Parts and opinions for CTL iron.

[barbender]

There is a Ponsse team in north Georgia cutting huge hardwood with a Ponsse Bear harvester.

[nativewolf]

There is a Ponsse team in north Georgia cutting huge hardwood with a Ponsse Bear harvester.

So I hear...hey maybe make a big road trip out of it and see yellowhammer at the same time.  That's about 600 miles from me.  

[Skeans1]

Just saw a 941 in MA, I know there's a 703 with a cf18 Skidmore head some where there on the east coast, what ever happened to all the Rottne guys there in PA?

[JLeBouton]

Just saw a 941 in MA, I know there's a 703 with a cf18 Skidmore head some where there on the east coast, what ever happened to all the Rottne guys there in PA?

It's actually two 753J with CF-20's. Madden Sustainable Forestry in Milford ME. They are the initial 4 roller heads with continuous rotation. The CF-18 is to be replaced with the new CF-19.

[mike_belben]

Are you the guy building thes jlebouton?

[barbender]

North Georgia Ponsse Bear (dangle head) harvested hardwoods

[nativewolf]

@barbender  Thanks!  Yep, that is exactly the sort of wood I had in question.  Time for a call to Ponsse and a road trip to Georgia.  

Do you know if they are only clearcutting?  

[nativewolf]

Just saw a 941 in MA, I know there's a 703 with a cf18 Skidmore head some where there on the east coast, what ever happened to all the Rottne guys there in PA?

@skeans1 Seen the forwarders but not the processors.  

[thecfarm]

That is some big wood!!

[Skeans1]

A buddy went to OSU with a guy from back there around where Blondin was, last year he said they had just picked up a new set or two of the H21 with the sp761's on them. Ask @chep he's from back in that area another offer is to come out here to look at the 1270 and the 415. But for the work you guys do a fixed head will be worlds ahead of a dangle just for the fact you have control, don't forget logmax has a 7000 sized fixed head that's made for a 24" log all day that floated like a dangle up and down a log.

[mike_belben]

I never see wood like that on the trailers and i see quite a few trailers. I guess the plateau has just all been cut. 

[barbender]

I'm pretty sure that stuff would be exceptional anywhere, but there must be a bit of it down there because that crew is trying to specialize in monster hardwood and stay away from commercial SYP if at all possible. Trying to cut stuff no one wlse is, basically. Everbody and their brother is set up for cutting pine in Georgia. 

[mike_belben]

Ive stalked about 300 acres of hardwood hollars and only encounter bign's either over steep bluffs, in the middle of swamp bottoms or at property edges where the boundary line is questionable.  Passovers. 

I did talk a logger hauling some nice walnut yesterday.  

[earache]

Nativewolf,
If you'd like, come to Wisconsin, you can watch all makes of harvesters running all species of wood, every day. Look me up if you make it over and I'll put you in contact with any of them.

[nativewolf]

@earache Thanks for the invite.  We've got to make plans either up to WI & MN or up to MI and Maine or over to OR/WA.  Sigh...everything a flight.  Heck even N GA is 600+ miles.  

[mike_belben]

Bah, i can do 600 on 2 pee breaks and a bag of apples with 3 staties trailing me the whole way 

;D

[GRANITEstateMP]

Bah, i can do 600 on 2 pee breaks and a bag of apples with 3 staties trailing me the whole wa

Pee brakes are KEY!

Also, Mike, if the staties are trailing with their lights on, I think your supposed to pull over.  At least that's what I've been told;D 

[Riwaka]

Barbender was a bit of chainsaw felling involved in some of North Georgia larger trees?

[barbender]

I can't say for sure. The impression I was given was that all of it was machine cut, but some of those root flares are huge so I was wondering the same thing. I think an H8 head has around a 30" cutting capacity, but if you get creative with back and side cuts you can fall much larger diameter than that.

[Skeans1]

I can't say for sure. The impression I was given was that all of it was machine cut, but some of those root flares are huge so I was wondering the same thing. I think an H8 head has around a 30" cutting capacity, but if you get creative with back and side cuts you can fall much larger diameter than that.

The H8 and the h415 like my 1270 has are the same sized head no way I'd be cutting 30" everyday with it. I'd bet that's all hand cut and bucked down to where you can handle it at 24 or 26 inch range.

[BargeMonkey]

Some of that stuff is huge, the 24-30" stuff I believe. How many times do you risk a 500k dollar harvester cutting big stuff like that ? you've got no control, lose something that big and she comes for the cab it's over. 

 Saw this picture on FB, i guess they were fixing a tab on a bunk and decided this worked better than a hammer. 


 

[wannaergo]

I think the H8 is slightly bigger than a 415. I cut some monster trees down with mine,  over 30". The only time it got dicey was when I couldn't actually get the feed wheels around the tree to ride up on I'd it needed a push.  If the head went on a tree, it got cut. The problems were more with processing than with felling.  The super huge trees were almost impossible to hold on to well enough to feed, so I would have to get the machine along side the trees to buck them off until they tapered down into something manageable.

[mike_belben]

A chain and binder woulda probably pulled the tab back in.

[barbender]

There always has to be a party pooper like Mike😂

[chevytaHOE5674]

Agreed felling the big stuff isn't that bad, as long you are trying to work with the natural lean. If trying to go against a hard lean you have to get brave with cutting, feeding up, pushing quickly. Or on occasion if i was feeling lazy get the forwarder to push while i cut lol.

Feeding and bucking can get tricky/ agravating on the big stuff if the head wants to slip off. I always carried a tape measure and can of paint so I could mark the big stuff for bucking.