Everybody always tells me you CTL guys never work on hillsides, if only that were true...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22200/IMG_20140524_084459_930.jpg)
It was closer to 30° but this is were it would stay for picture.
We work on a lot of hills too, 30 degrees is getting a bit tippy ... 35 degrees is about the point of no return on a machine that doesn't have self leveling
Quote from: Jamie_C on May 24, 2014, 10:31:26 AM
We work on a lot of hills too, 30 degrees is getting a bit tippy ... 35 degrees is about the point of no return on a machine that doesn't have self leveling
My processor levels this pic was in the forwarder. My old 574 would have never been able to handle this job.
I run a Tigercat H855C with a Waratah 622B head ... non leveling though, makes you appreciate the 4 point harness style seat belt.
We are followed by a Valmet 890.4 and a new John Deere 1910E forwarder and they have no problem hauling full loads up 30 degree hills .... for those not familiar with those forwarders they haul approx 9 cords per trip
Would love to see some pics.
Quote from: Jamie_C on May 24, 2014, 01:59:26 PM
I run a Tigercat H855C with a Waratah 622B head ... non leveling though, makes you appreciate the 4 point harness style seat belt.
We are followed by a Valmet 890.4 and a new John Deere 1910E forwarder and they have no problem hauling full loads up 30 degree hills .... for those not familiar with those forwarders they haul approx 9 cords per trip
Still be careful on those slopes. A while back I saw a feller bunched that slid off a cliff (think it was up at Nash's in NH). Not much left to it! I would imagine it takes a lot of talent and skill to run a machine on a slope of that degree. Work safe out there :)
That is certainly quite steep. As long as you can keep the trails straight up and down the hill steep hills are doable. I've seen areas where the forwarder operator had to hold a bucket of wood on the uphill side when travelling. Makes for a tense shift.
Thing is when you are pushing the limits, you can move 20ft forward and it's over the limits.
News story a couple of years back, with a local digger operator making a track up though the hills to plant pine trees. Ooops, he's sitting upside-down , 1,000 ft down the hill, in a wrecked digger. The driver was OK , and I think they pulled the engine out, but as far as I know the digger is till in the gully
Quote from: Ken on May 25, 2014, 06:24:14 AM
That is certainly quite steep. As long as you can keep the trails straight up and down the hill steep hills are doable. I've seen areas where the forwarder operator had to hold a bucket of wood on the uphill side when travelling. Makes for a tense shift.
We primarily process behind 2 feller bunchers ( Tigercat 860 and a new prototype John Deere that is getting tested) ... the Tigercat bunchers handle hills better and the operators do their best to work straight up and down hills but sometimes we are working on 15 to 20 degree sidehills while processing ... when processing on steep hills I always work facing downhill if at all possible, that way you can stand the head up and use it to maneuver down the hill similar to the way an excavator operator would use his bucket. When working facing uphill on steep slopes if you bring the head in close to the carrier quickly at about eye level the boom will be so high in the air that the momentum from the boom can actually flip you over backwards.
It all boils down to knowing your limits, knowing your machines limits, paying close attention to your surroundings and not doing anything that you aren't comfortable with.
I watched a local logger claw his way up Hunter Mt in NY to clear and hang the zipline they added, I had a hard time walking up never mind in a Timbco. Another local guy with a 425D and FT-240 had to rebuilt the engine a few years ago, spent so much time at the max and then some, it couldnt push oil to the forward cylinders. A flopped buncher sat at CJ's a few years ago, they flopped it, got it up all most all the way and dropped it again. New Valmet became a parts machine with 4-500 hrs on it. Its ok, he's got more money than brains anyway. 8)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/23720/bear.jpg)
Yep that counts as steep. Looks like nice timber though.
Thats about how steep my job is now, but its a select cut hardwood block. Its mostly red oak, hickory, ash and hard maple logs average dbh 22". The pulp wood is mostly beech and anything else in the way lol. Its definitely seat belt terrain.
CTL logger, what makes your Timberpro forwarder more capable in the steep terrain? They look kind of long and low, I'm just curious to other advantages.
Quote from: barbender on June 09, 2014, 04:00:03 PM
CTL logger, what makes your Timberpro forwarder more capable in the steep terrain? They look kind of long and low, I'm just curious to other advantages.
I guess I don't have a good comparison my last forwarder was a '09 574 Cat it was terrible the loader wouldn't pick up much, it wouldn't climb hills. I'm sure if I cut 100" wood it would've done better but we don't. I was on a hill today 30° on slope meter swung down the hill picked up a 29' long 26" dbh hickory log and it didn't hesitate my Cat wouldn't have done that, it has super swing power. Mine is 2 feet longer than standard I ordered it to handle our longer length wood, but it never seems to get hung up much mostly on old stumps from years ago. I wouldn't even look at another style forwarder.
Would your Cat not climb hills because of low horsepower, or poor traction? I've heard guys complaining about the Ponsse forwarders stalling on hills, the pump would just go over relief. I've never experienced that, spinning out limits my traction in the Ponsse Buffalo I run.
Quote from: barbender on June 09, 2014, 11:03:11 PM
Would your Cat not climb hills because of low horsepower, or poor traction? I've heard guys complaining about the Ponsse forwarders stalling on hills, the pump would just go over relief. I've never experienced that, spinning out limits my traction in the Ponsse Buffalo I run.
The Cat lacked both I've had it loaded and it just stalled out, wouldn't even spin the tires. The Timberpro will at least dig 4:big holes. If I can get up the hill and load coming down that works best especially this time of year with bark peel. Seems if you get over 20° it will slide off the back