PONSSE News 1/2011 ENG In English

logging HeroesESSly ON ThE SOfT SOil Of200 km radius, but we do venture even fartherat times. In 2005 and 2007 we spent sixmonths clearing up storm devastation areas inSouthern Sweden with one harvester," MarkoKnuutinen explains.PlENTy Of SOfT TErraiN harVESTiNGThe forests of Northern Ostrobothnia oftengrow on soft terrain. The slow-growing treesare primarily quite small but often have sturdybranches and thick butts, all features whichbring their own challenges to harvesting work."The median stoutness of our thinnings isapproximately 75 litres annually. Last winterwe worked with full capacity, although on lessfinal felling than usual, and employed both ofour Ergos on thinning sites for about 60% ofthe time. We are now looking at a promisingamount of harvesting. Hopefully, our customersmanage to buy more stands for the summerand the autumn," Knuutinen says.PONSSE fOx – ThE riGhT kiNd OfharVESTErThe new eight-wheel thinning harvesterPONSSE Fox has been designed specificallywith soft terrain in mind. Veljekset KnuutinenOy received their new Fox, equipped with aH53 head. The transaction included the tradeof a PONSSE Beaver. 2002."We were looking for a powerful machinesuitable for soft terrain and equipped with aparallel crane for the purpose of thinning. Thenew PONSSE C22 crane has proved to be anexcellent solution. Thanks to the two slewingmotors and the hydraulically operated movementfunction, the crane is fast and easy tocontrol. The crane's reach is 11 metres, whichis an important feature on thinning sites. Andnow that the crane is located closer to the cabin,the visibility within the working area is extremelygood and the weight distribution isoptimal," Knuutinen says.The new Fox is praised by the operators."The cabin is really comfortable and not asnoisy as before. The fuel consumption has alsodecreased."Fox takes its power from the feisty fourcylinder145 kW Mercedes-Benz diesel engineand a single-circuit hydraulic system operatingwith a working pump.TraNSPOrTaTiON EQuiPmENT rEiNfOrcEdBy WiSENTIn February 2009, Veljekset Knuutinen Oy reinforcedits timber transporting capacity by acquiringa second forwarder, an agile and lightweightPONSSE Wisent."We wanted to have a light-weight and aslightly smaller forwarder, which still has asufficient load space. We equipped the machinewith wide 900 mm tracks, which permitmoving on soft soil. We are using the Wisentequipped with a scale also to transport energywood," Knuutinen says.The strain on the ground is minimal,thanks to its unbeatable ratio of net weight toload-carrying capacity, the smallest turning radiusin its size class, and dimensions whichdistribute the load evenly across all wheels.The tough Mercedes-Benz diesel engine nowruns a larger working pump than before,which in turn enables versatile and efficientloader use. Due to its great tractive force andexcellent cross-terrain performance, loads canbe moved quickly and smoothly. Moreover, thecabin's superior ergonomics provide a pleasantwork environment for even the most demandingof users.ENErGy frOm ThE fOrESTVeljekset Knuutinen Oy is also involved in energywood harvesting and stump pulling."Our oldest harvester, PONSSE Cobra,which is still serving us faithfully, is a 1999model and has a PONSSE H53 harvester head,which we equipped with our own collectinggrapples back in the day to permit multi-stemmingof energy wood. The harvester head iswell suited for both thinning and energy wood.We transport energy wood to the roadside withthe Wisent forwarder equipped with a scale.We use an excavator to pull up stumps andthey are transported to the roadside with thePONSSE Elk forwarder. The box constructionis easy to lift between the forwarder bunkswith the crane," Knuutinen says.OulaiSTEN kONEhuOlTO maiNTaiNSmachiNEPErfOrmaNcEIn maintenance-related issues, Veljekset KnuutinenOy relies on the professionalism andeffective service of Oulaisten Konehuolto, anauthorised PONSSE service in the area."We perform oil changes, hose maintenanceand other small jobs ourselves, but otherthan that we focus on the forest contracts.Oulaisten Konehuolto maintains the performanceof the machines and provides assistancewhenever needed. They also providespare parts, and the Iisalmi Service Centreis really close to us if a spare part cannot befound at Oulainen," Knuutinen adds.hiGh-QualiTy cONTracTiNG By SkillEdPrOfESSiONalSVeljekset Knuutinen Oy has received a PKY-LAATU quality certificate for small and medium-sizedcompanies granted by Finlog AuditOy. The operating system meets all requirementsof the SFS-EN ISO 9001:2000 qualityassurance standard.The system covers certain requirements ofthe SFS-EN ISO 14001 environmental managementstandard selected on the basis of thefield-specific criteria. It also takes into accountcertain aspects of the SFS-EN ISO 9004-2 servicesector quality standard."Our certification applies to mechanisedfelling, short-distance hauling of timber,mechanised tilling and stump pulling," Knuutinenexplains.The professional skills of machine operatorsare highly valued at Veljekset KnuutinenOy."Things are easy when you have skilledmen working for you. And skilled workersrequire good machines. Finding new forestmachine operators is not easy, which is whywe have also trained operators ourselves. Ourentire team is pulling together and we havea good spirit. When the operators are happywith their work, employment periods are usuallyvery long," Knuutinen says, gratefully.Ponsse News 1 • 2011 43