Tracking to success in the west

Driving machinery from a young age, Crossmolina man Jimmy Munnelly knew early on that his career was going to be somehow machinery-related.

In 2002, at the age of 20, Jimmy took a job working with a local forestry contractor where he learned the ins and outs of the industry before setting up his own timber harvesting business, Jamun Ltd, in July 2014.

Jimmy’s first harvester was a Valmet 911.3, with his first forwarder being a Timberjack 810b, both which are still earning their keep in the fleet.

Clearfell accounts for the larger proportion of the business today, harvesting Coillte-owned forestry. Thinning accounts for a smaller proportion of the business, some of which is privately owned forestry.

In 2018, Jimmy secured a five-year contract with Coillte, which mainly consists of clearfell in his home county of Mayo. A new harvester and forwarder had to be purchased to carry out the work.

Unique purchase

Having weighed up his options, Jimmy was slightly hesitant in going down the typical route of buying a brand new wheeled harvester, for two reasons.

“Firstly, I was after a two-wheel-drive (2wd) head, not a four-wheel-drive (4wd) head. The timber in Mayo is different to a lot of other timber in the country – there’s a lot of pine about here, a lot of which is very rough and crooked. From my experience, a 2wd head allows this crooked timber pass through a lot easier. Logmax was the brand that stood out to me for its performance and reliability in this type of timber. The exact head I was after also wasn’t available on many of the wheeled machines I looked at.

“Secondly, a wheeled harvester designed for clearfell was going to cost substantial money, somewhere in the region of €450,000. I always had a notion of buying a digger and head; it made more sense financially. The overall investment would be considerably lower and I could fit the large head I wanted. When it’s time to sell, I can refit a bucket and it will appeal to a larger market. There are a lot more customers out there for a secondhand track machine compared to a wheeled harvester,” Jimmy noted.

“At the time, I’m sure a lot of people thought I was mad even considering this option, but I knew it would work. It was the way timber was cut in Mayo years ago and still is popular in Scotland.”

Having decided to go down this route, Jimmy looked on the market for an excavator in the 21t category. Wanting a six-cylinder engine and plenty of hydraulic flow, the choices came down to a CAT, Komatsu, Doosan or a Hyundai.

Jimmy opted for the Komatsu PC 210 LC. It stood out for its power-to-weight ratio and value for money compared with the others.

Jimmy specified the excavator with 800mm-wide tracks for better stability and lower ground pressure, given that the majority of his work is on boggy ground. The machine was sent to Forest Machine Services (FMS) in the UK to be modified and armoured to a forestry specification.

This included steel armour all around the body and bulletproof clear sheeting protecting the windscreen. The undercarriage was fitted with a 12mm belly plate and the tracks fitted with steel side guards to protect sprockets and idlers. Additional work lights and tool boxes were also fitted.

A coupler was made for the dipper arm to suit the Swedish-built Logmax 7000Twin head. The fitting of the head meant that the joysticks had to be changed to suit. The head’s own 12in control terminal was fitted, leaving all the same cutting capabilities that a wheeled harvester would have.

Specification and performance

The Komatsu PC 210 LC is fitted with an in-house-built 6.7l six-cylinder engine which churns out 165hp. In terms of hydraulic flow, the excavator is fitted with a closed-centre, load-sensing hydraulic pump offering a maximum flow rate of 475l/min and a reservoir capacity of 132l. The Logmax head alone requires a minimum hydraulic flow of 200l/min, peaking at 300l/min when under heavy operation.

Since delivery, Jimmy has had the machine fitted with an additional hydraulic oil cooler and a reversible fan, both of which have proven to be a great fit.

“Before fitting the oil cooler, on hot days you’d see the hydraulic oil temperature rise to over 80°C ,which we were told wasn’t an issue, but you’d feel the cab glass warming and heating the cab. For peace of mind, we fitted the cooler anyway, which engages automatically depending on oil temperature. Hydraulic oil now averages 65°C to 70°C, even on the warmest of days.”

To date, the outfit has given little to no bother, apart from a problem early on with the hydraulic lift which was rectified and since hasn’t missed a beat, according to Jimmy.

Jimmy’s driver Alan Gallagher explained how it initially took some time to get used to the machine and how it performed in comparison to a wheeled harvester.

The total weight of the machine, including the safety guarding and head, is in the region of 27t. The Logmax head alone weighs in the region of 2t. Jimmy noted how it is well suited to the excavator power-wise, although the excavator would want to be no lighter.

From a performance perspective, he is happy with the machine, noting that it can handle almost everything thrown at it in terms of tree size.

Verdict

Three years on and over 4,200 hours clocked up on the machine, both Jimmy and Alan are happy with how things have gone so far.

“Output in a good clearfell might be slightly behind a wheeled machine, but there are areas where the excavator will outperform, especially on larger trees and when laying out timber for the forwarder. On a really good day in spruce, I can cut up to 250m3 no bother.

“That said, there are situations such as thinning where a wheeled machine is best for the job.

“The fuel tank holds in the region of 400l, which will last 15 cutting hours (26.6l/hr), slightly more than a wheeled machine. The 23l tank of AdBlue will last roughly a week,” Alan said.

In terms of controls, the men are happy with the layout for the head.

“The head’s controls are well laid out, but the levers themselves are not free-moving enough, there is too much resistance. When you’re working the machine for a long number of hours, the joysticks begin to feel heavy in the hand. This is something I’d consider more if I was buying an excavator again,” said Jimmy.

Power-wise they are happy with the ability of the PC 210 LC. The armour has left the machine as safe as a rock.

“You’d think a track would be easily pulled off by stumps and larger lengths of timber, but side guards completely eliminate this from happening.

“A lot of people are probably surprised with how well the machine is working, but I feel a setup like this certainly has a place in the forest. I also have a lot more peace of mind, given the current situation around licences, that in the worst case scenario I can remove the head and fit it with a bucket. As far as I am aware, there is only a handful of similar setups working here in Ireland, one of which is also working in Mayo,” Jimmy said.

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