STAMP
OF APPROVAL
IMAGES EOGHAN DALY
Eoghan Daly meets Irish contractor Dave Slattery and finds out why he and his brother Ger have stayed loyal to the John Deere brand
H
aving devoted his entire working life to timber harvesting, County Cork-based contractor Dave Slattery of Rosmead Ltd has seen much change in the 50 years he has served the industry, most notably the transition to mechanisation. Dave currently undertakes clear fell operations for the Fermoy, County Cork sawmill of Glennon Brothers Ltd, and holds a long term clear fell harvesting contract for Coillte.
22
SPRING 2021 FORESTRY MACHINERY
Working mainly across counties Cork, Waterford and Tipperary, a wide variety of terrain is encountered and that puts extra pressure on his equipment. Regular upgrading is part of the operation’s development philosophy, with both harvesters and forwarders replaced often in the interests of maintaining productivity and machine reliability. The most recent addition to Dave’s fleet is the latest generation John Deere 1470G
harvester, which replaced a 1470E model. Directed towards the largest volume and most demanding clear fell contracts, the machine is complimented by an eightwheeled 1270G harvester. Extraction from both harvesters is completed by two John Deere 1510G forwarders, with one run by Dave and the second owned by his brother Ger. The two brothers work in tandem in the forest industry and have pooled their equipment resources for many years.
