October 2000 - Logging and Sawmilling Journal

Please use our Reader Service Form Located at the bottom to obtain more information on these products.

Robur Maskin:
Robur Maskin AB of Sweden manufactures BrackeDonaren scarifying equipment, offering soil preparation and seedling planting at the same time. Adaptable for use on a wide variety of sites, the newest variable function scarifier, the BD296, can produce microsites with overturned humus, mineral soil on overturned humus and mineral soil on mineral soil. The spacing and profile of the microsite can be varied to meet site and species requirements. Production rates for the two row variation scarifier range from 0.6 to 1.45 hectares per hour, depending on terrain and number of microsites per hectare. The 7,260lb machine can be operated on a skidder or forwarder and has self-governing hydraulic motors. Row spacing can be varied between 1,800 and 2,200 mm, longitudinal spacing can be varied from 1,500 to 3,000 mm between each mound and mound size can be preset, depending on the site.

It has the same mounting plate as the Donaren disc trencher for interchangeability and flexibility. Accessories include a seeder and micro preparation for seeding. The hydraulically operated Bracke planter makes a mound, inserts a plant seedling from planting trays to a predetermined depth and then tamps the soil around it. Fertilizer can be added at the same time, if required, and the process can be repeated up to 300 times per hour. This planter allows the operator to choose the optimal planting spot for each seedling. The tree seedling planting head attaches to the boom of a 12ton or greater hydraulic carrier fitted with an air compressor.

The same carrier can be used for ditching. Electronic valves control the mounding blade, sequence the planting tube to the right depth and apply the appropriate compaction. Information on the levels of water or fertilizer and the number of seedlings remaining in the rotating magazine are available on a small computer screen inside the carrier cab. The magazines hold 50mm, 60mm and 70mm seedlings. The Donaren 180/280 is a proven scarifier for even the largest prime mover and is adaptable to most sites, the company says. Also available from Robur Maskin are the Bracke B390 three-row mounder, the heavy-duty Donaren 280 HL variable function scarifier and the TTS Delta Combi II/III trencher. The machines offer preset mounding sizes, site-specific settings for flow to the arms and discs and reversible rotation of the discs for cleaning of brush.
Reader Service #350

Dika Industries Ltd
Designed to prepare a site for seedling planting, the high production, low maintenance Dika Silviplow slices and turns the ground and stumps, leaving an inverted furrow of mineral soil on top of existing soil and, in turn, elevating planting sites. The result is a prepared site that allows seedlings to become well established more quickly. Essentially a two bottom breaking plow, with one bottom throwing left and the other right, the Silviplow creates furrows that are approximately three feet wide. As the plow is drawn forward, it forms a continuous flat bottom trench about six feet wide and 12 to 24 inches deep. Two planting rows are formed with each pass.

Pulled by a crawler tractor or large skidder, the machine's flexible hitch assembly prevents the transmission of twisting forces to the tractor. Coulter points are replaceable with a hammer and punch and up to 300 acres can be plowed with each bottom before share and coulter replacement is necessary, the company says. Dika also manufactures a four furrow-breaking plow as well as three and four bottom plow models. The Dika root rake levels and prepares land following the loosening of roots from the soil. The Dika root and rock windrower tumbles roots and rocks ahead of it and feeds them out the right side in a windrow. Circle Reader Service Card #351

Supertrak / Marden Industries Inc
The VR3W Supertrak relief tooth vrake model is designed to part slash and debris from areas to be tilled (subsoiled, bedded and mounded) as an option to chopping, v shear, KG and raking in forest plantations. The three hydraulic relief teeth are able to provide clearance of stumps as high as 12 inches while resetting automatically without stopping. The VR5C rake is available for D67 size crawler tractors. With an overall weight of 3,800 lbs, the three-tooth vrake has a tooth spacing of 3'4" and a depth of ground penetration to 26 inches. Rake widths for the machines are eight feet for the VR3W and 12 feet for the VR5C. The Supertrak SK300 Series four wheel drive site prep tractor from Supertrak Inc is designed for high production reforestation including bedding, subsoiling, chopping and discing. All major components are built by Caterpillar, including the Cat 3306 diesel engine, torque

converter, transmission, axles, final drives, hydraulics, cab and more. The 300hp tractor weighs 38,000 lbs and achieves travel speeds of 25 mph. The Marden Vshear blade, for use with Cat D6, D7 and D8 size tractors, offers heavy duty construction. Built around reconditioned Cframes for added strength, they have a patented curved face on the sides, which allows for better movement of debris, and a specially designed AR400 cutting edge, which increases cutting efficiency. From Marden Plows, a division of Marden Industries Inc, comes the Marden Versatill model CR4L, a coulter ripper (lift type) four disc, subsoil bedding plow designed to fracture compacted soil while simultaneously mounding (bedding). The lift arrangement increases productivity on crawler tractors by lowering turnaround time and allowing for easier transporting. The CR2L is also available as a two disc version where bed height can be minimized in upland Piedmont areas. Due to the design of the Versatill plow, cultivation width can be changed, using the same plow frame. The cultivation width of the CR4L is seven feet, while the CR2L's is five feet. Circle Reader Service Card #352

Tree Planters International
The Whitfield Forestland semiautomatic Model 500 transplanter, with a self-contained operator cab, is an economical planting solution. Pulled behind a prime moving dozer tractor, the 6,450lb machine can plant at a rate of up to 900 trees per hour. The Model 900 Vblade makes it possible to plant in logging debris. A 32inch steel coulter wheel cuts an open trench in the ground while the planter operator places seedlings individually into planting fingers,

which are attached to a moving chain driven by a gearbox and tires. Seedlings are evenly planted into the soil, without J rooting, according to the desired spacing between trees. Packing wheels then close up the furrow. An incorporated subsoiler prepares the ground so that trees can grow 20 per cent faster, the company says. Shoe changes adjust the planting depth. Three point hitch models are available for bedded land, open and some wild land planting. Crank axle models are available for a wider range of contour planting anywhere the prime mover can safely go. The survival rate of seedlings is from 80 to 90 per cent, the company says. Circle Reader Service Card #353

WestNorthwest Forestry Ltd
The improved VH Mulcher from WestNorthwest Forestry has increased horsepower and a modified tool plate attachment ready to undergo trials this coming winter The HydroAx 150hp 7010 rotary mulcher attachment features a horizontal, 16 inch diameter drum rotor with single rotation cutting and a cutting diameter of 20

inches in frozen ground. Increased productivity may enable contractors to lengthen their operating season and reduce the "higher in winter" costs per hectare to the forest companies. A versatile site prep machine, the VH Mulcher head utilizes both excavator and feller type hydraulics and is designed to produce a choice of microsites to match specific climate requirements for improved seedling survival rates, even in severe and steep conditions. The USDA Forest Research Division in Oregon is conducting long-term research on the VH Mulcher, the company says. Eight-year survival and growth research, completed by the BC Ministry of Forests, is also available. Circle Reader Service Card #354

Blount Inc
The HydroAx Series E multipurpose tractors from Blount Inc offer a complete system for clearing brush, felling and piling trees and grinding stumps. The one-operator systems mean one machine to transport, maintain and insure. The 150hp 421E, the 177hp 621E and the 210hp 721E feature six-cylinder Cummins engines, inboard planetary mounted axles, ROPS/FOPS/OPS certified walkthrough cabs and hydrostatic transmissions with variable displacement pump and variable displacement motor. With an eight-foot wide path, the brush cutter attachment clears

up to one acre of brush per hour. Heavy-duty chain curtains on front and rear help contain material discharged during cutting, while a longer containment time provides better mulch action. A hydrostatic motor turns the bi rotational rotor bar and two free-swinging 37lb blades at 950 rpm, creating a blade tip speed of about 240 mph. The brush cutter cuts and mulches single trees up to seven inches in diameter. The bunching saw and shear attachments fell trees up to 20 inches in diameter, while the 3.6 square foot accumulating area on the bunching saw enables the bunching of more trees per load. The stump grinder attachment grinds 20inch diameter stumps at a rate of 15 stumps per hour. The cutter wheel path is six inches wide, with a single pass grinding depth of 18 inches. The 36-inch diameter-cutting wheel has 24 replaceable teeth held in place by compression type, replaceable tooth holders. The teeth are 1 1/4" square and can be hard faced for use in rocky terrain. The HydroAx 150hp 7010 rotary mulcher attachment features a horizontal, 16-inch diameter drum rotor with single rotation cutting and a cutting diameter of 20 inches. The swinging cutters have 39 rotatable teeth. It features a cutting width 7' 10" and a low profile, self-cleaning cutter head. Circle Reader Service Card #355

Hakmet The MERI Crusher from Hakmet has a built in POC2400 pressure operated safety clutch for use in preparing land for planting and for use on stumps, roots, branches, ice, soil, gravel and asphalt, as well as for land clearing and reclamation. With a low power demand in relation to its crushing capacity, the MERI Crusher offers wear proof hard metal cutters and a crushing depth of up to 10 inches below ground level, depending on the model. When used for crushing forest debris, the crushed wood is mixed well into the soil. Its modular design makes it possible to choose the right equipment for a specific use. The MJ1.8 and MJ2.3 can be equipped with a double transmission and the MJS2.5 has a standard double transmission. Working widths range from 4' 7"to 8' 2". Circle Reader Service Card #356

Wilco Products
The one piece spot cultivator from Wilco Products of New Zealand is a simple and efficient solution for site preparation, raking, ripping and cultivating in one operation. Studies conducted by the company show survival rates of 95 per cent or more and tree growth of up to 20 per cent more in a five-year span. Trees have a 10 per cent greater diameter than those planted from continuous line rip mounding, the company says. The spot cultivator is an effective option in problem sites such as heavily stumped areas with high logging slash, heavy or compacted soils, frost and climate affected ground, wet or swampy areas and ground susceptible to environmental damage. By cultivating only where a tree is to be planted, there is minimal damage to the environment. A production speed of five spots per minute can be reached, depending on conditions, with three spots per minute possible from each machine position. Mound and rip sizes are adjustable to 500mm and one metre, respectively, and coverage can reach 2,000 spots per hectare. The spot cultivator can fit any standard 20-ton excavator boom and a smaller 12T model is also available. Circle Reader Service Card #357

Denis Cimaf
The DAH100 and DAH150 mulcher brush cutters from Denis Cimaf offer cutting and chipping at the same time, eliminating the need to rake and make windrows. The mulched chips covering the site result in higher moisture levels - even in warm weather - and, in plantations, the leftover mulch slows down competing vegetation

growth. Suitable for multiple site preparation uses including reforestation, the cutters efficiently chip five inch diameter stems and can chip down trunks up to 12 inches and over. The average productivity rate of the DAH150, mounted on a 20ton excavator (130 hp), ranges from 0.8 to 1.2 hectares per 10hour shift or 0.08 to 0.12 hectares per working hour, under normal conditions. The two machines have cutting widths of 43 and 57 inches, respectively, and cutting depths of 25 inches. Rotor guards are optional. Circle Reader Service Card #358

Wyatt Silviculture Services Ltd
The Wyatt SilviTiller from Wyatt Silviculture Services is a hydraulically powered, multipurpose rototilling attachment for crawler excavators that provides enhanced seedling growth and site productivity. Forestry applications include preparing mixed soil and organics into plantable spots and de compaction of sites and, with a hydraulic thumb, piling and other functions can be performed. The user-friendly, low maintenance tiller features variable drum speed, chain drive and a heavy-duty hydraulic motor with slash and mounding rakes as part of the head design. Drum size and length can be built to suit customer requirements. The one directional tiller has replaceable teeth and a variable drum speed from 70 to 250 rpm. The hydraulic motor requires 34 gal/min at 3000 psi. Circle Reader Service Card #359

International Silvatech Industries Inc
The Morgan SX 706 M Mega Mulcher from International Silvatech Industries (ISI) is, along with its sister machine the Morgan MX 706 grapple skidder, a departure from previous skidders made by ISI in that they incorporate geared tandem rear bogies to provide greater tractive effort and stability. Unlike many other hydrostatic drive machines, the Morgan 706 incorporates a hydraulic drive motor in each wheel or bogie to provide the maximum torque and horsepower to each wheel rim. Each wheel is individually controlled by an ISI patented system to ensure maximum operating efficiency at all times. The Mega Mulcher has a larger power requirement than the 706 skidder and is equipped with a Cummins NTA series engine rated at 425 hp to drive the 300hp FAEUMH mulching unit and the six-way power angle tilt dozer blade. Circle Reader Service Card #360

Canfor
Canadian Forest Products Ltd has obtained both US and Canadian patents on its dual path mounder, described as a Swiss army knife approach to scarification with its mixing and mounding applications. The machine has been used successfully in recent winter mounding trials on frozen ground and in moderate snow, says Tim Vinge of Canfor's Hines Creek division. The machine is now ready to be demonstrated, Vinge says, and Canfor is looking for companies interested in forming partnerships to develop and market the machine. The dual path mounder creates a planting site that is more conducive to seedling establishment, especially in boreal forest. Circle Reader Service Card #361

WeldcoBeales Manufacturing Inc
Recent productivity gains for WeldcoBeales Manufacturing's chuck blade attachment have resulted in its use in many different applications and there are now more than 300 units of the versatile machine in the field, the company says. Uses include road

building, forestry reclamation, backfill, ditching, loading, mass excavations, grading, shaping and concrete or pavement loading. The chuck blade can dig like an excavator, cut and grade like a dozer and be used with a thumb, offering 45degree tilt left and right. The blade is always at the right grade so the machine doesn't need repositioning, speeding up the operation. The blade design is excellent for sticky material, with no soil retention, the company says. Self cleaning on every pass, it cleans like a dozer blade and every cycle results in a full load with a large volume of material. Side plates are available for sandy materials. Some applications have resulted in a 50 per cent increase or more of material moved per cycle, the company says. Circle Reader Service Card #362

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Tech Update - Site Preparation Equipment

By Tech Update Editor: Helen Johnson