8 minute read
MATERIAL HANDLER
IN SAFE HANDS
Faced with a difficult decision at fleet renewal time, Forest Garden put its faith in Liebherr and the manufacturer’s latest LH 24 material handlers –Paul Argent finds out if this decision was the correct one
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IMAGES PAUL ARGENT
As one of the UK’s largest suppliers of fencing timber and garden sheds, Forest Garden relies on a steady supply of raw material entering its huge production facility at Lockerbie. The mill and factory situated adjacent to the M74 and ideally serving the nation’s motorway network requires a staggering 175,000 tonnes of timber per year to produce in excess of 1.7m fencing slats and over 47,000 fence panels amongst the other products leaving the site.
Whilst much of the timber is sourced from Scotland and the Borders, the company looks across the country for the best supplies of timber. “We are in the lucky position where we don’t need a specific dimensional timber,” Operations Director Ross McCrossan explained. “We use 1.9m lengths which are usually found at the tops of the thinner trees and are available freely across the market, meaning we have a good and plentiful supply. Thankfully!”
To handle the huge amounts of incoming material, Forest Garden has recently returned to Liebherr for its new fleet of material handlers although the deal wasn’t a forgone conclusion.
Below inset: Powerhand GH-80 with 0.8m2 capacity and 3,010mm overall opening.
Bottom: Heavy duty towing eye covers attachment to a 9-tonne capacity twin-axle trailer.
“We have used Liebherr for a number of years and have found them to be the best on the market for our application,” Ross explained. “We had a number of issues with the last three material handlers that brought us into hard discussions when it came to renewal time. We looked hard at one particular manufacturer to replace the existing fleet of handlers but didn’t feel, despite the – now resolved – issues with Liebherr, that anything else would cut the mustard.”
The three older machines have since been replaced with three new LH 24 material handlers. The latest arrivals are from the latest LH range of material handlers and are almost exclusively used to load out material from the incoming material line where the timber is sized according to its diameter. The logs pass through the system and are deposited into bays along the conveyor line according to their size. Once sized, the timber is then picked up by one of the Liebherrs and transported to the storage areas before they are transported to the mill.
“In previous years, we have been able to build up a stockpile of material coming into the autumn,” Ross said. “But, thanks to the amount of good weather we
had during Covid and the increase in garden projects being undertaken across the country, we have continued pushing material through the plant to meet the demand for our finished products.”
SETTING THE WHEELS IN MOTION
What sets the Forest Garden machines apart from the usual pick and carry material handlers is, they’re not pick and carry machines! The heavy-duty hydrostatic driveline comprising ZF axles rated to 40 tonnes apiece carry the chassis with front and rear outriggers.
The rear of the chassis has been fitted with a large towing eye to accommodate the 9-tonne capacity twin-axle trailer the machines are attached to. Traditional pick and carry machines rely on their ability to quickly transfer small amounts of timber around at speed and whilst the LH 24 can match these machines without the trailer, travelling across the yard is greatly reduced by using the trailers resulting in less stress on the drivelines.
Yard Manager Robbie Carruthers is very happy with the productivity of the three new arrivals. “They seem to be a lot better than the older machines we had previously, the build quality is excellent and the drivers on both shifts love them,” he said.
In a change from the previous loaders, the new
Right: The ZF axles are rated at 40 tonnes each and carry the chassis with F&R outriggers. The on-site mill is fed with 175,000 tonnes of timber per year, so the LH 24s have their work cut out!
Hydraulic elevating cab lowers centre of gravity compared to fixed riser.
Above right inset: Operators of the new Liebherrs appreciate their greater feeling of solidity.
Below right: Liebherr’s GA10 handling spec provides 11m of reach at ground level.
STABLE PLATFORM
arrivals are fitted with a fully hydraulic elevating cabin instead of a fixed riser. This lowers the centre of gravity on the material handler and reduces the sway for the operator when travelling across the wood yard. An operator’s eye view of almost 5.2m when fully extended allows the operator an uninterrupted view across the plant. Inside the cab, the view to the front of the machine is second to none thanks to the removal of the steering wheel and column with all directional controls now on the joysticks.
The GA10 material handling equipment comprises of a 6.1m straight boom and 4m straight stick, which potentially gives a maximum ground level reach of 11m. The choice of timber grab was a simple one for Engineering Manager Dave Smith. “We chose Powerhand grabs from Clarke Engineering with a 0.8 cubic metre capacity. Clarke is based only a few miles away in Dumfries and manufactures what we think are the best timber grabs on the market. These are slightly down on the capacity of the previous grabs but this doesn’t affect our productivity. “We chose the GH-80 grabs in a bid to match the physical size of the grab to the dimensions of the numerous bins on the sizing line, as we seemed to be suffering a lot of niggling damage to the old grabs as the hydraulic cylinders were mounted external to the shells of the grab and kept getting hit despite the best efforts of the drivers,” Dave continued. The smaller dimensions of the grab are partly thanks to the compact build of the GH-80 with its twin, internal rams and compact Indexator XR300 rotator providing a short build height of just 1,490mm when fully open. The width of the grab is just 870mm.
The LH 24 is powered by Liebherr’s D924FPT 150hp engine mounted longitudinally along the offside of the machine, together with the cooling pack, and now provides a better balanced machine, according to Dave. “I have to agree with Robbie’s comments that the new machines seem to have an even more robust feel about them. Liebherr has addressed our issues and look to have given us a very good machine. The company promised us low fuel figures and we are very happy with the consumption of the new machines. They are exceeding our expectations.”
“We went through some pain to thrash out this deal,” Ross concluded. “Overall, we are very happy with the both the deal and the quality of the new material handlers. We have a good relationship with our Salesman Brian McGrane and Material Handling Specialist Mike Hanlon, they have both worked very hard to bring this deal to fruition and I have to thank them for that.”
Field Service Engineer Position
McHale Plant Sales, Distributor of Komatsu Forest Equipment in Ireland are recruiting for a Senior Field Service Engineer to join their team. As a Field Service Engineer you will play a key role, supporting the service department through completing routine servicing work, and maintaining and repairing machinery onsite, whilst providing an excellent level of service to our customers.
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Requirements:
• Forestry background, with experience in repair, maintenance and set-up of Harvesters & Forwarders. • Good knowledge of electrical, hydraulic and mechanical troubleshooting and repair and competent in following electrical and hydraulic schematic diagrams to diagnose faults. • Competent in welding and fabrication. • Computer Literate. • Full drivers licence and willing to travel throughout Ireland.
Bene ts:
• A comprehensive remuneration package • Overtime premium • New company service vehicle • Company pension scheme • Phone & Laptop • Ongoing training will be provided for the successful applicant.
Additional Info:
McHale Plant Sales has full sales and service depots located in Dublin and Tipperary. They are also national distributors for Komatsu Construction Equipment, Merlo Telescopic Handlers, Metso Outotec Crushing and Screening Equipment, Terex Ecotec Waste Processing Equipment and Topcon Machine Control Systems.
Email: recruitment@mchaleplant.com www.mchaleplantsales.com ✓HARVESTING & BIOMASS ✓ECOLOGICAL SERVICES ✓STUMP REMOVAL ✓SITE CLEARANCE ✓TREE CLEARANCE ✓DEEP ROTIVATING ✓DEEP PLOUGH CONTRACTING ✓MACHINERY HIRE
