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Forwarder Search

Started by Ken, February 05, 2015, 08:18:03 PM

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Ken

Although I was aware that my forwarder was too small to keep up when the new harvester arrived it was the only option at the time.   I've been looking for a good used 6 or 8 wheel machine but they are scarce in our area.  There is a Fabtek 546C locally that appears to be in good shape.  Going to look at it again tomorrow but would appreciate any comments from those who may be familiar with that particular machine or the Fabteks in general. 

Lots of toys for working in the bush

snowstorm

dose cat support them since they bought them then changed a lot of it. my valmet has been real good. in 5 yrs i did center pins 1 new tire a couple hoses and the starter and alt. thats it , its power shift. hystat would be nicer but a lot more to repair

chevytaHOE5674

I know somebody that scrapped out a 546 because the slew bearing I think it was went out in the crane and it was a NLA part and nobody in the world had one. So after a few years of searching for parts and contemplating getting one specially made he sold it to a salvage company....

lumbertick

We own 2 fabtek forwarders and they have been great.. You get the parts from cat now we haven't had any trouble getting parts.. Know a quit a few other guys that run them and like them to.

lumbertick

How many hours are on the 546?

wannaergo

We will be getting rid of our ponsse caribou soon if that gets your interest up at all.
2016 Ponsse ergo 8w
2014 Cat 564
Husky 385

1270d

We have a 346 fabtek.   It is terrible in soft ground, poor turning radius, poor ground clearance.   Crane is poor in comparison to Ponsse and timberjack/Deere.  Limited reach,  Swing is pretty limited, no reaching for stuff up by the front tires.  I don't like the power shift tranny.  Ours has the pre-iQAN controls, not easily adjustable.

It has a good blade and good engine (Deere). Its used as a spare and has served well as such.


Gary_C

Quote from: Ken on February 05, 2015, 08:18:03 PM
   I've been looking for a good used 6 or 8 wheel machine but they are scarce in our area.   

That seems to be true everywhere.

There was an operator working next to one of my jobs that had a Fabtek and he was having weeks of downtime for multiple problems. When he was running, I had to go and pull him out of soft spots two or three times with my Valmet 840.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

sawyerf250

Quote from: wannaergo on February 05, 2015, 09:12:03 PM
We will be getting rid of our ponsse caribou soon if that gets your interest up at all.

What is the age, hours and a possible price on this machine?
Massey Ferguson 375 w/838 loader, Wallenstien Fx 90 winch, 3 Husqvarna chainsaws

wannaergo

It's a 2002 with just over 18k hours. Been well maintained, it's in decent shape for the hours. If we sell outright, we're hoping for about 90k
2016 Ponsse ergo 8w
2014 Cat 564
Husky 385

barbender

The Caribou model sure seems popular in Michigan, I don't think I've ever seen one over here. Just the Buffalo model.
Too many irons in the fire

wannaergo

I think people buy them because they're light, fast, small, and they get around great in a hardwood thinning.
2016 Ponsse ergo 8w
2014 Cat 564
Husky 385

Jamie_C

The last Fabtek i ran was a 346B, it burnt fuel like it owned a refinery, somewhere in the 30L per hour range, was loud, loader was poor and the powershift tranny was a pain. I would stick to Deere/TJ, Valmet, Ponsse or Rottne. A 12/14 tonne hydrostat machine should be able to keep up with no trouble unless the hauls get crazy long.

Ken

I didn't get back to look at the machine today and from the reviews I'm hearing I may not bother.  Wanted to do some more research on it today but time did not allow.  Thanks for the replies.  Finding a more suitable machine for forwarding has become my focus lately.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

Jamie_C

Ken, keep an eye out for any of the Ritchie Bros Auctions around the Maritimes, there's usually some forwarders in them

barbender

I would buy one I could get parts for, at any rate. It seems the machines from the era when things became computerized go obsolete quickly. I know guys that are having problems getting electronic components for Ponsse forwarders from the late 90's, I hear the same about Timberjack machines in those years. I do know the Ponsse machines in the newer "body style", maybe 2000 or newer, are well supported and the components are usually updatable instead of having something you can't fix. I've never ran anything but Ponsse machines, so I don't have anything to reference to as far as performance. I've been happy with them, but if something breaks I just call Ponsse for service and the boss pays the bill ;)
Too many irons in the fire

Ken

Spent the last 2 days on the road looking at some machines.  Put on over 2000 km (1200 miles) in Maine and New Brunswick.    A special thanks to Mr snowstorm for spending the day with me yesterday looking at machines.   Took an entire day out of his schedule to tour me around and help critique some forwarders.    Class act.  Still didn't find what I'm looking for but had a good trip.  Most of the driving was good except for the last 4 hours today.

    
Lots of toys for working in the bush

bushmechanic

Well that's great that Mr. Snowstorm could take time out of his busy schedule to help you out ,lol. I got a buddie here on the island who is in the same boat as you. He has a TJ 610 and two harvesters and can't get the wood out fast enough, so he is looking for another machine.... no luck yet. He also found a couple of Fabtek's which I talked him out of in favor of a european machine or Deere.

1270d

how difficult is it to bring a machine from the states into canada?

snowstorm

Quote from: 1270d on February 25, 2015, 08:51:15 PM
how difficult is it to bring a machine from the states into canada?
i went the other way. i bought a 500 keto in canada and brought it back to maine. the cost of the broker and taxes was around $200. it went pretty smooth

xalexjx

find and try a timber-pro if you get the chance a guy local to me has one and its a pretty impressive machine. they produce about 200 ton a day with two guys.
Logging and Processed Firewood

snowstorm

nice to see you made it home ok ken. with the reports i was hearing yesterday of the big pile up on 95. last i heard 75 cars and trucks involved. lots of pictures on the bangor daily news.com.........was hopping you avoided it

snowstorm

we looked at a couple fowarders with the new auto lube system. they leak so much oil theres no need to grease them. one owner told me we dont fix anything in the winter . it showed. yet they want what i would call big money for it. not only was the oil dripping off the crane. ( it hadnt been started since the day before and the temp was 5 degrees) oil psi guadge temp volt meter and tach dont work. and the piolt control leaks oil in the cab. i didnt think any of them were worth the asking price

bushmechanic

No sense in getting anything from across the boarder now with the difference in the dollar it would cost too much. Great for our US friends purchasing up here now though.

Ken

Looked at some more machines today.  Made an offer on an older TJ 1010B 6 wheel drive that appears to be in great shape.   Will check the title tomorrow and hopefully get it to the jobsite over the weekend.  Not exactly what I was looking for but need to get some processed wood roadside before road restrictions come on.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

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