The Classic Machinery Network

**Major re-edit of this post since yesterday, following a trawl through my archives! **

The conversion looks like it is one done by J. P. Wilson the County refurbishers, as it is identical to the one in the picture below of their demonstrator, with the crane mounted mid-way along the cab, the roof design where the lights are, and the long mudguards with operator entry at the back. I was led to believe that they made only one.

Jones used a cab that looked like a Duncan (I think it may have even used Duncan doors) with a large RHS frame from the axle incorporated at the back edge for the crane. The branch diverters would have been from the cab right out to the front too, but they often got damaged and replaced with whatever was to hand.

Chieftain Forge's crane cab looked like it was cut from solid plate, and had the distinction of being the only cab ever tested by the NIAE that was still completely undamaged after the tests and fit for sale!

The slew cylinders on that one are in fact at the bottom of the column, as it's a short-column crane and the column stops at them on the cab roof.

Dave. S.

Here's a real oddity - it's a conversion from what was a Mini Brunnet forwarder, one of the few forwarders which had the crane mounted on an external frame over the cab, with the cab turned around and moved onto what was the log bunk, and a larger crane fitted to convert it into a harvester.

A lot of work to go to!

Dave. S.

Hi david
was the Brunnet conversion carried out only once or was many machines altered.It seems to be a lot of work moving the engine ,finding and mounting. the bigger crane etc.Would it have made economic sense?

Interesting photos Dave and info

Dave

pk1200 wrote:Hi david
was the Brunnet conversion carried out only once or was many machines altered.It seems to be a lot of work moving the engine ,finding and mounting. the bigger crane etc.Would it have made economic sense?

Brian,

In the early days of harvesters people were a bit sceptical of excavator conversions and many wanted wheeled bases like the Scandinavians used, but wheeled harvesters were more than double the cost of an excavator based harvester.

This resulted in quite a few machine builders (usually agents for the various heads) building specials like this one. It used a Silvatec head.

Various other things were used as base machines - conversions of older two-gip harvesters like the Rottne, forwarders, Kockums four-wheeled feller/buncher chassis, skidders, M-B Tracs and quite a few Matbro Telerams with the boom removed and a crane fitted!

Excavators almost took over after that for a while, but now there seems to be more money in the woods and with contractors buying more brand new machines the purpose built chassis are more common - and the giant tracked 360 degree self-levelling harvesters!

Dave. S.

Hi dave
I think that the pendulum may have swung back towards excavators because of better/faster hydraulics=better production,cheaper initial outlay,cheaper parts, servicing, and bigger second hand market.

Found this little machine busy working away meanwhile pics 3 and 4 show a unit which seems to have settled into retirement.

THanks for posting all the neat pictures of the forest machines. Im gettin into salvage logging in my home town. Im interested in the Grab on the Close up picture of the County. Does it use just one cylinder to pen and close the grab or a complex linkage or 2 cylinders. Ive been looking at many designs so I can build my own. Most machines used here are skidders, I think there is one old Ford based Forwarder thats got large tires up fron and balloon tires on back. I see it a few times each year, I even did some welding on it but cant recall the name. Our logging sites look terrible compared to the ones pictured, even if the timber is select cut the compaction and rub damge kills tons of the standing trees.


ARPS co also made several sets of tracks for Ford and Feruson tractors. My father lived in South Carolina for afew years and said that they had several conversions there for logging cypress and mucking hog parlors. They used grease tube and some had screws to set the track tensions. Ive even seen them for small Allis Chalmers G tractors. Arps als omade small backhoe attachments and blades and Larger backhoes to.

some photos