The Forestry Forum
General Forestry => Ask The Forester => Topic started by: DWat on August 31, 2023, 03:57:41 PM
How safe are excavator cabs from falling objects? from limbs penetrating the side windows?
We have purchased a mountain forest 40 acre lot which has overgrown logging roads and flat areas I want to clear and improve with an excavator. Pulling stumps from the larger trees we chainsaw, pushing over trees up to about a foot, and widening roads with a 15 ton machine. Buying an older machine makes sense rather than renting. I want a one owner machine with good maintenance record and a thumb.
I see excavators for sale with cages and screens added very rarely. I wonder if that should be added.
Yes, the guarding should be added. Excavator windows provide next to zero protection from limbs and trees.
I worked at a Komatsu dealership for many years and machines we setup for forestry work got screens for the front and side glass.On Komatsu there were lugs already welded to the cab to bolt screens to from the factory.
Excavator cabs are not FOPS rated, they are designed to keep the rain out and A/C in. You need full guarding. Even a 16' long, 16" diameter break out from 30' above from a dead tree will absolutely rock my feller buncher, it would destroy an unguarded cab.
Think of it this way, that stick weighs 1000 lbs at an absolute minimum, and it's falling at 22 MPH, now imagine the damaged it can do.