DEALER FOCUS JIM WILMER SONS

Headquartered in Dailly, Ayrshire, Jim Wilmer & Sons Timber Harvesting Ltd (JWS) is one of the largest timber harvesting contractors in Europe, and the newly appointed UK dealer COVER STORY for Rottne equipment, sales and service. Driving this successful family run business forward are Jim Wilmer and son David, also a company director. They are ably assisted by Jim’s other son Gary and daughter Amanda, plus a management team, skilled engineers, and highly experienced machine operators.

Jim started out in the timber industry over 40 years ago, felling trees and selling firewood around local towns and villages then quickly diversified the business into timber harvesting, using tractors and winches then harvesters and forwarders. Over the years, JWS has grown extensively and operates a range of over 30 harvesters and 30 forwarders from Rottne, Tigercat, Komatsu and John Deere to costeffectively handle all types of forestry work – both large and small. It also offers a one-stop shop with a large fleet of logging trucks.

At the Scottish Forestry Expo event in 2019, JWS launched its new Rottne equipment dealership. On the stand was a top line Rottne F20D forwarder model, which drew large crowds and much interest. Soon afterwards JWS introduced the first Rottne F18D forwarder into its own fleet and sold a similar machine to another large Scottish harvesting contractor in November 2019. Since outstanding aftersales service is a vital element of any good dealership, JWS has invested heavily – over £500,000 – to double its state-of-the-art Ayrshire workshop facilities and added two Rottne fully equipped service vans to their already 10-strong fleet of factory trained field-based engineers.

BUILDING AN EMPIRE

The company’s highly experienced Rottne equipment sales manager is Ronnie Curran. Ronnie and Parts Manager Rick McElnea have been busy evaluating and stocking their service and parts departments with all the necessary components that will help to ensure high uptime and availability of Rottne equipment for their customers. Being a harvesting contractor brings a number of benefits to JWS’ Rottne dealership operation and customers, as the company is highly experienced in this industry, and running Rottne products in its own fleet will ensure that not only can JWS sell new Rottne machines, but it will soon have a good stock of wellmaintained pre-owned Rottne machines to suit different capital expenditure budgets.

Ronnie explained that Rottne is expanding its factory production to produce up to 300 units per annum, and lead times are good at the moment for new machines. In fact, in order to provide great customer service, if a new Rottne customer needed a machine urgently, JWS would look to sell one out of its existing harvesting fleet! Ronnie is also the first to admit Rottne machines are not the cheapest in the market, as they are said to be extremely high quality and robustly engineered. Apart from all the benefits of great operator comfort, reliability, durability, ease of maintenance, and

TERRIFIC TWOSOME

“BEING A HARVESTING CONTRACTOR BRINGS A NUMBER OF BENEFITS TO JWS’ ROTTNE DEALERSHIP OPERATION AND CUSTOMERS”

Unlike some harvesting heads, the Rottne feed rollers clamp the tree underneath and with low knife pressure, meaning reduced friction, faster cycle times and less strain on pumps.

low running costs, a used Rottne machine is likely to command higher residual values and are much sought after. Rottne machines are also said to enjoy some of the lowest operating costs for forestry equipment.

FORESTRY SITE VISIT

I met up with Ronnie Curran at a clearfell operation in the Argyll area of Scotland to see the firm’s new, top-of-the-range Rottne H21D harvester and F20D forwarder in action. Some of the site is situated on fairly easy flat ground and has good access with the excellently prepared haul roads. Some of the steeper terrain was easily handled by the good climbing performance of both the new H21D harvester and F20D forwarder. JWS is also an operator and dealer of T-Winch equipment, which can assist forestry machines to handle the very steepest of terrain. However, due to the relatively small number of trees at the top of this site, on a very steep section, the company decided to deploy hand cutters – with chainsaws – to cover this challenging part of the operation.

JWS is contracted to clearfell this 20ha site with around 12,000 cubic metres of timber, which equates to about 10,000 tonnes of mainly Sitka spruce harvested with an average tree size of 0.48m.

ROTTNE H21D HARVESTER

H21D harvester operator Richard Todd has over 38 years’ experience and shared his thoughts on the Rottne. “This H21D is a cracking machine, as it is extremely comfortable, has plenty of power and traction to cover steep ground, a very powerful crane and harvesting head,” he said. “It’s also very operator friendly with IMAGES ROTTNE

ROTTNE HISTORY

In 2020, Rottne (named after the town in Sweden’s Småland district) – celebrated 65 years of innovations and development. The company enjoys annual sales of approximately SEK550 million (£470m) and have around 270 employees at factories in Rottne, Lenhovda and Stensele. The company slogan is ‘First in forest’, and it boasts groundbreaking innovations such as the first dedicated forwarder, manufactured in the mid 1960s. A decade later, Rottne started manufacturing and selling processors, the predecessors of today’s harvesters.

Yet another innovation was the firm’s RG-81 parallel crane, launched in the early 1980s with the new felling unit RF-81, which meant that machine operators could now grasp a tree, fell it and then lift it to the processor directly from the stump. The crane could reach out 10m and had a lifting force of 1.5 tonnes at full extension. Thanks to the strength of the crane, attention turned to developing new and suitable felling units.

In the 1970s, Rottne was already looking at sustainability and reducing ownership costs

EGS706 head with five feed rollers and a spring-loaded measuring wheel; power supply and ethernet lines are separated.

when it launched a remanufacturing replacement parts system, which today is called Rottne Xparts and backs its products with a two-year factory guarantee.

Today’s range of equipment is the result of continuous improvements; the H21D launched in 2014 has received over 80 upgrades over the last six years, including dimmable LED lighting to remove glare for the operator from some of the machine structures.

Half of Rottne production is exported to Europe, Russia, and North America. Jim Wilmer & Sons Timber Harvesting Ltd is the latest addition to the global network of dealers and serves the UK market.

Rottne’s strapline is ‘First in forest’, with innovations such as the first dedicated forwarder in the mid 1960s. Ten years later the firm began making and selling processors - predecessors of today’s harvesters. H21D’s cabin is quiet and comfy, and has many programmable buttons on and around the sticks.

good in-cab and outside locker storage for personal items and tools. It’s also easy to maintain, with fantastic access to the engine and other components.”

Nice touches include a lightweight three-rung ladder and platform extension – stowed next to the exhaust – that just latches on at various points around the machine. Richard also mentioned he was previously on a tracked harvester and is delighted to be operating the new eight-wheel drive H21D harvester, as the comfort and cab design puts it in a different class, and he feels it’s by far the best wheeled harvester he has operated. Now with 170 hours on the clock, Richard said the machine has been faultless since it arrived and, apart from the 100 hours first service, it is not had a spanner near it.

Rottne equipment comes with Rottne Connect, which is a mobile and office-based app that provides real-time information on a range of data, such as machine location, health status, and a host of other information. As the operators head to the jobsite each morning, they can even remotely fire up the machine’s in-cab night heater from their mobile phone so it reaches working temperature immediately at the start of shift. This is particularly welcome at 5am on a freezing winter’s morning!

The H21D is equipped with a portable colour printer tucked up in the dropdown cab roof lining, which provides onsite production data in hard copy. Remote technical support from JWS in Ayrshire or the Rottne factory in Sweden is via satellite connection with Rottne Connect. The cab is said to be comfortable and very quiet, at just 63dBA and has the usual vast array of programmable buttons on and around the two joysticks. Individual machine operator preference can be set up and stored via the large LCD touchscreen computer. The production and machine monitoring screen is bright and very clear, and one of the biggest found on a harvester. Richard commented: “The machine monitoring and harvesting touchscreen displays are so easy to navigate and switch between the two main screens and is very user friendly to set up individual preferences.”

With a service weight just over 27 tonnes, the H21D is capable of felling and processing large trees with trunk diameters over 70cm. Unlike some harvesting heads, the Rottne feed rollers clamp the tree underneath, reducing the pressure exerted by the delimbing knives, which results in reduced friction, faster processing times, increased production, less strain on the hydraulic pumps, and a notable fuel saving. This design also means the Rottne harvesting head can comfortably process around 25 to 30 cubic metres per hour. At the time of Forestry Machinery’s visit, the H21D was sipping diesel at just 16.5 litres per hour, and AdBlue consumption is typically 2 to 3% of fuel usage.

The Rottne harvesting head has three centre feed rollers, which is one more than other harvesting heads, and a spring-loaded

Richard Todd is too busy working the H21D’s controls to notice the spectacular view behind him towards Lochgoilhead; the head’s power chin saw spins at over 9,000rpm.

“THE H21D IS CAPABLE OF FELLING AND PROCESSING LARGE TREES WITH TRUNK DIAMETERS OVER 70CM”

measuring wheel, hydraulically retractable and effective rear-view camera is fitted as for maximum log contact and accuracy. The standard, with the rear camera power supply and ethernet computer lines positioned at the top of the cab where it run on two separate cables, thus if one is should remain clean and undamaged. damaged, the high voltage cable does not fry the low voltage on board computers, which can ROTTNE F20D FORWARDER happen on other systems! The Rottne F20D has many of the same

The front end equipment on the Rottne is attributes as found on the H21D harvester robustly engineered for a wheeled harvester, resulting model. The F20D has a 20-tonne payload capacity in the parallel jib arm crane, RK250, with tiltable swing Rottne Connect provides and extendable bunk placement and Hydraulic base and telescopic arm produces one of the highest lifting real-time information on height adjustable and movable headboard to suit forces on the market, with a lifting torque of 325kNm to machine location, health different load configurations. tackle the biggest trees. Richard reports lifting and status and a host of The spacious and comfortable cab has a modern processing a 4 cubic metre (3.8-tonne) tree with ease. The production information. design where the operator sits in the centre. The crane also has a 2.2m telescopic arm to reach trees, such as large windows and low-set instrument panel provide one situated over a deep gully, and can process timber over a wider an uninterrupted view of the immediate and overhead area for a larger brash mat, giving a reduced footprint for improved surroundings. Rottne was first to launch its Comfort Line performance in soft ground. suspension cab in 2007, which makes crane work and driving in

The H21D is power by a powerful 9-litre JD 6090 HFC09, Power rough terrain significantly smoother and has side skirt flaps below Tech PSS Final Tier 4/FT4 engine with AdBlue to produce 305hp the cab side panels to keep the under-cab components clean. at 1,700rpm. The engine drives three separate pumps, one for the Interior sound levels are low, at just 67dBA, said to be quieter than crane, head, and transmission. Hydraulic flow is 357 litres at a modern saloon car at 70dBA. 1,700rpm with the crane pump in addition. The transmission is Rottne only fits two main hydraulic feed hoses at the bottom of hydrostatic/mechanical with full capacity control with two gear the crane boom to provide better visibility for the operators during speeds from 2.5mph to 13.5mph and has manual differential locks. loading and unloading, as the main control valve block is mounted Tractive force is 230kN to the eight-wheel drive system (a six-wheel high up in the boom and also provides easier access. The F20D drive is also available). The working hydraulics and transmission engine hood provides good access for daily checks and to the hydraulics are separate systems, with the hydrostatic system running reliable John Deere engine. Fuel refilling is easily reached with a on engine oil for increased component durability. dropdown step/side cover and a set of hoses neatly stored in the

It has high-quality slide out tool trays and switch housing to open treadplates. the powered engine hood cover. JWS supply all Rottne machines The communication between harvesters, forwarders and clients is with a bespoke exhaust guard and a fire suppression kit as standard. becoming increasingly important in order for work in the forest to The service access to the engine and hydraulic pumps and become rational and productive. Production files from the transmission is exceptional – easy to maintain with lower planned harvester can be automatically received in the forwarder’s downtime. The H21D has a catwalk above the rear wheels to offer a computer, which then shows how much timber has been collected safe place to stand for the operator or maintenance crews. A large and driven out to the roadside for onward transport by trucks.

F20D crane lifting torque of 156kNm at 8.5/10m reach, and the load area is 4.8 to 8.4 square metres.

“COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HARVESTERS, FORWARDERS AND CLIENTS IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT”

AdBlue and fuel refilling is easy thanks to a dropdown step/side cover and a set of hoses neatly stored in the treadplates.

Operating the F20D is John Beattie who has over 20 years’ experience in forestry work. John said, “With 350 hours on the clock, it’s been reliable and travels well over soft ground and climbs very well with the transmission diff locks engaged. The hydraulic headboard widens out the bunk by half a metre for extra payload in the right conditions. It’s also very quiet and comfortable, with good all-round visibility.”

Ronnie also explained that he has been in the forestry industry for a long number of years – in both operations and maintenance roles – and is very impressed with the performance, quality, ease of maintenance and reputation of Rottne equipment, and has received a good number of sales enquiries since JWS launched the Rottne dealership. Claims about low cost of ownership is backed by an independent survey conducted by Skogsbruket’s Technical Collaboration Group (TSG), shows that Rottne has the lowest costs for labour and spare parts.

In 2017, TSG studied the total costs for four different repair scenarios for the machine type large final felling machines. The survey showed that Rottne has the absolute lowest total cost for repairs. TSG’s survey showed in the four cases studied a reduced spare parts cost of a full 48% if parts from Rottne Xparts were used. Speaking about the study’s findings, Tobias Johansson, MD at Rottne commented, “This is really nice to see, and with spare parts from our exchange system Rottne Xparts, with an average cost for spare parts of 60% of the new price, our repair costs are even lower.”

CONCLUSION

From my visit, it is clear Rottne produces very well thought-out and robustly engineered forestry equipment. With a number of Rottne machines now operating within its fleet and a growing customer base, JWS is well positioned to provide UK forestry contractors with a highly credible alternative for harvesters, forwarders, processing heads, and support customers through its highly experienced dealer team.

John Beattie sat in the F20D’s spacious cab, which has a modern design and places the operator at its centre. Large windows and low-set instrument panel provide an uninterrupted view of the immediate and overhead surroundings. From left to right, you can see the transmission drive, transmission pump, harvesting head and crane pumps - and all are easily accessed.

SWEET SIX

W & V Laing Timber Contractors gives David Wylie its verdict on its six-wheeled Tigercat 615E skidder operating on a hardwood extraction project near Dunkeld in Scotland