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Tigercat recently celebrated its 20th year in business in style with a number of events, including factory tours, a dinner and party for 1,300 guests as well as the premiere screening of ‘20’, a new film by Tigercat that tracks in super high definition the beginnings of the company, some of the challenges faced, and what the Tigercat brand means today to customers around the world.
Tigercat began in 1992 when a small group of professionals with extensive experience in all facets of the logging equipment industry teamed up with the Cambridge, Ontario based fabrication company, MacDonald Steel.
Extensive field research determined that the performance of drive-to-tree feller bunchers, popular in the southeastern U.S., was falling short of the expectations of loggers. Tigercat set out to design a technically superior alternative. The result was the 726 feller buncher. The 726 was quickly recognized as a more durable, reliable machine capable of achieving greater production. The 726 also proved to deliver a longer useful life with significantly higher uptime than competing machines.
Now, 20 years later, the company has achieved what few thought was possible.
Tigercat has been at the forefront of the development and evolution of forest harvesting equipment. The company has made forestry machines more durable and reliable, more productive and far more efficient while focusing on operator ergonomics and access to components. The company has a long list of major engineering achievements, including ER boom technology, the electronically controlled hydrostatic skidder drive, Turnaround and high capacity bunching saws and shears.
In a few months, Tigercat will build its 12,000th machine. Its product offering has grown to nearly 50 carriers and attachments. In the bigger picture, Tigercat is a bright, shining light in a southern Ontario landscape that is increasingly devoid of manufacturing companies. But none of this would have been possible without the dedication of the Tigercat team, the partnerships forged with dealers and suppliers and, most of all, the support and feedback from Tigercat owners and operators.
The film ‘20’ will be available as a special, limited edition DVD and Blu Ray later this summer.
By Tony Kryzanowski
Woodbridge Equipment now distributing TrackGrip
Woodbridge Equipment Parts Inc. is now the North American distributor of TrackGrip, a steel ground gripping device that bolts directly onto the tracks of excavators, dozers and ASV Type machines.
TrackGrip facilitates the operation of construction equipment in conditions that would otherwise be considered non-viable for single vehicle operation.
The TrackGrip attachment can be installed on all machines with track widths of from 12 to 36 inches. The “easy-fit” TrackGrip bars can be installed or removed on site within approximately 20 minutes by an operator. The MightyGrip and StandardGrip models are designed for machines ranging from 6 ton upwards; the ASV Type model is designed for use with Terex, ASV and Cat compact track loaders.
TrackGrip’s patented design, combined with high grade steel specifications and construction techniques, ensures trouble-free operation in harsh terrains for large construction equipment, the company says.
TrackGrip is designed for farming, forestry sandstone, mud, clay, snow, ice and drain work and is guaranteed to stay on.
Woodbridge Equipment Parts Inc. is an aftermarket solutions provider offering products for construction, forestry, mining, earthmoving and landscaping equipment.
Cat felling head more durable and productive
Caterpillar Forest Products has introduced the new Cat HF201B felling head with enhancements to improve performance and durability. Available with 40 degree partial or full 330 degree tilt, the HF201B has a cutting capacity of 22.5” and is ideally matched with Cat track feller bunchers.
The head is more robust as a result of a stronger dual box section frame design, improved arm box structures, stronger pin retention and more use of abrasion resistant material on the saw base. Hydraulic plumbing was simplified with a 42 per cent reduction in the number of hoses and a 52 per cent reduction in connection points.
The grab and accumulator arms were redesigned with single cylinders, reducing hydraulic flow demand on the carrier by about 40 per cent. The arms now have both base and rod end cylinder snubbers.
The HF201B can hold seven to eight stems measuring 6” in diameter, as compared to four to six with the previous model. The new designs for the grab and accumulator arms and the top tree yoke improve tree control. Changes in the saw base also contribute to the head’s performance. A 12 per cent larger throat opening makes it easier to position a tree and improves handling trees with butt swell.
Improvements to the partial tilt design head include upgrades to the base frame and tilt components, providing more consistent torque output and increased life.
Westcon Equipment welcomes Sennebogen to equipment line up
Sennebogen and Westcon Equipment & Rentals Ltd. have joined forces to offer purpose-built material handling equipment to customers in Manitoba. Westcon is now Sennebogen’s Manitoba dealer.
It took almost no time at all to prove the demand for Sennebogen material handlers was there, say the companies. Westcon lined up its first customer almost immediately. Tolko operates a sawmill located six hours north of Winnipeg and came forward as a perfect candidate for a Sennebogen material handler. They took delivery of a new unit in March 2012.
For the past several years Tolko has been running other equipment before acquiring their Sennebogen 830 M-T and according to Westcon, the forest company is pleased with its performance.
Canfor Radium buys Gilbert’s 50th high speed planer
Gilbert Products Inc.’s 50th high speed planer was sold to Canfor Radium in B.C. and will be installed this fall.
“Gilbert is very thankful and enthusiastic to work with Canfor on a seventh Gilbert planer project,” says Heidi Danbrook, Sales Manager at Gilbert. “We are proud of our working relationship with Canfor and we look forward to many successful years to come.”
Gilbert is a market leader in the design and manufacturing of forestry equipment, sawmilling equipment, utility track vehicles and snowgroomers. Located in Roberval, QC, the company is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Baum Pneumatics designs and supplies high pressure pneumatic dust conveying systems
In any system that deals with the collection of dust particles, if there is a 3’ or greater unsealed distance between the dust collection hoods and actual dust sources, containment is required to improve the collection of dust particles.
If dust collection hoods cannot be moved closer to the dust source, then the solution is to improve the system by providing a closely sealed route to control the path for air to carry the dust from the source to the pick-up duct.
Installing a larger dust collection system does not alone improve the collection of dust; it is the containment of the airflow around the source of the dust that will increase the efficiency of the system. A well-sealed system of containment is both inexpensive, and far more beneficial in the creation of a successful dust collection apparatus.
Successful and lasting containment has three symbiotic components: design must be borne within the mill, the machinery suppliers, and the dust collection people. However, what is most needed is an accessible design that maintenance and operating personnel can work with.
Baum Pneumatics Inc. designs and supplies high pressure pneumatic conveying systems with B.C. and Alberta blowpipe installers, and can also supply feeder and blower rebuilds across Canada.
www.baumpneumatics.ca/html/our_services.html
Kubota introduces 1.6 litre spark-ignited engine
Kubota now produces a 1.6 litre engine, the newest member in its spark-ignited family.
The new WG1605 is available in gasoline, LPG and dual fuel. It is a naturally aspirated engine with a bore and stroke of 79 X 78.4 mm.
The engine is based on an industrial engine platform with the same footprint as the Kubota V1505 diesel engine and similar performance to the turbo. Kubota says that the engine offers very low vibration and is exceptionally quiet.
Some additional engine highlights are factory installed wire harness /ECU; factory hot testing; electronic fuel injection; throttle control; three way catalytic converter; gear drive valve train; and diagnostic port.
www.engine.kubota.ne.jp/english
Smithco’s airflow modeling takes heat off dry kiln owners
When it comes to operating a dry kiln, even the smallest efficiencies add up to big savings and much-needed profits. Choosing the wrong propeller size or model can cost thousands of dollars each year. That’s why Smithco offers application engineering that is tailor-made to dry kiln specifications and configurations.
As more and more softwood operators move to sophisticated drying operations, including continuous dry kilns, this service has become critical. Most drying operations require specific fan configurations to ensure that optimal sticker velocities and drying rates are achieved. Smithco’s computerized performance modeling shows customers what air velocities are expected in their own dry kilns. Smithco’s fan performance data is based on AMCA registered lab tests with the propeller mounted in typical dry kiln shroud and panel arrangement without inlet or outlet ducts.
The company’s computerized data system means that customers can get fast and accurate information for their specific needs. This basic airflow modeling is provided as part of the Smithco specification process.
John Deere adds 9.0-litre engine to 700-series
John Deere has added a 9.0-litre John Deere PowerTech Plus 6090H engine to its 700-series tracked feller bunchers and 700-series tracked harvesters, replacing the existing 8.1-litre engine.
The 9.0-litre engine features an electronically controlled high-pressure common rail fuel system to provide maximum power and fuel economy.
The 9.0-litre engine delivers 241 hp at peak power, giving loggers maximum productivity and uptime, shift after shift. An extended, 500-hour engine oil service cycle, paired with extended filter capabilities, helps to lower daily operating costs.
With their large cutting swaths, advanced hydraulic systems and cabs designed for maximum operator productivity, John Deere’s compact 700-series tracked feller bunchers and tracked harvesters are said to be ideal choices for tight or steep-sloped logging. The new 9.0-liter engine enhances 700-Series benefits to maximize logger productivity.
Timberblade launches improved Gator tooth
Timberblade says that it’s new super aggressive X25NS, 2.5” Gator saw tooth cuts even faster and lasts longer than its G23NX Gator tooth because of its new, patent pending shape.
The front cutting tips as well as the second and third cutting tips are even larger than on the original G23NX Gator tooth. It is bigger to match the new, thicker Tigercat discs, but gives even more life when mounted on the original thinner discs.
The company says the extra steel is where feller buncher owners want it, at the corners, which keeps the teeth sharp longer and cutting faster.
The wide 2.5” kerf X25NS is interchangeable with the G23NX and fits on all Tigercat discs.
Olofsfors celebrates 250 years
Founded in 1762, this year marks Olofsfors’ 250th year in existence. Olofsfors Inc. produces the ECO-Track and ECO-Wheel Track product lines for the North American forestry market.
In 1762, John Jennings, at the time one of the most powerful men in Sweden, came to Västerbotten County. At the Ledu River’s outlet, about five kilometres west of today’s Nordmaling, he built a blast furnace and a forge. He named the place Olofsfors.
This was how Olofsfors AB—one of the oldest companies in Sweden—began.
The genuine craftsmanship in Olofsfors products has been passed down from one generation to another. As conditions in the outside world changed in the mid-1900s when forestry was mechanized and trucks took over timber transportation, Olofsfors adapted to these developments and switched from chains to tracks for forest machines—the now widely known ECO-Tracks.
Today, Olofsfors is an internationally successful company that develops and manufactures products in boron steel for the forestry and construction industries.
It operates the sales company, Olofsfors Inc., in Canada.
Olofsfors Inc. is moving into a new larger facility this year in Brantford, Ontario. All marketing personnel and production will be under one roof to meet greater market demands and future growth.
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