October 2000 - Logging and Sawmilling Journal

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Blount Set to Purchase Fabtek Assets
Blount International Inc of Montgomery, Alabama has announced the completion of the purchase of the assets of Fabtek Inc, located in Menominee, Michigan. Fabtek, which had sales of approximately $21 million in the 12 months ended June 30, 2000, manufactures a full line of forwarders, harvester heads and small tracked feller bunchers for the forest industry. The company, which includes a modern 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility, will become part of Blount's Industrial and Power Equipment Group, a leader in the manufacture and sale of mechanical forestry harvesting equipment. Dennis Eagan, president of the Industrial and Power Equipment Group, says the acquisition is a major step in the company's strategy to expand its product lines. The move allows Blount to offer dealers and customers cut to length (CTL) timber harvesting equipment and will make the company the only manufacturer of complete CTL systems in North America, the company says. Fabtek began developing forestry products in 1986 and, since then, the products have gained a reputation for durability and easy maintenance. All Blount forestry products, including Fabtek, will continue to be marketed under individual product brand names. The Industrial and Power Equipment Group of Blount is a leading manufacturer of timber harvesting equipment under the Prentice, HydroAx and CTR brand names. Circle Reader Service Card #363

Timberjack's New C Model Skidders
The eight new skidders in the Timberjack 60 Series C models feature improvements in comfort, productivity and reliability. The front end has been reinforced, the walking beam has heavier plate

and stronger welds and the centre hinge is a durable double shear pivot, with larger pins on the 360C and 460C. Other features include a heavier gauge fuel tank, a strengthened rear fender option and a roomy cab with full visibility, armchair comfort and a wider right armrest. For grapple skidder operators, and grapple functions. The decking blade has large, reverse horns to protect cylinders and prevent log rollover, and there is a tougher bottom wear edge. Relocation of the hydraulic control valve in the rear frame has reduced the number of hoses over the centre joint and more guarding has been added to protect hoses and fittings at critical points. A quick release front grill hatch simplifies routine servicing. Circle Reader Service Card #364

Sno Grader from TriTrack International
The TriTrack Sno Grader from TriTrack International compacts snow 8 1/2 feet wide in a single pass without the use of implements and leaves no ruts. With the ability to maintain more than 50 miles of road a day, the Sno Grader has triple walking beam suspension for a smooth ride as well as cab and cargo deck tilt for service access. The machine maintains positive ground contact even in the most adverse conditions, the company says. The hydraulic valve and electrical junction box are mounted on the gooseneck for service ease. The 9,000lb machine features a six cylinder, 180hp Cummins 6BTAengine, 32inchwide rubber belted tracks with steel cross links and hydrostatic transmission and brakes. Circle Reader Service Card #365

Quadco's New Prolenc 750 Series Snubbers
The new 750 Series snubbers from Quadco, now trading as Prolenc, have a tapered friction sleeve design, internally mounted in a compact, cast steel link. The single, self-lubricating friction

sleeve provides superior braking power and longer life than conventional disc style systems, the company says. Attachment and load weights are carried through the linkage and pins allowing independent snubbing action. The 750 Series features heavy wall pin bushings and heat-treated alloy pins. Designed to be field retrofitable to Scandinavian built rotators with 100 mm between mounting lugs and 45 mm pins, the 750 Series links are available as either single or double snubber to suit harvester, processor or forwarder applications. Circle Reader Service Card #366

Tigercat's High Production 870 Feller Buncher
The new 870 track feller buncher from Tigercat is designed for tough terrain and heavy duty, competing in the 70,000lb weight class. Based on the 860 carrier, the 870 is powered by 260hp Cummins C series engine and has a drawbar pull of 73,000 lbs for approximately a 1:1 tractive there is a single lever joystick for all boom effort ratio. The machine's FH400 8 1/2" pitch undercarriage-comparable to a super heavy duty D7-includes removable bolt on style chain guiding guards on the outer track frames for easier access to the rollers. Other features include an insulated, quiet and spacious cab, dual cushioned cylinders, a high walker carbody and a four bar linkage stick boom with the Tigercat 5700 felling saw. Circle Reader Service Card #367

Coe Manufacturing President Retires
Fred Fields, president and owner of Coe Manufacturing Company, has announced his retirement and the sale of his majority interest in Coe to Three Cities Research in New York, NY. Associated with Coe for 53 years, Fields served as president and owner of the company for 23 years. Effective immediately, A (Gus) Fornataro, PE, will assume the position of president and CEO. Rick Wentworth will join Coe as vice-president of business development. Fields will serve Coe in a consulting capacity and as a director of the company with continued financial and personal interest in the company. Based in Ohio, Coe Manufacturing was established in 1852 and is a leader worldwide in the design and manufacture of machinery for the veneer, plywood, lumber, gypsum wallboard, composite board and rubber industries. It has operations in both Canada and the US and employs about 800 people in the two countries. Circle Reader Service Card #368

SawRight System Detects Defects
The SawRight System from MPB Lamsor Inc provides real-time analysis of board dimensions for each sawing centre in the sawmill and enables the detection of sawing trends and defects which are then immediately communicated to sawmill personnel via an alarm indicator. Detailed reports can be printed at pre selected times allowing the implementation of efficient maintenance schedules and progressive sawing strategies. The system consists of a control unit, a tracking assembly and a dimension sensing unit. The control unit's proprietary algorithms are capable of differentiating sawn thickness from natural defects, allowing for precise sawing quality control. Sawing analysis data is then communicated using interactive graphical presentations. Examining the thickness data enables the user to instantly view the percentage of target size, undersize and oversize boards from each centre, determine the thickness value for every board from a selected sawing centre and make qualitative short-term analysis of the centre's sawing trend. Shape data classifies boards into categories, including uniform, snipe, taper, snake, bevel and flare. Shape algorithms pinpoint exact causes for sawing irregularities. The tracking assembly is used to identify the sawing centre when dimension specific sawing patterns are not applicable. A dimension sensing unit can be used alone or the SawRight System can be interfaced to existing dimension sensing equipment. Circle Reader Service Card #369

Electronic Pitless Truck Scale From Alliance.
Alliance Scale Inc introduces a new pitless truck scale with modular assemblies that are simply bolted together at the site, without the need for any welding. The Active/Alliance modular

electronic vehicle scale features prebuilt deck modules that range from 15 to 25 feet in length by 10, 12 and 14 feet wide. The pitless, aboveground design and the use of standard, off the shelf load cells provide savings in foundation and installation costs. The scales can be expanded in length without modification to the existing weighbridge and the load cells are fully encapsulated within the weighbridge, along with the other electronics, for optimum protection from ice, snow and deck runoff. The modular, live deck designs are available with 70,000 and 110,000 lbs concentrated load capacities (CLC) and meet Canada AM4872 and US NTEP CC #94 132 approvals. Circle Reader Service Card #370

Rockwell Automation Introduces Sabre Motor.
Rockwell Automation introduces the Reliance Electric Sabre motor, a new line of general purpose motors designed for industrial applications requiring from three to 30 hp. Ideally suited for fans, blowers and compressors, the Sabre motor is available in TEFC and ODP enclosures with foot or C face mounting.

Enclosures feature a removable shouldered eye bolt for easy lifting and use heavy gauge, full seam, rolled steel construction for durability. The seven sleeves mandrel, are lightweight, EPACT efficient, inverter compatible and have Class F insulation. Additional features include lubed for life, no maintenance bearings that are generously proportioned, corrosion resistant over bolts, cast iron C face brackets, dynamically balanced rotors that meet or exceed NEMA standards, a large conduit box, gasketed to the frame with easy, single screw accessibility and the ability to be rotated in 90degree increments for convenient positioning. Circle Reader Service Card #371

Van Gear Designs Aid Sawmilling.
A precision involute arbor saw package from Vancouver Gear Works Ltd is designed to control and minimize arbor backlash clearance. The patented cutting unit design consists of saws with machined eyes, involute arbor sleeves with splined bores and a splined mandrel. The saw arbor sleeves with splined bores maintain roundness and, when installed on the mandrel, the unit is dynamically balanced. Once in service, if the sleeves are repositioned or if new ones are added, no further dynamic balancing is required and the unit will continue to operate vibration free. The stronger, splined mandrel replaces the plain, keyed mandrel and is designed to accommodate five, six and seven-inch diameter splined bore arbor sleeves, which are mounted on the splined mandrel. The splined bore arbor sleeves are manufactured to a sliding fit for easy assembly and removal can be installed in any orientation and will always line up, the company says.

The splined bore arbor sleeves, together with the machined saw eyes, are manufactured down to 0.003 inch backlash clearance and the precision fit ensures clearance is maintained for a prolonged time period. Also from Vancouver Gear is the new VG6 saw grinding centering device, particularly useful with today's thin kerf sawing to avoid uneven grinding and uneven loading. The device, used in sawmill filing rooms, machines the saw blade eye, removing the distortion, generating a precision involute tooth profile and accurately controlling the saw eye size. Saw eye clearance is produced on the top of the tooth space - an area that never contacts the saw arbor and is the point where the saw grinding centering device locates. Saw blades have less guide wear on the sides, last longer before re tipping and can be ground exactly the same way every time, the company says. Circle Reader Service Card #372

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