NZ Logger February 2019

February 2019 | $7.20

ISSN 1176-0397

Falcon 171 prepped for automation

The company that started NZ forestry

Top Spot winners announced

contents FEBRUARY 2019

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FOREST TALK Silvi issues to the fore in 2019; foresters face court over East Coast flood debris; AUSTimber2020 plans released; industry hits back over Methyl Bromide ‘lack of action’; Falcon winch-assist goes modular; Dean returns to Komatsu fold; $36million for trees to protect erosion; now Pamu wants forests back; new Redwood forest planned; new app to help tackle wilding trees; high-value products from refining bark; plans to establish Tōtara timber industry; protect gear with ute lid; stricter forest planting rules touted for Nelson; Scion eyes softwood trees with hardwood properties; pine pollen stimulates ocean life; wildfire shield saves fire fighters.

34 16

SHAW’S WIRE ROPES IRON TEST The new Falcon 171 tower operating with Moutere Logging’s Crew 8 near Dannevirke is a glimpse into the future of hauling in New Zealand.

It’s not just the first of a new line of yarders that will be manufactured from the ground-up by Nelsonbased DC Equipment, it is also the forerunner of autonomous forestry, where machine operators are in another location – maybe a nice comfy office – far away from the landing. The NZ Logger Iron Test just had to experience it.

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BREAKING OUT The Kauri Timber Company was the forerunner of one of New Zealand’s mightiest forest conglomerates – Fletcher Challenge. But while we think of it as a Kiwi icon – and its original HQ building in downtown Auckland still exists – the founders of the company were actually Australian, as our forestry historian, Trevor Coker, details in his fascinating feature.

DEPARTMENTS 2 editorial 50 top spot 54 fica 56 new iron 62 classifieds

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 1

from the editor

February 2019 | $7.20

ISSN 1176-0397

PHOTO: JOHN ELLEGARD

Falcon 171 prepped for automation

The company that started NZ forestry

Top Spot winners announced

The new Falcon 171 at work with Moutere 8 in Titoki Forest, near Dannevirke.

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Sue Woolston: accounts@trucker.co.nz PUBLISHER: Trevor Woolston, 027 492 5600, trevor@trucker.co.nz ADMINISTRATION: Sue Woolston, accounts@trucker.co.nz EDITOR: John Ellegard, 021 975 452, editor@nzlogger.co.nz ADVERTISING SALES CONSULTANT: Trish Barnett, 021 925 600, sales@nzlogger.co.nz DESIGN: Luca Bempensante, Zarko Mihic PRINTING: Nicholson Print Solutions DISTRIBUTION: Gordon & Gotch NZ Logger is published on the second Tuesday of every month except January. NZ Logger is published by Allied Publications Ltd. CONTRIBUTIONS: Editorial contributions are welcomed for consideration, but no responsibility is accepted for loss or damage of submitted materials (photographs, graphics, printed material etc…). If the return of material is required please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please contact the editor by mail, fax, or email prior to submitting material. NZ Logger reserves the right to edit submitted material.

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A forest without workers?

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H

OW FAR CAN WE GO IN AUTOMATING OUR HARVESTING OPERATIONS? That question struck me while we were conducting this month’s Iron Test on the new Falcon 171 tower working with one of the Moutere Logging crews in the lower North Island.

This new tower has been equipped with the latest electronic wizardry that will eventually allow it to be remotely controlled by someone sitting in an office (or their home) far away from the forest where the machine is working.

It’s the way of the future, according to the forward thinkers in the industry.

Take people away from the forest and you can’t hurt them. And by operating machines from afar you get over the problem of attracting workers put off by the harsh conditions and having long distances to travel at either end of the day.

Sounds good in theory, but in practice it will be hard to remove everyone from a skid site, or a landing.

Machines don’t look after themselves. They need someone to maintain them, start them up and make sure they are in the right position before they can be operated. And if something goes wrong, people will need to be on hand to rectify it.

Moving a tower to a new position will also require people to unhitch guy lines, manhandle the carriage/grapple, unhook the skyline, physically shift the machine/backline and then set it all up again. That’s a team effort and can require five or six people, though I am sure this will be streamlined in the future (remote backline operation is already happening).

Even ground-base operations will need people on hand to do various tasks that cannot be done by someone sitting in an office a couple of hours away.

At best, it will be possible to reduce the number of people working on site to maybe two or three. Their jobs will be to oversee the machinery and act as back-up operators when required.

Much like the first automated car factory I visited in Japan in the early 1980s where robots had replaced all the assembly workers and just one or two technicians kept a watchful eye. Some modern sawmills are now run along similar lines.

Is it a good thing? Depends.

Fewer people working in the forest means fewer people to get hurt and that’s got to be good. Increased automation also means fewer people will be needed in certain operations, which is not good if jobs are being displaced, but there is actually a shortage of workers so it will remedy a problem.

Operating machines from afar will open up forestry work to a wider range of people, which will also be a good thing.

But it won’t see an end to people working inside the forest and for those who enjoy the outdoors life, that’s a good thing, too. NZL

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2 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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t s d u e J iv r r A

TimberPro TL 775D

Leveller The TL775D… the very latest Timberpro expands the tail-swing carrier range in joining the already successful TN765D & TL765D models. It comes with the same boom sets and new cab but the undercarriage has been extended to 10 rollers, over 5.3 metres in length for added stability in steep terrain.

It can be supplied with either feller-buncher, shovel and harvester boom sets, with suitable attachments ranging from fixed bar saws, directional felling heads, disc saws and harvester heads for all extreme logging applications, especially tethering.

The TL775D has the standout benefits for all logging contractors: • Stability ....... Longer 10 roller heavy duty undercarriage • Slew Power .. Twin slew motors with external slew ring • Speed .......... New Lohman final drives & closed loop system The Crawford history has led the way in track forest machines.

www.komatsuforest.com.au

Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd 15C Hyland Cres Rotorua, New Zealand John Fisken M: 0277 715 254 E: john.fisken@komatsuforest.com John Kosar M: 0274 865 844 E: john.kosar@komatsuforest.com

forest talk

Silvi issues to the fore in 2019 THE ENORMOUS PRESSURES FACED BY silviculture contractors in New Zealand will require special focus from the industry and government this year.

Those pressures will be magnified as the One Billion Tree planting programme gets under way in earnest over the coming winter, which are sure to be exacerbated by ongoing labour shortages.

The Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA) has stepped in to take the lead in the facilitation of a Silvicultural Action Group (SAG) that has been formed to assist with finding solutions to those and many other issues.

This group is a collective of contractors, forest owners and government agencies who have agreed to work together to address the issues and help build a credible and sustainable silvicultural industry for the future.

Last November, a roadshow involving Te Uru Rakau (the new MPI forestry division), Ministry of Social Development, Immigration NZ and Labour Inspectorate joined FICA on a national tour to discuss the issues at grassroot level.

This was followed by a meeting just prior to Christmas to review work that has been going on for the past year to identify key factors that have contributed to the challenges, including contractor viability, agency

relationships, advocacy and the absence of support systems. It also identified the need for greater recognition and reward, which would assist with retention of the workforce.

FICA CEO, Prue Younger, says this has created the backbone for detailed discussions and a focus to finding solutions to improve the working environment.

With the winter planting season looming and the expected demand prompted by the One Billion Tree programme, Ms Younger says there is a real desire to sort things out soon.

Labour shortages are the most recognised of the challenges and the SAG is currently working on solutions that will include training support, recommendations to amend policies and to upskill contractors with business mentoring.

Ms Younger says: “The labour issue directly puts pressure on work programmes, tensions between contractors and principal companies and lack of time to train.

“It is a yesterday problem and we are all responsible to sort it out and make the industry sustainable.

“It’s going to take us all to resolve and sort the issues but with industry leading it, there will be greater uptake and a real desire to get involved. If government agencies are willing to take that ride with us then we are going to be successful.”

Meanwhile, following a court case late last

year in which central North Island silviculture contractor, Silviculture Solutions Ltd, was fined for paying four former migrant employees less than the minimum wage for every hour they worked, FICA is reminding the industry to learn from “mistakes made by others.

This includes ensuring all workers are paid appropriately and incorporates pay for travel time, pay for tailgates, pay the minimum wage at the very least, be compliant and be professional.

The Labour Inspectorate led several key investigations into labour practices within the sector and these investigations implied breaches were widespread within the forestry industry and highlighted a need for substantial improvement regarding labour practices within this sector.

Ms Younger says that one way to ensure businesses are compliant is to go through Safetree’s Contractor Certification programme, which provides an industry standardised assessment of a contractor’s suitability to work and demonstrates professionalism to clients.

She adds: “It provides a benchmark that their health and safety systems can be designed to and means everyone is held to the same standards. For forest owners and managers, using certified contractors provides an assurance that the companies they hire are competent to do the job.” NZL

Foresters face court over East Coast flood debris

AUSTimber2020 plans released

COURT PROCEEDINGS ARE EXPECTED TO START SOON IN THE WAKE of the dramatic floods last Queens Birthday weekend that saw thousands of tonnes of forest debris washed down to Tolaga Bay on the East Coast, littering roads, paddocks and waterways.

Following an investigation into how so much debris was caught up in the floods, Gisborne District Council has initiated court action against some forest companies under the Resource Management Act. The prosecutions relate to six different forests in the Gisborne region, including three near Tolaga Bay. Meanwhile. the Tasman District Council had decided not to take legal action against forestry companies as a result of flood damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita almost a year ago.

Forest slash was among the debris washed down flooded valleys during the Gita event, but Tasman District Council Environment and Planning Manager, Dennis Bush-King, told local media there were no offences that would warrant any enforcement action against any forestry company. NZL

AUSTIMBER HAS BECOME THE DEFAULT FOREST show for both Australia and New Zealand in recent years and plans have now been released for the 2020 event.

As with the last show, the next AUSTimber will take place in the Gippsland region of Victoria, based near Latrobe, three hours east of Melbourne, with the dates now confirmed as 30 March to 4 April, 2020.

Part of the attraction of AUSTimber is that it takes place within the forest, including pine and eucalyptus stands, where show attendees can see equipment working in a real harvesting environment, as well as seeing them close up on manufacturers’ stands.

Exhibitor packages have already been released and organisers say site preparation has already started and those interested in the show can follow progress on Instagram where updates are posted at #austimber2020.

Other details are at www.austimber.org.au. NZL

4 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

forest talk

Logs on the wharf at Mt Maunganui being fumigated with Methyl Bromide under a tarpaulin.

Industry hits back over Methyl Bromide ‘lack of action’ THE FOREST INDUSTRY HAS HIT BACK AT GOVERNMENT CLAIMS of in-action with introducing alternatives to Methyl Bromide gas, used for fumigating logs exported to Asia.

Environment Minister, David Parker, criticised the industry for a lack of progress in finding ways to eliminate emissions of the ozonedepleting chemical or replace it by the 2020 deadline.

In a letter to the industry, Mr Parker told them he and his colleagues are “very concerned” that it appears a deadline to have all methyl bromide emissions recaptured by October, 2020 will be missed.

But Forest Owners Association Chief Executive, David Rhodes, says the industry is doing all it can to find solutions to either recapture all the gas used during log fumigation – mostly at key ports around New Zealand – or introduce a safer alternative.

In conjunction with the government, the industry set up a group called Stakeholders in Methyl Bromide Reduction (Stimbr) that is actively working on the issue, but Mr Rhodes says there are no easy solutions.

He wrote back to the Minister pointing out that the deadline was “self-determined” by government and not actually required to meet New Zealand’s international obligations, although it has acted as a strong driving force to achieve success.

However, he adds that current science and technology have yet to come up with a complete solution, saying: “Adherence to a selfimposed deadline, rigidly interpreted, may well result in significant economic disruption.”

And Mr Rhodes warned that if methyl bromide was not available for use on export logs it would impact regional economies.

He says: “The Indian log trade worth $250m per annum would halt, while a portion of the logs destined for China would also be affected.”

Mr Parker had accused the industry of not putting enough resources into research efforts, saying “it appears that to date most companies have not been willing to invest sufficiently in effective recapture technology or infrastructure”.

That claim was rejected by Mr Rhodes who points out that $1.6m a year raised from part of the industry levy on each harvested log has had been used to research Methyl Bromide alternatives.

He went on to say that one of the reasons progress has been slow is down to an agency of the government. Mr Rhodes says the government environment watchdog, EPA, is largely responsible for delays in approving use of one of the safer alternatives to Methyl Bromide identified by Stimbr, Ethanedinitrile (EDN), which the industry hopes will become a replacement. An application made last July is still awaiting a decision by the EPA And while recent independent trials had shown that 95% of the Methyl Bromide gas can be recaptured, the remaining 5% appears to be locked up in the logs and is unable to be drawn out. Yet the government has stipulated that 100% of Methyl Bromide emissions must be recaptured.

A meeting was due to be held between the government and various stakeholders as NZ Logger went to print to discuss solutions. NZL

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 5

forest talk

This Falcon Winch Assist, working for Tumeke Loggers, is one of the first of the new modular designs built by DC Equipment.

Falcon winch-assist goes modular A NEW MODULAR DESIGNED APPROACH HAS BEEN APPLIED to the Falcon winch-assist excavators from DC Equipment to streamline the manufacturing process.

The result is an impressive-looking machine that makes better use of common parts, making it easier to assemble. Modular construction also offers savings in transporting to overseas customers.

Prior to starting the project, DC Equipment’s Research & Design team spoke extensively with Falcon Winch Assist operators and came up with a list of enhancements to include in the upgrade.

According to Shaun Mills, DC Equipment’s Automation Engineer and Electrical Designer, the opportunity to introduce improvements to help lift performance and usability while transitioning to a modular and more compact design was too good to ignore.

The biggest change concerns the winch set, now a bolt-on system instead of being specifically built for and welded to the machine.

And instead of sitting above the bodywork, the winch set has been brought down into the body, positioning the weight lower in the machine.

Shaun says: “This allows us to build the winch to a core spec design meaning the manufactured units are identical and can be bolted onto multiple different machines without huge changes having to be implemented. This adaptability is especially beneficial when shipping modules overseas.

“The shorter design also means there is less tail swing and

6 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

increased ground clearance. We’ve also managed to bring the controls into the rear frame (from the cab). This makes the wiring and installation of the controls a lot quicker and easier.”

In addition to changing mechanical elements of the Falcon Winch Assist, new digital technology has been introduced.

“We can now remotely access each winch and diagnose its processes in real time,” adds Shaun.

“Full data logging has been introduced and we can monitor oil temp, pressure and a host of other every day processes and store that data for up to three months on the machine itself.”

The user interface has also been re-designed and Shaun says that testing and feedback from operators led the DC Equipment team to move away from a touch-screen based system to joystick control, which is simpler.

Shaun emphasises that much of the additional functionality focuses on advanced cable management to avoid shock loading, which is ultimately geared towards ensuring the safety of the downhill operator.

Also, the “box of tricks” that governs the system has been moved from inside the cab to a position within the rear bodywork, where it is much closer to the mechanised functions.

The result, says DC Equipment, is that the Falcon Forestry Winch Assist can be manufactured faster, it’s safer and provides another step towards automated forestry operations of the future. NZL

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forest talk

Now Pamu wants $36million for trees forests back to prevent erosion AFTER YEARS OF OVERSEEING ONE OF THE LARGEST de-forestation programmes in New Zealand, Pamu (the trading name of Landcorp) is looking for a partner to help it establish pine plantations again.

In a tender document asking for an afforestation partner, Pamu says it is interested in finding a partner to help fund and manage part of its future afforestation programme. It goes on to say that it wants to capture the afforestation potential for land well-suited to forestry, including carbon farming and traditional rotation forestry.

The document adds: “Pamu anticipates the arrangement to involve it contributing land suitable for afforestation and the partner group funding the forest establishment and ongoing management of the forests.”

Over the past few years, Pamu has converted around 8,000 hectares of former plantation pine forests into large-scale dairy farms on its Wairakei Estate north of Taupo. NZL

TE URU RĀKAU (FORESTRY NEW ZEALAND) HAS ANNOUNCED funding of almost $36 million through the Hill Country Erosion Fund (HCEF) to enable much-needed erosion control in the regions.

The HCEF supports proposals to protect our most vulnerable hill country landscapes, where the main treatment is tree planting.

“We’re pleased by the level of interest from councils, with 12 applications received in this latest round – four of which were from regions that had not previously applied,” says Julie Collins, Deputy Director-General Forestry and Head of Te Uru Rākau.

“The 12 new HCEF programmes will take place between July 2019 and June 2023 and will deliver significant improvements in erosion control.

For example, these range from building regional capacity and capability to plant trees, to farm planning and land treatments including planting poplars, willows and other indigenous and exotic species.

“We estimate that over four years, these programmes will result in more than 13 million trees being planted and treatment of more than 21,000 hectares of land.” NZL

Dean returns to Komatsu fold IT’S ALMOST FAMILIAR TERRITORY FOR DEAN O’CONNOR, WHO HAS recently been appointed to head the SouthStar business for New Zealand and Australia.

That’s because Dean spent 14 years in various roles at Komatsu Forest, which acquired SouthStar’s parent company, Quadco, from its Canadian owners in 2018.

What hasn’t changed is that Dean is still based in Rotorua, having shifted only a short way down the road from EMS, where he was General Manager for the past three years. His office is in the recently opened SouthStar production facility in View Road.

As the new Managing Director for Komatsu Forest’s and Quadco’s SouthStar division, Dean says there are new challenges to face that he is looking forward to.

“The New Zealand business is going very well, contractors have really taken to SouthStar here, and now we’ve got to focus on getting Australia up and running to the same extent,” he says.

The SouthStar production business is very much concentrated in this part of the world, with the chassis for all SouthStar heads manufactured and welded at Page Macrae Engineering in Mount Maunganui and the precision engineering carried out just down the road by Robert Page Engineering in Tauranga.

From there, heads destined for customers in New Zealand and Australia are assembled at the View Road premises, which also houses a large parts warehouse and service centre. Heads bound for North American customers are assembled in Canada.

Dean says: “I’ve been very impressed with how SouthStar has moved ahead and it has some excellent products that do a great job for the contractors.

Now, as part of the Komatsu Forest / Quadco family, we have an opportunity to develop the business further.”

The business has grown immensely over the past seven years since SouthStar sold its first 23” processor into Canada in May 2012. It has gone to deliver around 700 harvesters/processors and felling heads to customers around the world since then. NZL

8 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

Dean O’Connor is the new Managing Director of SouthStar Australasia.

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forest talk

New Redwood forest planned A LARGE REDWOOD PLANTATION FOREST IS TO be established on farmland west of Taupō after US-based investors were given Overseas Investment Office approval to purchase the land The 1,148 hectare farm has been purchased for $7million by The New Zealand Redwood Company, which has already established 3,000ha of Redwood plantations in other parts of the central North Island and Canterbury.

NZRC was formed in 2001 by the Soper Wheeler Co of California, a 100-year-old forestry firm that specialises in Redwoods, which grow to be the world’s tallest trees in their natural habitat along the coast of Oregon and California.

In granting permission, the OIO says the venture is likely to create six full-time jobs and increase New Zealand’s export returns because the bulk of the timber will be exported to the US, although some could be retained for the domestic market.

NZRC Chief Executive, Simon Rapley, says the company plans to plant Redwoods on 650ha, retain the 270ha of existing native forest and leave the balance in pasture on the sheep-beef property.

The trees will be harvested between 35 and 40 years of age and processed locally for use as interior panelling, cladding, decks and fences. NZL

A new Redwood plantation is to be established on farmland west of Taupō.

New app to help tackle wilding trees A NEW TOOL TO HELP FIGHT INVASIVE WILDING TREES HAS BEEN created by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).

WildingWatch can be used to find new infestations of wilding conifers as well as upload photos. In the wrong place the pine trees can take over landscapes threatening productive farmland, native ecosystems, tourism opportunities and our national economy.

“The app allows users to see for themselves the spread of wilding conifers across the country and upload their own images to help identify new invasions across New Zealand,” says LINZ Biosecurity and Biodiversity Director, Dave Mole.

“New information and images from land owners and the public will improve efforts to tackle the spread of wilding conifers, helping our native flora and fauna to thrive rightacross the country.”

Conifer seeds can be blown many kilometres by the wind, enabling them to spread across landscapes. Seedlings quickly infest an area, and if not removed they can grow into dense forests.

10 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

“Our knowledge of where wilding conifers are located has significantly increased since the launch of the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme in 2016,” explains Mr Mole.

“Part of that has been the creation of the Wilding Conifer Information System, which allows authorities to enter details of where wildings are located and the control work taking place to eradicate them.”

WildingWatch is now taking this information to the wider public, building on the Information System which has won awards in New Zealand and the United States.

“Trees that would not be identified for months or even years will be brought to the national programme’s attention much more quickly,” says LINZ Biosecurity and Biodiversity Advisor, Helen Payn.

“With the public telling us about new infestations, the national programme will be able to achieve greater success in controlling wilding conifers.” NZL

forest talk

Plans to establish Tōtara timber industry

This Permanent Sample Plot within a naturallyregenerated Tōtara stand near Whangarei could be the forerunner of a sustainable native timber industry in Northland.

Photo: Tane’s Tree Trust.

A PILOT STUDY IS BEING FUNDED TO INVESTIGATE THE feasibility of setting up of a sustainable Tōtara harvesting and timber production industry in Northland.

Kick-started with $1million provided by the Provincial Growth Fund, Scion and Northland Inc, the study will focus on selective felling of Tōtara trees that have regenerated in abundance on Northland farms.

A steering group drawn from representatives of Scion, Ministry for Primary Industries, Northland Tōtara Working group, Tai Tokerau Māori Forests and Northland Inc has been set up to investigate what it will take to establish a successful venture.

If successful, the pilot study could pave the way for sustainable native forestry to take place across New Zealand.

A successful Tōtara industry could see the production of high value timber products grow to be worth around $60 million per year.

Steering group member, Paul Quinlan, says: “The Tōtara Industry Pilot project is quite focused on making sure this is not business as usual, but a new and different model. Something better than we have ever seen before.”

Tōtara can be seen regenerating on many properties around the Northland region and Mr Quinlan envisages the amount that will be cut at “less of an annual increment than the forest grows at” through selective logging. Without competition from other trees, farm-grown Tōtara grows faster than in forests and would be ready for harvesting by age 80.

Scion’s General Manager of Research and Investment, Russell Burton, says that in order for the industry to be viable the cost of harvesting needs to come down.

Currently the forestry industry is set up to clear-fell large areas of pine. Creating an infrastructure that supports selective harvesting is a vital part of the project, he says, adding: “That means people being better-trained and having better equipment to be able to do that.”

In addition to encouraging farmers to become involved, the steering group believes there is potential for a range of businesses to benefit, including plant nurseries, harvesting contractors, trucking firms, mills and builders. NZL

High-value products from refining bark SCION SAYS THERE IS HUGE POTENTIAL for converting bark into value-added products including water-repelling polymers, green chemicals and bio-fuel.

Around 2.3 million tonnes of bark is produced annually by the New Zealand forestry industry. Pine bark is a rich source of polyphenols, polysaccharides, terpene and resin acids that each have unique functional and structural properties.

Developing methods that can extract and refine these high value chemicals and other products using green chemistry and sustainable technologies in a ‘Bark Bio-refinery’ is at the heart of a five-year Scion research programme supported by

the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment’s Endeavour Fund to promote science projects.

The bark bio-refinery promises to deliver significant quantities of water-repelling (hydrophobic) polymers. Hydrophobic polymers are used in items from paper coffee cups and rainwear to touch screen coatings.

The market is dominated by petrochemicalbased polymers but bio-based hydrophobic polymers are part of a rapidly growing market niche.

The Scion research team plans to a combination of extraction techniques to yield high value products, as well as a hot water treatment to extract tannins. The

remaining solid waste with its high residual lignin content could be processed into bark briquettes, for example, and used as a renewable biofuel.

Available bark volumes are expected to increase due to a ban on methyl bromide use from 2020 onwards, which could mean only de-barked logs are able to be exported.

Scion says bark bio-refinery technology provides a new economic opportunity to convert a waste stream into a range of high value materials that will earn an estimated value of $400-600 million per annum, contribute $1.8 billion to New Zealand’s GDP and add several thousand new jobs by 2050. NZL

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 11

forest talk

The new Mac 300 deck lid fitted to a Holden Colorado.

Protect gear with ute lid CONTRACTORS WHO WORRY ABOUT LEAVING GEAR IN THE WELLside of their ute when in town or even at home now have a solution to keeping their gear safe.

It’s a new design lockable lid that has been fully engineered to be the strongest on the market, keeping gear safe and dry, according to the manufacturer, Mac Utes.

Traditionally, the well-side area has been covered with a taught fabric that offers little protection from thieves, other than keeping it out of sight, and hardly any protection from the weather.

As an alternative to a canopy, Mac Utes has designed a sturdy checker-plate style aluminium lid that covers the well-side and is both weather-proof and lockable, allowing the owner to store valuable gear, such as chainsaws, with piece of mind.

The Mac 300 lid has a number of features, including: • Adjustable gas struts that enable the owner to customise the way the lid opens and closes • Solid, yet compact stainless steel hinge • Durable textured powder coated finish • Conveniently built-in tie down points to provide maximum load security and load shift protection

Furthermore, the lid is made from 4mm thick aluminium plate that is strong enough to carry a 300kg load, so heavy items, such as large tyres, can be carried on top and be secured to handy side rails built into the lid. A roll-bar option is also under development.

Mac Utes says the lid is not only weather-proof, the tight seal also minimises dust entering the well-side area, which will be great news for contractors in dusty locations in summer.

The lid is fitted with a single handle lock with positive hold down connection making it easy to use and the whole construction is designed so that it doesn’t rattle or vibrate.

Hamilton-based Mac Utes has a strong background in engineering and fabrication, and says the advantage of its Mac 300 ute lid is that it is 100% Kiwi designed and manufactured to fit vehicles sold in this market.

Currently, it has models that fit the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Holden Colorado, Mazda BT-50 and Isuzu D-Max, and will soon have versions made to fit the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton and VW Amarok.

Mac Utes says its ute lids are available through franchise vehicle dealers throughout the country. More information and contact details are on the www.macutes.co.nz website. NZL

Stricter forest planting rules touted for Nelson STRICTER CONTROLS ON PLANTATION forestry in some parts of the Nelson region are under consideration by the local council.

This follows a petition by 3,500 people calling for changes to forestry practices in light of major flooding events that have brought down trees and slash from forests planted on fragile soils.

They want the council to go further than the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry regulations introduced

12 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

last May. A key issue under debate is the current clear-fell practice in forests planted on steep land with Separation Point Granite (SPG) that runs across parts of the region. These soils are highly fragile and shallow, making them vulnerable to erosion during heavy rain storms, especially after tree harvesting.

Nelson City Council has instituted a review of its land disturbance rules that will not only look at any further controls regarding

plantation forestry on SPG land, but also whether building will be allowed in these catchment zones, which would put people and their property at risk in extreme weather events.

Due to the complexity of the issue and how changes may affect the viability of forestry in some areas, the review is expected to take some time to complete and it will then need to go out for public comment. That process is likely to stretch well into 2019. NZL

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Scion eyes softwood trees with hardwood properties SCION IS WORKING ON A PROJECT THAT AIMS TO MODIFY Radiata Pine lignin to make it more like that of hardwood lignin to improve processing efficiency.

The research, described in the latest issue of the Scion Connections newsletter, says it would help make bioproduct processing easier and more efficient than the existing alternatives.

Using trees for pulp, paper and biorefining is a key example. To make use of wood fibres, they need to be separated from the lignin that glues them together. The softwood trees that grow so well in our planted forests contain a type of condensed lignin that is much more difficult to separate than the syringyl (S)-rich lignin found in hardwood trees.

Lignin is a complex polymer that provides strength and structure in trees. In softwoods like Radiata Pine, the lignin contains mostly

Radiata Pine trees being raised by Scion to contain more Syringyl units, just like hardwoods.

Guaiacyl (G) units. Lignin made up of G units is more condensed and difficult to process. This, together with their high lignin content, makes softwoods more difficult and energy-demanding when producing high yields of refined biomass for pulping and biorefinery use.

By contrast, hardwoods, which contain Syringyl (S) units, are easier, cheaper and cleaner to process while retaining their desirable wood fibre qualities.

Scion has produced a small crop of young Radiata trees modified to contain S-lignin, based on an initial proof of concept that shows softwood cells can produce the novel lignin.

These trees formed a field trial that allows the S-lignin Radiata to grow in a forestry setting where Scion’s team can collect data and carefully monitor the trees’ growth and performance. NZL

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forest talk

Wildfire shield saves fire fighters

Fire fighters can take refuge from forest fires in a vehicle protected by a special gel.

A FIRE SHIELD SYSTEM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN AUSTRALIA to protect emergency services personnel trapped by wildfires and it could be of interest to rural fire authorities in New Zealand.

The Crew Protection System, developed in South Australia by Bushfire Defence, allows fire fighters in four-wheel-drive vehicles to shelter safely if they are over run by flames.

The unique system uses a super polymer gel to cover the outside of the vehicle’s cabin, protecting occupants from burn-overs for up to 12 hours. The device is also being modified to protect homes, buildings and other infrastructure.

“When an unexpected wind change occurs during a fire, the flanks can become the new fire front and fire fighters can become trapped in what is known as the dead-man zone,” says Bushfire Defence Managing Director and co-inventor Matt Wegener.

“The protection that is currently available to these guys in these specific vehicles is just not adequate enough. These vehicles are not like trucks that carry lots of water and have a water spray system to protect the cabin. We saw a need to change this.

“This system has become a way to help fire fighters, especially those in light-weight quick response vehicles, hide from these burnovers.”

The gel acts as a protective blanket and thermal insulating barrier keeping the inside of the cabin smoke free and ensuring the

temperatures are stable.

Previous methods of sheltering involved fire fighters relying only on heat-reflective pull-down blinds on the inside of the vehicle to help reduce the radiant heat and then covering themselves with a fire resistant heat reflective blanket.

The system is fitted with a vessel containing 30 litres of a Petroleum Hydrocarbon gel mixed with Polyacrylate Polymer that is imported from the United States and is able to hold 400 times its own weight.

When the device is activated, the gel takes 30 seconds to cover the cabin including the tyres. Fire fighters are safe inside the vehicle for 12 hours after the gel is dispersed.

“At a molecular level there is 400 parts water to one part of polymer,” says Mr Wegener.

“It’s like sticky water that has a higher evaporation point due to the polymer. Where water evaporates around 50 degrees, relative to a few environmental factors, this substance evaporates at around 1150 degrees.”

To fit out a vehicles costs around A$15,000, but once attached the vessel of gel lasts for two years.

After the system has been used, it is flushed and replaced with a new vessel filled with the gel which is then pressurised to over 1350 KPA. NZL

NZ pine pollen stimulates ocean life POLLEN FROM NEW ZEALAND PINE forests has been shown to travel more than 1,500km and could be changing remote deepsea ecosystems, NIWA scientists say.

The scientists analysed sediment samples from the Kermadec and Tonga trenches, and found pine pollen to be common.

It was particularly abundant in the deepest part of the Tonga Trench, some 10,800 metres down.

Marine biologist, Dr Daniel Leduc, says the trenches’ steep topography is thought to funnel fine particles that sink from the surface waters of the sea.

That led to high accumulation of fine

14 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

material, including pollen, at their deepest point.

The study, published in the journal Ecosystems, also found that areas where pollen is most abundant harbour the most life.

That suggests pollen may be a food source for some deep-sea organisms.

Dr Leduc says pine pollen was observed inside small, single-celled organisms called gromiids, which ingest the pollen and may derive nutritional benefits from it.

“This unsuspected source of land-derived food originating from exotic pine plantations may be altering deep-sea food webs,” he says.

“Deep-sea ecosystems are typically

characterised by very low availability of food sinking from the surface, and any new food source is likely to get used by the organisms that live in the sediments.”

Pines produce particularly large amounts of pollen, which can travel long distances by wind and ocean currents, reaching areas where little or no other pollen is found.

Study co-author Dr Ashley Rowden says the accumulation of pine pollen could represent an unsuspected carbon sink.

“The gradual burial of pine pollen, part of which is highly resistant to decomposition, likely contributes to the sequestration of landderived carbon.” NZL

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iron test

Story: John Ellegard Photos: John Ellegard & DC Equipment

The first of a new line of New Zealandmade tower haulers from Nelson-based DC Equipment, the Falcon 171, working in a forest near Dannevirke.

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THE THE THE SUPPLIER SUPPLIER SUPPLIER TOTO NEW TO NEW NEW ZEALAND ZEALAND ZEALAND HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY 16 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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The new Falcon 171 and its Falcon Claw 1580 grapple carriage display impressive line speed – note the Madill 071 in the background, assisting Moutere 8 to pull wood to this landing.

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MAGINE YOURSELF AT THE CONTROLS OF THIS FLASH new Falcon 171 tower hauler…….at your breakfast table some 500 kilometres away.

Yeah right!

Actually yeah, it could soon be right.

It’s quite conceivable that this bright blue hauler, currently working for Moutere Logging in Titoki Forest in southern Hawkes’ Bay, won’t need anyone sitting in the cab by the year 2025. The controls will be worked by someone – anyone, not necessarily a logger – sitting at home, or in a building in the centre of a city, well away from the forest.

That operator may, in fact, be controlling more than one hauler at the same time. The other one could be in a forest in the South Island. Not hard to do, because there’s always plenty of waiting time as the grapple brings in a load or travels out, and technology will do most of the work anyway.

Vision or fantasy?

It’s Dale Ewers’ vision and he reckons it’s far from fantasy because much of the technology to make it happen is already in the marketplace, it just hasn’t been adapted for the forest yet.

This Falcon 171, completely rebuilt by Dale’s Nelson-based DC Equipment, using an old Madill 171 slackline hauler as its donor, has been fitted with the latest technology control systems that will eventually allow that scenario to play out.

“We’re pretty much there already,” says Dale, explaining that there are still some key items to be perfected and, of course, the all-important task of establishing a fool-proof telecommunications connection between a machine far from cellphone towers and the outside world – losing the connection between driver and machine at a crucial part of a log hauling operation wouldn’t be a good look.

Before arriving at Moutere 8 to see the new Falcon 171 up close and operating, I’d already familiarised myself with the inside of the smart new cab via photos that Dale had used in a powerpoint presentation to an

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industry event a few months earlier.

At that event, Dale spoke of his vision for creating a steep slope harvesting operation that would eventually see most of the equipment handled by people outside the forest. “Logging from afar,” he calls it.

“So our target is, by 2020, to be able to retrieve a tree by the push of a button, and with the work we’ve done with this machine so far it should be quite capable of doing just that, and then to have a fully automated system a while later,” says Dale.

This first step has seen the myriad of levers and switches that festooned the operator’s station in the old Madill cab replaced by a pair of modern joysticks with push-buttons to work all the functions in this brand new Falcon cab. Think of it as comparable to the way an excavator is operated.

Those joysticks work a sophisticated array of electronics, which means that upgrading to more intelligent, hands-free working becomes a case of plug-and-play, rather than rip out and replace.

Much easier to operate, compared to the complicated system in many tower haulers currently out there on forested hills around New Zealand.

Let’s face it, those controls are so outdated they’re enough to put anyone off wanting to be a hauler operator. I’ve heard it described as needing to have “octopus arms” to be able to work all those levers and switches.

But making it easier for someone to operate inside the hauler cab is not the end game for Dale and his DC Equipment team.

Dale goes on to say: “Our biggest mission at the moment is getting people from home to work and back – it’s the travelling distances and having to work in such remote locations that puts them off wanting to come into this industry. So we’ll take the work to them.

“We intend to be logging from afar and if you see the levers in that cab, those will be replicated in an office hundreds of miles away, just like they do with mining trucks now in Australia. People think we’re crazy coming up with this stuff but it’s not, it’s reality – or it soon will be for us. You just need to have the will to do it. These are fun times.

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Interesting times, actually.”

Interesting times, indeed.

All this talk of tele-operating forestry equipment from afar is not really new. We’ve already seen Ross Wood and Simon Rayward’s crew in Nelson get their John Deere 909 harvester fitted with telematics and then sent down a hill without an operator in the cab – he was sitting at a duplicate set of controls in a trailer a few hundred metres away on the landing.

Working off a winch-assist machine, the harvester seemed to handle the terrain and tree falling tasks without a hitch, so it can be done – with the operator in close proximity, at least.

Similar technology has also been fitted to Ross and Simon’s backline machine, enabling the hauler operator to move it without the need for another member of the crew to take time out from their work to handle this simple task.

The technology is most definitely there. It’s just a case of adapting it to work in the forest on a consistent, safe and productive basis. When we last spoke to Ross and Simon, they weren’t sure if the time is right to operate the harvester remotely, due to worries about the communication link, but they are happy to tele-operate the backline machine, where lineof-sight with the yarder makes wireless operation easier.

The approach taken by the DC Equipment team follows a similar line of logic – test the new electronics first and then tackle the tele-operation challenge later.

While that final step is still way off into the future, it’s the here and now that has sparked the interest of NZ Logger because this Falcon 171 is not just a test-bed for future remote logging operations, it’s actually a harbinger of a new line of tower haulers.

Although Brightwater sold a number of its Bellis haulers before deciding to get out of the business, New Zealand logging contractors

have typically shied away from buying new skyline towers, for a variety of reasons.

We’ve tended to refurbish older equipment and re-use parts that could be salvaged and upgraded, such as the tubular tower structures and the drums. Some local loggers have even gone as far as having their haulers completely rebuilt, with little of the donor machine left in the finished article.

But as time goes by, it’s becoming difficult to find suitable secondhand haulers to successfully rebuild, and attention has been turning to creating all-new towers.

Rotorua-based Active Equipment was going down that road before the company went into liquidation.

Then Vancouver Island-based Madill decided to re-start production of the 72-ft telescoping tower 172 model at the end of 2015, but the few that have been built have gone into North American forests. No doubt Madill would make them for Kiwi contractors, but our struggling dollar has turned that into a more expensive exercise.

So, Dale and his DC Equipment team have decided to step in to fill that breach in New Zealand.

What led to this decision is that several of the 15 Moutere Logging crews operating around the Nelson/Marlborough/Wairarapapa/ Manawatu regions are equipped with skyline towers and they’ve needed upgrades over the years. That’s given Dale and the DC team an insight into which towers are most suited to New Zealand steep land working environments and what needs to be done to bring them up to 21st century requirements.

The Madill 171 is regarded as a good all-rounder by many contractors and it just happens to be one of the more popular models to have sold here in the past. DC has already rebuilt one into an early version of the Falcon 171 (which it called the Falcon 70) for another North Island Moutere crew, featuring a nice modern cab, simpler controls and more modern components.

But it only went so far with new technology. The latest Falcon 171 that NZ Logger travelled to Dannevirke to experience goes further…....a lot further.

While it still uses the old telescoping tower and some other original parts, it’s more Falcon than Madill. And there’s more to come. Future haulers built by DC Equipment will be all Falcon from the ground up, with completely new fabrication and components, bristling with technology to make life a lot easier for the next generation of loggers.

Let’s explore this new Falcon 171 in greater detail.

Most New Zealand harvesting contractors will be familiar with the old Madill 171, a self-propelled hauler, with five drums, a telescoping tower mounted onto a US Army surplus M4A3 tracked unit and powered by a Cummins or Detroit engine.

A pretty good recipe and, to a large extent, one that DC Equipment has

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Just a solitary stem this time, but the operators aim to grab two or three from bunches on the cut-over. kept to. That’s because key parts, such as the tower, drums and base, were still in relatively good condition, which dictated the general layout of the hauler.

The DC team replaced the old ground gear with heavy-duty Hitachi EX450 tracks and motors, slipped in a new and more fuel-efficient John Deere 13.5-litre engine, an electronically controlled Allison transmission and topped it with a brand new DC-designed cab with lots of glass and creature comforts for the operator.

This is no ordinary cab. Gone are the old-school air lever controls and confusing array of gauges and switches. In their place are modern joystick controls and a bank of TV monitors that display real-time footage of how the ropes are being wound on or off the drums, a crisp and clear view of the stems from a grapple-mounted camera and digitised information on an inter-active touch screen.

This part of the job was handled by DC’s tech guru Shaun Mills and it’s a particular focus of our Iron Test because we wanted to see what role the new electronic package is playing in the operation of the 171 and what we can expect from ongoing upgrades. As each major step in the automation plan progresses, NZ Logger will return to experience the changes and report on them. Our final goal will be to conduct the ultimate test from afar. Maybe our Auckland office. Or, more likely, DC Equipment’s factory at Brightwater, just outside Nelson.

Shaun is confident it will happen. After all, he’s been immersed in this project for the past two years and is intimately acquainted with the entire running of the machine.

“It has been a massive undertaking,” says Shaun. “For a prototype concept it has come out very well and is working as expected. But it is still

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only in its infancy with additional future functionality on its way.”

Shaun’s detailed work on the electronics was vital to making everything function seamlessly and even though he’s been in this industry for a while, he admits that he previously didn’t know much about what made haulers tick. That meant a crash course on hauler operation and observing how operators use them, which was then translated into eight months of planning and development, followed by three months’ solid software programming to create the electronic package to control the machine.

“We’ve cut out the air system to the cab, there are no air lines or hydraulic lines going into the cab at all, it only has a dozen wires going into it and we’ve got a lot going on in that cab,” says Shaun.

“We are just running ground and power cables into the cab and an ethernet cable out of it. So it communicates with the bottom base unit via one single cable, which makes life a lot easier.”

That single connection runs into a large electrical cabinet (locked for security reasons) mounted inside the large compartment behind the engine. Open it up and the electronics look remarkably simple but it is very powerful and, crucially, very robust.

A major concern for the DC team were the extremes of cold and heat, as well as dust and moisture that the electrical components will be subjected too, which led to an important departure in the selection of electronic items.

Shaun explains: “We recognised that we would have challenges in this environment with heat, dust and vibrations.

“To help us deal with that comes down to making sure the specifications of the equipment and components are correct. We use industrial

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Main: Within a few years this tower may be operated by someone in a town far away from the forest.

Inset: The new Falcon 171, which has been working since the middle of 2018 for Moutere 8, is living up to expectations.

automation equipment, not mobile plant components that a lot of other forest equipment manufactures use.

“We’ve gone this completely different route for several reasons.

Mobile plant automation equipment isn’t growing as fast and the technology and connectivity isn’t anywhere near as advanced as the industrial automation world. Industrial automation is growing at an exponential speed, it’s all about fast connectivity, it’s all about the Internet of things and Industry 4.0.

“We’ve gone with good quality German components and because we use the internet for communication, it means the speed at which data can go through to support third-party equipment in our network, in our network allows us to create wi fi networks very easily. We can do remotes, everything works and it’s much more robust and able to cope with vibrations and extreme conditions – it’s got huge shock ratings, it’s all sealed, there’s pre-formed leads, we don’t make harnesses up any more.

We hardly made any looms for the 171, it’s plug and play, all connectors are commonly available.

“I’m happy with the decision we made to go this route. The machine has been working for nine months and we have had minimal issues with the electrical system. The one’s we have had were at the beginning and have been easy to deal with. We’ve gone through some major temperature fluctuations and wet conditions, and I’m actually very pleased it has worked out so well.”

The next biggest challenge was to make the electronics work all the functions and match them to buttons on the two joysticks. And most importantly they had to be grouped in a logical fashion, so the operator didn’t have to think twice about which button to hit. Iron Tester, Stan Barlow, will explain these in detail later. But one challenge faced

by Shaun was getting the track drives to work off a single joystick to make it turn, instead of using a pair of traditional hydraulic levers, like you’d find in an excavator.

“That same joystick, in hauling mode, has completely different

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functions. Depending on what mode you are in, it manipulates the output,” says Shaun, explaining that there are three distinct operating modes that control the workings of the newly rebuilt tower.

“There’s set-up mode, hauling mode and a travel mode. In those modes, because of the control system we just allow certain functions to take place, for safety reasons.

“In an old-style hauler, you could do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted but in this system we don’t allow that. For instance, when setting up, we’re not going to allow you to do any hauling type functions while you are in set-up mode. You can use the guy winches and you can do power extending, raising and lowering but you can’t do any hauling functions.

“And vice versa, when you are in hauling mode the set-up functions are locked out.

“It just takes any of those things he shouldn’t be doing at the same time out of the picture and manages the safety aspect, so we minimise the opportunity of an incident.”

It’s all part of the journey to simplify the hauler operation and make it less complex and tiring to operate, and it needs to be.

Shaun goes on to say: “Everything is happening so quick now and there is no let-up these days – you don’t have any hold-ups with falling like they used to experience because the winch-assist harvesters are putting more wood on the ground. And there’s carriages to operate, instead of leaving it to breaker-outs.

“Years ago, you could take a breather in the cab while all that stuff was going on and it would have been quite a cruisy job. Now it’s all on and there are very few opportunities to get a break.

“Our aim is to a turn it into a simple push-button operation to make their lives a hell of a lot easier. Push one button and the skyline picks up the carriage, sends it down the hill to where it recognises stems on the ground through the camera, identifies the stems to grab, retrieves them, pulls them back to the landing and releases them. All done automatically.”

To achieve this, Shaun and the DC team need to explore more and

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record how the functionalities are working in the 171.

The new control system has built-in analytics that allow DC to data log everything, enabling the team to record accurate data and once analysed, make further improvements to the process and eventually automate functions.

Shaun says: “There’s lots of things we want to find out, like understanding the speeds of the drums, what the operator is doing and when. And we want to basically take his mechanical or human input and turn it into a digital input, a digital footprint of what to do and when.

“Because he’s got 38 inputs that he can do at any given time, I want to narrow that right down. I always use the idea that I should be able to drive that thing without any prior experience and be able to do it easily without having to think too much about what is going on around me. That’s the first step in trying to automate parts of the process.

“So this year I’m going to spend some serious time getting data out of the system, doing research reports on the machine and then constructing a plan in terms of what we can do to automate those processes to make it a smarter machine. We expect to have that first stage completed by the end of the year.

“There are still some technology limitations, because you need a lot of computing power and forestry sites aren’t usually a good place for having supercomputers on site. I’ve got a system in there now that can do cloud computing to help us work with the remote site.”

Tapping into the system from his office in Brightwater is dependent on the tower being within cellphone coverage and that isn’t always possible, so the information must be downloaded onto a memory stick or into a laptop when it’s out of mobile range.

Gaining that reliable remote connection to the outside world remains a challenge the DC team will need to overcome. It is possible to set-up networks and repeaters in the forest and this should get easier as the major telecommunication providers establish better coverage in rural areas.

Right now, the focus is on improving the systems within the tower itself.

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Facing page: It’s more Falcon than Madill, especially the new cab that features a floor-to-ceiling front windscreen.

Above left: The Falcon 171 looks very smart in its blue and black livery.

Above right: Lots of winches to keep an eye – five to work the guy lines and five to control the hauling work, although the tagline is rarely used.

Shaun says the next logical step will be to automate some of the simple processes, adding: “Picking up the carriage from a flat rope scenario and just getting it up in the air – that should be a really simple automated process, instead of having to worry about what your drums are doing, how much lag you’ve got, bird nesting, all of that stuff.

“We should be able to monitor the tension, bring each rope taught at the right time and pick that carriage up without having too many issues – all with the push of one button.

“I want to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. With all this computer power and technology, I want to see what is the most logical way to make it real simple for the operator to pick up the gear, send it down the hill, grab some wood and bring it back.

“To do that we need to understand, digitally, what the computer is seeing and how the operator is using it and then once we can understand that process then we can automate certain pieces of the process to make it more streamlined.

Shaun also says much more safety is being built into the system, pointing to an emergency stop that brings everything to a halt by hitting

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the big red and yellow button now installed in the cab (plus two on either end of the base outside), instead of the operator having to apply the brakes and disengage the clutches, which takes time.

More can be done, he adds: “The logging industry is driven by safety and with this new system, we can analyse everything from the speed and direction of the drums to the tonnage being hauled and so on and make it better, easier to manage and safer.”

There’s plenty more we could discuss, but Iron Tester, Stan Barlow and I want to see this new-age hauler in action and talk to the guys at the coal-face about their real-time experiences.

Arriving at the Ernslaw One managed forest on an overcast late Spring morning, with flurries of rain sweeping in off the nearby coast, the blue tower appears like a shinning beacon out of the gloom. Quite prophetic, really.

Moutere Logging’s northern area supervisor, Todd James, is liaising with us today since crew foreman, Kelvin Bouskill, is busy in the Falcon cab because regular operator, Glenn Cole, is away.

Todd explains that Moutere 8 is a new crew established a year ago

Far left: The 13.5-litre John Deere engine is both economical and powerful.

Centre and right:The spacious storage space inside the base, with hydraulics on the right and the electronics housed in a locked grey box on the left.

Inset: the tech stuff inside that grey box. especially to handle this job for Ernslaw One, staffed by people drawn from other Moutere operations. The crew started off with a Madill 071 borrowed from Jared Ewers’ (JD Harvesting) before the new Falcon 171 arrived last autumn, complete with the latest Falcon 1750 grapple carriage.

There were a couple of hiccups with the second-hand Allison transmission when the 171 was put to work, only cured through fitting a new transmission and it’s been pulling its weight ever since.

You wouldn’t call this a primo forest. The mixed bag of trees are around 22 years old and the piece size is less than 1.2, but there are some nice stems arriving on the landing. What does strike you is the topography.

It’s typical of this region, with tall hills separated by long valleys, in-filled with smaller hills that makes wood recovery difficult, time consuming and expensive. Good days can return 300 tones, but tough ones drop to less than 200 tonnes.

No wonder they are pinning their hopes on the big blue technological tour de force sitting out on the crest of the landing.

Making our way out to the big blue beast there’s not much room on this tight landing, because it’s also occupied by a trio of Hitachi swing machines; a ZX350 with a SouthStar 630 to process logs, a ZX 290 for clearing the chute and a ZX250 loader, plus the occasional log truck.

Reaching a safe area on the other side of the new Falcon 171, we’re perfectly positioned to capture all the action, as the carriage drops a pair of stems for the ZX290 to grab then head back out along the 420-metre skyline of its 630- metres available.

All five drums on the Falcon 171 (skyline, main, haulback, strawline and tagline) are carried over from the original donor machine, along with the five guyline drums. The water-cooled brakes were also retained because they work so well.

Before climbing up to the cab, Todd opens up the rear door to reveal a minimalist approach to hydraulic plumbing and not much else in this cavernous space – except for that all-important grey box hanging on the opposite wall containing the electronic wizardry. A good place to store oils, other liquids, tools, spare shackles and other items.

At the other end, right under the cab, the big door opens up to a more crowded space, largely filled by the 6-cylinder, 13.5-litre John Deere engine. It’s an interesting choice, given the usual options of Detroit or Cummins, or even Isuzu units favoured by many for driving haulers. But not surprising, since there’s an ongoing relationship with CablePrice that sees a number of John Deere and Hitachi machines working in the

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Moutere fleet.

When we get to talk to Kelvin upstairs, he tells us there is no shortage of power from the JD and it runs very smoothly with the Allison 5-speed shifter. And compared to a ‘barking’ Detroit, it’s relatively quiet.

Economical, too – averaging in the early-30 litres per hour, with the promise of improvements if Shaun can work more of his magic.

But the real magic right now is happening up here in the cab, which seems light-years away from cramped antiquated hauler cabs I’ve experienced in the past.

This one is light, spacious, even welcoming, being dominated by a floor-to-ceiling glass front screen. It’s reached from a long ladder exactly in the same position as on the old Madill that leads up to an equally spacious platform above the base.

Through the wide-opening side door, Kelvin is strapped into his comfy air-suspended seat (safety first) working the joysticks off the end of each armrest. Even though he has a great view out to the backline in the distance his eyes are glued to the two large screens that dominate the cab; the one directly in front shows the view of the stems from a camera on the carriage and the other screen, to the left, provides information and controls that he can alter at a touch.

The smaller screen just above the three brake pedals provides views of the drums and another small screen up on the right pillar shows the tension on the line.

Shaun says of the touch-screen monitor: “It was bigger than we thought it was going to be and we didn’t know if it would fit and whether the operator would be able to use it properly, what it was going to be like with sun strike, how is the touch sensitivity and can it be used if you’ve got wet hands.

“But there’s a lot of functions that we needed to put on there, so it’s come out right and we might change to a better feel touch pad in the future that can be used with gloves.”

Kelvin reckons it works a treat and has all the functionality an operator requires, and its far enough to the left that it doesn’t interfere with his line of sight.

He’s operated a swag of towers and swing yarders during his time in the forest, including the earlier Falcon 70, which has similar controls to the new Falcon 171, so it didn’t take him too long to feel at home.

Against an old-style hauler, Kelvin reckons “the whole thing is very different, and when you compare it to a swing yarder, too”.

He goes on to add: “For me, the most difficult thing is watching

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1: Even though foreman Kelvin Bouskill has a great view of stems approaching the cab through the big front windscreen, he tends to pay more attention to the TV screen displays in front of him.

2: No more confusing levers and switches, it’s all controlled by joysticks or three floor pedals.

3: The large touch-screen provides a myriad of information, including brake settings.

4. These diagrams remind the operator what jobs the joysticks and foot pedals do.

4

everything, but that’s the same with any hauler. You’ve got to have eyes everywhere though on this one it’s a lot easier with these controls. Once you get used to them, you’re away.

“Without all those old levers, you’re not throwing your hands around here and your feet around there. It’s got water-cooled footbrakes but I don’t even use that because you don’t need to as you’ve pretty much got your water-cooled band brakes on your hand controls and you can do it all from there.”

One thing Kelvin has noticed is that the controls are “quite touchy because it’s electric over everything and that takes a bit of getting used to”.

It also took a while to get used to using the camera to guide the grapple carriage to the stems, though now it’s second nature. He just wishes he could move the skyline like a swing yarder, but they do employ Dale Ewers’ favourite live dutchman setting to mimic that sideways movement when they are able.

The camera view of the drums gets the thumbs up “so you don’t have to look outside at the drums themselves because it’s straight in front of you”.

As Kelvin hooks onto three stems with the grapple, his eyes immediately go to the small screen on the right to check the tension.

“You look at that when you get the feeling the load might be getting a bit heavy,” he explains. “We try and run it around 20 tonnes at maximum – it does go over a little bit sometimes, but it seems to hold the drag up off the ground well enough. It depends on what sort of deflection we have and how we drag them in.”

With the tower cranked up to its full 70 feet, deflection is mostly good for this drag, even with the load spiking to just on 20 tonnes. There’s enough lift to get the load over the small hill in the middle of the valley and up to the landing.

But Kelvin adds “With heavier stems you end up running into the face

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of the hill and you have to stop and lift the skyline to bring it up. That just takes time. This hill isn’t too bad and the 171 has enough grunt to pull the skyline and keep going ahead on main at the same time. So you can pick both ropes up together.”

Stan and I have been watching Kelvin’s handiwork, literally – trying to see how many times he pushes buttons with his fingers and thumbs, as well as using his feet. It does seem more relaxing than being hunched over a panel of levers.

Stan asks if the foot pedals are still the same as before and Kelvin nods, calling them out, from left; tail, skyline and main (also the same as an 071).

In spite of the electronics, it’s still very hands (and feet) on, so can Kelvin see a day when this hauler will be fully automated?

“Yeah, I can see this being operated from afar,” he replies. “There’s some radical technology gone into this hauler and I know Shaun, who put it all in there, and he’s adamant that we’ll soon be able to push a button and it will pull logs by itself. They’re already doing it overseas in other industries so why not here?”

Stan has been itching to try the new electronic controls himself, so he and Kelvin swap places and after some instructions he sends the carriage down a couple of hundred metres to where a group of stems is waiting to be plucked.

He’s had plenty of experience using grapples equipped with cameras, but mostly on swing yarders and it can be frustrating when you’ve got no sideways movement, but he eventually snares two and after a bit more advice from Kelvin the carriage rises up with them safely in the grapple and he searches for the correct button to push to bring them up. Stan will explain the controls and what they do in his Iron Test column on page 32.

As he sends the carriage back to the cut-over we both comment that the line speed is incredibly fast – among the fastest we’ve seen on a

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Height 15.4 metres (50ft) retracted; 21.4m (70ft) extended

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DRUMS • Skyline: capacity – 609m (1 1/8”); Line Pull (2nd gear) = 60T (bare drum); Max Line Speed (6th gear) = 382 m/min (mid drum) • Main: Capacity – 609m (7/8”); Line Pull (2nd gear) = 32.5T (bare drum); Max Line Speed (6th gear) = 629 m/min (mid drum) • Haulback: Capacity – 1219m (3/4”); Line Pull (3rd gear) = 23T (bare drum); Max Line Speed (6th gear) = 1024 m/min (mid drum) • Strawline: Capacity = 1607m (3/8”) • Tagline: Capacity = 1066m (3/8”) • Guyline Drums (x5): 68m (1 1/8”); Bare Drum Pull = 3.9T; Max line Speed = 34 m/min (mid drum)

tower. The electronics, combined with the carriage, certainly play a big part in that respect.

After a mixture of good and untidy runs, plus more advice from Kelvin, Stan gets into a better rhythm and we decide to leave him in peace and continue our conversation away from the tower.

I notice that Kelvin has asked one of the crew to take a ZX290 shovel loader onto the hill to help with bunching and offer stems to the grapple where possible.

“It helps if we can make piles and feed the carriage, so you’re not trying to grab wood off the ground as the machine can hand it to you,” says Kelvin.

Even without that assistance the crew has noticed a difference in production levels since the new hauler arrived.

“Production has lifted, though we are also running a self-levelling John

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deere 959 harvester with a Falcon winch assist machine as well, so we are falling and bunching into twos and threes on the hill now and it’s all helping,” Kelvin adds.

“Our aim is to get 300 tonnes a day. It’s not big wood, but we can do it.

And per grapple it’s when you can fit twos and threes of these trees that you get a good payload. Keep it light and fast and you’ll end up with more drags and more wood at the end of the day.

“We’re still learning how to make best use of the 171 to achieve that, but we’re making headway.”

As each upgrade is made, it will become even easier to hit target and Kelvin can’t wait to see what Shaun and the DC team come up with next.

Best of all, he and regular operator, Glenn, will feel much less worn out at the end of a productive day than if they were imitating an octopus in the cab of an old tower hauler. NZL

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iron test: Stan Barlow

IF THIS IS THE FUTURE OF LOGGING IN New Zealand I definitely want to be part of it.

Despite having some ‘senior moments’ when trying to figure out which buttons worked certain functions, this electronic Falcon 171 really grabbed me.

I can just imagine an X-Box playing 8-yearold getting behind the controls and recovering a bunch of stems like they were born to it. This 171 is made for the next generation and I envy the things they’ll experience in the forests of tomorrow. Heck I’m still trying to understand the forests of today!

But in saying that, I was surprised how quickly I felt comfortable at the controls, even though I reverted back to old-school hauler thinking from time-to-time. My brain was trying to equate the old levers, clutches and brakes to how the new joysticks work For the record, the right joystick is set up similar to a modern swing yarder. Push it forward for the outhaul to engage the tailrope and release the main. Pull it back to engage the main and release the tail. That joystick also has carriage controls for rotating, opening and closing the grapple, and there were other functions to oscillate the main, oscillate the tail etc.

It also has a trigger to change the gears – pull to change up, push forward change down.

The left joystick has the revs on the trigger, which I found hard to adapt to because I’m

used to pulling the joystick back and wasn’t expecting it to be on the trigger. It’s real sensitive, too.

It has buttons to engage the skyline clutch, skyline water-cooled brakes, tooter and some other things that I didn’t use. It was good to be able to easily lower the skyline on the fly as the carriage is moving, pushing the joystick well forward and then feathering it down with the button. And when there’s little weight on the skyline you can leave the joystick in neutral and just use your button to lower it.

On the floor, the skyline foot pedal is in a different place to what I’m used to – on the older machines it’s over to the right but on this it’s in the middle. But I never touched it as everything was on the joysticks. The only foot pedal I used was the main brake on the far right.

My first drag was a little bit of a mission as I tried to get my head around everything and pick up on what Kelvin was telling me.

Perhaps it was the touchiness of the controls that unnerved me, but I soon got used to their feel.

And man is that line speed fast – the carriage was out there before I knew it. As soon as you select drive it goes into third automatically, though you can pre-select a gear. There’s lots of power in reserve, too, way more than I needed. Plus it’s very smooth and quiet – not like haulers of old.

Iron tester, Stan Barlow.

Love the camera view of the stems on that big screen, it’s so clear, but because I’m more used to swing yarders, I often wished for the tower to move so I could aim the grapple better.

Very impressed with the information screen. Everything is on there and it tells you what’s happening, like what clutches were engaged, what brakes are on, the pressure on the outhaul, pressure on tailrope and inhaul.

Sometimes there was a delay when clutches actually engaged, but the screen told you it was going to happen.

Also, knowing the tension on the ropes from the readout means you can keep within safe limits, under that 20 tonnes.

And it’s such a nice environment to work in, the best cab of any hauler I’ve driven with all that glass around you and good space for storing lunch and wet gear. Throw in a comfy air seat, good A/C and a decent entertainment system and you couldn’t ask for anything better.

Can’t wait to see what they do to it in the future. NZL

Right: Crew foreman, Kelvin Bouskill, is relieving at the controls in place of regular operator, Glenn Cole, and is enjoying the new technology.

Centre: Crew foreman, Kelvin Bouskill, has experienced a number of towers and swing yarders in his career, but rates the Falcon 171 as the best yet.

Far right: Iron Tester, Stan Barlow, is all concentration as he brings in another grapple full of stems.

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breaking out Breaking Out

The Kauri Timber Company Building on Fanshawe Street in Auckland’s Freeman’s Bay at the turn of the 20th century.

Story: Trevor Coker

T

HE ICONIC KAURI TIMBER COMPANY building on Fanshawe Street, situated across from Auckland’s vibrant Viaduct Harbour, is a reminder of the native timber industry’s glory days in the late 19th century.

Originally built of stone in the 1880’s it is one of only three heritage buildings remaining on the Freeman’s Bay shoreline and was recently restored to its former glory.

Today, it houses a boutique clothing store, bar and offices, but back in the day it was the headquarters of a thriving wood business, which later morphed into one of our major forestry conglomerates, Fletcher Challenge.

34 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

When Captain Cook recognised the excellent qualities of Kauri for use as spars for the British navy ships, it kicked off the first industrial boom in New Zealand, which grew to encompass whaling and gold mining. The Kauri timber industry really got started in 1820, when the first load of timber left on the HMS Dromedary.

From there it really took off, with a number of mills being established in the 1830s and 1840s, succeeding the early pit-sawing.

Up to around 1884, the Kauri timber industry was doing really well, mainly due to the building boom experienced as part of the rapid expansion of building, fuelled by the gold rush of the late 1870’s and the increase in population as settlers flooded

into the country – they desperately needed housing, along with the services from retail and commerce.

However, there were the ominous signs of a coming depression on the horizon, as the timber supply exceeded market demand and prices dropped. Many sawmillers were caught out by the change in circumstances and some refused to accept the situation until the stocks of sawn timber started to build up in the mill yards and timber merchants’ premises.

By 1878, the profitable local market no longer existed and sailing ships were giving way to steam, so the lucrative export of spars also fell, with many fearing that a total collapse of the industry was nigh. (continued on page 38)

The original offices of The Kauri Timber Company in Auckland have been renovated and now house a bar, boutique and offices.

Kauri logs floating in the tide in front of The Kauri Timber Company mill Auckland, circa 1926.

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 35

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Breaking Out

(continued from page 34) Hundreds of workers suddenly lost their jobs and there were protest meetings, held mainly in the north where logs and heavy baulks were still being exported while men were being sacked because of the lack of orders for sawn timber.

Some sawmilling firms who had brought large blocks of standing Kauri found themselves with enormous debts and interest payments, which were expected to be met by the sale of sawn timber.

Large quantities of Kauri were sold at uneconomically low prices to a severely depressed market, which only aggravated the situation.

The directors of the Kauri Timber Company believed, however, that it was more likely that the frightfully depressed timber trade was symptoms of a wider malaise, including a very unpopular company tax introduced by the New Zealand Government, as well as competition in its major export market across the Tasman.

It caused widespread problems, manifesting in the severe economic depression of 1887-1892, which saw a cut in timber workers’ wages to nearly half that of the early 1980’s.

And it led to the collapse of several local milling firms, with some merging with the Kauri Timber Company in 1888 to create a

much larger entity that could survive the trough.

Formation of The NZ Kauri Timber Company So what did the Kauri sawmilling industry actually look like at that time? The main centre of Kauri sawmilling in 1880 was Auckland, due to its close proximity to the Coromandel Peninsular, Great Barrier Island and Northland, the main Kauri growing areas.

There were four large companies at the time; The New Zealand Timber Company, the Auckland Timber Company, Logan Campbell and the Union Steam Saw Moulding Sash and Door Company. Most of the standing Kauri, supply to the local

markets, and export of the timber to overseas markets was controlled by these four companies. Their mills were large and well equipped and very heavily capitalised.

As the 19th century wore on, a large amount of Kauri was exported to Australian markets, whose timber merchants were conversant with the timber. But Kauri had competitors, with timber increasingly being sourced from America and the Baltic countries, which undermined the New Zealand source. This caused a group of Melbourne businessmen to look into the possibility of forming an amalgamation to invest in New Zealand’s timber industry in order to protect their supplies. An Australian representative, David Blair,

Above: Workers stand by The Kauri Timber Company Freeman’s Bay mill bandsaw, circa 1926.

Below: The Kauri Timber Company breaking down bandsaw at the Freeman’s Bay mill, circa 1926.

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38 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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Breaking Out

was a timber merchant who also owned a sawmill in Thames. He worked with a New Zealander, George Holdship, in Melbourne, and they joined forces in 1884 to promote the idea. They succeeded in interesting a further ten other businessmen, who then authorised the pair to travel to New Zealand to negotiate the purchase of various timber interests.

The trip resulted in the formation of The Kauri Timber Company in 1888, with a start-up capital of £1,250,000 in 600,000 shares valued at £2 each. For the public, a total of 450,000 shares were offered, whilst the remaining 150,000 were for the vendors. Tax on interest of £300,000 was paid on the debentures floated in London.

With sound financial backing, the company proceeded to gain control of the Kauri industry, to the extent that in a very short time it amassed 1,563,000,000 feet of standing timber, valued at one shilling per 100 feet and controlled 30 mills, along with dams, booms, rolling stock, bullocks, horses and other items valued at £400,000. There was £217,000 pounds worth of sawn timber ready for sale and 146,000 acres of freehold land.

It also had a total of 257,000 acres of leasehold lands, with terms of up to sixty years to run (up to about 1948).

Some 30 firms were purchased. Among them were the following; the Mercury Bay Timber Company, the Auckland Timber Company of Sydney and Auckland/Port Charles/Whangaroa/Mangonui/Kennedy’s Bay, the New Zealand Timber Company

40 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

Top: Ships loading timber produced at The Kauri Timber Company sawmill at Whangaparapara on Great Barrier Island.

Below: The Kauri Timber Company sawmill and wharf at Whangaparapara on Great Barrier Island, circa 1911.

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Breaking Out

Above: Horses were the timber trucks of their days at The Kauri Timber Company timber site next to the Freeman’s Bay mill in the early part of the 20th century.

Below: The Kauri Timber Company sawmill and wharf at Whangaparapara on Great Barrier Island, circa 1911.

Freshly cut lumber is stacked on rail carts ready to enter the continuous drying kilns.

42 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

with mills at Whangapoua and Auckland, the Te Kopuru Sawmill Company Northern Wairoa, David Blair and Sons Thames, Shortland Sawmill Company with mills at Auckland and Thames, Jagger and Parker with mills at Whananaki and Omana, Shappe and Ansenne at Mercury Bay, Pierce Lanigan at Ngunguru, Onehunga sawmill, Henry Brett who owned freehold land at Great Barrier Island, the Hokianga Sawmill at Kohukohu, Aratapu Sawmill at Kaipara, Kopuru Sawmills at Kaipara, Tairua Sawmill at Thames, the Port Fitzroy Company, the Helensville Timber Company, Whitelaw and Day at Hikurangi, Port Fitzroy Timber Company Limited on Great Barrier Island, Jagger and Parker, Coates and Kendall, Bradley Cairns and Mandes which had bush at Kaiwaka, William Meikle, J. Wigmore, J. Lanigan, E.T. Dufaur, Blair and Son, the New Zealand Timber Company, W and B Jackson who had freehold land at Pupuke, William Meikle who had freehold land and bush at Mercury Bay, John Trounson who had freehold land and bush, the Jackson Gum Company, Whitelaw and

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Breaking Out

Day, R.M. Houston, the Union Sash and Door Company, the Whangaroa Sawmill Company, Whangaroa Rafting Company, Kaihu Valley Railway Company, James Christie and Hare Brothers. Combined, the 30 purchased sawmills had the potential to cut one hundred million board feet of timber a year.

The majority of these firms were in North Auckland, the stronghold of the Kauri industry. They were serviced by numerous rafting and railway companies to transport the Kauri logs. As well as profiting from the manufacture of timber, the Jackson Gum Company also procured the valuable Kauri gum, which was used in the manufacture of varnish and exported to the European and American markets. It was also used as a substitute for amber and in ornament manufacturing.

Some of the sawmills cutting Kauri for this new super-enterprise were very large manufacturing concerns for the day.

For instance, The Kauri Timber Company

(KTC) sawmill at Kohukohu on the northern stretches of the Hokianga Harbour, boasted the following figures; it cut only Kauri and was powered by an 80 horsepower steam engine, providing a cutting capacity of 6,000,000 board feet a year, although the actual annual output was around 5,000,000 feet. The mill had a staff of 40.

It was soon joined by the equally large Aratapu mill, near Dargaville on the Kaipara Harbour in 1865. KTC took over and ran the mills from 1888 until 1908. There’s little evidence these days of either mill.

Other Assets Purchased To transport logs and timber back in those days meant that access to the water was vitally important, bearing in mind there were few, if any roads that could be used, and it was largely carried out by a fleet of sailing vessels. These included scows, schooners, barques, cutters and barges.

There were also some steamers, which

were used for towing rafts of logs to the sawmills. These rafts were joined up by chains that went through toggle holes bored in the logs. As kauri logs floated this was the best way to transport large amounts.

Also included in the deal, were contracts for the supply of sawn timber from the following; James Christie, Hare Brothers, Drinnan Brothers, Coates and Kendall, Patrick Shanahan and N.C. Smith.

Northland and Auckland residents might recognise those names in some of their local roads and settlement names.

To put this all into perspective, even today the creation of this business empire would have been a massive financial undertaking and it was among the largest seen in Australasia at the time.

But even though the tree that gave the business its name was strategically important, The Kauri Timber Company was looking ahead to when Kauri would either run out or be in short supply, as a lot of the

100517_Hitachi_Loader_v2

One of the earliest known photos from the early days of The Kauri Timber Company is this one of the sawmill at Whitianga, circa 1891.

44 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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Breaking Out

bush purchased held valuable stocks of other native timbers such as Rimu, Totara and Kahikatea.

There was already a large market for Kahikatea in Australia once the borer problem was solved. This market grew to such an extent it led to a shortage of the timber in New Zealand for the manufacture of butter and cheese boxes, to the extent that the government had to intervene and limit the market.

As a result, The Kauri Timber Company purchased shares in the White Pine Company of New Zealand in 1902, the major manufacturer of butter boxes from

Kaikatea.

In 1904, a 47.5% interest was purchased from the sawmilling firm of Ellis and Burnand Limited from the shareholders Ellis, Burnand and Valder. These three shareholders retained a 52.5% management stake.

Butler Brothers, formed on the West Coast of the South Island in 1907, became another associate of The Kauri Timber Company, which held a 40% interest that was increased in 1961 to 59.2%.

Also purchased on the West Coast, was the Ross sawmill that had been formed in 1915 and The Kauri Timber Company had a

Above: The Kauri Timber Company had its own paddle tug, called the Lyttelton.

Below: The last Kauri logged by The Kauri Timber Company in the Waitakere Valley, west of Auckland, circa 1924-25.

Opposite page: The timber yard at The Kauri Timber Company in Freeman's Bay, circa 1930’s.

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46 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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2/3rd interest in the new company.

This venture was not met with universal approval by the established sawmills in the region and in 1920, Butler Brothers took over The Kauri Timber Company interests in the firm and held them through to 1961.

As KTC grew, it also purchased other non-mill assets, including, in 1961 from the Fletcher Timber Company the following retail yards, McNab Street in Auckland, Penrose, Mt Eden, Papatoetoe and Browns Bay, as well as yards in Carterton, Wellington and Bethlehem.

At its height in the mid-20th century, The Kauri Timber Company was one of the largest businesses in New Zealand and employed between 5,000 and 6000 people.

The Early Years It was a large concern even at its conception.

In the first year of operation (1889), the firm’s employees numbered some 864 in Auckland, and those working in its mills and forests. There were also large numbers employed by its bush contractors.

In 1890, the total output of sawn Kauri was

valued at £416,978, with 65% of export production heading over to Australia.

It was also very successful financially from the outset. After the first year’s operation, The Kauri Timber Company produced a gross profit of £164,698 pounds, a net profit of £63,297 and

declared a dividend of 6%.

In the early stages of acquiring the mills, production was carried out at maximum rate to boost the coffers and returns to the shareholders, but in 1891 it became evident, as the economy was hitting the skids, the demand for timber was

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LG29046

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Breaking Out

contracting and the mills were cutting too much timber and over-supplying an already saturated market, causing prices to drop.

The situation became so bad that some mills were only working alternative weeks.

By the end of 1891, KTC was forced to close 25 mills. Part of the problem was, in many cases, also down to poor accounting systems in several of the sawmills.

The issue is illustrated by the fact that KTC had purchased 30 million square feet of timber in 1891, however in 1893 this figure fell to only 6 million square feet. In 1894, it was back up to 45 million square feet.

By the mid-1890’s the opposition mills were cutting more timber and challenging the KTC market. In 1899, the company had an estimated timber stock of 719,500,000 feet and still held a monopoly on the Kauri market. From 1906 to 1909 a total of 110 million square feet of Kauri was sold by the Crown, of this amount 29 million square feet was bought by the KTC. But that was

about as good as it got – the resource was already starting to dwindle, and the firm cut its last Kauri in 1949.

Yet, this was not the end of The Kauri Timber Company.

Along with the initial purchases of mills and forests, there was a lot of what was now valuable other native timber species and the company had already been transitioning to exploit these resources. In conjunction with the Kauri trade, KTC had started selling kahikatea in the 1900’s and made a move into the South Island in 1907 with the purchase of Butler Brothers, a longestablished West Coast sawmilling firm. In 1904, a move was made into the West Taupo Rimu market with the purchase of a 47.5% shareholding in Ellis and Burnand.

But it had other issues that dogged its expansion, following some tough times during the First World War, and in 1920 KTC went into voluntary liquidation and was reformed on a more modest scale.

But that wasn't the end of the growth of The Kauri Timber Company. It went on to

make other purchases, including shares in West Coast sawmilling firm, Stewart and Chapman, plus George Syme at Edgecumbe.

And in 1950 KTC purchased Steele Bros at Mamaku, just outside Rotorua.

There were further purchases of bush/ forest resources, along with other firms connected to the industry, such as Maori-owned forests in the Urewera and Rangitaiki areas. And logs were sourced from the Taupo area, Mohoenui, Te Anga and various parts of Taranaki to feed its remaining mills.

But, after 80 years, The Kauri Timber Company had come to the end of its run and in July 1961 the company was sold to Fletcher Holdings.

References: History of New Zealand Forestry, by Michael Roche The New Story of the Kauri, by AH Reed Kauri to Radiata, by Thomas E Simpson The writer also acknowledges the grateful help given by the Kauri Museum at Matakohe. NZL

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Aerial shot of The Kauri Timber Company mill (left of centre) at Freemans Bay, circa 1930's.

48 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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top spot Safety/performance/quality

Top Spot trophies swap islands LAST YEAR SAW THE CHANGING OF THE guard in Top Spot, as the trophies for the leading harvesting and thinning crews in 2018 swapped islands.

In a closely-fought contest, the trophy for the Harvesting Top Crew headed to the bottom of the South Island to now reside with Blue Wood Thinning, a Southland-based clear-fell crew, while the trophy for the Waste Thinning Top Crew crossed the Cook Strait to the North Island for the first time to go to Inta-Wood Forestry in the Bay of Plenty.

To illustrate the closeness of the competition, the difference between first and second in both harvesting and thinning-to-waste ended up being less than 1% after a full year of close combat.

Putting this into perspective, it’s about the same as the margin between first and second place in the 100m final at the Rio Olympics in 2016!

We looked very hard at the arguments for size of crew, where crews were working and cable versus ground based. The reality is, regardless of the size and type of operation, unless the crew is humming in terms of leadership, culture and ‘doing’, they won’t win.

In fact, if a smaller crew doesn’t quite get things right, the impact on the overall result can be greater than that of a larger crew.

So, congratulations to all our participants and kudos to those who won top honours, as well as those who impressed, but didn’t quite make it into the main results. We saw some great advancements over the past year and we’d like to highlight Veal Forestry as the Most Improved Thin To Waste Crew and Kaha Logging as the Most Improved Harvesting Crew.

Stand-out individuals who earned our Assessors'w Picks were James Wilson from Lumberjack Logging and Bully Hailey from Hailey Silviculture.

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Awesome companies, awesome people and awesome support!

50 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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, Wenita Forest Products, Port Blakely, Crown Forestry, Brand Logging, CMH Logging, Hauraki and Moehau Logging, Thomassen

Logging, Te Waa Logging, Lakeland Cable Logging, Logged on Logging, Pakiri Logging, Inta-Wood Forestry, Otautau Contractors, Heslip Forest Contracting, Waikato Forestry Services, Hodgson Silviculture, Makerikeri Silviculture, NJ Simns Forestry Services, SAS Forestry, X Men Forestry, Central Forestry Services, Mangoihe Logging, Kohurau Contracting, Tohaia Forestry Harvesting, Kuru Contracting, Dennis E Hayes Logging, Swain Logging, Lumberjack Logging, Ernslaw One, Bluewood Logging, Mike Hurring Logging, McCallum Logging, Whisker Logging, Kaha Logging, Lahar Logging, Dempsey Logging, Moutere Logging, JBD Harvesting, McDougall Logging, Forest View Logging, Kimberley Logging, Dewes Logging, X Men Harvesting, Pakiri Logging, Storm Logging, Lumberjack Logging, Eastside Logging, Veal Forestry, McHoull Forestry, Pride Forestry, Halley Forestry, Penetito Forestry, FM Silviculture, Forest View Forestry, Wayne Cummings, Rodco Forestry, Johnson Forestry, Pro Forest Services, Eastside Logging and Norwest Logging.

Into safety?

Into performance?

Into quality?

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

The Blue Wood Thinning team of Nigel Hutchinson, left, and Devon Stewart, right, were the Harvesting Top Crew for 2018.

top spot Safety/performance/quality WASTE THIN TOP CREW – 2018 CREW INTA-WOOD FORESTRY

ESTATE

HARVESTING TOP CREW – 2018 CREW

PLACING

ESTATE

PLACING

MATARIKI FORESTS / PORT BLAKELY

1ST

BLUE WOOD THINNING

ERNSLAW ONE

1ST

ERNSLAW ONE

2ND

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

MATARIKI FORESTS

2ND

X MEN FORESTRY

THIN TO WASTE PERIOD 2 CREW

PARTICIPANT

ESTATE

PLACING

OTAUTAU CONTRACTORS

ROSS MARSHALL

MATARIKI FORESTS

1ST=

X MEN FORESTRY

JR TE NGAHUE

ERNSLAW ONE

1ST=

X MEN FORESTRY

RUSSELL TE NGAHUE

ERNSLAW ONE

1ST=

INTA-WOOD FORESTRY

AARON MOTUTERE

MATARIKI FORESTS / PORT BLAKELY

CREW

PARTICIPANT

ESTATE

INTA-WOOD FORESTRY

AARON MOTUTERE

MATARIKI FORESTS / PORT BLAKELY

1ST

OTAUTAU CONTRACTORS

ROSS MARSHALL

MATARIKI FORESTS

2ND

INTA-WOOD FORESTRY

PAETAWA TOKO

MATARIKI FORESTS / PORT BLAKELY

3RD

X MEN FORESTRY

JR TE NGAHUE

ERNSLAW ONE

4TH

4TH

THIN TO WASTE – FULL YEAR INDIVIDUAL 2018 PLACING

HARVESTING – PERIOD 4 FUNCTION

BREAKING OUT CABLE

FELLING

FORWARDER

GROUND BASE EXTRACTION

SHOVELLING

MECHANISED FELLING

MECHANISED PROCESSING

MACHINE OPERATION ON THE LANDING

POLEMAN / SPOTTER

QC / SKID WORK

YARDER

CREW

PARTICIPANT

ESTATE

PLACING

MCDOUGALL LOGGING 95 LAHAR LOGGING 4 LAHAR LOGGING 4 MCDOUGALL LOGGING 95 KAHA LOGGING 15 LAHAR LOGGING 4 LAHAR LOGGING 4 LUMBERJACK LOGGING 4 MIKE HURRING THINNING MIKE HURRING LOGGING BLUE WOOD THINNING BLUE WOOD LOGGING DEMPSEY LOGGING 8 JBD HARVESTING BLUE WOOD LOGGING PAKIRI LOGGING 25 KIMBERLEY LOGGING 22 DENNIS E HAYES LOGGING MCCALLUM LOGGING BLUE WOOD THINNING MOUTERE LOGGING 7 DEMPSEY LOGGING 8 KAHA LOGGING 15 DEMPSEY LOGGING 8 KAHA LOGGING 15 DENNIS E HAYES LOGGING BLUE WOOD LOGGING LAHAR LOGGING 4 MCDOUGALL LOGGING 95 PAKIRI LOGGING 25 MOUTERE LOGGING 7 LAHAR LOGGING 4 WHISKER LOGGING 2 PAKIRI LOGGING 25 KAHA LOGGING 15 MOUTERE LOGGING 7 LAHAR LOGGING 4

LUKE KIRK TYLER BARHAM AVRIL PEHI RINGIA MAKIAKAMA CHRIS WINTER STEVEN HAWIRA HARLEM HAWIRA JAMES WILSON MARTY BLYTHE DEAN BEAUCHAMP DEVON STEWART MICHAEL WEATHERBURN CLAUDIO DEPARIS CHRISTOPHER STEELE CLINT MCIVOR SIMON COLLIER CRAIG MORRISON DUSTY WALLIS DAVE MCCALLUM NIGEL HUTCHINSON TE POU ANDERSON ANTON DEMPSEY PHILLIP HANSEN ANTHONY DEMPSEY WILLIAM STEVESON NICK MOORE CODY SEATON MOHI PAUL KEVIN SCARROW DALLAS FRENCH CHARLES WIPAKI GEORGE HINANA LEIGHTON BUCHANAN ARAPETA COLLIER ASHLEY BROWN GLENN COLE SMILER KATENE

ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE FOREST MANAGEMENT NZ ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE VENTURE FORESTRY MATARIKI FORESTS ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE VENTURE FORESTRY ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE ERNSLAW ONE

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 51

top spot Safety/performance/quality Inta-Wood Forestry wrested the Thin To Waste Top Crew trophy from their South Island competitors after a close-fought competition in 2018.

Pictured, from left, are Dion Kahi, Adrian Watson, Paetawa Toko, Aaron Motutere, Boston Myer and Nathan Fogden.

HARVESTING – FULL YEAR INDIVIDUAL 2018 FUNCTION

BREAKING OUT CABLE

FELLING

GROUND BASE EXTRACTION

FORWARDER

SHOVELLING

MECHANISED FELLING

MECHANISED PROCESSING

MACHINE OPERATION ON THE LANDING

POLEMAN

QC / SKID WORK

YARDER

TWO FUNCTIONS

52 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

CREW

PARTICIPANT

ESTATE

PLACING

DEWES LOGGING 3

EBONY TUREI

ERNSLAW ONE

1st

LAHAR LOGGING 4

TYLER BARHAM

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

HAYDEN DISKIN

MATARIKI FORESTS

3rd

MIKE HURRING PRIVATE

REEF ASTON

ERNSLAW ONE

4th

LAHAR LOGGING 4

STEVEN HAWIRA

ERNSLAW ONE

1st

KAHA LOGGING 15

CHRISTOPHER WINTER

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

BRIAN KENNY

MATARIKI FORESTS

3rd

LAHAR LOGGING 4

HARLEM HAWIRA

ERNSLAW ONE

4th

BRAND LOGGING 107

LEE TOMLINSON

MATARIKI FORESTS

1st

EJBD LOGGING 16

CHRIS STEELE

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd

DEMPSEY LOGGING 8

CLAUDIO DE PARIS

ERNSLAW ONE

3rd

BRAND LOGGING 101

ALLAN DALZIEL

MATARIKI FORESTS

1st

BLUE WOOD THINNING

DEVON STEWART

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd

BRAND LOGGING 101

SAM ABLE

MATARIKI FORESTS

3rd

KAHA LOGGING 15

CORY CARMICHAEL

ERNSLAW ONE

1st

PAKIRI LOGGING 25

SIMON COLLIER

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd

DENNIS E HAYES LOGGING

DUSTY WALLIS

VENTURE FORESTRY

1st

BRAND LOGGING 103

LUKE EDER

MATARIKI FORESTS

2nd

BLUE WOOD THINNING

NIGEL HUTCHINSON

ERNSLAW ONE

3rd

MANGOIHE LOGGING 5

BRAD ATKINSON

JOHN TURKINGTON

1st

DENNIS E HAYES LOGGING

MARK HAYES

VENTURE FORETRY

2nd=

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

TRISTAN ARMSTRONG

MATARIKI FORESTS

2nd=

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

SOLOMAN WALKER

MATARIKI FORESTS

1st

BRAND LOGGING 101

ADRIAN VAN'T WOUT

MATARIKI FORESTS

2nd

KAHA LOGGING 15

WIREMU STEVENSON

ERNSLAW ONE

3rd

MANGOIHE LOGGING 5

HENARE KEMARA

JOHN TURKINGTON

4th

MANGOIHE LOGGING 5

MIKE WILSON

JOHN TURKINGTON

1st

PAKIRI LOGGING 25

DALLAS FRENCH

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd

LAHAR LOGGING 4

MOHI PAUL

ERNSLAW ONE

3rd

HAURAKI LOGGING 91

CHARLIE BALLE

MATARIKI FORESTS

1st

SWAIN LOGGING

LYLE SWAIN

MATARIKI FORESTS

2nd=

MOUTERE LOGGING 7

CHARLES WIPAKI

ERNSLAW ONE

2nd=

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

ANTHONY TIPENE

MATARIKI FORESTS

4th

HAURAKI LOGGING 91

ADAM DIAMOND

MATARIKI FORESTS

1st

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

MIKE ALLAN

MATARIKI FORESTS

2nd

MOUTERE LOGGING 8

GLENN COLE

ERNSLAW ONE

3rd

DEMPSEY LOGGING 8

ANTHONY DEMPSEY

ERNSLAW ONE

1st

MOEHAU LOGGING 99

COREY TAMAKA

MATARIKI FORESTS

2nd

CMH LOGGING 60

WITANA MURRAY

PORT BLAKELY

3rd

top spot Safety/performance/quality Moehau Logging 99 was the runner-up Harvesting Top Crew for 2018.

Pictured from left are Elijah Savage, Blu (Lance) Balle, Soloman Walker, Hayden Disken, Braydon Miller, Quintin Kew, David Cox, Tristan Armstrong and Anthony Tipene.

FANTASTIC EMPLOYMENT & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Logging Contracting

Our client is looking to put in place structures in order to employ and bring a key staff member through to potentially an ownership position in the future.

With this in mind, we are seeking to employ a logging industry person with aspirations to ultimately own all or part of a professional logging company.

You will require excellent communication and management skills with the ability to relate to people working in all parts of the industry. You must also have the desire to learn the business from the ground. You should be prepared to live within the region in which the business is based (Central North Island).

Core skills should include: • Comprehensive grapple yarding knowledge • Understanding of modern logging techniques • Leadership ability • Mechanical aptitude The initial role is to manage a hauler crew and then progress to managing a larger operation.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys the logging industry and has the drive and skills to manage a professional logging business with the scope to grow into an ownership position.

Pictured, from left, are Whetu Pullan, Russell TeNgahue, JR Te Ngahue, Kalib Te Ngahue and Kuki Whitcliff with Boss the dog.

LG29112

X Men Forestry was the runner-up Thin To Waste Top Crew for 2018.

Please email your application along with a CV to: Garth Beker – garthb@bfa.co.nz or via post to Beker Findlay Allan PO Box 1091 Taupo 3351

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 53

www.fica.org.nz

Prue Younger, CEO Message In August last year the Minister for Forestry, Shane Jones announced the Government had set a goal to plant one billion trees by 2028. The One Billion Trees Programme will create employment and workforce development, it will optimise land use, mitigate climate change, support Māori values and aspirations while protecting the environment and supporting New Zealand’s transition to a low emissions economy.

With that has come $240 million of funding to support the planting, creation of jobs, meeting New Zealand's climate change targets, and with this "nation building' programme, see big tracts of New Zealand land replanted in native forests, repair damaged and eroded landscapes, converting non-productive land to forestry as quoted in the words of Mr Jones. As an industry, how can we best utilise this opportunity so I ventured out to our forest owners to hear their take on this national goal.

Regional Voice Peter Weir – Environment Manager, Ernslaw One NZ’s plantation forest industry was captivated and excited by the first announcement on the One Billion Tree (1BT) programme as forest growers, contractors and wood processors saw that new land planting could back-fill shortfalls in the wood supply those regions where there is an age-class gap.

An improved sustainable long-term log supply should give local wood processors confidence to invest in automation and achieve economies of scale. The 1BT programme is certainly a golden opportunity for those forest owners who are planning to expand their estates but few have a land bank and despite recent changes to streamline the OIO land purchase process for foreign investors, many are holding off purchasing land for new planting until they see the shape of proposed changes to the NZ ETS, including whether steel and cement (large industrial emitters that compete with wood) will continue to enjoy taxpayer emission subsidies. Early removal of those subsidies would increase the demand for carbon credits from forests and give wood a natural advantage in construction.

However, the market fundamentals remain against afforestation as prices for less erosion-prone land are generally very high, while under the RMA’s new NES for Plantation Forestry there is no guarantee that Regional Councils will grant consents to plant lower-cost, red zoned land in radiata destined for clearfell. Thus there are some headwinds to dampen the 1BT sentiment, with many owners waiting to get better clarification from government. Recent messages out of Wellington have become fairly mixed around the portion of native versus exotic plantings with a significant steer to manuka. Manuka will be good for north Island hill country farmers and honey producers alike but planting manuka is not of much interest for many NZFOA members. Currently the 1BT programme looks to be morphing into an ecological restoration project, which will also have climate change benefits by displacing livestock through land retirement, but rates of carbon sequestration in native plantings are much lower than in fast growing conifers. In summary there is an exciting decade ahead for the plantation forestry industry if Government gets the policy settings correct. We are close but we aren’t there yet.

Ian Brown – CE Hikurangi Forest Farms One can be cynical about government projects but I am encouraged by the project as a demonstration of the recognition that forestry now has in government circles, as being an important industry in the country. The recognition that it is a sustainable

industry with many beneficial aspects that affect society (carbon sequestration, renewable, rural based, foreign revenue earner, large employer, etc etc). It is in fact the ideal industry in every aspect. This bodes well for the way the industry will be treated politically and economically and is why I am, in principle, supportive of the project.

The effect the billion trees themselves will have on the commercial activity of the industry is still to wash out. Native vegetation is very slow growing and therefore does not sequester carbon at the same rate as faster growing species (such as radiata) do, in fact, native forests senesce and at maturity do not sequester much carbon at all. I believe the project will be good for the industry and good for the country, I am not sure it will attain all its stated objectives.

Robert Green – CEO Timberlands & Ministerial Advisory Group I applaud the Billion Trees Programme for the spotlight it has shone on the forest industry in New Zealand. We have a unique opportunity and challenge the likes of which has never been presented before.

We must ensure that the resources, the infrastructure and most importantly the human capital is developed to cope with the planting volumes expected, and the silviculture that will follow. In part these are matters for the Government to address, yet industry too has a major role to play. This government has increased its investment in forestry substantially, through Te Uru Rakau, through major grant schemes, through the Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group (of which I am a member), and through many specific consultation sessions, for example, on changes to the Overseas Investment Act. As CEO for Timberlands we are right behind the Government’s ambition to enhance the stature and the contribution of forestry to the nation, to climate change mitigation and to the communities we operate in. Kaingaroa Timberlands is big and successful, yet still I am convinced that our greatest times lie ahead of us. We have a giant planting programme backed by a tree breeding system, and a world class nursery and container facility. We are determined to realise the full potential of our people and our forestry asset. This platform will bring substantial opportunities for existing and new contractors, for our Iwi landowners, for the communities we operate in, for the environment, and for our staff and shareholders. The times we are in are a watershed for the forestry industry. I urge industry leaders to step up, dream big and make a difference. For if not us, then who? And if not now, then when?

P f

F

UD

For over 80 years UDC has grown alongside the businesses that have built New Zealand’s economy, helping hard-working New Zealanders grow and succeed by funding the plant and machinery essential to their business needs.

Forestry is a large and growing part of NZ’s economy and has been a core industry for UDC. As the demand for timber from both domestic and overseas markets consistently increases year-onyear, the support the industry requires is expected to grow.

With growth expected to continue well into the future, the increasing demand for forestry products has seen forest owners looking for new and more significant ways to extract greater volumes in an industry already struggling for resource.

The huge capital investment required to establish and grow logging crews means financial assistance will often be required and UDC enjoys working closely with businesses like these to help them with the equipment they need to grow.

Proud to support forestry in NZ

UDC has an established team of experts based in all forestry regions who work closely with local contractors to understand their needs and provide effective long term solutions. Our regional teams are supported by lending professionals who are highly experienced in plant and equipment finance and understand the specific challenges involved in managing hard working depreciating assets.

UDC are proud supporters of FICA and NZ’s harvesting contractors.

Find out how UDC can help take your business to the next level Callus uson on0800 0800322 322888 888or orvisit visitudc.co.nz udc.co.nz Call UDC Finance Limited terms, conditions, fees and lending criteria apply to any UDC loan.

Sponsor Profile Thank you to all of the organisations who support FICA, which in turn works to promote business growth and improved safety and efficiency amongst forestry contractors for the benefit of New Zealand’s Forestry Industry.

Strategic Partners

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To join, call: 0800 342 269

www.fica.org.nz

new iron

BIG KURU CAT

SINCLAIR TIGERCAT Russell Sinclair, of South Canterbury-based Sinclair Logging, has taken delivery of another new Tigercat, an LH855E that is fitted with his SATCO 3L2SC processor for the forwarder operation.

Lance, the operator, is very happy with the overall performance of the new machine, especially with the leveller, after coming off a fixed base excavator. Pictured, from left, are Lance, Hamish and Mark. The machine was supplied by AB Equipment, Christchurch.

The tools in the average forestry roading contractor’s shed don’t come much bigger than Kuru Contracting’s new 70-tonne Cat 374FL. While bucket size is an obvious plus-point for Ricky Kuru and his crew in terms of moving more dirt and being more productive day-today, other features on this excavator that make it fit-for-purpose in the rugged East Coast forests include the long variable gauge undercarriage for extra stability and large expanses of glass in the cab for great operator visibility. The Cat 374FL’s track link protects moving parts by keeping water, debris and dust out, and grease sealed in, while under the engine cover a side-by-side cooling system provides for more consistent service in both the extreme hot and cold conditions experienced on the East Coast.

This system is completely separated from the engine compartment to reduce noise and heat and features easy-toclean cores and a variable-speed fan that reverses to blow out unwanted debris that can accumulate over time. Add to these features the dependable backup provided by the Gough Gisborne branch and the 374FL makes for an impressive machine package. Heath Stewart from Gough Cat sold the machine.

BEARD DOOSAN

SATCO FOR JBD HARVESTING

K&S Beard Logging, of Napier, has taken delivery of the second Doosan DX 380LL factory-built processer/loader base to go into service in New Zealand. This unit is fitted with a Waratah 626 Bigwood working with the hauler crew for FMNZ. Pictured, from left, are operator Rob Henley, with Kerry and Shannon Beard.

JBD Harvesting has taken delivery of its new SATCO 630E harvesting head, fitted to a John Deere 959MH. Jared Ewers runs his hauler crew in the Dannevirke area where the new combo is felling and bunching for his tower.

56 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

new iron

FRM KOBELCO This Kobelco SK350LC-10 High and Wide spec excavator, with an Ensign FTR1980W fixed grapple and Active grapple package, has been delivered to FRM (Forest Road and Maintenance) for a logging operation on the North Island’s East Coast. This latest Kobelco high & wide specification excavator has the generous ground clearance needed to penetrate sites littered with stumps or rocks. Extra crawler width ensures excellent stability, contributing to uninterrupted working and greater lifting capacity. Durability is significantly improved with full track guides and larger upper rollers for the crawlers, to prevent de-tracking. Among other features are double grouser shoes, for better grip over rough ground and the revolutionary hydraulic interflow system that minimises fuel consumption while maximising power.

SOUTHSTAR FOR BEL Jason Bryant, owner of Bel Logging, has taken delivery of a SouthStar QS605 grapple processor. Mounted onto a Sumitomo SH300, it combines the versatility of a grapple and the functionality of a processor into one effective head, reducing the amount of equipment required. This new combo is working in the Nelson region.

TRIMAX KOMATSU Alan and Shirley Saunders, of Trimax Logging, have taken delivery of a new Komatsu PC 300LC-8 for their harvesting operation in Matahina Forest. The new PC 300LC-8 has an Active heavyduty forestry guarding package and is fitted with a SATCO 630H felling head. Operator, Gareth ‘Gee’ Judd, had a big smile on his face as his got his hands on the controls, commenting “it’s a pleasure to operate”. Pictured, from left, are Gareth ‘Gee’ Judd, Jimmy Callaghan (SATCO), Casey Saunders, Tyrone Keenan, Scott Saunders, Alan Saunders and John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ).

Photographer: Marc Amos(Komatsu Forest NZ).

CAT & WOODSMAN PRO FOR DG GLENN D G Glenn Logging has added a new Cat 552 Series 2 harvester for Crew 78, working in the Hawkes Bay. Operator, Hamish, loves the awesome track power and overall machine performance of the big Cat, which also features a Woodsman 1350 felling head, making for a productive purpose-built forestry package. The unit was sold by Gough Cat Territory Sales Manager, Heath Stewart.

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 57

new iron

CURTIS TIGERCAT

H&R’S FIFTH WOODSMAN PRO H&R Har vesting recently took ownership of a fifth Woodsman Pro head. This one is the third Woodsman Pro 750 that has gone into the operation, fitted to a Cat 552 Series 2 machine, which is being used as a fall and trim option in Mamaku Forest.

The machine runs the Loggic control system.

Hemi and Wiki Curtis of Curtis Logging have recently taken delivery of a new Tigercat 625E skidder that’s been spec’d with band tracks and chains for their ground base crew working north west of Whangarei. The 625E is a recent addition to the Tigercat 6-wheel drive skidder family that generates 231hp from its tier 2 Tigercat engine, has a longer wheelbase than any competitors and a massive 21ft² plate tine grapple. The new 625E is keeping good company as it's hauling away from a Tigercat H855C harvester falling to feed another Tigercat H855C Harvester processing on the skid. After only a few drags the operator was already impressed with how quiet the engine was, how stable it felt and how much wood he could pull. Pictured with the new beast from right to left are Glen Hauraki who normally operates the skidder and Cullen Curtis who also gets behind the joysticks when required.

FISKEN SUMITOMO

Burson Logging, in Nelson, has taken delivery of a new SATCO 630E, fitted to a Hitachi base that will tethered. The SAT630E is busy felling and shovelling to keep the crew’s hauler fed.

58 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

Mark Fisken, owner of Fisken Wood, has taken delivery of yet another Sumitomo for his crew in Southland. Mark chose a SH370TLFS high and wide, factory-guarded, forestry spec for his logging operation and spec’d a SATCO 3L2T for the business end. Mark has had a faithful run out of his SH330LC-5 machine, which has also been running a SATCO, and has been kept busy with wood delivered from a Tigercat 635D 6-wheeler, which is soon to be replaced by a new G-series machine. Pictured, from left, are Des (foreman) and Mark Fisken with crew members Richard, Brendan and Chris. Dean Cousins, AB Equipment, Invercargill sold the machine.

TD28908

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Truckers & Loggers FISHING TOURNAMENT

2019 21st to 23rd March 2019 Paihia, Bay of Islands Hosted by the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club (Inc)

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

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

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new iron

CROPP SOUTHSTAR & DOOSAN Cropp Logging has taken delivery of a SouthStar QS600 harvesting head mounted onto a Doosan DX300LL, complete with factory purpose-built cab. Specified with the large wood delimb arms, 4X4 locking kit and optimisation software this machine has gone to work in the Bay of Plenty region. The machine was supplied and guarded by Priceright Parts and Machinery, Rotorua. Pictured, from left, are Warren Moore (operator) and Chris Dowzall, of SouthStar.

MT HESLINGTON SATCO & MADILL Aaron Clark, from Mt Heslington Contracting in Masterton, has taken delivery of his new SAT630E felling grapple and Madill HT2250C combo, which operator, Dylan, couldn’t wait to put straight into work.

SATCO FOR MOUTERE Moutere Logging has taken delivery of a new SATCO 3L2 fall and trim head. The head has gone onto a Hitachi Zaxis 290-LC that is working near Ohakune for Moutere Log7. Maxwell, the operator, took to it like a duck to water and is impressed with the holding power of the SAT3L2, adding that it will make a huge difference to the operation with wood coming in all trimmed up.

60 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

MILLS ALBERT WOODSMAN PRO & SUMI Mills Albert, which works in the Lower Hutt area, has taken delivery of its first Woodsman Pro® 850 head, installed with the Loggic® system and fitted to a Sumitomo SH350-5TFLS. The sale was made

by Mardi Pritchard, from AB Equipment.

new iron

MOXHAM KOMATSU BLACK CAT Warren Black and the team at Black Contracting have added a new Cat 558LL to the fleet. Featuring an Ensign 2030 grapple and a roomy comfortable rear entry cab with great visibility that maximises the operator experience, this purpose-built Cat forest machine has been put to work on log loading duties in the Omarama region. John Mathias, from Gough Cat, sold the machine.

Shane Moxham and Stewart Hyde, of Masterton-based Moxham Logging, have taken delivery of a new Komatsu PC 270LC-8, which has an Active guarding package and is fitted with an Ensign 1730C log grapple.

Operator, Ricky Amohia, is very impressed with the new machine.

Pictured, from left, are Jayden Bowers, Peter Shields, Ricky Amohia, Tinis Barnard (Komatsu Forest NZ), Shane Moxham and John Kosar (Komatsu Forest NZ). Absent: Stewart Hyde and Dan Hughes. Photo: John Morris.

HURUNUI CAT

VOLCANIC VOLVO

Hurunui Logging has taken delivery of its first new Cat Forestry machine. Operator, Darren, is seen here with the new Cat 538LL, which he describes as very smooth, with plenty of lift power and very fuel efficient, thanks to the impressive new hydraulic system that means the engine can run at lower revs. The unit is customfitted with a Duxson grapple and comes with a high-riser cab.

The sale was made by Matt Holloway, Canterbury Territory Sales Manager for Gough Cat.

Steve and Julie Yeoman have put a new Volvo L90F to work for crew 038 in their central North Island operation on fleeting and loading duties.

Their new L90F is set up with the factory logging options and is fitted with a set of Ensign 1.3m log forks. Pictured, from left, are Steve Yeoman and operator, Jason Porter. The machine was sold and delivered by Ewen Satherley, of TransDiesel.

February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 61

NZ LOGGER classified

CONTRACTORS PLANT NZ LTD 59 Broadlands Rd - Taupo

EQUIPMENT SALES

REVISED PRICE

BROKERS

HIRE

NEW STOCK

Cat 527 Track Skidder: NZ new, genuine 4,000 hours, full forestry guarding, Cat winch and fairlead. Later ball trunnion PAT blade. $315,000 plus GST

John Deere 909KH Level Swing Feller Buncher: Only 6,800hrs, harvester boom and arm, Satco 424T Processing head with John Deere 648GIII Grapple Skidder: measuring.

Tidy machine with good mechanical history. $475,000 plus GST ROTORUA PALMERSTON NORTH

E: philt@heavymachineryservices.co.nz

Komatsu PC400LC-8 / Woodsman PRO800: Full cut-over guarding, Purpose built cab, bonnet, Logger boom, tractor grousers.

10,000 hrs. $385,000 plus GST $POA CONTACT: PHIL TODD

M: 027 595 0019

P: (07) 345 4343

LG29136

Cat 320CFM Log Loader: FM machine with purpose built Kawasaki 65ZIV: Cat 324DL Log Loader: cab, high wide, Ensign grapple.

Tidy machine, square back Ensign log forks.

Always popular and this unit is tidy. Very good $55,000 plus GST undercarriage, Ensign grapple. $45,000 plus GST $125,000 plus GST

Komatsu PC220LC-8 Log Loader: 11,000 hrs, full guarding Daewoo 290LL Log Loader: John Deere 548GIII Grapple Skidder: 5,700 hrs. NZ new, package, Ensign grapple, good undercarriage.

Logger boom, heel, grapple, high-wide. genuine low hour machine presented in excellent condition. $135,000 plus GST $65,000 plus GST Popular size for woodlot harvesting. $175,000 plus GST

Trades Considered – Finance Available (normal lending criteria applies)

Contact: Peter Wilson Mobile: 0274 948 742 or 07 378 6844 Email: cplnz@xtra.co.nz Contact: Phil Todd Mobile: 0275 950 019 or 07 345 4343 Email: philt@heavymachineryservices.co.nz 62 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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1242 1242/ 1243 / 1243/ 1318 / 1318 CHOKER CHOKERBATTERIES BATTERIES CR-P2, CR-P2,CR2, CR2,2CR5 2CR5

BRAKE BRAKE PUCKS PUCKS 4”, 4”, 4.5”, 4.5”, 5”, 5”, 6”, 6”, 7”, 7”, 8” 8” 1199 1199 MADILL MADILL 124 124 HYDRAULIC HYDRAULIC PUMP PUMP DRIVE DRIVE SHAFT SHAFT

COPPER COPPER PLATES PLATES EATON EATON 18”, 18”, 24” 24” WICHITA WICHITA 18’, 18’, 19”, 19”, 21”, 21”, 24“, 24“, 30”, 30”, 36” 36”

D WW ED E E E VV NN OO NN RR IGIG PP SS EE IM IM DD

1163 1163 1184 1184 WICHITA WICHITA 18", 18", 19", 19", EATON WICHITA 19" 19" EATON 118 118 - 218 - 218 NUT NUT WICHITA 21", 21", 24" 24" WEAR WEAR FRICTION PLATE PLATE BOLT BOLT SET SET 5/16 5/16 XX 2 2 FRICTION PACKING PACKING SPACER SPACER KIT KIT INNER INNER AND AND OUTER OUTER COPPER COPPER PLATES PLATES

REACTION REACTION

1087 1087 WICHITA WICHITA 18”, 18”, 21” 21” 14”, 14”, 16”, 16”, 18”, 18”, ALUMINIUM ALUMINIUM REACTION REACTION DISC DISC 24” 24” DISCS DISCS

1083 1083 / 1084 / 1084 WICHITA WICHITA / TWIN / TWIN 1188 1188 1161 1161 1065 1065 BFG BFG OIL OIL TUBE TUBE / / DISC DISC WICHITA WICHITA 16" 16" ADT ADT WICHITA WICHITA EATON EATON 18” 18” / / BAG BAG 14”, 14”, 18”, 18”, 21”, 21”, CENTER CENTER FRICTION FRICTION VENTED VENTED DRIVE DRIVE24” 24”FRICTION FRICTION 20¼ 20¼ XX 5,5, 22 22 XX 5,5, 24”, 24”, 36” 36” TWIN TWIN PUCK PUCK DISC DISC DISC DISC 26 26 XX 5,5, 26 26 XX 77

1045 1045 TWIN TWIN DISK DISK CLUTCH CLUTCH SEPARATOR SEPARATOR PLATE PLATE KIT KIT

1191 1191 BFG BFG OIL OIL BAG BAG BLOCK BLOCK 22X5, 22X5, 26X5, 26X5, 26X7 26X7

HAULER HAULER PARTS PARTS NZ NZ

NZ LOGGER classified

t

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEB SITE

www.blackduck.co.nz

SEAT COVERS

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

Tree Hugga Eco-Friendly Chain Bar Oil Key Benefits:

TOUG

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

SEAT COVERS • Water & rot proof

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

LG28734

“We’ve been using Tree Hugga in our Harvesters since 2015, the only differences are the environmental benefits and the price!” Roger - Owner of Sika Logging, Taupo.

• • • • • • • • •

Genuine high quality 12oz canvas • Tailored specifically to fit each type of seat 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

Proudly made in New Zealand by: Flower Power (NZ) Ltd. Ph: 0800 158 479 3 Manga Rd, Silverdale. sales@blackduck.co.nz Ph: 0800 158 479 - sales@blackduck.co.nz - www.blackduck.co.nz M: 021 022 04 106 E: brendon@flower-power.co.nz

66 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

LG28714

• Cheaper, only $1.99 per litre (based on 1000L) • Eco Friendly/Vegetable Based • Better Lubrication • Non Carcinogenic PER • Easy to clean from clothes SU H

USED EQUIPMENT from

AB EQUIPMENT Tigercat LH855C with Satco 424 (as pictured)

Three 2013/14 Tigercat LH855C’s ranging from 9000 to 11,000 Hours, with 2 coming in with a Satco 424 Fall & trim heads (1 with measuring) & the other coming in with a Waratah 624C Processor, All Available late March. Ex Taupo.

2014 Tigercat 610C Log Skidder

4,400 hours, 15ft Grapple, Winch, front tyres 40%, rear tyres 80% remaining plus 2x new tyres.

Ex Nelson.

$500,000 - $550,000+ GST 2011 Tigercat 630D Log Skidder

Log Skidder with 9,500 Hours, Winch, 19 Sqft Grapple, 35.5 tyres with Rear @ 70% & front worn but with Chains.

Ex Palmerston North.

9,000 Hours, Tigercat 5195 Felling Head, tethering Hitch, new undercarriage to be fitted, available late March. ex Dunedin.

$495,000 + GST approx.

4,200 hours, Satco 223T processor, high and wide, full guarding package including hydraulic bonnet.

Ex Dunedin.

$238,500 + GST Tigercat 635C Log Skidder

Log Skidder with 16,827 Hours, Large Fuel Tank, 25 Sqft Grapple, 35.5 Tyres on the Rear. Recently had new Engine & front Diff fitted. ex Invercargill.

$190,000 + GST 2014 Tigercat LS855E Feller Buncher

2015 Hyundai R290LC-9 Processor

$250,000 + GST Caterpillar 545 Log Skidder 13,00 hours (approx.)

30.5 tyres in good condition grapple and PTO winch.

Ex Taupo.

$180,000 + GST 2013 Tigercat 630D Log Skidder

5,500 hours, NZ new, one owner, 19ft grapple, Allied winch, new rear tyres front tyres 30% remaining, good mechanical history.

Ex Gisborne.

$135,000 + GST 2017 Caterpillar 545D Log Skidder

$320,000 + GST

Contact your Forestry Specialist Today: WHANGAREI Marcus Bourke 027 241 6126

HAMILTON Tony Hennessy 027 839 8153

WELLINGTON/PALMERSTON NORTH Mardi Pritchard 021 335 873

INVERCARGILL Dean Cousins 021 932 246

NORTH HARBOUR Charles Dryden 021 751 158 James Maunsell 021 937 304

TAUPO Steve Mellar 027 565 3956

NELSON Chris Jones 027 574 1712

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

MT MAUNGANUI André Muller 027 550 1729

CHRISTCHURCH Nic McLennan 027 275 6252 Steven Varcoe 021 969 323

AUCKLAND Colin Saunders 027 593 2661 Byren Ware 027 287 8902

HASTINGS Ben Kendrick 021 658 554 Richard Walker 027 553 9216

DUNEDIN Cory Hellyer 027 288 1952

AB EQUIP MENT

With 2,165 hours, 1.97mt Box section Grapple, Full Winch, 35.5 Tyres at 50% remaining.

Ex Nelson.

$430,000 + GST

NZ LOGGER classified

W expoSe youR pRoduct oR SeRvIce

LG29111

Get the right exposure through NZ Logger magazine and capture the Forest industry buyers directly.

NE

ROB - Remote Operated Bulldozer

N LG18594

ROB is predominately used in the forest industry for traction assistance for steep slope harvesting but is also being used installing pipelines overseas.

It is a twin drum tethering system that uses radio frequencies to talk between machines, therefore using only one operator for both machines Photos are of actual machine and is finished and ready to go Enquires to Lars – 021 995 693 and price is POA

contact tRISH to adveRtISe

mobile. 021 925 600 phone. 09 571 3544

Bran 1000 head

In d ri re W

w

U

NOW AVAILABLE FOR HIRE

616C main rotat

U

visit us on

LG26859

www.facebook.com/RWFSfieldservice

Use Com

Ph: 07 348 0501 Email: Info@rwfs.co.nz Mob: 027 817 9448 Workshop 41 Riri Street, Rotorua 68 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

Jas ww

s e c i v r e S y r t s Waratah Fore

Floor Stock on Hand Complete with TimberRite optimisation computer, full rotation, auto tension and colour marking system. One owner, serviced by Waratah. $215,000.00

Used

Waratah 625C

NEW STOCK NEW

NEW

FL95 Series II Brand new floor stock, Fixed saw box felling head with 1000mm log cut. Ready to replace any existing felling head plug and play. Auto tension main saw $85,000 Intimidate any steep slope with this specialist – the new Waratah FL95.Boasting Boastinganan extreme Intimidate any steep slope with this specialist – the new Waratah FL95. extreme downslope tilttilt angle, auto tension saw, extra-large cutting and grapple capacities, and weight in in thethe downslope angle, auto tension saw, extra-large cutting and grapple capacities, and weight right place for maximum carrier stability, it will help you get more work done faster. Plus, its optional right placesaw for box maximum carrier you stability, help you or getout more work done faster. retractable is just where need it it will when felling, of the way when shovel logging.

With the FL95, you’ll see challenging work dominated from a new angle.

With the FL95, you’ll see challenging work dominated from a new angle.

NEW

FL85 Series II Brand new Floor stock, small felling head ideal for small 20 ton carrier, auto tension saw $69,000

www.Waratah.com

New Waratah SG360RS Grapple with Supersaw 650S Extra heavily reinforced model for the toughest jobs in the forest and excavator applications, Strong cushioned cylinder reduces shock loads, ¾ Saw unit SC300 Integrated mounting of saw motor, No hoses in the saw box, Simple installation POA

www.Waratah.com

USED

For information contact: For more more information contact:

Waratah at 03 9747or4200 0800 4WARATAH 0800 492 728

USED

Used 616C Debarker 616C debarking spec, New TimberRite H16 system, 3/4 main saw Auto Tension, 404 topping Saw, 360 deg full rotation, Reversible Fabricated debarking wheels.

As is price $130,000.00

USED

USED

FL85 Series II Used unit As is price $40,000

USED

Waratah 618C Used unit with TR100 Controller Coming soon POA

Rebuilt 626 Bigwood Rebuilt 626 Bigwood - New motors, line bore, new pins, hydraulic valve bank reseal, repaint. New TimberRite automation system. $185,000

USED

Waratah 622C TimberRite Head only.

As is price $120,000.00

Waratah 622C TimberRite Head only.

As is price $114,000.00 *prices exclude GST and are valid for a limited period.

Jason Huitema - Customer Support 0274 864 227 www.waratah

LG26876

NZ LOGGER classified

Tyres that mean business.

STAYS ON THE JOB. Call us on 0800 NOKIAN (0800 665 426) or email info@nokian.nz to find a dealer.

70 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

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

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

ENGINEERED WITH EXPERIENCE...

30.5x32 $10150.00 + GST per pair 35.5x32 $13495.00 + GST per pair Both with 2 tightening tools per pair

23.1x26 30.5x32 35.5x32 Chain Protection Services

NZ TRUCK & DRIVER

ONLY ONLY

LG27935

Chain Protection Services Ph: 03 338 1552 • E: chainpro@xtra. co.nz • www.chains.co.nz

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February 2019

2019 SANTA FE MAZDA CX-8 SKODA KODIAQ

.co.nz

February 2019

$4.00 incl GST

P56

WIN! NORTHCHILL COMBINE ROADMASTER & STABI-CRAFT

HER

$100 VOUC

HD FS3147

Issue 220

HARD IN A

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ISSN 1174-7935 VIEW ONLINE - REF: 805679 (TIPPER) |

REF: 71125 (TRAILER)

PAGE

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KEITHANDREWS.CO.NZ 0800 4 TRUCKS Financial

ISSN 1176-0397

8x4 ALLOY TIPPER & TRAILER

E PLAC

HYUNDAI KONA ROAD TRIP: Mt Wellington to Wellington in a Kona 1.6T. Gunning for 450km in the Kona EV

READY TO WORK NOW!

The company that started NZ forestry

Top Spot winners announced

8x4 ALLOY TIPPER & TRAILER HD FS3147

VIEW ONLINE - REF: 805679 (TIPPER) |

REF: 71125 (TRAILER)

HOLDEN ACADIA SEVEN-SEAT: We put Holden’s big SUV hope to the ultimate 0-100km/h, fuel economy and passenger comfort test

PROFILES: • BIGFOOT • TRANSWORX • ROADRUNNER

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KEITHANDREWS.CO.NZ 0800 4 TRUCKS Financial

Auckland | Whangarei | Hamilton | Tauranga

NEW

470HP I 12-SPD AMT TRANSPORT TRAILERS ALLOY TIPPER & 4-AXLE TRAILER

Auckland | Whangarei | Hamilton | Tauranga

ISSN 2382-1221

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$79.20

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| February 2019

Grabasub

11 ISSUES

FREE GIANT TRUCK POSTER LIFTOUT

LG29024

Chain Protection have been Clark Tracks NZ agent for 20 + Years.

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

$

Trygg Ring Lug Chains with tension chain

9 421900 196159

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

www.chains.co.nz

Valuation Services Include:

GLASS ACT

GlassTranz building a new fleet

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February 2019 | NZ LOGGER 71

NZ LOGGER classified

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

• M SERIES 852 AND 864 – STRONG & RELIABLE GRAPPLES

Grapplesand andall allspares sparesinin Grapples stockwith withovernight overnightdelivery delivery stock

• GRAPPLES AND ALL SPARES IN STOCK WITH OVERNIGHT DELIVERY •SERIES PROVEN AFTER 852 and864 864 MMSERIES 852 and SALES SERVICE STRONG&&RELIABLE RELIABLE STRONG GRAPPLES GRAPPLES

ProvenAfter AfterSales Sales Proven Service Service

LG27145

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

A DIVISION OF

Forestry Insurance Solutions LG23616

0800 55 54 53 info@stal.co.nz

Forestry Insurance Solutions

72 NZ LOGGER | February 2019

LG25750

www.sweeneytownsend.co.nz

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

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

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

Teebar manufactured and sold. Wheeled loader WA470/3.

Lakeland Heavy Machinery Ltd

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

Forestry Tyre Chains NZ largest raNge Of skidder

Branches noNZ w in LARGEST the North & South IslSTOCKS and

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

Forestry Tyre Chains

OF DOZER

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

35.5x32

Heavy 29.5x32 Duty

30.5x32 -23.5x26 Weight 650kg Heavy Duty Machines

30.5x32 - Weight 650kg

Zaxis 270Standard with teebar. Teebars in stock.

D7H with30.5x32 winch - Weight 365kg Machines

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

PC350/6 with teebar or grapple DYH with winch

Cat and Komatsu Pumps Komatsu Pumps

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

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

NYLON / FIBRE DRIVE GEARS NYLON / FIBRE DRIVE GEARS

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

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

TO FIT 1 TONNE TO 15 TONNE Shears, dredge buckets

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

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

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

EXCAVATOR WORLD

Hokitika South Island BuLLDOzERS EXCAVATORS SkIDDERS

All NEW Stock

orS ExcAVAt for SAlE

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

LG25750

• • • •

Buckets Cabins final drive Parts grapples

• • • •

Pump Parts ram seal kits rOPs slew drives

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

3 ways to maximise rope life.

3 WAYS COOKES CAN HELP MAXIMISE ROPE LIFE AND REDUCE DOWNTIME

Swage 6x31

Larger blocks

BriLube

Our Swaged 6x31 rope provides improved flexibility and increased bend cycles, meaning reduced downtime. Ensuring optimum performance from your graple yarder.

Are your blocks part of the problem? Increasing the diameter of your blocks means increasing the bend cycle performance of your ropes lowering your production costs.

Forestry ropes work hard and fast and with this generate heat and loss of lubricant. Brilube 30 will ensure you get the maximum life from your wire ropes.

YOUNGS LIGHTWEIGHT HEAVY DUTY HAULBACK BLOCKS. When using quality rope, complete the package with Youngs quality blocks.

High Strength Alloy Steel Sheaves

Price Competitive

Timken Taper Roller Bearings

Quality U.S Manufacturing

S PEA K T O T HE T E AM THAT KNOWS THE R O P E S Northland Lana Power 029 773 0744

Tauranga Lance Godfrey 027 480 9589

Upper South Island Mike Beleski 027 479 6806

Auckland/Waikato Andy Palmer 027 474 6032

Rotorua/Lower North Island Dave Caulfield 027 474 2809

Canterbury/Lower Sth Island Steve Marshall 027 434 7148

www.cookes.co.nz