Securing the future

T FIRST GLANCE THIS PAIR OF NINE-AXLE KENWORTH K200s doesn’t look a lot different to other rigs in the familiar Rotorua Forest Haulage (RFH) green and white colours. But look a bit closer and they usher in a new generation of automation and safety for Kiwi logging trucks.

What makes the duo special can be demonstrated in a few moments of hydraulic choreography that will likely grab the attention of anyone who has thrown chains over the top of logging trucks and trailers.

Both RFH K200s are equipped with the Swedish developed

Exte Com 90 log securing system. The system has been used in Sweden’s forest industries for about 20 years and the design is covered by three patents.

Local refinement has been carried out by Evans Engineering in Tokoroa with three trucks completed and a fourth now in build.

With extendable bolsters, integrated lashing arms and a hydraulic tensioning system, Exte Com 90 automates a significant part of the log securing process. And it also monitors the tension holding the logs in place while the truck is moving and allows in-cab or remote operation.

It’s technology that has already allowed RFH to speed up loading and unloading times on its two units.

But the primary reason behind putting the Com 90 system into use is to reduce the risk of shoulder injuries which logging truck drivers can sustain in the process of throwing chains over their loads.

Evans Engineering design engineer Sam Haines has led the local testing and adaptation of Com 90 to suit New Zealand conditions. He started work on the project in 2018, visited Sweden the following year and developed the first Kiwi unit as a trial at Port of Tauranga for ISO Ltd starting in December 2019.

“When we introduced the system on the first ISO truck moving logs around the streets near Port of Tauranga, I followed it for the afternoon and timed everything. That truck went from 10 shuttles in a day to 22.

“After that successful initial trial at the Port of Tauranga for

ISO, RFH approached us with the backing of Timberlands Ltd about implementing the Com 90 system into a HPMV highway unit,” says Haines.

“Timberlands are very safety focused and are proactive about implementing concepts to reduce risk and harm.”

The Com 90 system offers several advantages to logging truck operators.

“Throughout the years the logging industry has relied on chains and wire ropes to secure the logs to the vehicle when transporting,” says Haines.

“These have to be thrown over the packet of logs and manually tightened with twitches or other tensioning tools. The chains can