Author Topic: Mini-Excavator Harvester Heads (Read 1960 times)

labradorguy · « **on:** January 30, 2019, 01:52:33 PM »

Anyone using a stroke head harvester on a mini excavator? It looks like there are a lot of companies making them. Anyone know of an American company that is in the business? I'm looking at getting a quality head for a 10 ton class excavator, so no alibaba junk for this guy.

Riwaka · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2019, 03:30:42 PM »

Get a larger stroke head and it can be used for felling.

Five from Finland
Stroke feed harvester heads | Kesla
Woodland Eq, Iron River, Michigan

Forest technology - from stump to mill | Kesla

AFM 400s stroke harvester head - AFM-Forest Ltd

AFM 1000 stroke harvester head - AFM-Forest Ltd (fells on a 12 ton)
(AFM Finland)

Front page - Pentinpaja.fi (naarva stroke heads Finland )

Stroke harvesters - Pentinpaja.fi

Arbro - Finland
Arbro harvesters, harvesterit - Vaajakoski Suomi, Finland. Sykeharvesteri, stroke harvesters, energiapuu, metsänhoito, harvesterivaraosat, hakkuupää, harvesteripää, motopää, isäntälinjan hakkuupää, traktoriin liitettävät hakkuupäät, Arbro 400S, Arbro 1000, metsähakkuut,harvester, harvesters, stroke harvester, Arbro 400S, Arbro 1000, Arbro Harversters, motoharvester, saw bar, stroke, forestry, forester machine, Models |

Tapio - stroke heads (Finland)
Tapio Harvester

north of the border
KTI Treeking | Tree Logging Equipment | Forestry Machinery

BargeMonkey · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2019, 07:53:57 PM »

Theres a guy named Pete Foster I see on FB who I believe has a Kesla stroke head on a 60 /80 size Kobelco, seems to do ok with it. Putting it on your 311 ? I bet you could adapt a 28" timbco barsaw head or a Bells dangle for 1/4 of the money and do close to the same, if your in hardwood.

labradorguy · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31, 2019, 10:35:57 AM »

Maybe the 311, was even thinking about a 309 (308 with the hi-flow)... little smaller, maybe a little more nimble less damage? Trees are mostly under 18". IDK...

. Thinking maybe go bigger too 315? Take more with a head than I was initially thinking. Still in the planning stages here.

I've found several of these and they all look great in their marketing videos but I have ZERO experience with any of them. I don't even know anyone who has one. It's not something I've ever saw in this part of the world. We're stuck in the land of 40 year old JD440s dragging stuff around with a cable. It's an entirely new ballgame for me. I need some schooling on these things!

I would be in hardwood and in cedar. We have a pretty good market for cedar here and I think one of these heads would be the bee's knees for filing up a trailer fast.

nativewolf · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2019, 12:31:14 PM »

for 18" wood why not get a Bell with the dangle head? Or are you trying to process the tops and strip the cedar limbs? I guess a Kesla type head would do wonders cutting and cleaning up cedar.

BargeMonkey · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2019, 02:40:51 PM »

For the price of the head and another machine you would be ahead to buy the FT133 that another forum member has for sale. Theres an older Cat E120 in PA with a Bells head in eh shape for less than 20k.

Unless you get into some of the big state jobs around here 99% of the guys are still older cable skidders and chainsaws, very slow to change here also.

labradorguy · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2019, 03:45:02 PM »

I was probably going to pick up another piece of equipment so I can get in one more piece of iron at Cat employee prices. Used would not be bad either. I'll try to find those that you mentioned. Thanks!

Yes, I've got a few hundred acres of cedar and overgrown oak of my own and a lot more available when that's done. I can't get any help worth a *DanG so I'm thinking about cutting out the bodies and replacing them with innovative tech. I can get $500/M for cedar at multiple mills, posts are huge here too, and anything else is getting sold as cedar chips for animals at $90/crd. Basically I can sell it as fast as I can get it cut and down the road. Same goes for the overgrown oak. I can't stay ahead.

I just need to figure out the best way to tackle it.... and I am clueless when it comes to these harvesting heads!

Skeans1 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2019, 05:20:43 AM »

With an excavator you really need to guard up the machine how much cheaper is it going to be once you guard the cab, the house, and add rock guards? The Fabtek 2000 on that FT133 will do 18” no problem be cheaper in the long run, safer plus you’d be up and running vs having to spend the time to guard. Dangle vs the fixed heads it can be personal preference I’ve ran both with our last head being a Fabtek 2000 there’s days I miss the control of fixed processor heads, our only complaint was the size of wood we deal with a lot is on the upper end of what it would handle. Here’s our old 2000 in some Doug fir

mike_belben · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2019, 08:24:05 AM »

Hesngot employee pricing on cat, that throws a ton of other considerations out the window. He could set the machine up, make his money running it for a few years with warranty and pretty likely only few issues due to low hours, then sell for more than it cost him.

S&W employee price on guns was 50% and i bought as many as i could. They were a savings bond to sell off later.

Skeans1 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 01, 2019, 08:57:28 PM »

Quote from: mike_belben on February 01, 2019, 08:24:05 AM

Hesngot employee pricing on cat, that throws a ton of other considerations out the window. He could set the machine up, make his money running it for a few years with warranty and pretty likely only few issues due to low hours, then sell for more than it cost him.

S&W employee price on guns was 50% and i bought as many as i could. They were a savings bond to sell off later.

Mike normally setting up a machine for the brush isn’t done by the dealer it’s an outside shop like Jewell or Pierce out here and add a lot of money to do. I’d bet at a 315 or 311 with head would be in the 3’s maybe 4 range once it’s guarded up with the head.

Riwaka · « **Reply #10 on:** February 01, 2019, 10:36:30 PM »

TA - maybe you need to sort of start the appraisal/ analysis of the machinery and dealers in reverse.
Big difference between local support and parts supply/ ordering against a dealer/ product maker that treats you like you are in Alaska and the parts are going to arrive sometime not this week or more and then you will have to fit them yourself.

Innovation now usually mean computers and the need have someone who knows how to fix it

promo vids - how many is the school turning out?

Saw a D series Timberpro the other day, very tall on the low bed.
Probably don't need a Tigercat 890/ Madill 4000 or try and bring back the rusty iron that has been in the scrap/ wrecking yard for 20 years.

NY Timberpro TL725C with logmax xt7000 in hardwood (are there any timberpro tracked machines with ponsse heads -only see a 8x8 with ponsse head?)

I hope this tech does not spread to the forest.
Caterpillar unveils an all-electric 26-ton excavator with a giant 300 kWh battery pack - Electrek

nativewolf · « **Reply #11 on:** February 02, 2019, 06:00:53 AM »

@riwaka Why hoping electric won't spread to forestry? There was a company making electric skidders way back in the 60's. Drivetrains make so much sense...can always have a little generator on board to recharge batteries. In any case I'd bet dollars to pennies that you'll see them in the woods soon enough because at some point the battery improvements will make their way into heavy equipment. Tesla led the world into electric cars and I encourage everyone to taken a spin in a model s max'd out for performance you'll have a blast. Tesla test drive

. A slovak company already has a prototype electric skid steer which I thought was brilliant. Several tractor conversions are electric and work so well it is only a matter of time before some ag/forester/construction bloke does an Elon Musk and takes it to scale.

Riwaka · « **Reply #12 on:** February 02, 2019, 04:23:03 PM »

Other approach - become the local Eltec dealer/ agent (if there is not already one). Justify the cost of purchasing a worthwhile 'demonstration machine' if there are no Eltec locally.

FH 277 with Ponsse H8? head.

labradorguy · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2019, 09:54:32 AM »

It looks like a Hakmet Arbro 1000 is going to be a good route for me. Kesla makes a nice head but I'm thinking support is going to be difficult. The AFM 1000 looks good too. Anyone have any experience with any of these companies? Thanks for all the feedback guys.

Skeans1 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2019, 09:49:33 PM »

What about a small logmax?

Riwaka · « **Reply #15 on:** February 05, 2019, 12:23:54 AM »

Eltec 220 series bit smaller than the 270 series. Weights are likely approximate.

Eltec FH 227

Eltec 220 Series
http://technologieselement.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Technical_brochure_220Series.pdf

labradorguy · « **Reply #16 on:** February 05, 2019, 10:13:20 AM »

Thanks for the ideas gents. I will check them out!

timbco68 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2019, 11:42:39 AM »

I just priced the arbro 400 and 1000. $49,500 and $68,500,not mounted . Pete Foster in Vermont is the U.S. dealer.

snowstorm · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2019, 06:07:25 PM »

a small excavator in the woods will be trouble some. the boom is wrong undercarrige to light not much travel power not enough oil cooling and the list goes on. buy something built for the woods

labradorguy · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2019, 07:43:01 PM »

Well.... I've got a new excavator sitting by my barn. It's probably going to have to do. I'd buy something made for the woods, but all the manufacturers have got it in their heads that everyone out in the woods logging is a corporation and they've all got an extra $300,000-$400,000 laying around to put into a piece of iron....

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Author Topic: Mini-Excavator Harvester Heads (Read 1960 times)

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