# Harvester vs. Feller Buncher?



## PB (May 24, 2009)

I was wondering if you could tell me the difference between a harvester and a feller buncher? Looks like they serve the same purpose, but are called by different names.


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## Cletuspsc (May 24, 2009)

Yea i guess it depends on where you live. . . .around here they pretty much mean the same thing. .. . but i have heard some people refer to CTL (cut to length) systems as harvesters. . . .but also as processors.

-steve


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## PB (May 24, 2009)

Thanks. I was wondering about it since the Northeast Logging show. They look like they are built differently. Tigercat and other companies list harvester separate from the feller bunchers.


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## Gologit (May 25, 2009)

*Hey Spud Man*

It's mostly semantics. I'm sure there are totally accurate names for each piece of equipment but, around here at least, they're interchangeable.
Hotsaw, fellerbuncher, harvester...even if the machine is different everybody knows what they mean.

LOL...One outfit calls every mechanical cutter they have a Timbco...they haven't run Timbcos in six years but the name still sticks.


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## RPM (May 25, 2009)

We differentiate between the two around here. 

Fellerbuncher around here is a hotsaw and is production, felling machine - lay the wood down in bunches for a grapple skidder. 

Some contractors are using smaller machines with a harvestor / processor head combo so that they can do both - fall and process (CTL) at the stump and then use a forwarder to take the wood out. Typically, these are be being used for selection cuts, and so more so now - fuel modification projects. Basically, somewhere you are not clear cutting, have some sort of retention prescription and have tip toe around without damaging your residual stems.


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## mercer_me (May 25, 2009)

A feller buncher cuts the tree down and lays it on the ground and that's it. A harvester cut's the tree down and cut's it to length, and when the tree gos through the rolers the branches come off. Feller bunchers are usualy used with skidders, and harvesters are usauly used with fowarders.


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## Zackman1801 (May 25, 2009)

Feller buncher: usually has a large circular saw around here (Maine) or a hydraulic shear and cuts trees off and lays them down tree length in bunches to be picked up behind a grapple skidder.

Harvester: has a head that grabs onto the tree has a hydraulic chainsaw that swings out cuts the tree down, then it pulls it through the arms, strips the limbs off, and cuts the pieces into marketable lengths with the chainsaw so you have piles of sorted wood. Usually a forwarder follows them and picks up the sorted wood.

darn you mercer you beat me to it!


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## RPM (May 25, 2009)

mercer_me said:


> A feller buncher cuts the tree down and lays it on the ground and that's it. A harvester cut's the tree down and cut's it to length, and when the tree gos through the rolers the branches come off. Feller bunchers are usualy used with skidders, and harvesters are usauly used with fowarders.



Isn't that what I said ... ?


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## slowp (May 25, 2009)

'cept out here, the forwarders are used for tailholds or guylines because the mills don't like those short logs. 

The trees are not in rows, and the ground is pretty "tippy". So the processors are used along with grapple skidders or are up on the landing.


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## 380LGR (May 26, 2009)

You all forgot the most important diff. about a 100k!!


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## Meadow Beaver (May 28, 2009)

I just know them as a harvester processor, feller buncher, and i have seen those forwarder processors.


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## MEdooGuide (Sep 14, 2013)

Bunchers work on heavy mechanical operations with grapple skidders. As they cut they group the trees into a twitch to increase the productivity of the grapple skidders. They work tree length and chipping operations typically. Very high production machines and they typically have a much shorter life span because the hot saws are inertia driven so they use a huge amount of horsepower. Its pretty rare to see them involved in cut to length ops unless they are dealing with really big wood. 

Like said above. Harvesters are cut to length operations and eliminate the need for a stroke boom delimber. Usually they work with one or two forwarders. Easier on the machine because they use a lot less horsepower. These are typically most effective on select cut and stumpage operations. But they are a lot less productive. 

I have seen some super high productive operations using a buncher and harvesters. The buncher bunches and the harvester cuts to length and limbs for the forwarder. 

Because of horse power demand and decreased lifespan a lot of times midway through the lifespan of the buncher they will take the buncher head off and put a harvester head on.


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## Oldtimer (Sep 14, 2013)

I want a leveling Deere 759 with a quadco 5660 CTL head. Best of both worlds. Bunch for the grapple, process @ the landing. Quadco tells me they can upfit the 5660 with an accumulator arm so building head loads is possible.
Would more or less eliminate the need for a loader slasher.


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## 1270d (Sep 14, 2013)

A feller bunched falls and bunches timber whether it be for a heli, high line, or skidder
A processor sits on a landing or deck processing stems into marketable sorts.
A harvester falls timber, then processes in the woods. A forwarder then picks up behind it.

This is one of many interpretations


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## OlympicYJ (Sep 19, 2013)

Oldtimer said:


> I want a leveling Deere 759 with a quadco 5660 CTL head. Best of both worlds. Bunch for the grapple, process @ the landing. Quadco tells me they can upfit the 5660 with an accumulator arm so building head loads is possible.
> Would more or less eliminate the need for a loader slasher.



The Log Max heads bear a look. They have some fixed. I believe accumulator arms are an option on em. Never seen the fixed but they are a very nice processor. The hardwood mills out here will let em use the steel Log Max rollers on alder, V-Steel rollers. They don't bruise the wood like a Waratah will. This probably also has to do with the way the rollers grip the logs. Log Max rollers are opposite of one another and the knives hold the stem against the head. Much less slippage than a Waratah. Waratah's on the other hand use the rollers to suck the log up against the head. This seems to give less tractive effort than the Log Max heads and causes more "log rash".

I'm not familiar with Quadco processing heads, other than the Keto track heads and Quadco hotsaws, maybe their rollers are like the Log Max's. 

Wes


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## 1270d (Sep 20, 2013)

Is there quite a few keto's out that way?


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## OlympicYJ (Sep 20, 2013)

There's a few. I've seen a few outfits with em. They seem to be very reliable compared to the waratahs. The tracks do the measuring so if they slip you're off but I don't think they slip much.

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## Profit Logger (Mar 26, 2018)

PB said:


> I was wondering if you could tell me the difference between a harvester and a feller buncher? Looks like they serve the same purpose, but are called by different names.



The difference between a harvester and buncher is actually quite simple. Altho both machines are similar a buncher only cuts a tree. The harvester will cut, limb, and can also cut to length.


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## Skeans (Mar 30, 2018)

First is a track harvester running a fixed Fabtek 2000 head doing long log thinning for both a grapple cat as well as a forwarder for yarding. Next is a wheel harvester a JD1270G with JD/Waratah H415, and last is a track buncher the difference is a bunchers is you cut and bunch piles of tree length trees. To systems of yarding depending on ground or type of work clear cut or thinning you'll see shovel logging, cat yarding, skidding, long log forwarders on a clear cut, were as thinning will be a skidder, cat, or forwarder for both long and short logs.












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## Dave Hadden (Mar 31, 2018)

This looks like a good spot to add to the discussion so indulge me a bit.
Today was gorgeous up here and my pal Joe, recovering from cancer, called and asked if I'd give him a hand getting some firewood.
For sure, so away we went up to some hills between Campbell River and Gold River where Joe normally drives a logging truck.
His boss knew Joe needed to replenish his firewood supply so told him to bring his truck up along with his trailer and the boss would bring along his dual wheel tip-trailer and run the machine to cut some wood.
It's a Madill 1800 and I didn't take a pic of it but Google it to see what they look like. Pretty standard track machine with a processing head that limbs, measures and cuts to length as directed by the operator.
The pics show the country we were in and how nice some second growth can be.
As well, the rows along the road make it easy for self-loading log trucks.
Also shown is the pickup and trailer load we got. Simply created a pile of cut rounds of about 16" length to hand-bomb into the pickup box but cut the rounds right into the trailer.
Didn't take long to get this load plus the big trailer load went quickly too.
Good day in the bush for sure.





Take care.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 31, 2018)

PB said:


> I was wondering if you could tell me the difference between a harvester and a feller buncher? Looks like they serve the same purpose, but are called by different names.



Buncher doesn't delimb or CTL (cut to length). Just cuts trees and drops in bunches.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 31, 2018)

Guess I should have looked more at the thread, nearly 10 yrs old.

We use a buncher, grapple skidders and stroke delimber. Handle it all tree length (max about 50ft)


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## Skeans (Apr 3, 2018)

ValleyFirewood said:


> Buncher doesn't delimb or CTL (cut to length). Just cuts trees and drops in bunches.


Not always true, there's a fixed head harvester which is a buncher based machine.

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## ChoppyChoppy (Apr 3, 2018)

Skeans said:


> Not always true, there's a fixed head harvester which is a buncher based machine.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk



What model?
Not quite sure what you mean.


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## Jhenderson (Apr 3, 2018)

A fixed harvester head such as a Rolly is capable of setting the stem anywhere you choose. Just like a buncher and unlike a dange head. They’re sometimes referred to as a total control head. They’re almost exclusively mounted on a tracked carrier because of the weight of the whole tree being supported to its final resting place by the machine. While they may be used as a buncher, it’s poor use considering the cost 4-5 times as much as a simple felling head.


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## Skeans (Apr 3, 2018)

ValleyFirewood said:


> What model?
> Not quite sure what you mean.


Here's a Barko 240 with a Skidmore fixed harvester head, there's lots of Fabtek 2000 4 roller heads mounted on conversion machines as well as 415, 425, and JD 653 like I have.

To price for efficiency look at the price of a Quadco head you might be surprised plus you only have one machine to do everything vs two or three.






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## Jhenderson (Apr 4, 2018)

I understand your point of view. I don’t understand why anybody would run an expensive, complicated and somewhat maintenance intensive appliance for an operation that pays much less than it’s intended use unless it was an emergency or very rare occasion.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Apr 4, 2018)

We run a Timber jack 2618 and Komatsu 220 with Denharco stroke delimber.

Cut, skid to landing with 648 grapple skidders, delimb, pile, haul with self loading truck.

Works ok, we are just 2 people + a hired hand or two (who don't run equipment)

The roller heads don't usually work well around here aside from on spruce, and then it puts 10 million holes in the log, so can't use for house logs.


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## Skeans (Apr 4, 2018)

ValleyFirewood said:


> We run a Timber jack 2618 and Komatsu 220 with Denharco stroke delimber.
> 
> Cut, skid to landing with 648 grapple skidders, delimb, pile, haul with self loading truck.
> 
> ...


A lot of that comes down to operator as well as how the machine is setup alder I have to lighten up my feed wheel pressure, where as our softwoods I have to watch my knives digging. We use to do tree length for a skidder or grapple cat as well as CTL long log 36 & 40's bunch in the row for them to pick up.

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