COMPACT CLASS Eoghan Daly reports on the latest Komatsu 835 forwarders acquired by County Laois-based harvesting and haulage company, Camross Transport IMAGES EOGHAN DALY
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amross Transport recognised the potential of Komatsu forest machines earlier than most other Irish forestry businesses. Following a long and successful relationship with the company, Camross founders Barry Cuddy and John Ryan have recently started a new chapter with Komatsu by investing in some of the manufacturer’s latest generation models. The two new and almost identical 835 forwarders partner 901XC and older, six-wheeled 901 harvesters. In terms of technology, these machines are a far cry from Camross Transport’s first black cab Valmet 911 harvester and 840 forwarder used 15 years ago, but the newer machines remain robust and dependable. The Komatsus are proving their worth on Coillte
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SPRING 2021 FORESTRY MACHINERY
plantations fulfilling long term harvesting contracts, and on jobs harvesting private forestry plantations over a wide area. They are as comfortable working in thinnings as they are clear fell operations. Barry and John have much experience in timber harvesting and initially ran successive Komatsu 911s and 840s. The need for an eight-wheeled harvester was satisfied by a used Silvatec 886 TH (pictured right) fitted with a new Komatsu 350.1 harvesting head.
“THE KOMATSU FORWARDERS ARE BEGINNING TO DEMONSTRATE HOW EFFECTIVE THEY CAN BE OVER LONG TERM UTILISATION”
The base machine was comprehensively refurbished to ensure maximum return on the investment and, thanks to its immense oil flow and capable crane arrangement, the Silvatec worked effectively as a front line harvester for a number of years. However, from this point onwards Camross Transport vowed to purchase new equipment and to replace machines on a more regular basis whenever possible. The first addition was a new Komatsu 840TX forwarder, which was a popular machine at the time based on its special design considerations to ensure greater compatibility with thinning applications over a standard 840 model. Operating over 9,000 hours without issue, the 840TX was a real ambassador for the new generation of forest machines from Komatsu following
