New Technology at Elmia

New technology at Elmia

By Diane Mettler

Elmia Wood 2013, held in June in Jönköping, Sweden proved to be a huge success, and the show’s timing could not have been better as it was able to piggyback on the recovery mode of the international forest products industry.

Over 54,000 people came to check out forestry equipment from what seemed like every major manufacturer. Whether you were looking for a chipper, a forwarder, a new processing head, or a firewood processor, it was there at the large demo area at Elmia.

The event is held every four years, and is known for reflecting the latest trends in the global forest industry. For four days, June 5-8, people enjoyed spectacular weather while seeing firsthand what’s new on the market and what’s to come.

Here are a few equipment highlights from the show:

John Deere

The John Deere display featured a variety of equipment, including the prototype 8-wheel 1270E harvester. This piece won’t be in the woods until probably 2014. The 8-wheel option is especially designed for steep slope and soft soil conditions. The new harvester offers more power, high ground clearance and strong Duraxle bogies with customized balancing gear unit for climbing and traction.

Deere also won an award at Elmia for its Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) with Crane Tip Control. This high-tech computer software directs how and where the forwarder’s crane tip should move. There were two forwarders equipped with the new technology and operators were invited to jump in and try it out.

The most important and biggest gain comes from how easily and quickly the operator’s capacity can be improved via crane tip control. A forwarder operator’s workday consists largely of crane work – lifting logs from the ground and up onto the load bed and then unloading them at the roadside. It takes a long time to become a skilled operator and be able to operate the controls in the most efficient way. But many forwarder operators then move on to operating harvesters, where the demands are even higher, and so then new forwarder operators have to be trained up. Essentially, crane tip control will help forwarder operators perform significantly better than they are currently performing.

Tamtron

Tamtron had its high precision scale for timber cranes on display. Tamtron’s technology is simple and the weight system is basically maintenance free.

The Tamtron Timber scale has a large distinct color screen; weights can be stored on a USB flash drive and the integrated diagnostic system allows faults to be located quickly and simply. An extra bonus is the Ecobar system, which helps equipment operate smoother, reduces fuel consumption, and also reduces wear and tear on the crane.

Show goers couldn’t get enough of Ponsse’s new Scorpion—an 8-wheel, low ground pressure harvester. The machine isn’t in the woods yet, but expect to see it next year in North America.

The amazingly-stable Scorpion features a unique new high visibility crane solution. The crane and cabin are located on the same slewing ring, and the Ponsse C50 crane reaches out over the cabin and is equipped with a forked lifting boom. It’s equipped with a new 4F engine and the triple-frame structure levels the cabin and crane for great operator comfort.

Komatsu

Komatsu had a large display at Elmia, with a variety of machines, but the 895 forwarder stood out, with its 22-ton carrying capacity. Its entire construction and performance have been improved; features include a new sturdy chassis design and power train. The shape of the frame, the high-tensile steel of the underside of the rear frame, and the bogie’s portal design are said to provide excellent ground clearance. The boat-shaped underside prevents the forwarder from catching on high rocks and stumps, allowing it to glide over them. The new sturdier front blade can be raised extra high to pass obstacles and the new modular frame design means the Komatsu 895 can be assembled with four different frame lengths to suit different market needs.

The new power train is adapted for 20-ton forwarders. The new, green E3 Power engine delivers high performance with good handling characteristics combined with effective combustion for low fuel consumption. And, the new transmission system adapts to the load, slopes, and any obstacles.

Log Max

Log Max’s Log Mate 500 is a highly advanced control system specifically designed for Log Max heads, helping operators get the most out of all Log Max products and accessories. Active Friction Control, Four Point Measuring, and having the ability to test and control all I/O, are just some of its many features. One module is mounted on the head, two in the cabin to transfer and receive data and power to the harvesting head. All communications are made over a two-channel CANbus system.

Elmia attendees were amazed by the 12000XT, the extreme duty head for big tree production. It has over 5 t. of delimbing force, and its high-production ¾” pitch bottom saw cuts up to 40” with ease.

Dasa Forester

Since 1989, Dasa has created systems that control logging and optimize the value of timber output. They specialize in intelligent systems for control, information management and communication.

Forester is the sixth general bucking system from Dasa. It offers an integrated system solution that manages the entire information flow from planning in the office via the work of the harvester and forwarder to the reporting of production and operational data.

It provides a user-friendly and efficient interface designed to be operated solely with the system’s touch screen. The operator can always see how logging is progressing and all settings and system functions are accessed via the main menu.

MenSe offers a new high-powered clearing head with its patented, hydraulic head designed for a wide variety of duties. It consists of two reciprocating blades with profiled teeth that are attached to each other to form a rigid, heavy-duty cutting blade, similar to a hedge trimmer.

It has an operating width of 1 to 3m, and is both light and effective. It’s insensitive to stones, doesn’t produce any flying particles, and is silent and safe to use—even under electrical lines.

Iggesund Bars

Iggesund Forest was acquired by Olofsfors and became a part of the product line up as of January 2013.

Iggesund’s new R7, R8 and R9 saw bars were developed with input from harvesters. The new bars feature holes instead of slits, resulting in less play and increasing the life of the bar. Also, the nose wheel has 12 teeth, which reduces frictions and wear. The riveted joints are of high alloy boron steel and the hardened shims guide and protect the fully-contained nose sprocket bearing.

The precision-machined chain slot on the R-series guides the chain perfectly so it runs smoothly and transports the oil along the sawbar.

Iggesund bars are now available in North America through Olofsfors, located in Brantford, Ontario.

Seppi

Seppi exhibited the Starsoil stone crusher and soil tiller. The Starsoil is the multifunctional tiller-mulcher for above and below ground mulching of stumps and roots, road maintenance and construction, as well as stone crushing.

It can work at depths of up to16”, crush stones to 12”, and mulch wood to 16”. The rotor has fixed knives with tungsten tips “DUO PROTECT” and “MONO EXTREM” with anti-wear knife support. Working speed is 0.5–2 km/h and it features a double drive with integrated torque limiter, parallel gear transmission with integrated cooling circuit, a hydraulically operated hood, and more.

Ecoforest Winch

For harvesting on steep or difficult to access terrain, Ecoforest came up with the remotely operatedT-Winch. In cable logging areas or in steep slope forwarding applications, finding suitable tail hold stumps is becoming increasingly difficult. In the blade down position, the remotely operated T-Winch can be used to safely secure guy lines, skidders or forwarders. The diesel engine equipped T-Winch powers the 500 metre capacity winch drum, blade hydraulics and crawler movement. An easy-release safety rope allows the option of leaving the logging trail at any time —making remote storing of timber easy to achieve.

Markusson’s 12V DC Triplematic saw chain sharpening machine grinds the cutting link in three different places, and also touches the cutting edge three times during the process to create razor-sharp cutting.

The Triplematic operates as a normal grinder when it starts grinding the cutting edge, but what sets it apart is that the gullet widens (the bottom space below the cutting edge), so that the chain gets a higher chip flow and thus improved cutting performance.

The depth-gauge setting is fully automatic, but can also be set manually for desired depth. The all new, custom speed adjustment also allows grinding of a cutting edge in one action, without it turning blue.

Rottne

A prototype of the Rottne H21D was front and center at Elmia. The H21D comes with 6 or 8 wheels and its diesel engine meets the emission regulation Tier 4 (FT4). The new hydrostatic transmission has 230 kN (51700 lbf) of tractive force.

The H21D is adapted for big wood, with a new stronger loader that has higher lifting and slewing torque. The harvester head has also been upgraded and the hydraulic system is equipped with two pumps.

It contains a new bucking system with improved software that meets StanForD 2010 requirements. And the cab swivels and levels and offers turning movements and increased angles of rotation.

Bosch Rexroth

Bosch Rexroth offered up its A4VG Series 40 variable pumps, which provide greater power density and a wider range of nominal sizes.

With rated pressure increased by about 725 psi—to about 6527 psi—and peak pressure of about 7252 psi, for matched nominal sizes, operators get an energy-efficient and power-optimized system configuration. That means reduced fuel consumption and fewer harmful emissions. A new reworked pump housing also provides improved functionality and flexibility, and a new flange design reduces the number of seal points and optimizes the arrangement of high-pressure ports.

CEJN Multi-X

For those looking to equip one machine with a number of different attachments, possible hose cross connection and downtime is always a concern. Multi-X offers a quick, easy and safe solution for multi hose and wire harness connections. CEJN has a wide range of self-aligning multi-plates designed to meet the demands of the most challenging mobile hydraulic applications. Hydraulic lines can be connected with residual pressure even in tight confined spaces. Single ISO 16028 Flat-Face couplings can be used with fixed installed male plates and theWEO hose connection is self-aligning, making connection easy and prolonging hose life.