Building on the foundations of the 840, Alstor’s new 850 series promises to deliver when it comes to small-scale forestry. FJ travelled down to Shropshire to see the UK’s first 850 Combi in action during some Douglas fir thinning.
A QUICK glance at the forest floor and you’d struggle to tell that machinery had been here at all.
At the end of a long, miserable, and wet spring (which, so far, has been followed by a long, miserable, and wet summer) most harvesters would have left their mark on the Burwarton Estate, tyre tracks dug into the ground and brash mixed into the mud. But that’s far from the case with the UK’s newest Alstor.
It was early May, and the first 850 Combi to arrive on these shores had been tasked with thinning 12-metre Douglas fir at Viscount Boyne’s 15,000-acre Shropshire home, and it was doing so with ease.
Under the command of Nathan Home – the owner of British dealer Home Forestry – the harvester-cum-forwarder glides between the canopy, moving into position and bringing down tree after tree without breaking sweat.
Fitted with a Tapio 160 harvesting head and Palms 2.54 crane (a change from Alstor’s previous use of Farma), the 850 Combi gets through around 40 to 45 trees an hour, producing between 2.5 and 4 tonnes in that time. All very impressive considering just how bad conditions have been in the county and the wider UK for as long as anyone can remember.
“We have had probably nine months of rain in Shropshire,” Nathan says as he climbs out of the cabin, fresh from demonstrating the 850’s capabilities. “We have had bandtracks on all through the summer and the spring and they have just come off. We are spending a lot of time reinstating the work we have done.
“If there’s an option to do it with a smaller machine and leaving less impact, that seems to be a favourable choice.
“This wood is used for shooting, and, with the weather conditions, we don’t want ruts that we would leave with a larger machine.
“The idea is we can bring these in, do the first thinnings without making a mess on the ground. In fact, there’s no real impact.”
And that’s really the point. At just 1.58 metres wide and weighing in at 2,650 kg, the 850 Combi pales in comparison to many of the machines at the larger end of the forestry market. Its sister machine – an 850H (a dedicated harvester) – is a touch wider at 1.65m and heavier at 4,000 kg, but, as far as machinery is concerned, that’s more bantamweight than a hulking heavyweight.
Replacing the popular 840 Alstor, the 850 was shown off for the first time in September last year, and Nathan’s arrived in April. By the time Forestry Journal ventured down to the estate – set within the Shropshire Hills National Landscape – he had already grown to love its performance.
“It has been really good,” he says. “We are very impressed. It’s the next step up from the Alstor 840 Pro. It has more power, more oilflow and better hydraulics.
“We have a variable-displacement pump now as an option, which gives us a lot more oilflow, which means the stroke head is working a lot quicker.
“When we are running it as a forwarder through the Parker valve, we can get the crane to run a lot faster.
“For professional, faster operators, they are not waiting for a delay on the crane. It’s as fast as people can imagine.”
Being Alstor’s first hydrostat machine – and its first aimed solely at the professional market – the 840 certainly laid some steady foundations for the 850 to build on. The hydrostatic transmission is speed controlled which, Alstor says, prevents the engine from being overloaded and maximises traction versus engine power at any given time.
A traditional high gear is no longer available, but the machine provides full traction at start and the speed can then be adjusted completely steplessly – 0–16 km/h (forward) 0–10 km/h (reverse) – without stopping for changes. Permanent eight-wheel drive with the cardan means that you always have drive and brakes on all eight wheels. While Nathan’s is fitted with a Palms crane, a Mowi option is also available.
“The chassis has been upgraded to the generation four chassis, the same as on the 822,” Nathan says. “It now has the variable-displacement pump, and the cab also tips over, which makes it easier to service for us.
“It has a Kubota 25 hp engine, the same as its predecessor. It has one motor, and it is run through the high-speed cardan shaft, so it is simpler.
“It is easier for us to work on, and easier for the operator.
“When you get into the wood, you see that it is amazing what it can do. I am not just saying that.
“Half of the valves in these machines are the ones you get in the bigger harvesters and forwarders.
“The cab is larger, the soundproofing is better. Ergonomically, it fits really well. I am not small, but it is comfortable for me. If the operator is happy and the machine is paying for itself, that’s what we want.
“The environment is so important, but we don’t want to go down that route and lose money. There has to be a balance.
“The variable-displacement pump loads the pump up through the Parker valve as you set the functions up. That crane is now flying round there; most operators would be slowing it down. The speed is remarkable.”
Once cut by Nathan, the Doug fir is collected by Hugh Barnard in his 822 – “It’s great!” he says of the machine during a brief break – and sold to local firm Edge Renewables. It’s all a very smooth operation, and one you can imagine taking place across the UK; even if Alstor continues to face the challenge of drawing attention away from some of forestry’s behemoths.
“When you go to forestry shows, everyone wants to be near and stand under the big machines,” Nathan adds. “It’s all about trying to outdo one another. Everyone looks down on the small stuff; some of it, in fairness, is for the part-time user.”
As well as being the year the UK got its first 850 (with another due to arrive in October for a Scottish customer), 2024 also marks the 25th one in which Home Forestry has been selling Alstor. Rabaud and Farma are among its other brands.
“We sell around about five or six Alstors a year,” Nathan said. “At the moment, most of our machines go to England. The new 850 is going up to a contractor in mid-Scotland. The last four Alstors we have sold have been down here, but I’d say about 30 per cent go north of the border.
“They are generally going up to do more difficult or sensitive extraction. That includes nature reserves, private estates, and shooting estates.
“With the way climatic conditions are going and with smaller owners looking for the work to be done, people are wanting to do it without making a mess.
“With the Alstor, it’s the ability to move it on a trailer behind a 4WD vehicle. The new cab is very nice inside; it’s air conditioned and you can comfortably do a long shift in there and still feel refreshed at the end of the day.
“There are other brands on the market, but Alstor has always ticked the box for us.
“This is our 25th year of being with Alstor and we are very pleased to be running two machines.”
As several hours with Nathan and Hugh came to an end, FJ was certainly convinced of the 850’s prowess. But it’s a bit of a packed market. There are many other manufacturers out there that would say they have the best option when it comes to low-impact, small-scale machinery, so what sets Alstor apart?
“Alstor is full of quality,” Nathan says.
“When I said to Kristian [Laurell, Alstor CEO] about Forestry Journal coming out and showing off this machine, I asked if he was worried [it would reveal too much about the machine]. He simply said no. Everyone is playing catch-up with us already.”
You can read an interview with Kristian Laurell in our KWF coverage here. You can also watch the 850 Combi in action on Forestry Journal’s YouTube channel.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here