2017 International Forest Industries Magazines October November 2017 | Page 50

The KETO 873 head is
intended for demanding
conditions
Keto heads with over
20 years of service
life already behind
them can be found
still hard at work in
many places around
the world
Born in the arctic conditions of the
Nordic forest, Keto harvester heads
are built for hard use. Keto heads
with over 20 years of service life
already behind them can be found
still hard at work in many places
around the world.
Different kinds of machine
models based on track feeds have
been created to meet the needs of
customers on different continents.
Forestry is different in Finland
than it is in Japan, and both are
different than in North America. In
Keto machine’s native country of
Finland, the product development
team’s objective in the creation
of each and every model is to
increase productivity. This is one
of a machine’s most important
features, and one which is sought
after by forestry contractors around
the globe.
Keto harvester heads are
created and manufactured by Kone-
Ketonen’s factory in Finland. Over
the course of the past year, two
new models have been developed.
The 873 is a processor head
intended for the demanding
conditions in North America and
for handling extremely large trees.
Launched in June, the Keto Xtreme
is, in turn, a harvester head to be
installed on light forest thinning
machines that is intended for
managing the young spruce copses
typically found in Nordic countries
or the densely branched trees
typically found in the forests of
Central Europe.
The 873 was launched in
February of this year at the Oregon
Logging Conference in the US.
Weighing 3,360 kg, the head is
suitable for installation on 30 ton+
base machines. One important
change in the Keto 873 model is
the Rotobec rotator. Spinning fully
around, the rotator provides a
contractor with vast and entirely
new application possibilities to
use the machine with extreme
efficiency.
Additionally, the 873 model
uses the Parker valve system. The
valves are proportioned to function
only on-demand, a key factor in
optimizing the fuel consumption
of the base machine, even at low
temperatures. Like in the other
Keto models, the track feed of the
new model uses Danfoss motors.
The 500 cm³ motor produces
produces nearly 4 kN of tractive
force, guaranteeing that big
trees can be pulled by the tracks
and delimbed with speed and
efficiency.
Based on track feeding, the
unique length measuring in Keto
harvester heads is the most precise
one on the market. It is simple
and extremely reliable. A second
important feature of the Keto 873
model is its shortest possible tilt
frame, which minimizes swaying
of the harvester head and makes it
easy to control.
48 International Forest Industries | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2017
The 873 was launched in February
Model of KETO 870 C is well-known in western forest fields in the North
of America.