My forwarder progression...

[earache]

People have been asking on other threads what kind of equipment I am running, so I figured it best I start a new thread. I find it very disrespectful to sit at someone else's dinner table uninvited. So, here are the forwarders I have had til now;

 

[bitzer]

Did you have issues with or just not like em or what? I can see the need for the double bunk jump. In the type of woods I cut a double would not be efficient I think. Of course if a machine was tipping the trees it would be different too.

 

[1270d]

Looks like an understandable progression earache. How have you found the wisent so far? We run a single bunk 1010 tj and a ponsse buffalo with good results.


Do you cut all short wood or some longer logs?

Bitz, surprisingly you will find you can move wood faster with a good single bunk if the skids are short. We have found the tipping point to be around 200 yards.

 

[earache]

Bitzer, I hated that 610. Couldn't access anything to work on it. Was extremely heavy, slow, tippy, and didn't turn for . Went to the 646, LOVED it. Ran that machine for almost 3 years with almost NO trouble. Was very maneuverable, way more stable with the rear bogies, extenda boom, much faster loader...BUT, I had a very high profile job with a deadline, and it didn't have enough flotation. So, I hired a guy with an 04 Wisent, and he walked around that job WITHOUT tracks and skid it for me. The search was on for an 8 wheeler. The 1110 fit my criteria and budget. I liked the components, the simplicity, and the accessability... So, within weeks I bought the 1110. The problem with the 1110 is the support. THERE ISNT ANY. I had a VERY tough time getting the dealer to come out and work on it. They complained about them not being made, parts, etc...For the past few years I have been continually prodding Ponsse customers to find weaknesses in their parts and service support, and just couldn't. So, I had the machine spoken for that I had skid for me last year, but things just weren't progressing in the time frame I wanted, so after months of deliberation and looking at lots of machines, I bought this one.

 

[earache]

Looks like an understandable progression earache. How have you found the wisent so far? We run a single bunk 1010 tj and a ponsse buffalo with good results.


Do you cut all short wood or some longer logs?

Bitz, surprisingly you will find you can move wood faster with a good single bunk if the skids are short. We have found the tipping point to be around 200 yards.

I've only had the Wisent for a month, and I have a custom guy behind me running a Franklin 132, so I haven't ran the Wisent much at all.
I cut randoms whenenver the stand, markets, and logistics deem it warranted. Last year I cut a lot of randoms.
I don't always use my back bunk. Real short skids don't make sense to mess with the back bunk. And if its real wet, I can run just my front bunk to keep up flotation. I also do a fair share of lot/land clearing work, so I haul a lot of brush. A double bunk without float makes a BIIIG difference.

 

[1270d]

Be careful with the wisent loading the front half and not the rear. They are a pretty light machine as forwarders go and don't have the toughest center section. If you only hauling front tier it puts a lot of stress on the center pins and bearing due to the lack of load balance on the rear axle.
We ran a caribou (very similar to wisent) for a few years and learned some of these things the hard way. Also jack up the front and back to check for play in the bogie bearings. When they get bad they bind the axle and start dropping metal into the bogie housing. Its about 12k per side on the bogies, maybe more.

You are right, they will skid over dirty water with tracks on. Very, very good in soft ground.

We have had excellent service from Ponsse and have heard very little bad about them


What sort of harvester are you running?

 

[earache]

Be careful with the wisent loading the front half and not the rear. They are a pretty light machine as forwarders go and don't have the toughest center section. If you only hauling front tier it puts a lot of stress on the center pins and bearing due to the lack of load balance on the rear axle.
We ran a caribou (very similar to wisent) for a few years and learned some of these things the hard way. Also jack up the front and back to check for play in the bogie bearings. When they get bad they bind the axle and start dropping metal into the bogie housing. Its about 12k per side on the bogies, maybe more.

You are right, they will skid over dirty water with tracks on. Very, very good in soft ground.

We have had excellent service from Ponsse and have heard very little bad about them


What sort of harvester are you running?

I have kept myself in the loop as far as ponsse forwarders for a while now to see if they are worth it and where the weak spots are. yes, the center sections and bogies are definitely not designed for the great lakes region. The center sections hold up well once they have been disassembled and plated, then regularly greased. According to Ponsse, its worse to load the back bunk only. This one has had the updates to the center section. The rear bogie bearings are another spot to not let go once the bearings start getting loose. Bearings on this one are in good condition. As far as using just the front or rear bunk, its an option I put to use maybe 10% of the time. Good to have options. I put 1,000hrs per machine per year, so im not wearing them out. So, the upside to that is once I make a serious repair, it lasts.
I run an old John Deere 120 with a Fabtek package. Its old, slow, but does me well. That and my forwarder progression has taken an awful lot of my money...

 

[bitzer]

Yeah there is no dealer support for anything down here. No one knows how to work on these machines. I'm on my own. Thats part of why I'm apprehensive to step up to a machine that is not totally mechanical. There is very little electrical on my 132. Its got the five lever loader and the manual transmission. No frills here. She packs the wood out though. 4mbf per hour yesterday. Short skid is key though like 1270 said. Its not unusaul to have a 1/4 mile skid from the back of the woods to the landing. In some cases I've done 1/2 mile from woods to the landing. That gets old. I did that this spring. The woods still had frost, but we never would have gotten a truck up through the chisel plowed field. Had to run it to the road. Usually I get a little extra kick from the mill for that though.

 

[earache]

Yeah there is no dealer support for anything down here. No one knows how to work on these machines. I'm on my own. Thats part of why I'm apprehensive to step up to a machine that is not totally mechanical. There is very little electrical on my 132. Its got the five lever loader and the manual transmission. No frills here. She packs the wood out though. 4mbf per hour yesterday. Short skid is key though like 1270 said. Its not unusaul to have a 1/4 mile skid from the back of the woods to the landing. In some cases I've done 1/2 mile from woods to the landing. That gets old. I did that this spring. The woods still had frost, but we never would have gotten a truck up through the chisel plowed field. Had to run it to the road. Usually I get a little extra kick from the mill for that though.

Without any support...that's tough. K-I-S-S

 

[Gypo Logger]

Forwarders are pretty versile, plus they're fun. I once had a C3? with a deutz. It was made by Hawker Sidley of Canada.
It was great for sorting and loading smaller trucks. Not for soft ground though as it didnt have big rubber. It was basicly designed for pulpwood but was good for veneer and sawlogs with it's 8' bunk. With a skidder you can always winch yourself out if you can find something to choke. Lol.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

The site we are logging now, the skid is over a mile. Doing good to get 10 cords out an hour with 2 skidders.

 

[earache]

The site we are logging now, the skid is over a mile. Doing good to get 10 cords out an hour with 2 skidders.

yikes!