A LOT has changed in the world of harvesting over the last few years – so it’s about time we took a look at the machines that make light work of the planet’s trees.

From the big to the small, our harvester round-up is your essential guide to forestry’s essential tools. 

The following is Part I of our round-up. Part II can  be viewed here. 

MALWA 

OPERATORS from bigger machines finally have a machine they can feel at home in straight away, and where they can experience versatility and care of ground at a whole new level. 

Malwa’s 980 promises to be a compact thinning harvester on eight wheels “with quality and expertise in every component”.

Weighing between just 8.9 and 9.8 tonnes, depending on spec, the machine boasts a number of key features, including: 

Mechanical transmission: Mechanical – or, rather, hydro-mechanical – transmission translates into smooth and responsive driving on all eight wheels. Malwa is the only company to provide this feature in this size of machines.

Steering angle of 45°: Centre section with its hydraulic cylinders provides 45° steering, which translates into a turning radius of just 5.8 metres. 

Harvester head: The Log Max 3000T is well-known and recognised as one of the best, most efficient and most reliable harvester heads on the market, with a powerful, dual swing damper for exact positioning of the head. It weighs 615 kg, with a maximum cutting diameter of 52 cm.

Colour marking and stump treatment is available as an option.

Fitted with a CAT C4.4 engine, which more than meets the requirements of EU Stage V, the 980 can also be equipped with Malwa’s own double bogie. Malwa’s harvester range also includes the 560H and 560C Combi, which doubles as a forwarder.

ROTTNE 

ALL Rottne machines are now being renamed to E, completing the model lineup. The H11 and H21 models are also being rebranded with the E designation. Last year, Rottne launched its forwarder series and the smallest harvester, the H8, with the letter E in the model name. Now, it’s time for the medium-sized harvester, the H11, and the large final felling harvester, the H21, to also carry the E designation.

The letter E represents a range of improvements, some of which are shared across models, while others may be unique to a specific model. One common feature among all the harvesters is the new palettes that were previously introduced in Rottne’s new forwarder series. These provide a much more modern appearance and better ergonomics for the operator, with more adjustment options.

The cabins are now painted blue instead of being wrapped, partly for the visual design but also to ensure they stay in good condition during long hours in the forest. The H11E and H21E will also have the option of RCA (Rottne crane assistance).

Both harvester models have also received a number of other improvements that now justify a new model designation. The H11E has been equipped with a completely newly developed crane, the RK220. It has been improved in several areas; the crane, with its new slewing house, is much narrower and has improved hose routing. The RK220 is 15 per cent stronger and can therefore carry a larger head at 11.1 metres than before. 

The lifting height has also been improved.

JOHN DEERE

THERE’S only really one place to start with John Deere – its newly-launched H Series. 
Compared to the G Series, the 1270H and 1470H harvesters enable significantly increased productivity and remarkably lower fuel consumption per harvested cubic metre.

The revamped engine of the H Series has 10 per cent more power and torque than its predecessor, while new hydraulics with three dedicated pumps offer more hydraulic power and higher work pressure for feeding. 

The optimised system ensures balanced fuel economy. with the new Active Frame Lock bringing more stability, whether working on steep slopes or flat ground. This makes it easier to work when the boom is sideways and gives the operator a larger working area. During a major launch earlier this year – which saw thousands of forestry professionals, journalists, and operators head to John Deere’s Finnish HQ – the manufacturer also unveiled two new booms. Both the H7 and H9 offer 10 per cent more lift power, with the former promising 10 per cent more slewing torque and the latter five per cent more slewing torque. 

John Deere’s 1270H and 1470H feature a new rear chassis and new placement of the engine, hydraulic oil and fuel tanks, and pumps. The design of the machines reflects John Deere’s collaboration with BMW Design Works. In both harvester models, the engine has been turned 180 degrees, the hydraulic oil, fuel tanks and the pumps have been placed at the front of the engine, and the cooler and the fan at the rear of the machine. 

VIMEK 

STRONGER, larger and more efficient than its predecessor, Vimek’s new 470 has small-scale forestry at its heart. 

Built on the same machine platform as its forwarding counterpart – the eight-wheeled 870, itself given a facelift in 2022 – the 470 is the company’s sixth model in production, with sales expected to begin towards the end of 2024. 

Featuring a Stage V engine from Cat, with an output of 55.4 kW, it can handle HVO fuel and has a low diesel consumption and thus low emissions. The harvester is part of the Next Generation series together with the 870.

Speaking at the launch of the 470, Johannes Nilsson, CEO of Vimek, said: “We believe that the stand-by method still provides the best conditions for the driver to carry out the thinning with high quality. Stand thinning requires a flexible and light harvester with good visibility and high capacity; these features are found in the Vimek 470. 

“In combination with the Vimek 870 forwarder, you get a minimum of cutting path area and the machine operators are given the best opportunity to make active decisions which trunks should be prioritised and which should grow further. 

“This provides the conditions for high growth of profitable ranges and reduces the risk of damage to the stock.”

PONSSE

WHEN it comes to harvesters, they don’t get much bigger than Ponsse’s Scorpion Giant – but don’t think that means it’s an uncompromising beast. 

Launched in 2022, the machine was designed to provide more versatility than the rest of the manufacturer’s range, promising to be “not only effective, but also agile and balanced”. 

Only bettered in terms of productivity and power by Ponsse’s Bear, the Scorpion Giant can be used in a wider variety of site conditions than its bigger brother, and is developed to have more tractive effort, which helps the harvester to be agile even in challenging conditions, including snow, steep slopes and soft terrain.

The Scorpion Giant consists of all the familiar features of other Scorpion machines, and they have been developed even further, including more tractive effort and C50+ crane whose fork boom offers excellent visibility of the logging site and increased lifting power.

Ponsse continues to offer a range of harvesters to suit all needs, with ‘sustainability’ increasingly at the heart of the manufacturer’s design. Options include the ever-popular Ergo, Cobra, and Scorpion King. 

KOMATSU 

IT has been called the final piece in Komatsu’s harvesting jigsaw. 

The 951XC is an eight-wheeled machine that boasts a more compact design than its predecessors, the 951 and 931XC, and is said to be ideal for working in denser stands. 

With “great stability, excellent manoeuvrability, and low ground pressure”, the harvester features a significantly shorter distance from the centre of the crane to the front wheels (than the 951) and new working hydraulics to better utilise the diesel engine.

First shown off at the 2023 Swedish Forestry Expo, the 951XC has 242 kN of underlying tractive force and unique interaction between engine, control system and power transmission. 

The hydrostatic transmission enables engine power to be fully utilised, providing considerable advantages in difficult terrain as well as excellent climbing ability. This is due to the machine’s large hydrostatic pump, which can maintain higher speeds at high tractive forces.

The first 931XC arrived in the UK in April and has since impressed bosses at Scottish Borders-based Elliot Henderson.  

To aid harvester operators, Komatsu this year also unveiled an upgraded digital solution (Smart Forestry), which encompasses all of the existing MaxiFleet features. 

TIGERCAT 

AT 23 tonnes and boasting 282 hp, there’s only one way to describe Tigercat’s 1165 – a mid-sized harvesting behemoth. 

Well suited for thinning, selective cutting and final felling, the machine is powered by the manufacturer’s Stage V compliant FPT N67 engine and uses the same swing components as the larger 1185, as well as oscillating and articulating centre section components used on other Tigercat machines.

One key feature that sets the 1165 apart from others is the ability to level the cabin 18 degrees forward and 24 degrees back. This maintains visibility even in the steepest of surroundings.

With an 11-metre telescopic crane, allowing for loads of up to 1,100 kg, the harvester also includes Tigercat’s ER boom and WideRange drive as standard. 

If tracked harvesters are more your thing, Tigercat is generally seen as the brand to beat. Its offering includes the H855E, LH855E, and H822E, with a new LH857 on the way. Debuted in Oregon earlier this year in its shovel logger form (where it is known as the LS857), it is said to be based on the “immensely popular and successful” 855E platform that has served the manufacturer so well. 

Read Part II here.