Caterpillar - Finning Canada

EQUIPMENT PROFILE continued“Weyerhaeuser cameto us with the idea andasked if we could helpwith the project,” saysFabian Andersen, thepresident of NanaimoFoundry Ltd.our labour costs by only needing onestrapman, and we have lowered our wirecosts by reducing the number of wires andinstalling these wires tighter,” Lattanziadds. “The project was initiated by TerryBoulet, the former maintenance superintendentfor South Island Timberlands,who retired last spring,” he explains.“Terry wrote up the initial proposal, butwhen he retired, I took over the task ofmaking sure the machine did what wewanted it to do.”Nanaimo Foundry’s Andersen, an engineerby trade, studied the older strappingmachine at Weyerhaeuser’s Cowichanoperation and observed the strapmencomplete the task at South Island sort. Healso worked closely with Ken Beaubien,the current operator of the Bandit at theSouth Island sort and the boom supervisorMark Godard. After completing theresearch and consulting with the Finning(Canada) Engineering Group in Vancouver,Andersen came up with a designLeft to right: Ben Lattanzi, Matt Laing,Mark Godard, Fabian Andersen, Neil Roineusing a new Cat 950G. The plans calledfor the removal of the original cab. Thebucket was replaced with a new “walk-inand stand-up” operating compartment.Two large spools of wire are mounted onplatforms at the rear of the machine.“Essentially, we took all of the controlsthat would have been in the 950’soriginal cab and moved them to a newlydesigned cab, which we positioned wherethe bucket would normally be,” explainsAndersen.“The cab operates on the hydraulicsthat would have operated the bucket,which means the operator can raise thecab slightly when moving the Banditfrom bunk to bunk,” he says. “Once themachine is positioned in front of thebunk, the “tusks” wrap around the logsand then the operator pushes a button,which straps the bundle. The machinethen cuts and crimps the wires before theoperator moves on.”For machine operator Beaubien, beingexposed to flaking from the aluminum32 TRACKS & TREADS • Summer 2005 www.finning.ca