Tigercat 180 working steep slope turns on a gray day near the Oregon coast. The Tigercat 180 is paired with a ACME grapple carriage, with a 360-degree rotation, low-pressure hydraulics, single solenoid valves, and a patented skyline clamp with replaceable aluminum jaws.

Tioga Logging Spearheads Tigercat 180 Field Testing

By Rick Stedman

For the last few decades, the worldwide timber industry has been trying to develop equipment that enables loggers to work smarter, not harder. Extracting timber from steep hillsides has become more challenging and more expensive. To that end, Tigercat Industries developed its first model for cable logging operations: the Tigercat 180 swing yarder.

Longtime Oregon logger Bruce Rider, owner of Tioga Logging in Myrtle Point, has years of experience using a variety of towers. That background gave him the knowledge he needed to be the first to order a Tigercat 180.

Tigercat 180's cab is efficient and comfortable.

Rider bought the first Tigercat 180 in October 2021 and officially began field testing it in January 2022. None of this would have happened if not for his close ties with Triad Machinery sales manager Terry Haskin.

Bruce Rider and Terry Haskin have worked together for more than a decade. There is a lot to be said about establishing good customer relations when it comes to your clients. Haskin has perfected that quality by knowing the preferences of his customers. Thus, when he first heard of the Tigercat 180, he immediately thought of Bruce Rider.

Haskin says, “Bruce is a strong believer in the Tigercat product. When he first learned about the Tigercat 180, he bought it right then and there. His decision was based on an engineering concept drawing that he saw one-and-a-half years before it was actually built!”

You could call Bruce Rider a bold businessman, for this is simply blind faith at its best!

Haskin shares that since the initial Tigercat 180 sale to Rider, he has had numerous inquiries and visitors interested in the product.
“I recently hosted visitors from Ecuador who are interested in purchasing the newest Tigercat,” he says. “I also have visitors coming from Australia who want to see a first-hand sample of the Tigercat 180.”

In addition, Rider shares that he has had numerous inquiries about his newest acquisition. “I’ve had lots of phone calls, and several interested parties have been out to see the 180 in action.”

Tioga Logging in for the Long Haul

Tioga Logging has operated out of southwest Oregon, specifically the Roseburg area, since opening its doors in 2007. Bruce Rider, however, has worked in the logging industry for 43 years.

“I started right out of high school in 1979,” he says, “and I’m a third-generation Rider to work in the logging business.”

Bruce Rider, owner of Tioga Logging

While he has worked in a variety of jobs and for various companies over the years, Rider started his first company in 1995. “At one point, I had about 40 employees working for me,” he says. “But one thing led to another, and I eventually dissolved that business, then formed Tioga Logging in 2007.”

Bruce’s 15 employees have some longevity in the industry. “The average age of my staff is 48,” he says. “That’s the one thing about the logging industry, it’s challenging to get younger people to work in this field.” According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual wage for logging workers was $46,330 in May 2021. Even with the possibility of earning good wages, Bruce says, “They [the younger generation] just don’t want to do it.”

Rider’s main equipment lineup includes a host of Tigercat machinery. In addition to the Tigercat 180, his other machinery includes a Tigercat LX855E grapple, LX855E bar saw, Tigercat LX830D feller buncher, 610E skidder, Tigercat 880D log loader, Link-Belt 4040TL processors, a 623 Waratah, pair of 4040TL log loaders, a Link-Belt 4040 tether machine, and a Link-Belt 370LX Tether.

Many of these sales resulted from the long-standing relationship between Rider and Terry Haskin.

Closed loop hydraulic circuits drive winches with variable speed control.

Haskin has been in the logging business for a long stretch as well, though from the sales end of things. In fact, being a sales representative runs in his family. The Rider-Haskin relationship actually began long before Bruce and Terry got into business.

Terry Haskin’s father Robert sold equipment to Bruce Rider’s father, Gene, when the two were actively working in the industry! Robert Haskin was a sales rep and part owner of Interstate Tractor and Equipment, while Gene Rider was employed at International Paper. Today, their sons have continued that collegial relationship.

Bruce Rider is not bashful when it comes to professing his devotion to Tigercat machinery. “I love Tigercat equipment,” he says. “I’ve had seven of them over the years, but the latest addition, the Tigercat 180, is special. In fact, it’s a game changer!” At press time, Rider indicated that he has already logged more than 700 hours on his Tigercat 180.

The Tigercat 180 Specs

Tigercat Industries shares some of the highlights of the new 180 swing yarder that has caused a lot of stir in the logging industry.

The new Tigercat 180 swing yarder combines the speed and stability of a conventional yarder with the mobility and simpler controls of an excavator-based yarder. The result: A more powerful and versatile Tigercat yarder designed for extreme terrain logging applications.

The 305 kW (409 hp) carrier was carefully designed with a component layout, hydraulic system, drivetrain, and boom system optimized for yarding. The result is high line pull, excellent stability, and efficient operation.

The 180 is also designed to achieve exceptional stability. In most operating conditions, it can achieve high line pull without the use of guylines. The purpose-built undercarriage has a reinforced pedestal and carbody with an extended blade for added stability. The blade mounts are tied directly into the carbody for added strength.

The machine can be moved quickly to the next set-up by simply lifting the blade. In operating situations where additional stability is required – like extremely long yarding distances or low deflection conditions – a simple static guyline can immediately be set up, and the machine still retains the ability to swing with the guyline attached.

The purpose-built winches are driven with efficient dedicated closed-loop hydraulic circuits for smooth operations and infinitely variable speed control. The closed-loop circuits provide energy when lowering the load for increased efficiency. Intuitive joystick controls, along with many programmable features, reduce operator training time and increase production.

As Bruce Rider indicates, the Tigercat 180 is a game changer for the logging industry.