forwarders

spencerhenry · August 09, 2005, 08:27:45 PM

been thinking of buying a forwarder. have noticed that valmet machines typically sell for less, why? who out there uses them and what advice do you have. i have a need to haul aspen in long lengths about 1/2 mile. mostly small trees, but lots of them

Ron Scott · August 10, 2005, 05:46:52 PM

A good machine from what I know of them. I have Valmet forwarders operating on my timber harvests with little or no down time as long as routine maintenance is performed.

I'm sure that there are photos of some in the Timber Harvesting Methods and Equipment Thread. I'll be posting some more soon as I'll be on a Valmet working job again tomorrow.

spencerhenry · August 11, 2005, 04:57:57 PM

how long of a log can a 16' bunk reasonably haul?

Gary_C · August 11, 2005, 08:16:03 PM

I have a Valmet 644 single bunk forwarder and have hauled 17 footers but had to put them on the bottom and stack 8 footers on the front to hold them down. On a double bunk you should be able to haul 24's if you can get them loaded. The single bunks were made for one stack of 100 inch logs.

The Valmets are good machines and they are cheaper because they have been around longer (at least in the US) and they made some smaller machines earlier. Valmet bought out the Gafner Iron Mule and then made the earlier machines in Gladstone, MI. They first came out with the 500 series machines that had Ford Diesels and then made the 600 series machines with Cummins Diesels. They originally made both single bunks and double bunks (two stacks of 100 inch long logs) but now just make the double bunk version They now sell the 840's and 860's which are made in Europe. Valmet was owned by Partek Forest Products which was part of a large European conglomerate and they were recently spun off and then sold to Komatsu.

Overall they were a good machine but forwarders get hard use and some of the older machines need a lot of attention. Look them over carefully before you buy. Or if you can come up with $250,000 you can buy new.

Ron Scott · August 11, 2005, 08:26:05 PM

17 footers are the max we allow them to forward on a single bunk This is also to prevent damage of remaining trees from the "overhang". Most single bunk forwarding is of 100" wood as Cary C. stated.

spencerhenry · August 11, 2005, 10:23:52 PM

as you said, forwarder see alot of hard use. what are some things to look for? are the older ford powered machines good machines? what kind of turning radius does something like a 546 have?
thanks for the info

Gary_C · August 12, 2005, 11:26:56 AM

The ford diesel was a decent engine, but they are no longer being made so major parts like blocks, heads, crankshafts, etc will be difficult to find. Many of the older ones have over 12,000 hrs and that is like 500,000 miles for a truck.

Major things to look at would be all fluid levels and condition, tires, center pivot, and loader condition. Also check hydraulic hoses and valves for leaks. You absolutely need to run the machine and try it out before you buy. I always find out the previous owners name and talk to him but it does not help if you are buying from the previous owner.

As I said, I have a 644 single bunk and it has the tightest turning radius because the axles are both the same distance fron the center pivot so the rear wheels follow exactly in the same track as the front. The 6 wheel double bunks (546 or 646) are not nearly as good turning as you have to slide those rear bogie wheels on a turn. I can weave thru trees like a snake as long as there is space between the trees to pass. However good that is, I am now looking to trade for a double bunk because I just don't have enough capacity with that single bunk machine.

Good luck in your search. Right now good used forwarders are the hottest thing on the used equipment market. Most good used trade ins are sold before they have a chance to clean them up and check them out. Right now Ponsse is sold out of new machines until more arrive in November.

spencerhenry · September 18, 2005, 05:19:48 PM

was looking on ebay, and found a rottne blondin 6x6 forwarder. all repainted, new tires, glass, hoses, looks almost like a new machine. looks like a shorter bunk for a tandem. is an '89 rottne a good machine, what drawbacks did those have? it is in pennsylvania.

Scott · September 18, 2005, 08:14:12 PM

Dom works at a Rottne dealer, he should be able to tell you anything you would ever need to know about that machine

Gary_C · September 19, 2005, 01:04:47 AM

I would NEVER buy any type or brand of used forestry equipment without first looking it over in person, starting and running it, checking all the equipment and controls, and even talking to the previous owner. The last thing doesn't work if is being sold by the owner. Forestry equipment is built tough, but it is also used in very difficult, demanding, and sometimes hostile environments.

More later as the lightening is getting close and I need to get off this computer.

Ron Scott · September 19, 2005, 05:06:39 PM

A Couple Valmet 840 Forwarders. These units were used in the logger loading competition at the recent MI/WI Logging Congress; 9/05

tiny3 · September 20, 2005, 05:38:23 AM

hi we run a 890 8 wheel drive valmet forwarder,has 13000hrs on it with no major down time.pretty good machine 8)

Dom · September 20, 2005, 04:53:31 PM

Rottne's are very good machines. They are user friendly and reliable. I saw the forwader you are looking at on Ebay. It appears to be in very good condition. There is something odd though; Rottne started to make the Rapid line in 1986, and only made a few Blondin afterwards, which leads me to believe that is not a 1989 model.

I talked to our Rottne expert at work. He used to work for Rottne in Sweden, and he actually delivered the first Rapid forwarder to a customer. He's very knowledgable about forestry machines. There is nothing really to worry about any Rottne machines, it all really depends on how well the machine was maintained, and how it was used for working. If the operators were rough on the machine, then it may not be a good choice.

The Blondin used mostly Ford components, so they are easy to fix, and its fairly easy to get parts.

Rottne started out by making booms for farm tractors in the early 60's. They have a very good description of the company's past on there website. www.rottne.se.

Let me know if you have other questions.

spencerhenry · September 20, 2005, 05:59:53 PM

the bed on the one on ebay is only 12 feet. the guy who is selling it said he could extend it for a small fee. extending the be seems like not too big of an issue, but if the bed were extended to 16', and then i used it to haul 24' material, wouldnt it load the rear axles too much, and take load off of the front, causing the machine not to want to steer, and possibly other problems? i am going to buy a forwarder for one purpose, to haul as much material as i can in one load. my property is about out of material to take out, and the neighboring property has alot of material, but it would be about a mile of skid road to get to the back of the cut. using a forwarder i believe i can move more material, and faster than a cable skidder. with also less damage and dirt in the material i am moving.

Dom · September 24, 2005, 09:55:55 AM

I asked Rolf (our Rottne expert) and he thought 12' was short for the bed. I do not beleive extending the bed to 16' would cause a problem, but hauling 24' logs might cause a problem. Keep in mind this machine was designed to haul cut to lentgh, not tree lentgh. This is the case for most if not all forwarders. A forwarder will enable you to haul wood over long distances without damaging the trees or ground, but it does have limits on the tree lentgh it can carry. As I said earlier, I do not believe that forwarder is a 1989. It might be a 1989, but I doubt it.

Frickman · September 25, 2005, 04:11:50 PM

I only have a ten or twelve foot bed on my Tree Farmer forwarder, ten I think. I routinely haul sixteen footers, and have even hauled a few twenties. You just pile some short logs on top and they keep the longer logs from tipping off the back.