2017 International Forest Industries Magazines June July 2017 | Page 66

Thierry Boucaud and Jérôme André.
The production of logs of 2 to 3 m3
volume has been optimised and
overall production has gone from
120 to 240 m3 per day.
He now takes advantage of the
225 kNm lifting torque and 59 kNm
rotational torque when cutting
trees. “It’s strong,” he announces,
with a full tree trunk in the grips
of the extended boom. In fact, the
boom base is larger by 38% since
the E-series, with 4 large pins
mounted towards the machine that
control its direction and a boom-tilt
of - 19° to + 25°.
These details show at the
logging site. The operator has
no problem using the 220° boom
rotation to turn a trunk around
while also delimbing and cutting.
The twin-pump system ensures
that the maximum amount of
power goes where it’s needed,
accelerating boom movements
and optimising head control.
Once in action, the wood quickly
passes through the feed rollers
and delimbing knives. With just
one forward thrust, the operator
can completely delimb and buck
a 16 m trunk in one motion. When
all of the available hydraulics
go primarily to the H290, its
unstoppable.
He slowly twists the largest
Douglas tree and nothing can get
in his way. The 1,750 rpm engine
speed hardly varies and the 210
and 180 cc hydraulic pumps
regulate as necessary. Even the
twisted, crooked wood of the
Scots pine is no match for it. The
H290 only has to pass through
the tops of the pine trees once to
delimb them, and it’s impressive!
In Thierry’s words: “The boom
and harvesting head make for an
unrivalled match.”
The hydrostatic/mechanical drive gives the
machine a consistent tractive force
New logging power
Wide-opening rollers stop bark
blockage, even during high sap
flow periods. And the logs come
out hardly marked. After having a
head with four feed rollers, Jérôme
adapted well to the H290. Once
he’d found the right settings,
the logger didn’t have to touch
them again. Even for large trunks,
there is no need to use too much
clamping pressure to ensure
proper feeding and delimbing.
Dual-speed feed motors allow full
controllability. They feature two
fixed cylinders, and automatic
control is based on the feed speed.
The 1404/1050 cm³ hydraulic
motors allow a feed pressure of
41.6 kN/31.2 kN. Mobile hydraulic
systems adjust the position of the
four moving delimbing knives to
the diameter of the stem.
Hydraulic pressure can be
adjusted at any time from inside
the cabin, which is another positive
point for Jérôme. The Timbermatic
H-16 control system’s interface
is much more user-friendly and
intuitive, and that allowed him to
adjust and manage the machine
quickly.
Ultimately, the site’s
productivity has certainly
improved. The production of logs
of 2 to 3 m3 volume has been
60 International Forest Industries | JUNE / JULY 2017
optimised and overall production
has gone from 120 to 240 m3 per
day. But most importantly, the
1470G’s capacity means that it can
log all the wood in a given section.
This new combination makes it
possible to tackle large trees that
previously would have been logged
manually. Our Beaujolais loggers
have concluded that the 1470G
comes out at the top in all aspects
at the logging site. However, when
the wood won’t give, Jérôme never
forces the machine; instead, he
prefers to leave the cab and return
to his first love, the chainsaw,
which is cleverly attached to the
side of the boom to fell the last
stubborn stems.
This article originally appeared in
IN THE FOREST, 2017 the official
publication of John Deere Forestry