Mini-Excavator Harvester Heads

[labradorguy]

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. lol

[Riwaka]

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
KESLA stroke feed harvester heads - YouTube

AFM 400s stroke harvester head - AFM-Forest Ltd  

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


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

TREEKING - YouTube

[BargeMonkey]

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]

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... lol. 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]

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]

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]

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]

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
https://youtu.be/PRWVBJHMMQQ
https://youtu.be/79a24nysb5I

[mike_belben]

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]

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]

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?

Do you have what it takes to continue the tradition!!? MFPA Logging School - YouTube

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?)
Processing with Timberpro in New York - YouTube

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]

@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]

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.  

ELTEC FH277L - YouTube

[labradorguy]

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]

What about a small logmax?

[Riwaka]

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

Eltec FH 227 
Eltec FH 227 cummins - YouTube

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

[labradorguy]

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

[timbco68]

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]

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]

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.... 

[snowstorm]

you would be further ahead to buy that fabtec thats on here for sale. thats built for the woods. i say this because i tried what you want to do 30 yrs ago. you only want to put tracks back on and replace track links just so many times 

[Skeans1]

Plus you really need to guard stuff up like the cab, the house, and the undercarriage is going to cost you a good chunk of change. To keep the tracks on you'll need bear paws and rock guards which are a treat to build. Heavier belly pans nothing like having something go up through your rotary manifold or have a travel motor get bent by a stump to end a day in a hurry. You're not running daily to justify a new machine, heck your high number was the low number when we got quoted a couple years ago on a small track harvester.

[Riwaka]

Plenty of excavator based machines are used in the forest. One would not expect to be cutting firewood in the middle of the summer heat. Even commercial logging gets shut down if there is too much fire danger.
A.L.P.A. Equipment Ltd. Demo | Hyundai 145LCR-9A and Ponsse H5 - YouTube

[labradorguy]

I understand what you guys are saying, but if I buy something used, it's going to have thousands of hours on it from being operated by who knows who. I can't imagine my 311F with 300hrs causing me more problems. Maybe I'm wrong. ?? 

Cats of that size aren't wimpy machines and I'm only using it for <20" wood. I've got a great dealer 45 minutes away, a warranty, shop guys that walk me through problems on Cat iron, and a parts drop 10 minutes from home.

[Skeans1]

We have a cat 320 with a head on it that I've busted the travel motor off of even with being fully guarded.

[timbco68]

You can always process at the landing. Just skid to it with an older skidder. A smaller excavator would work just fine on the landing. Also, stroke processing heads don't require a lot of oil flow so you should be fine with existing oil cooler. Working it on the landing wouldn't need a lot of extra guarding either. A purpose built forest machine is great but by the time they get down to a manageable price, you have so many existing machine hours on it that the downtime can be a bottomles pit. Just trying to say there is more than one way to go about it.

[labradorguy]

That's exactly the thing. It doesn't matter who made it or how good of a job the dealer did with their "DuPont overhaul", when you buy a machine with 11,000 hours on it, problems are right around the corner. 

[snowstorm]

11000 hrs would not scare me if it looked good. my rottne has 19000 hrs on it. unless your 311 has a lot more travel power than my 311 it isnt going to like it. i only started in 78 i am still learning

[Corley5]

I'd be most concerned with how soft the cab, engine hood etc are.  Especially the cab.  Death comes from above in woods.  Forestry machine's have tough roofs on the cans, heavy Lexan windows and or steel screens etc.

[snowstorm]

I'd be most concerned with how soft the cab, engine hood etc are.  Especially the cab.  Death comes from above in woods.  Forestry machine's have tough roofs on the cans, heavy Lexan windows and or steel screens etc.

i did my best to sell him yours

[Corley5]

Thank You ;D  I've been staying out of it ;) ;D

[Skeans1]

I'd be most concerned with how soft the cab, engine hood etc are.  Especially the cab.  Death comes from above in woods.  Forestry machine's have tough roofs on the cans, heavy Lexan windows and or steel screens etc.

A forestry cab is a must even for sitting on a landing just processing at least then you'll have a chance if something gets away from you. I remember seeing a difference for the harvester processor cab guarding vs shovel out here back when we were allowed to just guard them.

[labradorguy]

11000 hrs would not scare me if it looked good. my rottne has 19000 hrs on it. unless your 311 has a lot more travel power than my 311 it isnt going to like it. i only started in 78 i am still learning

What year/version is your 311?

[Ken]

There was a contractor here who did small scale forest improvement work with a small Kubota? and a patu stroke head a few years back.  He worked with it for a few years and did some really nice work but it was painfully slow   Personally I would be very leary of putting a small excavator in a forest harvesting environment but it has been done

[Riwaka]

The tigercat operators say they would rather use an 8-10 K hour tigercat 845 (non tilting if the ground slope is ok)  than a new converted excavator.

A Landy's website (excavator conversion) shows how much is put into the Hyundai conversion above. New cab screen, 1/2 inch lexan etc,  diesel tank guards, belly pan, new track drive guards etc
excavator fabrication


Cat 521B with southstar qs500  (pretty expensive combo)
Southstar 500 on a Cat 521B Milton Cat - YouTube

What condition are the John Deere 703, 753, 759 etc are in when going back to the yard? Take off a quadco and put on a 5185 on a JD?

Tigercat lx830c with 5185 head in gnarly wood.
New FC5185 bar saw - YouTube

[Corley5]

 This is the Hitachi EX 150 with a Risley Slingshot I used to have.  It's got a lot of extra guarding for woods work.




 

 

[mike_belben]

This one?

Hitachi EX150 | Forestry | Pre-Owned Machines | AIS Equipment


Who reconfigured the boom and how well'd it work?

[Corley5]

It was a 20 cord a day machine.  It worked OK.  Simple machine.  No electronics.  Not a lot of tractive power but it was pretty whipped when I got it.  Had a lot of tail swing.  I'm pretty sure Roland Equipment did the conversions.

[mike_belben]

So it looks like a hotsaw stroke limber head i guess?  Howd you like that part of it? Could it buck to length?

[mike_belben]

Wait is that shears?

[Skeans1]

Looks like an intermediate disc, the conversion looks a lot like what Fabtek did to the 490's.

[Corley5]

  The stroke could be adjusted with the bumper stops from like 94 to 106".  We had white paint marks on the beam @ 2' intervals to cut 10s and 12s.  Intermittent saw.  It only ran when the button was pushed.  There used to be a following for them to cut northern white cedar cabin logs because there are no feed roller marks on the wood.  It would bunch too but multiple stems wouldn't always stroke evenly cutting to length. There's a Timbco that shows up on the Yooper Craigs List now and again with a Slingshot Head.
  I've heard the EX 150 Hitachi and the 490 JD are the same machine except the Hitachi uses an Isuzu engine and the paint color.