Grapple carriage on a 100-foot tower no leap of faith
SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT GARETH WHITE WAS NUTS FOR wanting to put a grapple carriage onto his recently purchased Skagit 739 100-foot tower hauler.
It would be more trouble than it was worth, they told the Rotoruabased forestry contractor.
But Gareth wanted to protect his vulnerable workers, saying: “Getting people off the ground is most definitely a major reason for introducing the grapple carriage.
“When you’ve got breaker-outs down the hill, at the back of your mind is the thought that something could go wrong.”
White Logging has two swing yarders fitted with grapples, which persuaded Gareth to try it on the hauler: “Having always grappled with a swing yarder I couldn’t see why it wouldn’t be possible to use a grapple carriage on the tower.”
It has been more successful than Gareth dared hope. The grapple carriage now stays on the skyline in all but the most exceptional circumstances and has proven to be a valuable business tool.
He chose the Falcon Claw, developed by DC Equipment of Nelson, saying: “The decision to go for the Falcon was availability and good reputation, and this one suited what we wanted to do. Being made here in New Zealand it’s always good to support local.”
He chose the 1750 model, the largest in the Falcon range, weighing 1,870kg and utilising an 11.2kW (15hp) Hatz diesel engine to rotate, open and close the 2-metre wide grapple. It’s robust and faultless in all weathers and conditions he says, and it has been tested to the limit by Gareth’s crew.
When asked how long it took the operators to get used to it Gareth says: “About 10 minutes. The first time using it, I put one of the good operators in there and he sent the carriage straight down and grabbed a tree, no messing around.”
The 19-inch LCD display gives the operator clear visibility and real time information, displaying functions that include GPS information, distance from grapple to tower and the like.
White Logging harvesting operates mostly in the South Waikato, where ground conditions range from easy rolling country to challenging terrain that defies mechanised recovery.
“Most places where I didn’t think we’d be able to use the grapple carriage, the boys have left it on and done alright through those pieces,” says Gareth. “Those challenging areas are harder and slower, but the Falcon Claw can work in those areas.”
The ability to rotate the grapple to straddle the tree on the ground is a real advantage. And a mobile tailhold means that moves are made by the machine on the other end of the skyline, rather than laboriously repositioning the tower and guy lines.
Another advantage is less stress and shock to the ropes and running gear. Gareth backs that up: “We haven’t had any dramas with our gear since it went into operation.”
For those yet to adopt a grapple carriage, Gareth says: “Anyone contemplating it would need to have the right mindset. You have to want to make it work.”
NZL