tell me why this wont work

[smwwoody]

I want to try this but it is a lot of money to lay out for a plan that might not work.

I would like to try a timberpro selfloading clam bunk with a processer head cutting plantation pine

so what do you think

[treefarmer87]

i wouldn't, you know how bad the pulpwood prices are, and that is an $$$$$$ machine.

[snowstorm]

I want to try this but it is a lot of money to lay out for a plan that might not work.

I would like to try a timberpro selfloading clam bunk with a processer head cutting plantation pine

so what do you think

how you going to limb it??????

[1270d]

How would you get the trees turned so the butts are in the clambunk.  Or do you plan to try skidding by the tops? 

Nevermind.  Guess it wouldn't be that big of a deal with a fixed head.  Is there enough room to swing around while holding the tree?

[smwwoody]

processor head

[1270d]

Fixed or dangle?

[smwwoody]

i have been thinking dangle

[1270d]

With the dangle head how would you get the trees into the bunk butt forward?

Would you process/limb a whole row, then go pick it up?

[smwwoody]

yea that is what i was thinking  cut and process on your way away from the landing then load on your way back

[CTL logger]

I've been told the 830 has problems with bogies when used as a clambunk, but I don't see why it won't work. The 840 has bigger bogies I see a used one for sale with a dangle head thought about buying but I need to trade my machine in

[smwwoody]

I know very little about this type of machine.  It just looks to me like one man could do as much as a 3 man crew with a wheeled feller buncher, large grapple skidder, and a knuckleboom loader with slasher and delimber.

[smwwoody]

CTL

I didnt realize where you were from.  I grew up and started logging just outside of St. Marys  PA

[1270d]

I don't think it would be realistic at all to think you could match a buncher crew for production.  You might be able to do better than half but to match wouldnt be possible. 

Almost everything the timberpro does would be slower. 
Slower felling with the bar saw.
Delimbing may be similar to a pull through for speed (depending on your head)
slow stem handling trying to use the head for a log grapple
slower skid speed

Does this seem accurate?  With the three part method all systems are happening simultaneously.  With one machine they all happen separately. 

Of course you would only have one machine to maintain and fuel, two less employees etc.

[Bobus2003]

I've seen them used as feller\skidder. There is a video on YouTube of a machine in Montana that's running a hot saw felling and loading itself. I know my little dangle was strong. I don't see any reason why you couldn't fell load your self skid to the deck and process the drag. All the brush in one spot and put up only what you can handle. No buried drags in snow or unreachable due to rainy weeks

[gwilson]

I could see that working but being slower on the production side. I've never seen one of those machines but have been around logging a good bit. I know that in pulpwood volume is key to making a profit so speed is important but there are many other variables that play into it (fuel consumption, operators, your time, initial cost, down time, depreciation etc). I'm still thinking on what the next big idea in pulpwood harvest, especially plantation pine.   

[barbender]

I think I've seen Timberpros set up with the hotsaw buncher and clam bunk online. It might work that way, I think that if set up with a dangle head processor it would be extremely innefficient. I think overall you're looking at a machine that is way too expensive for compromised production.

[grassfed]

If you are using a clam-bunk you get an advantage when pulling full tree length and a processor is good if you are bucking to length at the stump. I don't get how they would work good together. What is your final length? It seems to me that you will have an extra step one way or the other;  unless the clam-bunk will carry bucked logs efficiently. Maybe I am missing somthing.

[Wudman]

I know of two of them sitting just a bit to the east of you.  Goodman Lumber Company (Wilson, Va) set up two Timbco machines years ago to thin pine plantation on wet ground.  They were working on Union Camp at the time.  They were good machines for the application.  They could operate on ground that conventional crews couldn't work.  They would accumulate wood in the clambunk and pull it back to higher ground where a grapple skidder could access it.  The ground speed on the Timbco was too slow to run all the way back to the deck.  They were expensive machines but fit a niche.  The crew did some wet ground (hurricane) salvage for me last winter.

[amberwood]

It will work, but how well is the question. Do you need tree length log? If you are going to process to shorter lengths then do it at the stump and go for a forwarder version with the dangle or fixed processor. You will have the benefits of one machine, operator, and leave the rubbish at the stump. The downside is the log handling with a processor head, a huge pain. Maybe consider a swapable head and do it in two passes. Fell and process, then forward.

DTR   

[Dave Shepard]

You may be able to replace three machines with this one, but each of those machines is doing it's job the entire time, whereas your one machine is only performing one of those functions at any one time.

[Gary_C]

It could be done, but not very efficiently. Those processor heads are not very good at all for picking up stems from a pile. I have processed over 500 cords of pine that was hauled to a landing with a grapple skidder and will not do it again. Way slower processing from a pile than cutting and processing at the stump.

And having one machine for two or three jobs will be a lot slower. I had a friend that had a combination harvester/forwarder and the only benefit was having only one machine to haul from job to job. It took more than twice as long because of changovers among other things.

[Ken]

As others have said it will work but nowhere nearly as efficiently as individual machines designed specifically for the task at hand.  There are a number of manufacturers that have marketed combo machines but they have not caught on at least in this area.

Those processor heads are not very good at all for picking up stems from a pile. I have processed over 500 cords of pine that was hauled to a landing with a grapple skidder and will not do it again. Way slower processing from a pile than cutting and processing at the stump.

We have done some partial cutting using a skidder to haul full tree to a landing where the processor limbed and merchandised.  I found our production/hr for the processor went up considerably when it was just processing. It certainly helped if the skidder did not try to make a nice neat pile.  A messy pile seemed easier to pick out of.  Usually our harvest area is littered with unmerchantable stems which slows down processing at the stump. 

Cheers
Ken

[Gary_C]

It certainly helped if the skidder did not try to make a nice neat pile.  A messy pile seemed easier to pick out of.  Usually our harvest area is littered with unmerchantable stems which slows down processing at the stump.

I agree, that would be a lot easier if the stems were not piled. But the other problem with processing in one spot was you were soon buried under the slash and cut products. And a processor is just about the worst thing to use for making neat stacks of output logs. If just one log bounces and turns sideways, you are either going to have to drop everything and straighten the pile or accept the mess.