Ponsse dealer ALPA Equipment recently demo’ed some European steep slope signing equipment—a Ponsse Elephant King forwarder equipped with a Herzog Synchrowinch—to two of New Brunswick’s biggest forestry providers, to greatly help meet up with the developing curiosity about what’s obtainable in steep pitch signing technology.
By George Fullerton
There’s absolutely no shortage of challenges into the woods today and logging gear manufacturers are continuously trying to make an effort to meet with the demands of loggers for developments in technology to address those difficulties.
Within this energy, Ponsse supplier ALPA gear recently introduced some European high pitch technology to Canada, and demo’ed it to two of brand new Brunswick’s largest forestry operators. The demonstration brought a Ponsse Elephant King forwarder—equipped with a Herzog Synchrowinch—to test the mixture on a number of the steepest forest functions that woodlands managers could find.
Serge Landry, basic manager of ALPA Equipment, that is located in Balmoral, brand new Brunswick, explained that Ponsse has built itself as a leader in steep pitch solutions because of the Herzog winch mounted on both forwarders and harvesters. Landry features seen them work productively in businesses in European countries, Brazil, Asia as well as Oregon. Ponsse would like to advertise the technology commonly in North America, and J.D. Irving and Twin Rivers Paper Company had expressed interest in witnessing the technology for action. “We took the initiative, utilizing the assistance of Ponsse, to put up a demo, ” claims Landry.
Klaus Herzog founded Herzog Forsttechnik AG, and it has already been installing winches on forestry devices in European countries since 1999. Ponsse’s German dealer, Wahlers, features delivered over 60 winch-equipped Ponsse machines to clients since 2008 in Germany. Ponsse and Herzog have had a global partnership agreement for the past four many years, helping to make the Herzog Synchrowinch solely offered outside European countries only to Ponsse devices.
Morel Couturier, manager of ALPA Equipment’s Edmunston branch, was the central figure organizing the New Brunswick demos. He explained your forwarder winch is delivered by Herzog that includes frame and load balusters, therefore bolts to the back-end of Elephant King, changing the conventional tail-end of framework.
Couturier explained that winch has 350 metres of cable. The cable winding is synchronized with all the forwarder’s travel motor output. In the forwarder cab, the operator can observe a screen showing load score and other technical information on the winch, in addition to videos feed of this winch and cable. The winch was designed to supply 10 a great deal of continuous drawing force.
The recommended work way for forwarding would be to establish a well-rooted anchor tree towards the top of the pitch where logging is being done. The winch cable is connected to the anchor tree with a webbed sling (anchor trees is connected in tandem whenever there are anchor stability issues). The forwarder after that continues (ahead) down the slope toward extent regarding the cable or even an appointed work space, and begins loading, burning the mountain aided by the winch supplying pull to stabilize the forwarder.
Couturier pointed out that the winch just isn’t built to pull the loaded forwarder, but alternatively to provide extra grip, up to 50 % of required extender. This added grip offers smooth action and increased security.
He underlined that Synchrowinch is just offering grip assistance. “The principle is if the machine does not remain steady in the slope, without help through the winch, it’s prohibited to operate in the area, ” Couturier stated.
Mechanized harvesting equipment on high mountains avoids the necessity and added costs of employing other logging practices, eg skyline yarding, hand falling and cable skidding, therefore the associated safety dangers.
Incorporating a winch to current mechanized harvesters allows owners to gain higher usage from their particular money investment in gear.
Correctly was able, mechanized picking with traction assist winches reduces earth disruption, considering that the machine is not spinning to climb up the pitch. The traction assist reduces stress wear on machines and reduces fuel consumption. The traction help winch also reduces strain on the providers.
In a collect situation—where devices need to travel around a steep pitch area to get accessibility operate—the grip assist winch will eradicate the some time fuel price of the extensive unproductive driving time.