Workdays are long for most loggers. The last thing you want to think about after 10 or 12 hours on the job is machine maintenance, but what it comes down to is that maintenance is essential — helping increase the wear life of components and significantly extending undercarriage life.

Basic undercarriage maintenance includes the following:

Check track sag daily. Track chain that is too tight increases the load on undercarriage components. This can shorten component life by 50 to 70 percent. A tight track magnifies the load, which results in more wear on the track bushings, sprocket teeth contact areas and the track-link-to-idler roller contact areas.

Increased wear also occurs at the track-link-to-idler contact point and track-link-to-roller contact points. More load means more wear on the entire undercarriage system.

Bonuses of maintaining proper track sag include using less horsepower and less fuel to do the job, which translates to immediate cost savings.

Consult your machine's operator manual for proper track-sag adjustment particulars.

Select the narrowest shoe possible. Shoe width is important due to severe ground conditions in many forestry applications. Wide shoes increase the load on track-chain pins and bushings, as well as idlers, rollers and sprockets. The wider the track shoe and the harder the under-track work surface, the faster track shoes, pins, bushings, rollers, and idlers will wear.

Using the narrowest shoe possible for the flotation required will improve the life of your undercarriage components.

New cab features and improved ergonomic layout are designed to provide greater comfort and ease of use across the Massey Ferguson MF 8900 Xtra telehandler range.

“Operators can often spend as much time in a telehandler as they do in a tractor cab, so it is important we offer the same levels of comfort and control,” explains Laurent Pernin, General Marketing Manager, MF Tractors, EAME. “MF 8900 Xtra operators now benefit from a cab interior that creates a better working environment with modern controls and materials, along with a higher capacity air conditioning and heating system.”

Also new is an ‘extreme conditions’ cooling package option that offers enhanced performance for continuous operation in arduous situations. This will provide greater productivity when working in hot and dusty conditions as well as when towing. The new radiator, which is 43mm wider and 47mm deeper than before, offers up to 20 per cent greater cooling capacity.

A high capacity integrated air conditioning and heater unit provides a third more capacity - 500m³/hr compared with 350m³/hr before while the unit’s new position in the cab provides more room behind the seat.

Mastenbroek has introduced a new generation of drainage trenchers. The M3500 features a mechanically driven trencher chain, simplified controls and an all-new operator’s cab designed to be ergonomically efficient.

The first M3500 was delivered to German drainage specialist Mors GmbH, in February. With a gross weight of 22 tonnes, the machine comes with a European tier three Cummins QSM 11 construction diesel engine delivering 350hp. Digging depth is up to 2.6m, with trench widths of between 160mm and 400mm.

The new machine is designed to cope with difficult terrain and comes with side slope levelling; additionally, it can be slewed for curved trenching applications. Undercarriage features independent hydrostatic track drive and 650mm wide triple grouser pads on oscillating tracks.

The John Deere 900 K-Series Tracked Feller Bunchers pack plenty of power. The largest, the 953K and the 959K, come with an industry-first 330-hp engine standard, while the smaller 903K and 909K have dual power options at 300 hp and 330 hp, respectively.

The 900s feature a larger displacement Tier 3 PowerTech Plus™ 9.0L engine that delivers the power needed to get the job done, with the lowest daily fuel cost in the industry and a 295-gallon fuel tank that lets you get more done between fill-ups.

"The word in the woods is the 900 K-Series Feller Bunchers have noticeably superior hydraulic multi-functioning, including swing torque, boom performance and tracking, and a power management system that makes sure no power is wasted," said Elliott Little, Product Marketing Manager, Tracked Harvesters and Tracked Feller Bunchers.

"These machines are packed with customer-driven features and are sure to provide superior uptime and productivity while lowering daily operating costs."

Designed with a quick-recovery saw that never slows down, best-in-class felling head accumulation that picks up more trees at once and high-tractive effort-to-weight ratio with low ground pressure for smooth operation, the 900 K-Series makes the most of an operator's time.

The new John Deere 900 KH-Series Tracked Harvesters offer extra power and productivity to take on the toughest trees, with dual power options at 300 hp or the industry-first 330 hp.

The 900s feature a larger displacement Tier 3 PowerTech Plus™ 9.0L engine that delivers the power needed to move, swing and harvest faster due to dual swing motors for high torque and a power management system that makes sure no power is wasted.

"What we've heard in the woods is that our 903KH and 909KH Harvesters get more done and cover more ground so operators can take on more of the forest," said Elliott Little, Product Marketing Manager, Tracked Harvesters and Tracked Feller Bunchers. "These machines are packed with customer-driven features and are sure to provide superior uptime and productivity while lowering daily operating costs."

The KH-Series boasts the lowest daily fuel cost in the industry, a 295-gallon fuel tank that lets you get more done between fill-ups, a fully integrated measuring system that has been factory installed and fully documented for optimized performance and quick, consistent troubleshooting, a protected undercarriage with double flange rollers for maximum durability, and a best-in-class leveling system to keep the upper frame level, even when the tracks are climbing or tilting on tough slopes.

Cab Overhaul

Cab enhancements include better visibility, a powerful HVAC system, brighter cab interior lighting, a factory-mounted keyboard and mouse, measuring system power switch and USB port all within the operator's reach, more in-cab storage behind the operator seat and more power ports and cup holders. A sealed switch module features keyless start, auto-idle, hydraulic enable, and engine throttle.

To aid visibility from all angles, the exterior lighting has been improved and features enhanced adjustability for both work and drive line of site, and the front window bars have been repositioned so they are now vertical.

Using the new Selectable Joystick Control (SJC) option, the Bobcat T110 skid steer loader has a top speed of 13.5 kph, which the company says, makes it the fastest compact tracked loader in its class.

The new top speed is part of a two-speed option offered by the SJC system, allowing for faster cycle times between dig and dump sites as well as speedier transit from one jobsite to another. In addition, a speed management system (SMS) allows the operator to match travel speed to job requirements in order to optimise attachment performance and provide more precise control of machine movements in tight areas. The SMS can be used to pre-set the speed desired when working with specific attachments such as tillers and trenchers.

Operators now get a choice between hand-operated or foot-operated control of the engine speed. To suit different needs and preferences, there are also three settings which change how responsive the loader’s drive and steering systems are when the operator moves the joysticks. The SJC system also gives a choice between ‘ISO’ and conventional ‘H’ skid-steer hand control patterns on the same joysticks, simply by pushing a rocker switch in the cab.

JCB and Volvo Construction Equipment are to co-operate on the engineering and manufacturing of skid steer loader and compact tracked loader products for distribution under their own brands and through their respective global dealer networks.

It is envisaged that the first mono-boom Volvo branded machines will be in production at JCB’s Savannah, Georgia facility by year end 2010. Volvo Construction Equipment will then move skid steer loader models from its Pederneiras facility in Brazil to North America.

John Patterson, Deputy Chairman of JCB, comments: “This agreement will allow us to combine forces in this key product area enabling both brands to compete more effectively.”

Olof Persson, Volvo Construction Equipment President, comments: “Volvo customers will benefit from a wider range of models that maintain the high level of product safety and functionality that they expect.”