PrimeTech offers tough carrier for land clearing and mulching in the PT-475The PrimeTech PT-475 is a powerful tracked carrier featuring a Cat C13 Acert 12.5 l engine producing 475 hp. The machine is available both with Tier 3 and Tier 4 Final engine technology.
Regarding Tier 4 Final, the machine achieves its compliance through an innovative combination of particulate filter (DPF), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) technologies, which helps maximize uptime and performance, all with minimal maintenance, says the company.
Like all PrimeTech models, the PT-475 is characterized by great versatility. Depending on the job, the PT-475 can be equipped with mulching head, subsoiler, rock crusher and stump cutter. All the attachments, made by FAE, can be switched easily and quickly, allowing the use of a PT-475 for land clearing and mulching applications (right-of-way, utility lines, fire breaks, vegetation management, etc.), as well as for land conversion (removal of stumps and roots, site preparation) and for road construction/maintenance.
The engineers at PrimeTech always strive to improve and refine the PrimeTech tracked carriers to meet the highest standards, says the company. For this reason the new 2019 model PT-475 includes a number of improvements.
To ensure utmost reliability, the undercarriage of the PT-475 is reinforced and major components like track chains, rollers and rock guards are beefed up, meaning longer life-time and reduced maintenance costs.
The new undercarriage features:
More durability, stability and strength are also provided by the reinforced structure of the main frame of the PT-475, while the attachment frame has been redesigned to make it stronger and more durable for work in severe conditions.
Caterpillar finalizes agreement to sell purpose-built forestry businessCaterpillar Inc has entered into a definitive agreement with Weiler Forestry Inc to sell its purpose-built forestry business. The closing is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2019.
With this agreement, Weiler will acquire Caterpillar’s purpose-built forestry product line consisting of wheel skidders, track feller bunchers, wheel feller bunchers and knuckleboom loaders, and operations facilities in LaGrange, Georgia; Auburn, Alabama; and Smithfield, North Carolina.
Founded in 2000, Weiler currently produces an extensive portfolio of products and has a longstanding history of successfully manufacturing purpose-built equipment distributed through the Cat dealer network. Upon the closing of the sale, Weiler Forestry will design and manufacture purpose-built forestry products, which will continue to be available through the Cat dealer network.
Logset Oy will be establishing a subsidiary named Logset Inc, in Ottawa.
The Finnish-based company manufactures harvesters, harvester heads, and forwarders.
The new office base will offer sales help and technical support to Logset dealers based in North and South America, Japan and Australia. Through Logset Inc, the company says it can better work in the time zones of its dealers.
In the beginning, Logset will send three people to work for Logset Inc: Pascal Réty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing (acting as a CEO for Logset Inc), Jari-Pekka Ylikoski, Technical Support, and Johanna Sereda, Administrative Co-ordinator.
Logset has sold machines in Canada since 2002. In 2010, Logset signed a dealer agreement with the current dealer, LN Machinerie, based in Quebec.
Dunkley Lumber has purchased two sawmills from another B.C.-based lumber producer, C & C Resources.
Dunkley now owns the Foothills Forest Products sawmill in Grande Cache, Alberta and Edgewood Forest Products sawmill in Carrot River, Saskatchewan.
Dunkley Lumber’s B.C. mill is located in the Interior, between Prince George and Quesnel, in the community of Strathnaver.
Former C & C Resources owner Callidus Capital Corporation says that the approximate sale price was $100 million, which includes certain assets of Westside Logging Ltd associated with the Edgewood sawmill. A total of $55 million was used by the company to pay off debt.
Publicly-traded Callidus Capital Corporation describes itself as a specialty debt fund that provides capital on a bridge basis to meet the financing requirements of companies that cannot access traditional lending sources.
According to a Callidus case study, it had provided $35 million in credit facilities to C & C Resources. It then acquired C & C Resources in November, 2017. A new CEO for C & C Resources was hired as part of a turnaround strategy, which included the pursuit of value-added products not subject to new U.S. softwood lumber tariffs.
After taking ownership of C & C Resources in November 2017, less than a year later, in September 2018, Callidus announced that it had entered into a letter of intent with a strategic acquirer for the C & C Resources commodity division, which essentially was the Foothills and Edgewood sawmills.
The sale was finalized to Dunkley Lumber on February 1.
Before Callidus took ownership of C & C Resources, the company had made a significant investment of $25 million into the Edgewood sawmill in early 2016 which was expected to result in a 20 per cent increase in wood recovery. That project included the installation of a German-based LINCK breakdown line and a new Wellons dry kiln.
Recent upgrades to the Foothills sawmill include the production of wood pellets and the installation of a VAB linear grade optimizer, two Linden log ladders, and two Nicholson debarkers.
While it has sold the Foothills and Edgewood sawmills, the company has retained ownership of a sawmill in Quesnel, B.C. and a manufacturing facility in Cranbrook, B.C.
Tony Mogus, General Manager at Dunkley Lumber, says that the company fully intends to continue to operate both the Foothills and Edgewood facilities.
According to Dunkley Lumber, its Strathnaver sawmill in B.C. is able to produce 560 million board feet of softwood lumber annually. The purchase of the Foothills and Edgewood sawmills will add substantially to that amount, with Foothills having a capacity for 130 million board feet annually, and Edgewood rated at 150 million board feet annually.
Former C & C Resources senior managers are now working for Dunkley Lumber. Kris Hayman is now Vice-President for Solid Wood and Finance Alberta/Saskatchewan, and Ron Dunn is Vice President of Fibre and Corporate Development.
Peterson Pacific Corp, a manufacturer of industry leading wood grinding and chipping machines, now offers the new Peterson 1700D horizontal grinder.
“The new 1700D is smaller and lighter than our other grinders, but still packs impressive performance,” says Jody Volner, President of Peterson Pacific Corp.
“The 1700D is ideal for small mulch, compost, or pallet grinding operations, as well as municipalities looking for a smaller machine, but still needing excellent throughput for a grinder of this size.”
Heavy duty and mobile, the 1700D can readily reduce a wide range of materials. Its large feed opening measures 54” x 27”. When boosted by Peterson’s high-lift feed roll, the feed opening’s maximum lift of 41.5” can tackle the largest of feedstock, and allows excellent accessibility to the rotor for maintenance.
The 1700D horizontal grinder is equipped with a Caterpillar Tier IV C9.3 455 hp engine, or an optional, export-only C9 Tier III, 350 hp engine. At 41,000 lbs, it is the lightest of Peterson’s grinder series, and is easily transportable, says the company.
John Deere recently commemorated the production of its 5,000th forest swing machine, a 2656G log loader, with a special ceremony at the John Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products (DHSP) factory in Langley, B.C.
“This is a paramount moment for the DHSP factory and our employees,” says Jarvis de Groot, DHSP product marketing manager, forestry swing machines. “As a company, we are committed to producing high-quality, reliable equipment, and the achievement of this milestone is a nod to our hardworking, dedicated committees, both in the DSHP factory and worldwide. Our customers are the heartbeat of the company and the reason we are able to do what we do every day.”
Bighorn Logging was presented with a plaque and the 5,000th swing machine was revved up for the very first time in celebration. The day concluded with a factory tour and small reception.
The Fecon FRS15 rotating shear attachment is the latest addition to the company’s line-up of attachments for 16 to 24 ton excavators.
Made of hardox steel, this shear attachment provides a 360 degree rotation, which gives operators more reach and access to trees and reduces repositioning of machines. A 29.5” blade opening allows the FRS15 to shear trees up to 18” in diameter, while an accumulator arm allows gathering and continuous shearing of smaller materials.
At a weight of 3420 pounds, this rugged attachment can reach up and down slopes and other hard to reach areas with as little as 34 GPM and 4350 PSI hydraulic pressure. Shear rotation requires just 11 GPM, making it easy and fast to shear, bunch and gather materials, says the company.
On the Cover:
From mill loaders to trucks to logging equipment, it will all be featured at the upcoming Canada North Resources Expo, taking place May 24 to 25 in Prince George, B.C. Read all about the show, and who is going to be there, beginning on page 30 of this issue of Logging and Sawmilling Journal, the Official Show Guide (Cover photo of Tolko mill operation by Paul MacDonald).
Strategic sanitation logging—from the air
A targeted sanitation logging program—including heli-logging—of beetle-infected Douglas fir is underway in the B.C. Interior, and it looks like it’s having an impact on controlling the rate of spread of the beetle.
Dam logging!
There is a heckuva large log salvage project going on in B.C., but it’s got nothing to do with beetle salvage or fire-salvage—this kind of salvage involves logging green merchantable timber as part of building the massive $10 billion Site C dam in northeastern B.C.
First Nations bridge building—with wildfire wood
A First Nations-owned company in the B.C. Interior, Cariboo Aboriginal Forest Enterprises, is building bridges—and soon will be building homes—with lumber they’re producing from wood burned in a 2017 wildfire.
Protecting a community (forestry) asset
The Williams Lake Community Forest in the B.C. Interior is working to both manage an expanding Douglas fir beetle infestation and put in place wildfire mitigation strategies to protect and enhance what has become a valued and well-used asset.
Pellet plant delivering polished performance
Bringing new manufacturing plants online can be a challenge, but the Smithers Pellet plant in the B.C. Interior is clicking right along, thanks to a team effort on its start-up in late-2018.
Jack of all trades logger
David Craig is truly a jack of all trades when it comes to equipment and logging, doing everything from timber harvesting to log clean-up at a lake for one of B.C’s largest dams.
Finding their logging niche…
Family-owned C&H Logging has found their logging niche in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, and these days three generations of the Carter Family are carrying on operations, with safety and sustainability top of mind.
The Edge
Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, are stories from Alberta Innovates and Canadian Wood Fibre Centre.
Official Show Guide — Canada North Resources Expo
As the Official Show Guide, Logging and Sawmilling Journal has the full scoop on the Canada North Resources Expo—coming up May 24 to 25 in Prince George, B.C.—from feature editorial to a site map to the full listing of exhibitors at this great resource industry show.
The Last Word
Columnist Jim Stirling asks the question: Will the forest policy review for the B.C. Interior yield a new vision for the forest industry?
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