 1085C over the brow, I’m more-than impressed with Craig’s prowess and bravery in tackling such a steep incline, along with the ability of the machine to operate so well on this angle.

Dean has made life easier for Craig by bunching logs so they are within easy reach either side of the Tigercat. There’s not a proper track down here and there are still stumps to negotiate, which adds to the complexity of the task. But at least Craig has more ground clearance (716mm) than in his previous machine.

Whilst large tracts of the forest were hit by windblow five years ago and were still being cleared until very recently, the trees on this section were standing until a few days ago and Dean says that makes it easier to lay out the logs.

As Craig begins to load the bunk, Dean also points out that when he was processing some of the larger stems he had to be careful not to cut them too long, in order to keep the weight within the crane’s lifting capabilities.

Craig grabs the lengths he wants, judging what to leave for the next trip and moves further down the slope.

“He normally starts at the top and if he’s done the job right, he’ll still have logs when he gets down to the bottom to finish it off,” says Dean.

“And if he is going uphill he will only take a third, then halfway up he might take a wee bit then get the rest at the top because forwarders don’t like being pushed up a hill with 25 tonnes on the back.”

TIGERCAT 1085C FORWARDER – SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE

Reach

6-cylinder, 6.7-litre, Tigercat FPT N67 common rail diesel, Tier II, turbocharged & after-cooled

Lifting torque

Bore / stroke

104mm x 132mm

Power, rated

230kW (308hp) @ 2,000rpm

195 kNm

Slewing torque Grapple type

55 kNm Tigercat FG43, with heavy-duty rotator

DIMENSIONS

TRANSMISSION Type WideRange infinitely variable speed hydrostatic. 8-wheel drive, differential locks front and rear Max speed

8km/h)

Length

11,412

Width

3,345

Height

3,848

Ground clearance

BRAKES Service

Hydrostatic

Parking

Spring-action

STEERING

Tyres

716 780/50x28.5

Weight

27,325kg

BUNK (MM)

Type

Mini joystick

HYDRAULICS

Bunk length Bunk width

Pump type

Variable piston

CRANE & GRAPPLE Arm type

8.5 metres

Tigercat F195T85 with telescopic jib

5,560 4,200 (expanded)

Bunk area

7.6 square metres (expanded)

Gross load

25,000kg

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A STEEP LEARNING CURVE

Stephen Unahi Iron Test

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ATCHING CRAIG WALK THE BIG Tigercat down a steep slope, picking up wood as he went, is impressive but I wasn’t sure how comfortable I would feel once it was my turn.

In the end there was really nothing to worry about. Inside the cab you don’t really feel like you are on an angle and once I was settled into the seat my focus went on loading logs, not watching the slope.

It did make a difference starting off from the bottom of the slope, instead of driving over the lip at the top and only seeing horizon instead of the ground. With the seat facing up the hill as you load, it feels more relaxing.

The 1085C is an easy machine to like and just as easy to operate.

I like the cab, it’s very roomy, with a great view through the deep windows so you can see the bogies, which is especially useful if you

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are travelling backwards – you need to know where your wheels/tracks are and what you are walking over. And I liked having cameras at both ends and screens at either end.

The controls are really smooth and fall easily to hand. To drive there’s a forward and reverse button on the right panel and the wee hand toggle on the left side for steering – you only have to give it a nudge and it moves, much better than having a big steering wheel because you have more control.

Once you push the accelerator it releases the brake and you move. I like that, makes for a smooth, jerk-free start.

You can adjust the speed through one of the two dials on the panel. It controls engine revs and you set it to whatever percentage you want, and the other is for retarding the transmission.

I had a bit of a play and they work bloody well.

Coming down the hill I had it on 20% and

then ran it at half throttle so it braked itself.

Craig told me that if it does start to over-run to flick the steering a bit and it takes some of the power from the engine. On the straight I dialled up 90%, then dropped it back at the next hill. So easy to use.

On the hill, I gave the crane and grapple a real workout. There’s good slew speed and with the rotator you can grab logs very easily. With the extension, I wasn’t as accurate as I wanted, but that’s just me not being used to the feel because I usually work with a fixed arm on a digger. The reach was good though.

Controls follow the Cat pattern, so that was helpful, with the squirt boom worked from the left-hand side and on the right side is the rotator.

Lift was pretty good but when you are on an angle you do need to pull the logs in very close if you have a big grab, such as the last one, where I had to drag them into the wheels. That’s when the rotator helps, because you can then spin it to bring the load up by the side and place them neatly in the bunk.

I like the way the grapple works and have to agree with Craig that it has enough finesse to be able to pinch a single log to move it out of the way or re-position in the bunk – the straight tines help, too.

The seat moves around freely so you can face the way you are loading and lock it into position, and it’s very comfortable. What I did find eerie was there’s very little sound coming into the cab, you don’t hear much from the engine or anything else at all. It’s unreal.

With a full load the stability and ride felt good, I didn’t feel too many bumps in it, which shows how well the cab is isolated. Craig says it may also be due to the wheels being further apart, so there are fewer shocks transmitted from the ground.

When you are spending big bucks, like Dean has on the Tigercat 1085C, you want a machine that performs across the board. This one certainly does. NZL

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breaking out

This steam-driven traction engine, adapted for use as a hauler, is seen here in Mangapehi, in the King Country, in 1903.

Story: Trevor Coker Photos: Abundant Past Ltd

How steam haulers opened up the bush T

ODAY WE TAKE MECHANISATION FOR GRANTED IN forestry, but it wasn’t always like that.

Once New Zealand’s forests started to be exploited for their timber pioneer loggers soon came up against a problem that seemed insurmountable – how to move a log weighing several tonnes to where it could be transported to a mill for sawing into timber.

Early efforts used bullocks, driving dams and waterways. In many cases the best timber was hard to access due to steep terrain, deep gorges and other areas where bullocks could not be used, and logs could not be moved into waterways to be held behind dams and flushed downstream by water when the dam was tripped. Dams were often used to transport Kauri logs, which float unlike some native timber.

38 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

The first mechanical steps Mechanical haulage began with a ‘whim’ – not the sort of whim you might be thinking of, as the harvesting-type of whim was a vertical drum set in a stout timber frame in the ground.

The whim was made entirely from wood strengthened with steel bands and held together by a few bolts. Usually the barrel taken from a suitable round tree trunk was used as the drum. A typical barrel would be made from timber that measured six feet long by four feet wide. Bars were set in the drum and harnessed to horses or bullocks, which walked in a circle to turn the drum and wind in the rope which was attached to the log, much like a capstan pulling up an anchor on a ship.

Horses soon became used to this work and learned to step over the rope each time as they wound in the whim. The use of the

whim in the New Zealand bush was pioneered by the Bohemian settlers of Puhoi. They were used in the Warkworth Kauri bush from 1900 onwards.

The arrival of steam power Early attempts were made to harness the useful power of steam to move logs. These early winches were soon developed in into a highly efficient machine that could, in final form, be considered the ‘grandfather’ of present day Madills and other makes of yarder.

In America in 1881, John Dolbeer, a founding partner of the Dolbeer and Carson Lumber Company in Eureka, California, invented a steam-powered winch or hauler called a steam donkey.

All the basic parts found in later generation steam haulers were present in this pioneer machine with one exception. Gypsy heads (a horizontally mounted spool) were placed on the ends of the main driven shaft and the hauling medium was 150 feet of 4½ inch manila rope. To pull a log, several turns of the rope was wrapped around the gypsy head.

Although wire rope had been invented 50 years before, it was not at a sufficient stage of development to be used on winch drums. Modern wire rope was invented by a German engineer, Wilhelm Albert, between 1831 and 1834 and was originally used in the mining industry in the Harz Mountains in north Germany.

In America, wire rope was first manufactured by John A Roebling, who designed the famous Brooklyn Bridge, the first suspension bridge. However, this early rope was made from wrought iron, not steel as now.

Early steam haulers Early steam haulers consisted of three main units; a boiler, either vertical or horizontal; a one- or two-cylinder steam engine;

and a winch drum driven by gears.

Later models had as many as three drums, which all worked different diameters of wire rope and had various functions. For example, there was a main hauling rope and a lighter rope (straw line) to pull the main rope back out around the hauling circuit once logs had been pulled in to the landing – both are now common on modern haulers/yarders.

The first steam haulers in New Zealand The earliest record documenting the use of steam haulers in New Zealand is dated August 24, 1885.

This, according to the Marine Department Register of Boiler Inspections, refers to the inspection of the boiler fitted to a log hauler belonging to the Kare Kare Sawmilling Company of Piha.

However, there might have been some working in the bush earlier, as the Inspection of Machinery Act 1882 amended the 1874 Act to include the compulsory annual inspections of boilers for the first time, so there may well have been log haulers operating prior to 1885.

The boiler used in the Kare Kare hauler was made by Fraser and Innies of Auckland in 1870. In later years, this firm was renamed Geo. Fraser and Sons, which went on to make many steam haulers for the industry. Some haulers were even adapted from steamdriven traction engines.

Steam powered haulers continued to be used for a period of 84 years in the New Zealand bush, with the last one dousing its fires and being retired in 1969.

Steam-powered machinery was well understood throughout this period in the forestry industry, as everything from the logging tramway to the sawmill was run by steam and there was always someone in the workforce who could make the often-needed

Rex Smith’s Diamond T, with a complete hauler, boiler and winch at Ruamata, in the Bay of Plenty, circa 1937/1938.

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 39

Above left: The J & A Anderson steam boiler and winch being assembled in this hauler at Makatote in the central North Island in 1906.

Anderson’s also constructed the Makatote Viaduct bridge that united the main trunk railway line.

Above right: Logging crew stopping for smoko by their steam hauler at Owhango, near Taumarunui.

Below: A coffee pot vertical boiler is powering this hauler at Pokaka, in the Tongariro National Park, in the 1920’s.

repairs or adjustments.

New Zealand steam log hauler manufacturers The main manufacturers of log haulers during this era were the Footes from Whangarei, Frasers from Auckland, Judds and Prices from Thames, Vulcans and Nivens from Napier, Colletts from Dannevirke, Crabtree, Robertsons, Cables and Lukes from Wellington, Anchors from Nelson, Andersons from Christchurch, Dispatch from Greymouth, Davidsons from Hokitika, and the Wilsons, Johnsons and MacAlister from Invercargill. While all the local hauler designs used the horizontal boiler lay-out, three brands of haulers that were imported into New Zealand were built with vertical boilers. All were from American

manufactures, Washington, Ledgerwood and Williamette and were all large examples of haulers. The total number of steam haulers that worked in the New Zealand bush has been estimated at up to 600, most built by as many as eighteen New Zealand manufacturers.

Which steam hauler?

For those pioneer loggers considering a steam logger for their logging operations the prerequisite was adequate power. However small the operation, the hauler will need to be capable of dealing with logs of all sizes.

In most New Zealand forests, the standing timbers range can be 1.2 metres (4ft) – and sometimes 1.8 metres (6ft) – in diameter,

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Main: Tom Shepheard’s rail tractor piggy backing a steam hauler at Waitaanga, in Taranaki, in 1928.

Insert: Frank Climo loading firewood into a steam hauler at Collins Flat, Owhango, in the 1940’s.

42 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

and even a small operator would have required sufficient hauling power to deal with these big beasts.

By the early 20th century, there were many designs of steam hauler turned out by engineering firms in this country, most of which were quite efficient for their work, meaning there was more choice than we have today when buying brand new. Most were constructed with a horizontal boiler (multi tubular) built in a casing and fired underneath, fastened to a girder frame, which also carried the engine and hauler drums. Alternatively, the horizontal boiler would have an internal furnace-tube for firing internally.

Each type of boiler had its advantages, although the internally fired variety was more compact and less weighty to handle, but suffered from unequal expansion, owing to the heat not reaching the bottom or dead water below the furnace tube as fiercely in the upper parts. Without some means of circulating the water, these internally fired boilers were likely to give trouble.

The alternative boiler set in a casing and fired from below was easy and safe to fire up and more reliable. However, its greater size and weight, was also compounded by the difficulty in keeping bricks or tiles in their place on the case lining owing to the excessive vibration caused by working on temporary foundations, on which it invariably had to stand. This fault could be remedied by setting the firebricks lining the casing at, say, 30 degrees. When the bricks are set in this manner from the first row at the fire-bar level to the top of the water-level the vibration actually helps to keep them in their place. No fireclay or other binding is required, as the bricks can just be stacked one on top of the other.

The typical steam-hauler winch of the day comprised of two horizontal cylinders, 12in x 8in, driving a crank or disc shaft, with a steel pinion geared to the forward drum, 1-to-10 and to the return drum at 1-to-5. With a steam pressure of 140lb, it had enough power to pull any size log – within reason.

They might be powerful and look strong enough to tackle anything in the bush, but great care and skill was required by the winch-driver to avoid breakages. The temptation to pull logs from impossible positions needed to be overcome, with a wiser head realising that a snigger either clearing the obstacles, a Samson or other method to relieve the load would keep everything intact.

The advice in this section was adapted from a book called Small Sawmills: Their erection and management, by Carmille M Malfroy, a milling expert with the New Zealand State Forest Service and published in 1923.

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Setting up a steam hauler for use A hauler was normally sited in a location that would give maximum access to suitable trees for milling.

The preferred site was a location close by the mill’s bush tram line system, so the tram could be used for the cartage of mill slabs from the saw mill for use as fuel for the hauler, and logs could be more easily loaded directly from the loading skids onto the tram’s log bogies with minimum handling.

If a hauler could not be sited near the tram line, suitable trees such as Rata, Tawa, Matai or some other good hot burning tree would be sourced from near the hauler as fuel.

A typical hauler could burn up to a cord of wood a day. A stacked cord of wood measured 8ft (2.4m) long by 4ft (1.2m) high by 4ft (1.2m) wide, around 128 cubic feet. The word cord is derived from the use of a cord or string originally used to measure it.

In pre-chainsaw days, using a hand crosscut saw, axes and a maul and wedges it would have taken some time and hard work to cut that amount of wood each day – just to keep the

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Above: A rare coloured shot of a Taranaki Timber Co rail tractor passing a steam hauler in Waitaanga, Taranaki, in the 1950’s.

Below: A pile of firewood sits in front of this large double drum steam hauler at Collins Flat, Owhango, circa 1940’s.

hauler going. Presumably, a good supply of hauler firewood would have been cut well in advance. Also needed was a supply of good clean water, ideally fed by gravity from a convenient creek or stream for the hauler to turn into steam. In some instances, water would have been brought out on the tram and transferred into a tank on site. Up to 200 gallons could be used in a day’s work.

The firewood and water consumption depended on how hard the hauler was operated, and how far the logs had to be pulled.

A hauler was normally mounted on large squared-off logs. These acted as skids when the hauler was moved to a different site. The hauler was secured to convenient trees, stumps or a dead man by wire ropes to enable the hauler to withstand the considerable pulling force when winching.

A hauler could also be ‘tommed’ or braced up against a large log. Haulers were used in some cases to lower loaded log buggies down steep tram tracks.

Operating the steam hauler The easiest logs, ie those first trees felled closest to the hauler were pulled directly onto the skid. After felling these would be headed off or cut to a length that would give the maximum usable amount of timber when milled.

The log would then be prepared for hauling by a method known as ‘Deeing’, which as the name suggests, was a groove shaped like the letter D chopped out of the log about two feet back and half way down the end of the log. This was chopped to the width of the diameter of the log strop and

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enabled the strop to fit in place away from the log surface and the winch rope to pull from the middle of the of the end of the log. This also protected the wire strop from abrasion damage through contact with the ground surface.

This end of the log was also prepared for hauling by an operation known as ‘sniping’, a chamfer chopped around the log to allow it to slide over the ground without digging in. The last operation also minimised the likely hood of stones etc. being forced into the log and lessened the effort needed to pull the log.

Once the first logs had been pulled, the next task was to decide on the layout of the hauler circuit, with any trees or undergrowth in the way of the circuit felled and cleared.

Convenient trees or stumps would have the logging block wire strop shackled around them. Logging blocks had a hinged side that enabled the hauler winch rope to be either removed or be placed in the block once the rope had been slackened off. By changing the winch rope to a different block, it was possible to pull from another direction entirely.

The next task was to pull the main haul rope around through all the blocks. With early single drum haulers this was done by either horse, bullock or man power. With a two-drum hauler this was achieved by using the lighter straw line or haul-back rope, which was normally half the diameter of the main rope, fed through the blocks in a reverse direction. Then it was attached to the main winch rope by a shortlinked chain.

As the straw line was winched in, the main winch rope was pulled around the circuit. As a log was winched onto the skids, the straw line, which remained connected to the main rope, was employed to pull the main rope out again once it was free from the log.

A bush crew taking a break by their steam hauler, which has been positioned next to a horse drawn tramway, near Ohakune circa 1910.

46 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Hauler crew jobs A typical hauler crew of this era consisted of four men and in some cases five. This extra man was employed in cutting and keeping up the firewood supply for the boiler when wood was not provided by the mill.

Of the other crew members, the hauler driver obviously controlled the hauler, which included the job of banking the boiler fire and closing the dampers down at the end of each day.

The hauler driver was always the first one on site before anyone arrived, opening the dampers and stoking the fire to make sure full steam pressure was available when work started.

The breaker-out prepared the logs for hauling and stropped them up, much as his modern counterpart does today.

The ropey followed the log out and changed the haul rope over to a different block when a change of pull direction was required.

And the last member of the crew was the youngest, barely into teens and was known as the whistle boy, who signalled the hauler driver when to haul in and when to stop.

As the hauler driver worked out of sight of the log being pulled, a method had to be found to alert him what was needed. A thin whistle wire was laid out along the main rope layout and in extreme cases the wire could be up to a mile in length. This was laid out off the ground and clear of any possibility of damage, going back to whistle fixed to the boiler and onto a springy recoil tree beyond it.

By pulling on this wire, the whistle boy could signal the hauler driver much as we do with the Talkie Tooter today. One toot meant go ahead on the main rope; two toots, go ahead on the straw line;

Above left: No wonder hauler drivers relied on whistle boys as there’s little vision from this steam hauler working in the bush inside the Tongariro National Park in the 1930’s.

Above right: Sitting by their Judd steam hauler in the Whakakaua Forest at Taringamotu in the central North Island are, from left, George Hirst, Tom Irwin and Walter McIndoe.

then one to stop pulling on which ever rope was been winched; three toots to slacken off; and four toots to stop pulling, but hold the weight.

Getting logs from the bush to the skid The hauler crew worked in conjunction with a gang of bush men who felled trees considered suitable for milling.

Once enough trees had been felled and prepared for pulling out to either the skids or a stockpile by the fallers, the hauler operations could begin.

As they do today, the fallers would work in advance of the hauler so there were plenty of logs to pull once hauler operations started.

There were exceptions, for example where millable trees were

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A four-man crew standing with their Vulcan steam hauler at Taringamotu, central North Island, in the 1910’s.

widely scattered, or only one particular tree was needed.

When logs were scattered or in steep hard-to-reach places beyond the access of the main hauler, a scout hauler was pressed into action. This was usually a smaller, lighter version and it was used to pull the logs to a stock pile area from where the main hauler rope could reach them. In some cases, this scout hauler was even lowered down steep slopes by the main hauler.

An alternative method was to use bullocks to pull the logs to where the main hauler rope could reach them. From around 1935, the first bulldozers began to appear in the bush and started to be used for this task.

When the hauler had recovered all the timber it could reach, it was moved to a new area, which was quite a mission. In some cases, a hauler could use its main rope to could relocate itself.

Otherwise it might be dragged behind a team of bullocks or in later years, by a bulldozer.

Occasionally, another hauler could help, or it could be loaded onto log bogies and moved behind the bush loco on the tram line.

Considering a steam hauler could weigh up to twelve tonnes it took plenty of ingenuity to move such heavier pieces of equipment without the resources we have at our disposal today. Those early bush men did it on a regular basis and were highly skilled.

resulting in its boiler certificate either being revoked, or amended to allow operation on a reduced boiler pressure.

This left the owner with the following options; carry out the needed repairs; install a new boiler or a serviceable second hand one (sometimes only able to be operated on a lower pressure); scrapping the hauler; or repowering with a petrol or diesel engine.

In many cases the winch assemblies, drums and other mechanical parts were still in a good serviceable condition, but the cost of a new boiler could be prohibitive, so repowering with an internal combustion unit was an attractive option.

After World War Two many larger diesel and petrol engines came onto the surplus market in New Zealand. These included wellknown American units, such as Detroit and Cummins, which were supplied by New Zealand firms, such as Ray Vincent.

Attractive as they may have seemed, early conversions were not a complete success, as the transmission medium was by friction clutch and direct drive through a gearbox. Gone was the winch maximum torque available in a steam powered hauler once the load was taken up and the weight on the rope.

However, once fluid couplings and torque converters came into use this problem vanished and the days of the steam hauler were numbered.

Conversions from steam to diesel or petrol power As modern internal combustion engines became more powerful and their reliability improved it was inevitable that they would replace steam.

This usually happened once the boiler reached the end of its economic life and had failed a Labour Department boiler test,

Torque converters The use of torque converters provided several advantages over the friction drive clutch. That’s because there was no mechanical connection and the engine’s power was transmitted through fluid.

Any shock load or torsional variation was absorbed and the power source could not be stalled.

48 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

The torque delivered to winches automatically increased up to six times input (the highest multiplication available) in the field to meet the demands of increased loads. Designed for ‘maximum slip’, a convertor provided downhill braking and hovering of loads in mid-air. Additionally, torque delivered to winches was always equal to the torque output from the engine and fluid coupling. This overcame the problem of inadequate torque at starting speed and allowed the engine to operate at its most efficient level.

As the original clutches and brakes were steam operated in some later haulers they worked the same on compressed air supplied through a tank from the engine's air compressor if fitted, or on a compressor driven by the engine. If they were mechanically operated, nothing was required to be changed from the original set up.

Such conversions enabled loggers to continue using their original steam haulers until modern equipment took over. Some of the last work these haulers undertook before retirement was for log loading in the bush or unloading trucks at the mill.

How boiler horsepower works The modern method of calculating a steam engine’s horsepower would, for instance, give an 8 horsepower boiler a rating of 65 horsepower output, which in turn is more than 300 horsepower final output available to drive the winch drums. One boiler horsepower is the evaporation in one hour of 34.5 pounds of water at a temperature of 212 degrees F into steam.

This appears to be another Vulcan steam hauler working in the bush at Taringamotu, in the central North Island, in the 1920’s.

Above left: A steam hauler operator on the controls of his machine at Waimiha, in the King Country, in the 1930’s.

Above left: Another view of the same steam hauler working in Waimiha, King Country, in the 1930’s.

Below: A steam hauler being shifted on rail behind a Barclay locomotive at Taringamotu, in the central North Island.

Various steam hauler models • Vulcan steam hauler A typical, early (pre-1924) Vulcan hauler operated at a boiler pressure of 120psi and did not require a certified driver to operate it. The rope capacity was 25 chains of 7/8” on the main drum and 52 chains of ½" on the tail rope drum. Vulcan built steam log haulers from 1900 until 1943.

• Crabtree steam hauler A 1907 Crabtree was rated at 21 horsepower (170 actual hp) and operated at a boiler pressure of 140 psi. It was a two-cylinder type with a cylinder bore size of 8 inches.

• Johnson steam hauler A 1926 Johnson was rated at 17 horsepower (138 actual hp) and

50 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

operated at a boiler pressure of 150 psi. It was a two-cylinder type with a cylinder bore size of 8 inches.

• Dispatch steam hauler A 1926 Dispatch was rated at 18 horsepower (146 actual hp) and operated at a boiler pressure of 160 psi. It was a two-cylinder type with a cylinder bore size of 8 inches.

• Typical steam hauler figures A typical steam hauler weighed twelve tonnes, produced a line pull of ten tonnes and generated 20 horsepower (165.5 actual hp) using a boiler pressure of 150 psi. Most steam haulers operated on an 8-to-1 reduction gear ratio and the larger types could develop great pulling power. This power had to be used carefully if ropes and other gear in the hauling circuit were not to be damaged. NZL

top spot

Completing the task professionally and safely should be second nature, whether you are using a chainsaw on the ground, like Cam Glengarry, or up in the cab of this processor, working with Denni E. Hayes near Dunedin.

Same skills needed nationwide FORESTRY COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND sizes, but the skills needed have to be consistent across all operations.

And the people demonstrating these skills need to ensure they do so consistently, regardless of the crew, forest or geographic region they work in.

Make sense? It does to us, and that’s why we assess the way we do.

Yes, there are different environmental issues people have to deal with (both natural and man-made), but the underlying skill sets and support required to be successful, and the application of these, do not change.

Interestingly, I was talking with a contractor who had started a new harvesting job with a different management company. He was going through his prestart Health and Safety systems audit with this manager, who commented that he was impressed with the contractors’ ability to put information in front of him as soon as he had requested it.

The contractor said this was a result of progress he had made from being involved with Top Spot assessments, part of which focused on having good systems in place with information readily available to

support work practices.

It is working for him – take a look at how it can work for you.

Sponsors – They don’t have to do this but they choose to!

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. 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, 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?

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

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 51

www.fica.org.nz

Prue Younger, CEO Message I have been with FICA for nearly two months now and there is much on the agenda for the next few months. The hot topic for May is that the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) which was published on 3 August 2017, has commenced as of 1 May 2018.

The NES-PF objectives are to: • Maintain or improve the environmental outcomes associated with plantation forestry activities.

• Increase the efficiency and certainty of managing plantation forestry activities.

The objectives are achieved through a single set of regulations under the RMA that apply to foresters throughout New Zealand. The NES-PF will provide a consistent set of regulations for plantation forestry covering 8 core plantation forestry activities, allowing these to be carried out as permitted activities subject to conditions regarding potential environmental effects.

We decided to go out to our members and find out if the NES-PF was going to have an effect and to what degree. Let’s watch this space and continue monitoring its implementation, as I am sure it will be good to share experiences around the country as the standard rolls out and becomes real.

Enjoy autumn as we have all had a pretty good summer!

Prue

Regional Voice

Robert Scurr – DG Glenn Logging, Hawkes Bay In the Hawkes Bay, implementation will be very much in the hands of the councils and forest companies which will then flow onto the contractors. We have been pretty responsible for some time now around the care of the environment and I believe we will just have to sharpen up a little bit. Companies are going to have to meet with specific deadlines for paperwork and this may be harder for woodlots. In response, this is good for us the contractors as we will get more notice in forward planning. Our relationships with our regional councils are pretty good so we feel comfortable that we will have open conversations with them around the NES-FP.

Nathan Taylor – Mechanised Cable Harvesting Limited, Nelson I was fortunate to attend the MPI – NES Roadshow and I think it will be “business as usual” for us. I think that environmental care is around thinking about the connectivity downstream and how one activity leads onto another. The forest owners and their harvest planners are in the hot seat and will be made more responsible than anyone. The contractors will take the lead from them and I believe it won’t be too much different to what we already practise. The ground base loggers will maybe find that the marginal classification of land might change which will be challenging.

Lawson Roxburgh – Roxburgh Logging, Otago I think that we as contractors are already 90% of the way there with the requirements of the NES-PF. We will be reliant on forestry companies to tell us the do’s and don’ts and will come about in the harvest prescriptions plans which request

“Best Management Practises” anyway. We are consistently audited and regional council’s advise on monitoring and any changes. However, the riverbeds will probably come more into focus and will require more attention. Yes, I believe it is pretty much business as usual. The questions coming from our industry are not fully answered yet, like us, MPI are still working through the implementation process.

Brad Douglas – Douglas Logging, Northland From our perspective, harvest planning will be under the NES-FP spotlight driven by forest managers and their planning teams. We have been adhering to high environmental standards as demanded by our client’s so changes will be minimal. So far MPI and the industry as a whole seem proactive. Our procedures will need reviewing but we know our environmental practices are close.

Kelvin Diack – Raywood Logging, Gisborne I believe that most contractors have been operating with good environmental practices for quite some time and for contractors the changes will be minimal. The NES-PF will have more of an impact on the forest owners and managers, with more focus on responsible planning - from planting right through to selection of the right contractor and equipment when it comes to harvesting sensitive areas.

In the Gisborne/East Coast region we are working in a high erosion area and I believe the Council and forest companies are now working more closely together to achieve better environmental outcomes.

www.fica.org.nz

Prue Younger, CEO Message

AB Equipment are currently the Market Leader for supplying I have been with FICA for nearly two months now and thereForestry is muchEquipment on the agenda forZealand the nextLoggers. to New few months. The hot topic for May is that the National Environmental Standards for Plantation AB Equipment’s Forestry Product Manager Mark Hill says AB Forestry (NES-PF) which was published on 3 August 2017, has commenced as of 1 May 2018.

Equipment are experiencing record sales in Forestry. “There are The NES-PF objectives are to: no signs of things quieting down & look out for the “Soon to be • Maintain or improve the environmental outcomes associated with plantation released” 56 Tonneforestry Tigercatactivities.

890 Processor” which Mark reckons • Increase the efficiency and certainty of managing plantation forestryany activities. will handle size of wood you want to throw at it.

AB Equipment have The objectives are achieved through a single set of regulations under the RMAthe thatcomplete apply to complement of Logging Equipment comprising of the Canadian built Tigercat Log foresters throughout New Zealand. The NES-PF will provide a consistent set of regulations for Skidders (4 & 6 these Wheelers), & 25 Tonne capacity plantation forestry covering 8 core plantation forestry activities, allowing to beTigercat carried 20 outTonne as permitted activities Forwarders, Tigercat Harvesting & Shovelling Levellers with subject to conditions regarding potential environmental effects. factory built felling heads & a large range of Tigercat purposeWe decided to go out to our members and find out if the NES-PF was going to have an effect and to what degree. Let’s built Loaders & Processors. watch this space and continue monitoring its implementation, as I am sure it will be good to share experiences around the country as the standard rolls out and becomes real. AB Equipment also offer Sumitomo factory Forestry built Log Loaders & Processors, Doosan Wheel Loaders & a range of Doosan Enjoy autumn as we have all had a pretty good summer! Forestry Excavators. They also now offer the T-Mar Log Champ Swing Yarders, Grapples & Camera’s built in Canada also.

Prue

Regional Voice proudly supply Vermeer Wood Chippers to New AB Equipment

Zealand’s forestry industry professionals.

Robert Scurr – DG Glenn Logging, Hawkes Bay “Best Management Practises” anyway. We are consistently In the Hawkes Bay, implementation will be very much in the audited and regional council’s advise on monitoring and any hands of the councils and forest companies which will then changes. However, the riverbeds will probably come more flow onto the contractors. We have been pretty responsible into focus and will require more attention. Yes, I believe it is for some time now around the care of the environment and I pretty much business as usual. The questions coming from believe we will just have to sharpen up a little bit. Companies our industry are not fully answered yet, like us, MPI are still are going to have to meet with specific deadlines for paperworking through the implementation process. work and this may be harder for woodlots. In response, this is good for us the contractors as we will get more notice in Brad Douglas – Douglas Logging, Northland 0800 30 30 90 www.abequipment.co.nz forward planning.

Our relationships with our regional From our perspective, harvest planning will be under the councils are pretty good so we feel comfortable that we will NES-FP spotlight driven by forest managers and their planning have open conversations with them around the NES-FP. teams. We have been adhering to high environmental standards as demanded by our client’s so changes will be Limited, NelsonProfile Nathan Taylor – Mechanised Cable Harvesting Sponsor I was fortunate to attend the MPI – NES Roadshow and I think minimal. So far MPI and the industry as a whole seem Thank to all of the organisations support FICA, which turn works to promote business proactive.

Our in procedures will need reviewing but we know it willyou be “business as usual” for us. I think thatwho environmental growth and improved safety and efficiency amongst forestry contractors for the benefit of New our environmental practices are close. care is around thinking about the connectivity downstream

Zealand’s and how Forestry one activityIndustry. leads onto another. The forest owners

and their harvest planners are in the hot seat and will be made more responsible than anyone. The contractors will Strategic take the lead from them and I believe it won’t be too much different to what we already practise. The ground base Partners loggers will maybe find that the marginal classification of land might change which will be challenging.

Business Lawson Roxburgh – Roxburgh Logging, Otago Partners I think that we as contractors are already 90% of the way

there with the requirements of the NES-PF. We will be reliant on forestry companies to tell us the do’s and don’ts and will Gold come about in the harvest prescriptions plans which request

Partners

Kelvin Diack – Raywood Logging, Gisborne I believe that most contractors have been operating with good environmental practices for quite some time and for contractors the changes will be minimal. The NES-PF will have more of an impact on the forest owners and managers, with more focus on responsible planning - from planting right through to selection of the right contractor and equipment when it comes to harvesting sensitive areas.

In the Gisborne/East Coast region we are working in a high erosion area and I believe the Council and forest companies are now working more closely together to achieve better environmental outcomes.

Silver Partners

To join, call: 0800 342 269

www.fica.org.nz

new iron

PURE TIGERCAT CAT FOR BROLLY Putaruru-based Brolly Logging has added a new Cat 330D2L to its central North Island operation. This adds to two other recent Cat arrivals in the busy crews working around the region, which is something for the Brolly family to be proud of. Pictured is Jude Brolly, who is all smiles in front of the new 330D2L, with their 552 Series 2 felling machine in the background working in the Waitomo forests. The machine was sold by Paul Roche from Gough Cat.

Gerard Harris, of Pure Logging, has taken delivery of a new Tigercat 635G skidder for his ground-base crew working in northern Hokianga. Gerard spec’d the new skidder with the 780/50-28.5 rear bogie to allow him to run band tracks in wetter conditions, reducing environmental impact whilst at the same time maintaining production. Gerard has been blown away at the volume of wood he’s been able to land on the skid in sometimes challenging terrain and his feller/buncher and processor now have to look over their shoulders for the big yellow beast coming out of the cut-over.

Pictured next to his new machine is happy operator, Vic Harris.

GRIMMER JOHN DEERE & HITACHI PACKAGE When Jordan and Mark Grimmer were looking for a steep slope winch-assist package they chose a John Deere 909MH with Donaldson felling head and a Hitachi ZX290L-5 with EMS winch system, seen here getting the final set-up touches before the JD909MH makes its way down the hill. The combination is working very well together and both Jordan and Mark are more than happy with the way it has turned out. They are equally pleased with new Hitachi ZX250L-5 loader, pictured with operator, Aaron Cronin.

Jordan and Mark have a number of these units and like everything about them, from the size and power to the reliability and backup and support.

VOLVO FOR VOLCANIC Steve and Vincent Yeoman have updated their Volvo L90F wheel loader that had ticked over just under 20,000 hours with a new Volvo L90F. The new machine features the Torque Parallel (TP) linkage, which delivers high break-out torque and excellent parallel movement through the entire lifting range that has proved superior for log handling. It is fitted with a set of Ensign high lift log forks and has chain shot protection windows all around including a 20mm margard/laminate front window. The glass laminate delivers clear visibility whilst retaining the front window wiper and enables the loader to work near the processor if needed. Pictured with the new L90F are Vincent Yeoman and Ewen Satherley, Timber and Material handling National Product Manager for TransDiesel.

54 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

DUXSON FOR FORCO This Sumitomo SH240TLFS recently supplied by Marcus Bourke from AB Equipment, Whangarei, has been fitted with a Duxson GX171 grapple to work on the Coromandel Peninsula for Ian and Chris of Forco.

new iron

CAT & SATCO FOR A&R

DOWN & OUT SOUTHSTAR Dean James, owner of Down & Out Logging has mounted this new SouthStar 4X4 QS00 24� harvester onto a Tigercat LH855E. Specified with the large wood de-limb arms and 4X4 locking kit, this machine has gone to work near Gisborne. Pictured, from left, Blair Adamson (SouthStar Equipment) and crew foreman / operator, Tim Adamson.

Arana & Runa Kuru of A & R Logging have taken delivery of a new Cat 568LL forest machine for their East Coast operation, featuring a SATCO 325T processing head. Arana is cutting up shorts in the Hikurangi Forest Farms log yard for a few months before taking the machine out to join the growing fleet of Cat units hard at work for A & R Logging throughout the East Coast. He is appreciating the power, stability and smoothness the 568LL provides, along with the auto saw tensioning with the dasa5 optimising system on the head, which combined with the backup from Goughs offers the ideal all-around forestry machine package. Heath Stewart from Gough Cat sold the machine.

PERMAPINE VOLVO Permapine has slipped a new Volvo L90F wheel loader into its round-wood yard in the central North Island. The L90F has proven to be the ultimate size loader for the operation, and with dealer support from TransDiesel just minutes away, the choice to remain with Volvo was easy. The unique Torque Parallel (TP) linkage making the Volvo loader the choice of many, delivering high breakout torque and excellent parallel movement through the entire lifting range. Operator, Lance, is pleased with his new loader and put it to work amongst the rest of Permapines Volvo Fleet. The new machine was sold and delivered by Ewen Satherley, Timber and Material handling National product manager for TransDiesel.

TIGERCAT FOR LIGNATOR HITACHI & CDL FOR JCL JCL Logging recently took delivery of another Hitachi log loader, a ZX250L-5 fitted with a CDL grapple and Pro Steel guarding package for mostly shovel logging duties in the Far North.

Flanked on either side are a couple of 20,000 hour plus units, a ZX230 and ZX400-3. With hours like these on both machines it was an easy decision to go with another Hitachi. Pictured, from left, are Phil McKenzie (CablePrice), Tama Clarke, Gilbert Yukich and owner, John Clark.

Lignator Forest Harvesters recently took delivery of a new Tigercat LS855D feller buncher set up with the Tigercat FD5195 directional felling head for its ground-base operation just south of Whangarei.

Often harvesting difficult private blocks, Wade and Brett saw the benefits of the purpose-built carrier, and operator, Nick Gilmour, is experiencing these first-hand and loving every minute. The new R7150L-2 undercarriage with 10 bottom rollers offers better stability on the slope and the increased horsepower generated from the Tigercat FPT Tier 2 engine are just a few of the features. Pictured with the new beast are, from left, Nick Gilmour and foreman Roy Bradley.

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 55

new iron

TIGERCAT & SATCO FOR DEMPSEY JOHN DEERE FOR KFT Hoot, Sharon and the team at KFT Logging recently took delivery of a new John Deere 948L skidder. Hard at work road lining on the East Coast, the machine is pictured here with a recently commissioned 909MH tracked levelling harvester making a great combination.

Pictured from the left Rick, Api, Bevan, Drew and Hoot. The machine was sold and is supported by CablePrice Gisborne.

Anthony Dempsey of A & R Dempsey Logging has taken delivery of this new 875 logger with a Satco 325M measuring head that replaced his old SATCO 424 fell and trim head. Anthony is very happy with the whole package and says the power, reach and oil flow to the head constantly impress him. Operator comfort is very important and this machine delivers. In spite of its height Anthony is impressed by the stability of the 875, which has the 880 undercarriage. Owner, Anthony Dempsey, posing with his new Tigercat and SATCO. Mardi Pritchard, of AB Equipment lower North Island, who made the sale.

WOODLOT CAT This new Cat 545D skidder is working for Brad Pyers from Woodlot Harvesting at the top of the South Island. Replacing a smaller 525C, the new 545D is a major step forward with the High Rotation Seat offering 100-degrees of seat rotation. This is making a big difference for the operator when picking up bunches, working and backing the skidder around the deck or out to the cut-over. Combined with the integrated Cat ARM seat suspension, a four-point seat belt and joystick steering, the High Rotation Seat reduces operator fatigue and lifts the quality of the ride. Sold by Scott Bonnington from Gough Cat in Nelson.

JD & SOUTHSTAR FOR DAWSON & HAVARD

LOG CHAMP FOR MANGOIHE This T-Mar 650 hauler was recently delivered into Hunterville in the lower North Island to Mangoihe Logging. Owners, Mark and Bryan McCarthy, have been extremely impressed with the modern technology, pulling power and line speed of the machine, which has helped deliver constant production in the challenging terrain. Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment made the sale.

56 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Dawson & Havard recently took delivery of its third John Deere 959M harvester, fitted with a SouthStar FD750 directional felling head. The FD750 provides a complete valve in head package with dual high-pressure harvest cylinders with harvest down activation for optimum control and increased safety when falling.

All the 959M needed was 36mm grouser strips on the grouser bars to provide better traction on slopes and get through the waste on the ground. Operator, Joe, enjoys the slew power and great traction force, combined with operator comfort and good visibility. Mike Havard, owner, has been very conscience off getting his men out of the bush and off the ground with chainsaws in felling operations.

new iron

FREEDOM HITACHI SATCO & KOBELCO FOR FOXPINE Foxpine has replaced its old SATCO 424 fell and trim with a new 325T, which is fitted to this impressive Kobelco SK350 to work around the Bulls area in the woodlots. Russell loves having a top saw, which is the same size as the main saw.

Glen McSporran and the team at Freedom Logging have taken delivery of a new Hitachi ZX290L-5 log loader. Complete with a grapple, hitch and bucket the machine is an ideal asset for loading, shovelling and tracking at their northern Hawkes Bay operations. Pictured, from left, are Glen, Morgz and Stu. The machine was sold and is supported by CablePrice Hastings.

BROOKS CAT Jason and Kate Brooks, from Brooks Logging, have added their first new Cat machine, with a 535D skidder joining their hauler crew operation tackling challenging blocks throughout Canterbury. Replacing an older 525B, the new Cat is impressing with its pulling power and drag capability, while proving very quiet and efficient for the operator. Jason and Kate are very happy dealing with the Gough sales and finance team, and look forward to a promising relationship with the dealership. Matt Holloway from Gough Cat sold the machine.

H & J TIGERCAT H & J Forestry has received its new Tigercat 880/Woodsman Pro 850 processor combo. This package is the same used by co-owner Sam Johnstone for years, making it an easy decision to order another for the Whanganui operation. The 880 has amazing reach, power, reliability and fuel economy, which essential in the remote locations around the region where Sam is working. Pictured with their new machine are the H & J Forestry team. The sale was made

by Mardi Pritchard AB Equipment, lower North Island.

SOUTHSTAR FOR MOUTERE Dale Ewers, owner of Moutere Logging, has fitted this new SouthStar 4X4 QS630 (25� Harvester) onto a Hitachi 350. Specified with the large wood de-limb arms and 4X4 locking kit, this machine went to work in Titoki Forest, Dannevirke. Pictured, from left, are crew foreman, Kelvin (Hoon) Bouskill and operator Todd James.

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 57

new iron

VOLVO FOR FRANKLIN Franklin Logging, based in Dannevirke, has taken delivery of a Volvo EC250D high and wide excavator. Hamish Franklin mostly does woodlot harvesting on farms in the greater Dannevirke and Weber area. He chose to equip the machine with a Money Engineering live heel and an Ensign 1730 grapple and the combination is proving very successful. Hamish is very pleased with the machine and commented on its stability on steep terrain as well as the power in the hydraulics and the roomy cab, with great visibility. This machine was sold by Lawrence Ordish of TransDiesel.

FIRST SUMITOMO FOR NIXIN Nixin Contracting has thrown its first Sumitomo, a new SH300TLFS, into the challenge of shovelling in the Wairarapa bush. Nick Cusack, owner and operator, is happy with the new beast, saying: “Man it can move some wood and walk anywhere. The machine doesn’t budge when shovelling with the heel and large stems.” Factory guarding and cab considerably reduces commissioning time from the boat to the bush. Nick is pictured, left, with co-owner, Harley Biel. Sold by Mardi Pritchard, AB Equipment, lower North Island.

TIGERCAT WHISKER Whisker Harvesting’s thinning crew has taken delivery of a new Tigercat 610E. Mike Jeffree, crew foreman and operator of the skidder, says it’s a well thought out machine and pleasure to drive. The turn-around seat, compact size and EHS (Efficient High Speed) transmission in thinning’s are great features for getting in and out of the bush efficiently. Pictured, from left, are Smally, Mike, Colin Wroe (co-owner), Nick Whisker (co-owner), Chet and Mardi Pritchard of AB Equipment, lower North Island, who sold the machine.

KELLY’S TIGERCAT & SOUTHSTAR Roger Kelly from KT Harvesting has taken delivery of this new Tigercat H822D fitted with a SouthStar QS500 head. Roger and Kieran (operator) are extremely impressed, as the increased production from the crew has exceeded expectation, due to the performance of the base and head together. The base machine makes manoeuvring around their thinning operation a dream and Kieran says it’s a pleasure to operate every day. The machine was sold by Mardi Pritchard AB Equipment, lower North Island.

58 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

ANOTHER SINCLAIR YUCHAI To cope with extra demand Russell Sinclair, of Geraldine-based Sinclair Logging, has taken delivery of another new Yuchai YC2308 hi/wide to assist on the skid site. It follows the delivery of a Yuchai YC310-8 hi/wide a month earlier, fitted with a SATCO head.

Russell didn’t have to think about either decision, knowing how his previous 2014 Yuchai has performed. It's lifting power, ease of service and the back-up provided by Diggalink sealed the deal.

new iron

MORE POWER FOR MOREPORK Morepork logging, of Whanganui, has received its new Sumitomo SH240TL, featuring a full Devine guarding package and plumbed with a hydraulic hitch, bucket and grapple. Brian can’t admit it but rumour has it that he really likes his new machine and the Devine package. So much so, he took the keys with him on holiday to Bali.

Brian, Sid, Brad and the boys are pictured with their new Sumi, which was sold by Mardi Pritchard AB Equipment, lower North Island.

SATCO FOR TAYLOR Richard Taylor Contracting has put this new SATCO 325T on a Hyundai 320LC-9 to process on the landing for his ground base crew in the Marlborough area. Richard’s father, Allan, is the operator and he is very impressed with the way the head has been working.

SUMITOMO CAN SHOVEL Mangoihe Logging, of Wanganui, has taken delivery of this Sumitomo SH300TLFS, which is perfectly set up for shovelling with its hauler crew. The operators all mention the power and reach, plus how it can shovel more wood further per grab. With its impressive undercarriage the machine will walk where it wants.

Sold by Mardi Pritchard AB Equipment, lower North Island.

SOUTHSTAR FOR NEGUS FARMERS Mike Cornwell and Cam Negus, partners in C & P Negus Farmers Forestry, have taken delivery of their SouthStar 4X4 QS600 (24” Harvester) mounted onto a John Deere 959MH. Specified with the large wood de-limb arms and 4X4 locking kit, this combo has gone to work in the Bay of Plenty. Pictured, from the left, are Ben Addenbrooke (SouthStar), Terry Duncan (CablePrice), Mike Cornwell (owner / operator), Rob Cowan, Brendon Billet and Quentin Frew.

DEMPSEY TIGERCAT A & R Dempsey Logging have replaced the 8,000-hour Tigercat 620D with this new Tigercat 632E skidder. It’s a bigger, more powerful machine with a faster transmission than the one it replaced and operator, Claudio, instantly noticed the speed, power and the new air suspension turn-around seat. Sold by Mardi Pritchard AB Equipment, lower North Island.

May 2018 | NZ LOGGER 59

new iron

TERRANCE’S NEW BABY

PAKIRI KOMATSU

Hautapu Pine, of Taihape, has taken delivery of a new Sumitomo SH240TL log loader and operator, Terrance, is a very happy man. He’s loving the smoothness, comfort and fuel efficiency, which are noticeable improvements over his previous machine.

Sumitomo TL machines arrive from the factory with full underguarding, including a high and wide, which speeds up delivery times when they arrive in the country. Pictured, from left, are Terrance with Mardi Pritchard, AB Equipment, lower North Island, who sold the machine.

Mark and Kiritea Nyhoff, of Pakiri Logging, who are based in Gisborne, have taken delivery of a new Komatsu PC 270LC-8 fitted with an Active guarding package, including an Ensign 1730IH grapple. Te Waa Puke Puke is very impressed with the new PC 270LC-8 and says it has “heaps of power in the tracks, lift and slew”. Pictured, from left, are Mo Kenworthy, Paora Kupenga, Hoani Kirokoro, Fabian Turnbull, Lance Porter, Les Tidy, Araz Hailey, Te Waa Puke Puke, Jade Tidy, Mark Nyhoff and John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ). Photo – Mere McCabe.

NZ LOGGER classified

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60 NZ LOGGER | February 2018

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1232 CAT KIT FILTER 350-7735

HAULER PARTS NZ

t

super tough

seat covers

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

Protect your

Polycarbonate & Margard

F

with our quality window film

• Forestry machines • Trucks • Commercial buildings • Protect Your Investment e Mobil e c i v r Se

W

• Genuine high quality 12oz canvas • Manufacturing for over 25 years

SEAT COVERS • Easy to fit - easy to clean • Side airbag compatible

• • • • • • • • •

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

64 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Before • Improves safety • Extends the life of the polycarbonate • Improves vision on already scratched polycarbonate and margard

SHANE MEXTED

027 626 2231 glassprocentral@xtra.co.nz

After • Mobile service – we come to you (workshop or onsite) • All workmanship & materials guaranteed • Certified Installer • Site Safe ready

LG28103

• Water & rot proof

LG27852

UPER OUGH

NZ LOGGER classified

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

Grabasub 5 SUBSCRIBE EASY WAYS TO

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NEW ZEALAND’S LEADING INDUSTRY PUBLICATIONS

Post PO Box 112062 Penrose, Auckland 1642

Ph 09 571 3544 Fax 09 571 3549

Email accounts@trucker.co.nz

www.alliedpublications.co.nz

Tick boxes NZ TRUCK & DRIVER 1 year (11 issues) for $80 incl. GST NZ LOGGER 1 year (11 issues) for $70 incl. GST

FOR ME

A GIFT

Renewal of current subscription:

No.

NZ TRUCKBODY & TRAILER 1 year (4 issues) for $30 incl. GST

RECIPIENT DETAILS FOR GIFT SUBSCRIPTION NAME:

NZ LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE 1 year (6 issues) for $36 incl. GST

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CARD HOLDER NAME: SECURITY CODE:

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CHEQUE

Terms and conditions: Subscription rates and a free copy of Equipment Guide are for NZ orders only and only for NZ Truck and Driver and NZ Logger subscriptions. Rates include GST and postage. For overseas prices please enquire.

EXPIRY DATE: SIGNATURE:

LG28101

AP21327

PAYMENT

S 0

YC230-8LCF YC310-8LCF

0

0

)

S

0

0

00

• POWER BY CUMMINS • HYDRAULICS BY KYB & KPM • HIGH + WIDE OPTIONS

S

• STRONG • SMOOTH • BASE WEIGHT 22360KG | 31300KG

COMMON COMPONENTS • VALUE • RELIABILITY • POWER

z

0800 344 425 LG28101

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: John Giltrap 0274 329 921 john@diggalink.co.nz

www.diggalink.co.nz

Steve Scott Taupo 021 708 008 taupo@diggalink.co.nz

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

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

14 Cat 525C 7,137 hrs, dual power - $136K

12 Deere 748H 9,510 hrs - $99K

08 Tigercat T250B 14,831 hrs - $93,500

13 Cat 535C 8,453 hrs - $109,500

09 Morbark 3036 -new drum, Cat 430HP - $59,500

16 Cat 522B, TC 5702 Saw 1000 hrs - $449K

15 Tigercat 620E 4,697 hrs - $159K

Lexington SC USA (P) 001.803.708.0624 - sales@forestryfirst.com

*pricing in USD

SUMMER SWELTERINTIGONS =

PARTING OUT/WRECKING

Contact us now for all your parts requirements

HEAT SOLU

COOL AIR

Need aircon but don’t want all the headaches of wiring and piping?

Just forked out for a new aircon pump, then a week later the fan goes in the cab?

Don’t melt in the cab. Call us and cool the air.

SAVE MONEY & TIME

MPD CAN SUPPLY:

Free up your engine bay & radiator with fully electric 12 & 24 volt air conditioning units

CYLINDER

PINS & BUSHES

SWING REDUCTION

HYDRAULIC COMPONENTS MUFFLER

LG28115

ENGINE

68 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Custom designed by MPD for construction applications Rooftop & Split Units available for ROP’s canopy applications

CAB ASSEMBLIES & A/C

PHONE MATT

027 289 9051 matt@mpdnz.co.nz

SWING BEARING NEW & USED BUCKETS & ATTACHMENTS

FINAL DRIVE ASSEMBLY & COOLERS PARTS

NZ LOGGER classified

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

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. $10150.00 + GST per pair while stock lasts.

35.5x32 tracks also in stock.

LG27833

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

LG26875

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

ENGINEERED WITH EXPERIENCE....

LG27935

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

www.chains.co.nz

Valuation Services Include:

November 2017 | NZ LOGGER 69

NZ LOGGER classified

Used Diamond 210 Swing Yarder

LG28097

$330,000 AUD*

• This unit is located in NE Victoria Australia.• Unit has had major rebuild, Including engine,transmission, radiator,drums,drive bearings have been machined, rewired Acme carriage, new ropes,Bearings,New Rope, Electric Chokers,Talkie Tooters skyline 7/8, main line 5/8,H.B, 7/16,Guyline 7/8 Track gear good, mast in good order.

• Above rebuild was carried out approx. 2,000hrs ago.

CONTACT:

Phone 0061 401 307 337 Email zac@plantharv.com

NOW AVAILABLE FOR HIRE

www.facebook.com/RWFSfieldservice

LG26859

visit us on

Ph: 07 348 0501 Email: Info@rwfs.co.nz Mob: 027 817 9448 Workshop 41 Riri Street, Rotorua 70 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

Correct

Are your Skidders & Fowarders getting stuck?

GET A GRIP & PULL MORE WOOD THIS WINTER WITH OUR LARGE RANGE OF CLARK TRACKS FOR HARVESTERS, FORWARDERS & SKIDDERS Benefits of CLARK Tracks: n Increased stability & traction

n Protection for your tyres

n Extra capacity & pulling power

n Reduced fuel consumption

n Heavy duty design for longer life

n Less ground disturbance

NZ wide distributor for:

CALL 0800 654 323 NOW TO SECURE YOUR SET OF TRACKS

Correct Size Single Page Clarks.indd 1

04/04/2018 14:20:39

NZ LOGGER classified

of the

Equipment MONTH TIGERCAT 630D 2014. Excellent example of a late model 630D Tigercat Skidder. Winch & grapple. 3,699 hours.

Finance Available 0800 346 275

JOHN DEERE 848H

2012. Very well looked after Grapple skidder on 35.5 tyres, 9,500 hours.

Taupo #0418031

Hastings #0917063

$385,000.00

$210,000.00

$385,000.00 CATERPILLAR 330L

VOLVO EC360CL

JOHN DEERE 903KH

Has good track gear, full length track guards, Waratah boom and Waratah 234 Big Wood. 27,640 hours.

Log Processor, with Waratah HTH626 Big Wood head. Devine engineering ROPS, FOPS, OPS and forestry guarding. Estimated 11,000 hours.

2011. Tracked Harvester fitted with Southstar TS610 Processing head. 330hp Tier II engine, 24" Single Grouser. 9,600 hours.

Invercargill #0318024

$80,000.00

Hastings #1217095

$250,000.00

Hastings #0218021

$380,000.00

Contact your local CablePrice sales representative for all enquiries Northland: Phil McKenzie 0276 202 505 | North Shore: Luke Larsen 0275 884 064 | Auckland: Simon Birchall 027 809 6211 Auckland / Coromandel: Malcolm Pascoe 0275 949 941 | Hamilton / Taranaki: Angelo Capon 027 603 7517 | Central North Island: Terry Duncan 0275 943 550 Hawke’s Bay / Gisborne: Paul Laird 0272 047 289 | Lower North Island: Cameron Wait 0275 427 250 Nelson / Marlborough: Todd Blackwood 0275 223 445 | West Coast / Canterbury: Andrew McCoy 0275 320 238 | Otago / Southland: Daryl Highsted 0275 771 264

STAYS ON THE JOB. Nokian understands the cost of downtime for a busy contractor.

That’s why the entire Nokian foresty tyre range is built to stand up up to the harshest of conditions and heaviest of applications. To get the best from your gear, choose Nokian.

72 NZ LOGGER | May 2018

LG25750

Call 0800 NOKIAN (0800 665 426) or email info@nokian.nz to find a dealer.

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, HEA 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

Are bend fatigue issues causing you frequent rope changes and slowing production?

Are bend fatigue issues causing you frequent rope changes and slowing production?

Swaged 6x31 offers proven performance!

Swaged 6x31 offers proven performance!

Our Swaged 6x31 high performance rope provides improved flexibility andperformance increased bend cycles that will Our Swaged 6x31 high rope provides boost yourflexibility productivity efficiency. improved and and increased bend cycles that will boost your productivity and efficiency.

SPEAK TO THE TEAM THAT KNOWS PERFORMANCE ROPES SPEAK TO THE TEAM THAT KNOWS PERFORMANCE ROPES

Northland Lana Power 029 773 0744 Northland Lana Power Auckland/Waikato 029 773 0744 Andy Palmer 027 474 6032 Auckland/Waikato Andy Palmer 027 474 6032

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

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

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