Operating on a steep slope: timber handler in cable yarding operation

As experts in cable yarding of timber, Lau Forstservice GmbH has specialized in logging in the most demanding terrain. With a new SENNEBOGEN 718 E series, the fifth machine of the compact telescopic timber crane model is in use at Lau. The new model was put to work at an altitude of 1,600 m in the Pitztal valley.

The weather at 1,600 m is far from what it should be in August. But it can’t keep operator Scripet Panfin and his machine from relentlessly working along the narrow logging trail in Austria’s Pitztal valley, clearing up a windfall as quickly as possible. While the trees are felled manually on the steep slopes and are transported downhill over several hundred meters, the SENNEBOGEN 718 is located on the logging trail to cut the logs to length. To this end, the material handler is equipped with a Woody H61 harvester head attached to the 13-meter telescopic boom.

Stable footing with up to 13 m of reach when used with a harvester head 
The combination of a Valentini yarder and the mobile SENNEBOGEN 718 material handler works flawlessly, confirms Ferdinand Streissnig, logistics manager at Lau. Thanks to the additional 2-meter telescopic extension on the stick, the machine has a much longer reach than conventional earth-working material handlers. The slewing ring and the entire mechanical system have been manufactured for ultimate robustness in order to meet the high demands in timber handling. Because of and thanks to the reliable stability of the mobile undercarriage fitted with a support blade, even long, heavy logs can be delimbed and cut to length safely and quickly. A powerful hydraulic system in combination with an additional variable-displacement pump provide the output required to drive the various auxiliary devices operated from the cab using a joystick.

Easy to transport and flexible to use – “fully satisfied”

With the current E series, the second generation of the 718 material handler has been finding its way into Lau Forstservice’s machine pool. The company currently operates five SENNEBOGEN material handlers. “We are fully satisfied with the highly effective SENNEBOGEN material handlers. Thanks to their low operating weight of around 21 t and their compact dimensions, the machine can be operated on logging trails and is still easy to transport using a low-loader. That is why we also use the machines regularly to maintain embankments along roads and railway tracks,” explains Streissnig. 

Nonetheless, the SENNEBOGEN 718 had to cover the approximately three kilometers of logging road steeply curving up the mountain under its own power – no problem for operator Scripet Panfin, thanks to the powerful 119 kW, all-wheel drive and single pneumatic tires. On site, the operator has only few occasions to enjoy the panoramic view from his comfortable cab which can be elevated up to 6 m as dense clouds keep moving in. But his focus is on the controls of the Woody harvester head anyway. He uses it to hoist the logs, cut them to length and to sort them along the trail – a true all-rounder. As the sales and service partner in charge, Ascendum Baumaschinen Österreich GmbH takes care of the regular maintenance and supply of spare parts.