Supplier Newsline

Waratah/Koehring Partnership

Waratah, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty hydraulic tree harvesters, and Koehring-Waterous, a major felling head manufacturer, have joined forces to establish Waratah Forestry Attachments. The new company will develop, manufacture and market an extensive range of forestry equipment attachments to forest machine manufacturers, distributors and logging contractors.

The complete product range of the new Waratah forestry attachments will include both light-duty and heavy-duty harvester heads and processors, drive-to-tree and swing-to-tree felling heads, forest machine cranes and booms, as well as delimbers and slashers. With estimated net sales of US$50 million, Waratah expects to capture 20 per cent of the global forestry attachment market. With the exception of felling heads that will be branded Waratah-Koehring, all other products will carry the Waratah brand name. Regional Waratah distribution centres will be initially located in western Canada (Kamloops, BC), northwestern US (Portland, OR), southern US (Atlanta, GA), New Zealand (Tokoroa), Australia (Melton) and Europe (Finland).

L-M Adds New Machine

Several years ago L-M Equipment Co. introduced a horizontal chainsaw log splitter for splitting logs up to eight feet in diameter and 20 feet long. That machine was designed for small companies and for moderate use only. The company decided to redesign this machine into a much heavier log splitter for higher production and around-the-clock operation.

Anderson Pacific of Mission, BC purchased the first machine last fall, replacing one of their older models they have had in operation for several years.

The new machine can be described as a chainsaw headrig. It is self-propelled, allowing the operator to make the tracks as long as needed to cut the longest logs. It is a much heavier machine, reports L-M Equipment, and incorporates a pressure-compensated hydraulic system for better control. The biggest change is that the saw bar has 54" of vertical travel, allowing cuts from 24" to 78" off the ground and any-where in between. Another added feature is a support mounted in the middle of the saw bar to ensure the saw bar is straight before cutting begins.

Ensuring Timber Sale Profits

With each timber sale, only one logger can be the low bidder. It’s great to win the con-tract, but how can the low bidder be sure that profits are maximized? By knowing all the options for complying with water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs), a logger can be assured the bid is based on the least expensive ways to carry out the BMPs.

Two series of fact sheets and a video have been developed which explain the various methods for managing water on forest roads and skid trails and for crossing streams and wetlands. These materials are available through the University of Minnesota Extension Service. The 13 managing water fact sheets, the 16 crossing options fact sheets and the video (Best Management Practices), are all available from the University of Minnesota Extension Service Distribution Center.

CAE’s New High-Strain Bandmill

CAE Newnes has entered the primary log breakdown sector of the sawmilling industry with its new High Strain Bandmill, designed for any application that incorporates double-length infeeds, sharp chain systems and resaws. The bandmill features simple design, high accuracy and maximum production capabilities, maintains CAE. Available as fixed or setting units, bandmills are offered for single, twin, quad and horizontal applications. Optional chipheads utilizing regrindable knives provide a smoother finished face, less tearing of fibre and less chip damage.

CAE Newnes also manufactures double- length infeed and sharp chain systems, and has a strong resource of technical personnel with extensive experience in the design of log conveying systems, canter infeeds, bandmills and chipping heads.

Baldor Expands AC Motor Line

Baldor Electric Company, a manufacturer of industrial electric motors and drives based out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, has recently expanded its AC motor line to 1,000 hp. These motors, designed to meet the demanding specifications of industrial customers, are available in low and medium voltages through Baldor’s district sales offices across North America.

Available enclosures and ratings include: TEFC through 5810 Frame–800 hp; ODP, WPI, WPII through 5011L Frame–1,000 hp; Inverter/Vector through 5810 frame–800 hp; explosion-proof through 449T–350 hp; and Renk sleeve bearings available on 5000 Frame and 5800 Frame motors.

Baldor offers a three-year warranty on premium-efficiency motors, the most comprehensive warranty in the industry, claims the company.

Valmet’s New Thinning Harvester

The 901C/690, the newest addition to Valment’s purpose-built single-grip harvesters, has been designed and built for applications where a powerful machine with a high level of manoeuvrability, zero tracking and ultra-narrow profile is the best prescription for sensitive operations, claims the manufacturer. With the 148-hp 6BT Cummins-powered 901C carrier, this new thinning harvester incorporates the Valment 945 thinning head, which can handle a steady diet of 18-inch stems in addition to smaller-diameter wood.

The head is mounted on a Cranab 690 parallel-boom crane, which provides the operator with smooth movement when positioning the head. The overhead crane design has no tail swing, making it ideal for work in tight quarters, reports Valmet. Topping off the new crane is the ‘squirt’ feature that extends to a maxi-mum reach of 26.5 feet. This feature allows the operator to harvest distant trees from a single position, as well as allowing correct positioning of the head to cut trees that are very close to the machine. The narrow profile (94.5 inches) of the machine is the result of a new liquid-filled tire package (18.4"X34"), which also provides 26-inch ground clearance for the harvester.

The 901C/690, like all of the Valmet brand family of harvesters, has an ergonomically designed cab and crane-mounted boom on a slew-bearing platform capable of 315� rotation and 17� to 22� tilting action. The side-mounted loader located on the platform provides excellent visibility in all directions, and allows the operator to face the work area, reducing the risk of repetitive neck-motion injuries. The cab self-levels through the dynamic hydraulic action of the oscillating rear axle and the platform, eliminating the need for manual levelling adjustments.

Extending Bandsaw Service Life

A new, higher tensile-strength strip steel from Sandvik Steel for bandsaw blades has resulted in blades that double to quadruple service and improve log yields, reports the manufacturer. Potential savings for sawmill operators from fewer changeovers are at least 20 per cent, as are gains in raw material utilization, claims Sandvik. The new Sandvik blades generate thinner kerfs, producing easier, cleaner cuts and more usable lumber from each log. They can be benched like standard blades.

In tests conducted at sawmills worldwide, stellite-tipped blades made with the multi-shift material lasted twice as long as standard bandsaw steel stellite-tipped blades. They also lasted four times longer than standard swaged steel blades.

Called "Multishift", the new strip steel lasts through several shifts in the sawmill. Thicknesses range from 14 to 20 gauge in all 23 standard bandsaw widths.

Komatsu’s Improved Hydraulic Excavators

Komatsu Canada has launched improved versions of its PC300LC-6 and PC400LC-6 hydraulic excavators. The machines are equipped with Active Power Up Mode, a refinement of the company’s established Power Max feature. Activation increases engine speed, pump flow and boom speeds, providing a spurt of energy to digging and loading operations. This technology is ideal for clearing a line of waiting trucks, or deep digging, where boom speed is crucial.

Both the 33,370-kg PC300LC-6 and the 44,110-kg PC400LC-6 have six-cylinder engines designed and manufactured to meet or exceed all current emission standards. The PC300LC-6 is powered by the Komatsu SA6D114E-1 rated at 232 hp, and the PC400LC-6 is fitted with the company’s 306-hp SA6D 125E-2 diesel. In both instances, claims the company, emission control is achieved without sacrificing hydraulic power. The HydrauMind hydraulic control system works with load sensing and pressure compensating valves, which adjust automatically to individual applications. They react in direct proportion to joystick pressure, giving the operator increased response and exceptional sensitivity without affecting cylinder speed.

In addition, Komatsu has made improvements to the cab interior and exterior, reducing ambient noise and vibration and reducing engine noise levels. Both excavators have the most advanced electronic diagnostic system in the industry, claims the manufacturer. Komatsu’s trouble data memory sys-tem constantly monitors and analyzes 119 separate operational parameters, and memorizes operating history data up to 999 hours before purging.

Road Vault Passes Muster

Winnipeg-based Westeel has announced the newest addition to its lineup of fuel storage tanks—the Road Vault—has complied with the new, more stringent government regulations for the transportation of dangerous liquids. The new regulations apply to all portable service tanks over 100 imperial gallons that are used for the transport of flammable liquids such as gasoline over public roads. "The new code has actually been in place since 1996," says Brad Warner, product

manager for Westeel. "Unfortunately not many people are aware of it and most of the tanks out there are in noncompliance." Under the new regulations, fuel agents could refuse to fill tanks found in noncompliance, and their owners may be subject to fines. "The largest difference between Road-Vault and conventional tanks is the thick-ness of the steel used in its construction," says Warner. "We’ve used high-strength 12-gauge steel in the manufacture of Road-Vault, which makes it significantly stronger than older tanks, which are of light and less durable 14-gauge steel." Other important safety features of the Road-Vault include its fusible plug-style emergency vent, which safely releases combustible gases before they can build up to dangerous levels, and a restraining bracket that prevents tank and vehicle damage.

New & Noted at NAFS

Multikro Inc. of Blainville, Quebec chose the recent Northern Alberta Forestry Show in Grande Prairie, Alberta to promote their new hot saw tooth design, which offers a number of different critical advantages, including improved wear and safety features. The tooth tips have a smaller mass if they break off, as well as sharper cutters. The lesser-wearing top teeth can also be swapped with the high-wearing bottom teeth. The tooth design also promises less brooming at the cut; frayed butts or brooming makes scanning at the mill more difficult.

Cutterhead Grinder Developments

New from Newman Whitney Company Inc. are the G-716A fully automatic and the G-716 Semi-Automatic Cutterhead Grinders. The G-716A is computer operated and fully automatic. The operator enters the setup parameters for the cutterhead, i.e., the number of knives, number of cycles, amount of grind per cycle and direction. After each pass of the knife by the grinding wheel, the cutterhead is indexed to the next knife and is held against a positive stop finger while being ground. After each cycle of the cutterhead, the grinding wheel is moved a programmed amount for depth of grind, and each knife is ground again. When the programmed number of grinding cycles is completed a sparkout of two grinding cycles is performed and the G-716A is automatically shut down.