The Forestry Forum

Does anyone have experience running mid to late 90s vintage Valmet forwarders.  I'm located in Central WI and looking to buy my first forwarder.  I would be hand-cutting in front of it.  Not sure what to look for when buying one, since my only experience has been in a Ponsse dangle-head processor. 

i have had one for 6 yrs. not as complex as those from europe. cummins 3.9 clark power shift trans jd front axle naf rears. with a simple gear hydr pump that thinks its a piston pump, maybe not quite as good but close. shuttle valves will bother some. pretty easy fix just pull them out and put new orings on. the crane lifts pretty well and its fairly fast

One worked on one of my recent jobs and worked well with little down time.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,13313.msg1307336.html#msg1307336

Thanks for the info.  Do you know what your fuel consumption is and what kind of hydraulic fittings it takes?  The Ponsse was BSP which was a pain.  Also, how many cords can you can haul with it?

Thanks for the info.

Contact Lutke Equipment Sales, Manton, Michigan and Jason Lutke will answer your specific questions on the Valmet 646 first hand much better than I can concerning the 646. 

https://forestryequipmentsales.com/16/Forwarders/1948/Valmet-646-Forwarder.html

its pretty good on fuel. they were built in gladstone mi. except fot the rears and the crane. all hose fittings are jic