Loaders, Limbers and Roadbuilders.

[PFS]

The first machine (2 photo's) belongs to D.T Richards. He has multiple crews in this area (La Trobe Valley) Hardwood and Soft. The next 2 are of a brand new PC 300 owned by Darryl Hutton of ANC Forestry, which starred at Aus Timber (Nz and Aussies will likely know what that is). It's felling attachment is a Woodsman, not sure what though. The little digger is a load out machine and is also owned by Darryl Hutton.

 

[PFS]

These machines also owned by Darrl Hutton, are in a separate Hauler crew with a TTY 6170, down a skid track very wet after some 130mm + of rain.

 

[PFS]

These machines are owned by Andrew Mahnken of Mountain Logging. The load out machine is a 320DFM, the Shovel is a 330DFM and the processor is a John Deere 903J with a Waratah. The skidder is at another landing nearby and (i think) is a John Deere 748H?

 

[csquared]

 

[skadill]

Link Belt 210LX

Running this one a day here,day there for a change.

 

[KW850&T800H]

Not sure on the hours, but I'll guess quite a few. Cat 320CLL

 

[KW850&T800H]

Limbers are so phased out now.
Seen at auction last year.

 

[JTL]

Full on log shovel's are kinda rare in the Land Down Under aren't they? I think those are the first pictures any of you guys from New Zealand or Austrialia have posted of them.

 

[furpo]

A shovel machine is common down here particularly in ground based and swing yarder crews. Generally the contractors dont have machines dedicated to just one job, therefore, the diggers all end up looking like one another. The standard digger/loader down here is between 20t and 30t, slightly raised cab, side door gaurding, high lift boom, and a live type grapple. Some contractors will fit live heals

 

[PFS]

All depends on tonnage what sort of equipment you have. Most big Contractor's with big tonnage round here have all purpose built equipment. In the hills around where i live there is only 1 pure shovel crew, and they use a converted PC350LL and another smaller machine, which for a non purpose built, is HUGELY expensive. Skidder's are very popular. And like furpo said, Most shovels are the same. And load out machines over here are commonly little excavator's or forwarder's, their are very few pure load out machines.

 

[loggers son]

A year in pictures

Got this machine new and have been running it for the last 18 months

getting felling head and track shoes

first day

view from the office

using the heel to build roads

things you find in the bush

some days i have bad days

though not as bad as some

 

[loggers son]

i travel a bit

all in all life's pretty good

more to come soon

cheers Trev

 

[KW850&T800H]

I really enjoyed those posts loggers son! Keep up the good work.

 

[prolog nz]

Heres a typical loader setup used here in NZ although purpose built caterpillar fm machines have become popular in the past few years.
I brought this one a couple of months back

 

[PFS]

My father currently operates 2 converted excavator's, 1 is a shovel logger Hyundai 290 something. It unlike prolog's doesn't have any sort of high riser, and just a little more guarding package then his. Another is a Komatsu PC270 Feller Buncher 06, with a Rosin felling attachment. PC 270's are quite common as processor's down here to. I'll post pictures of both at a later date.

 

[prolog nz]

This is also a fairly common setup for these parts. This one is our SH300 sumitomo with a 624 head and an ensign gaurding package with high and wide undercarriage older machine now but still performs well

 

[prolog nz]

Heres a better pic of the 240 loader gaurding

 

[prolog nz]

Heres a machine that might interest some of you guys? Its the ClimbMax steep slope fellerbuncher made by trinder engineering south island NZ. This thing is pretty insane they anchor the winch on the front of the machine to a stump and then let the machine down some pretty insane faces felling and bunching its way down for the yarder to pull.

I only have the one pic on my computer but someone else may have some more?

Its also fitted with a blade on the rear of the undercarriage, engine runs a dry sump setup for obvious reasons and the operator is strapped in with a race car harness!

 

[PFS]

http://www.fica.org.nz/Event-Gallery.html
Oh and prolog, i see quite a few crews don't run processor's. Could you maybe tell me why the don't run one if you know? cheer's.

 

[JTL]

I'd like to have a nickel for every log this old 245 has chucked!