WHAT A PEARLER!
The moment we climbed into Tumai’s cab the Pearl Craft steering wheel and shifter head stole the visual impact show.
Pearl Craft is owned today by Pat and Sam Cawfield from Rowville in Victoria, Australia, but its roots go back over 70 years to the late 40s world of post-war cars and trucks. The original owner Bill Clarke sold to Wayne Basinski on a handshake in the 70s, and he focused on the cars of the post war to 60s era as the trucks of the time took on a spongier type steering wheel.
Just over seven years ago Wayne was looking to retire but was keen to see the process and craft handed on and not lost. Enter Pat and Sam.
“We could see most trucks were nowadays running a VIP or polyurethane wheel (smart wheel), and they are suited to our process.”
“For trucks we offer a supply and pearl option using quality wheels like VIP. We can also pearl the Kenworth Smart Wheel including the new T610 smart wheel.
“A matching Eaton shifter sets off the interior nicely with dash panels and knobs also an option.” and stable. I notice it when I’m chaining up though, you have to bend down to get to everything,” laughs Kane.
Built with Hendrickson INTRAAX AANL ZMD 19.5” disc brake shockless axles, the underside of the trailer seems incredibly clean. Errant sticks and bits of slash are going to have a hard time finding something to annoy.
Being a Low-Boy, it’s two inches lower than the standard Koromiko build. Stanchion height on the rear three is 2.1m meaning Kane didn’t have to worry about extension pins. All this simplicity makes using the unit so quick.
Load on, it was time for Tumai to get to work properly. Coming down of the skid, it was textbook Kenworth, Cummins, Jacobs, Roadranger, with the full in-cab sensory experience. A proven combo for tree extraction in New Zealand.
“I honestly didn’t discount an auto without a second thought, and I wouldn’t discount it again, I’d always have a think and then decide. I drove one at Linfox in the Argosy, and hey, it probably wasn’t me, but it wasn’t all bad either. When the time came to spec this though, I just ticked ‘manual’, done.
But they’re coming further all the time, and yeah, I’d still have a think. If I were buying it again tomorrow, I know I’d tick manual, but down the track, you’d have to consider all options.”
It was a short trot down the hill from the skid and out onto the road. If there’s a weak point in the Kenworth’s log truck armoury, it’s the turning circle – which appears to resemble a frigate more than a truck, not aided to be fair by Tumai’s 6.6m wheelbase.
“The old Western Star would run rings around it, and it was an 8x4. It would almost turn inside it,” said Kane.
Off the track and it was out onto Waingaro road, a typical North Island rural, shoulderless, hilly, and winding affair that log truck drivers have to deal with every day. Poutu in the North, Flat Point in the Wairarapa, or here in the guts of the Waikato, they’re all the same, and with a second’s inattention, lethal! As such, a log truck must be sure-footed and feed back to the driver exactly where they are and what they’re doing. Kenworth in this configuration probably sets the standard here, and Kane knows exactly where the truck is every second. Predictable and stable with no surprises. According to Kane, Tumai’s stability is aided by the Hendrickson PRIMAAX 462 in the back end, suggested by Southpac’s Scotty Haberfield.
“I bought it through Scotty. He said the Hendrickson for a truck of this wheelbase, saying it’ll offer increased stability. I found him great to work with; he knows the