Logging-on brings a preview of new Ponsse machines available to the market.

The Ponsse Scorpion Giant has increased productivity and power. The new harvester adds to the Scorpion product range, which was completely upgraded in 2021. The Scorpion Giant was developed to have more tractive effort, which helps the harvester to be agile even in challenging conditions, including snow, steep slopes and soft terrain. Even though the Giant is the strongest harvester in the Scorpion range, the Bear is still the most powerful harvester overall. What makes the Scorpion Giant stand out is its versatility, allowing it to be operated at various sites, as it can be fitted with the Ponsse H6, H7, H7HD Euca or H8 harvester head.

The Ponsse Opti 5G is claimed to be the most modern information system on the market. It is designed for smooth and fast operations that raise the user experiences in information systems to a new level. The C50+ crane, combined with the Opti 5G information system, offers a whole new way to control the crane and improve operational efficiency using the Ponsse Harvester Active Crane. With Harvester Active Crane, the operator can directly control the movements of the harvester head, instead of just controlling the individual operations of the crane. This allows the operator to focus on wood processing, instead of simply controlling the crane.

The new Ponsse H8 harvester head features powerful feed, a strong grip and a sturdy but agile frame. The saw box area is even wider, making the harvester head an excellent choice for trees with a high butt diameter. The harvester head can be fitted in the Ponsse Ergo, Scorpion Giant and Bear. The automatic features of the Opti control system, developed and built by Ponsse, control the feed speed and saw movement, according to the tree diameter, and ensure fast and precise sawing. With Active Speed, the harvester head’s operating speed can be adjusted based on the tree species and stem diameter.

The Ponsse Mammoth forwarder, powerful in terms of productivity, expands Ponsse’s forwarder range to the new category of 25-ton load-carrying capacity. Equipped with the stepless Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) system and the Ponsse K121 loader, the Mammoth’s sturdy frame structures and super-strong hydraulics ensure that large stems and heavy loads can be transported effortlessly, even in the most challenging terrain.

The Ponsse Active Crane is a loader control system for forwarders, with which the operator controls grapple movements instead of individual functions, allowing the operator to concentrate effectively on working with the loader. Active Crane is easily controlled using two levers, one of which controls the grapple height from the ground, and the other the direction of movement.

Ponsse Active Manual is an instruction and maintenance manual service with videos to support the daily work of forest machine operators. The visual Ponsse Active Manual is an owner’s manual service that runs on mobile devices and supplements the current Owner’s Manual by offering videos alongside the manual. Ponsse Active Manual is available on Apple and Android app stores.

More detail on some of these new products will be found in future issues of Logging-on. Source

The TCi 920 is being launched under a new brand.

The new TCi 920 will be making the rounds at several US forestry industry tradeshows this spring. The dozer will be branded under the new TCi badge, as Tigercat Industries continues to design machines for applications beyond forest harvesting systems. All products falling under the TCi brand are, and will continue to be designed, manufactured, and supported by Tigercat Industries.

Seeking to overcome shortcomings that harvesting professionals have experienced when applying standard-build, mass production dozers to forestry operations, the new 920 is designed specifically for use in logging applications.

The 920 is powered by the Tigercat FPT N45 Tier 4f engine rated at 101 kw (135 hp). It is equipped with a 190 mm (7.5 in) pitch heavy duty undercarriage, a responsive and efficient closed loop track drive system, strong, impact-resistant belly pans, and durable structural components throughout. The 920 provides the power, durability and versatility for deck clearing, road building and clean-up activities on logging sites.

The carefully designed forestry cab offers the operator clear sightlines augmented by the sloped front hood and rear-mounted exhaust. The cab is quiet and comfortable with a heated and cooled air ride seat, ergonomic armrest mounted joysticks, and a large touchscreen machine control system interface. Source

Electric roads are key to Sweden’s target of slashing greenhouse gas emissions from domestic road transport by 70 percent.

However, to achieve just a 20 percent cut by 2020, the country needs to lower emissions by one million tons a year between now and 2030. By 2035, the government wants to find 3,000 kilometers of roads with heavy traffic that can be adapted for electrification. The Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, has been identifying suitable roads and so far, four solutions have been tested.

At the first site, an overhead power line charged trucks via pantographs mounted on their roofs. The four-year test period — along two kilometers of the E16 highway close to Sandviken in central Sweden — ended in 2020.

The second option is the eRoad Arlanda project, a two-kilometer section of the road between Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport and the Rosersberg logistics center. Vehicles use a movable arm to pick up electricity from an electric rail embedded in the road. The test began in 2018.

A third alternative is a conductive connection between the electric road and the vehicle through a pick-up under the vehicle. The pick-up connects to the road by sliding along electric rails laid on top of the road, efficiently transmitting power and charging the vehicle’s batteries. This solution is being trialed between 2020 and 2022 in the Evolution Road project in Lund, southern Sweden, using a city bus as the main test vehicle.

Fourthly, the Smartroad Gotland focuses on a 1.6-kilometer-long electric road between the airport and town center of Visby on the Baltic Sea Island of Gotland. It is an inductive system where receivers pick up electricity under the vehicle’s chassis from a copper cord sunk into the road. The three-year test ends in 2022.

The electric road concept will be most suitable for long-distance transport on the roads with most traffic. The incentive to invest in vehicles for electric roads will depend on the share of goods transported on these roads, and it is estimated that the volume should be 40 percent or more to make this solution profitable.

To these electric road projects, Trelleborg supplied tailor-made sealing solutions, including a special EPDM material with very low conductivity. The seals have to provide a reliable sealing function against water ingress into the rail system and maintain electric conduction to the pick-up connection area. It’s a very demanding application not only due to the wear caused by the pickup device under the test vehicles, but also from the usual non-electric traffic on the road. The sealing has to withstand very harsh weather conditions, with road temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius during the coldest part of the winter to more than 60 degrees Celsius on the hottest summer days.

Ethylene Diene Propylene Monomer (EPDM) sheeting is one of the most versatile types of rubber sheeting and best suited for outdoor applications. It is highly resistant to wear and tear, even in the most aggressive external conditions such as steam, UV rays, ozone, saltpeter or extreme weather. EPDM sheeting also maintains its properties under a wide range of temperatures, making it ideal for general industry and construction, automotive, marine and outdoor applications. The EPDM sheeting used in the electric road projects was tailor-made for the application. Source

The steel is produced by the Swedish steel company SSAB.

The steel from SSAB is produced using a completely new technology, based on hydrogen. The result is a much lower climate impact than conventionally produced steel. Small scale introduction of the steel in Volvo’s heavy electric trucks will begin in the third quarter of 2022.

Volvo will increase the use of fossil-free materials in all their trucks to make them net-zero not only in operation – but also when it comes to the materials they are built of. The first steel produced with hydrogen will be used in the truck’s frame rails, the backbone of the truck upon which all other main components are mounted. As the availability of fossil-free steel increases, it will also be introduced in other parts of the truck.

Today, around 30% of the materials in a new Volvo truck come from recycled materials. And up to 90% of the truck can be recycled at the end of its life. The Volvo Group is collaborating with SSAB on fossil-free steel since 2021. The first machine, a load carrier made of fossil-free steel, was showcased in October 2021. Fossil-free steel will be an important complement to the traditional and recycled steel used in Volvo’s trucks. Source

It provides a zero-emission version of the industry-leading Cascadia and debuts its innovative safety and connectivity features.

The new eCascadia is built on the best-selling heavy-duty truck platform in North America. Extensive development and rigorous testing through several prototypes and customer-tested trucks, resulted in a powerful and efficient battery electric truck with multiple battery and drive axle options. The eCascadia is ideally suited for short-haul routes that allow for depot-based charging, examples of which include last mile logistics, local and regional distribution, drayage and warehouse to warehouse applications. Some of the core technical information is as follows:

• 320 to 470 hp (235 to 346 kW)
• Typical range of 230 miles (370 km) depending on vehicle configurations
• Multiple battery options and maximum capacity of almost 440 kWh
• Recharge of 80 percent in approximately 90 minutes
• Up to 82,000 lbs (37,200 kg) max GCW (Gross Combination Weight)
• Available with single or tandem eAxle
• 116 in (295 cm) day cab configuration

Detroit, the industry-leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art engines, axles and transmissions, is the power behind the eCascadia. The in-house developed Detroit ePowertrain is designed for a full integration with the eCascadia for maximum power, increased driving dynamics, and driver comfort, all with zero emission.

The eAxle is an electric drivetrain component integrated with an electric motor, transmission and specialized electronics within a compact unit. Detroit’s ePowertrain provides two eAxle designs including a dual or single motor. The Detroit ePowertrain offers three battery options for a range of sizes and average, zero-to-full charging times starting with 194 kWh (one and a half to three hours), 291 kWh (two to four hours), and 438 kWh (two to six hours). Detroit’s Li-Ion batteries enable the eCascadia to meet critical range targets without sacrificing payload.

Because the Detroit ePowertrain produces less heat than a traditional combustion engine, temperature and packaging requirements for cooling are minimized. This allows the eCascadia to come with closed hood vents, and a new grille, which reduces drag by forcing more air around the vehicle, as opposed to pulling it through the radiator.  Source

SEPPI M is relocating to Mezzolombardo

Seppi M. has recently completed the building work on its new site in Mezzolombardo. The company is already in the throes of relocating. The sales office and production, plus the delivery and dispatch of goods are now up and running in the Mezzolombardo facility. Source

Ponsse manufactures its 18,000th forest machine

The 18,000th Ponsse forest machine was completed at Ponsse’s factory in Vieremä. After its handover, the Ponsse Elk will be operated by VMC Bois in France. VMC Bois owns four Ponsse machines, and it mainly operates in the eastern parts of Central France. Established in 2009, the company currently has 27 employees. VMC Bois is also engaged in sawmill operations, generating energy from chips. Source

New vice president of operations at Vermeer Corporation

Third-generation family member Mindi Vanden Bosch has been named the next vice president of operations at Vermeer Corporation. Prior to joining Vermeer in 2008, Mindi held roles in continuous improvement at Cascade Engineering and treasury management at Fifth Third Bank. At Vermeer, Mindi has held leadership roles in marketing, finance, human resources, continuous improvement and most recently served as the managing director for the Forage Solutions Product Group. Source

“The need for flexibility in forest harvesting services – a case study on contractors’ workflow variations”

International Journal of Forest Engineering, 2022. Malin Johansson, Emanuel Erlandsson, Thomas Kronholm and Ola Lindroos. Source