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.

Deliveries of utility All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) to dealers recorded by the AEA ATV/Quad Group decreased by 4.7 per cent in 2009 to 7423 units.

Group Chairman, Phil Everett of Polaris Britain Ltd, commented:  “Considering the overall economy, the Utility ATV market has performed reasonably well – particularly when compared to the Sports and Leisure ATV market, for example.

“This market was also affected by price increases across all manufacturers due to adverse currency exchange rates and increased production costs. A good example of the resilience of the UK market is the comparison with the largest ATV market in the world which is the United States; this market was 28 per cent down on 2008 – which in turn was 29 per cent down on 2007, with similar sharp declines amongst southern European countries.

“Overall the industry responded well to the challenges of 2009. I believe we are in a stronger position now to move this segment of the market forward during 2010, and also to continue to offer strong support to the utility sector during this coming year.”

Deutz-Fahr main dealer Pallisers of Hereford is to open the company’s first Agricenter this month.

Already an established and successful format in several Western European countries, the Agricenter is a Same Deutz-Fahr initiative which enables customers to shop for parts they require, selecting items from display shelves before taking them to be checked out.

At Pallisers, some 250 square metres has been allocated to allow a browsing area for customers seeking parts for their agricultural and groundscare equipment. Many of the parts are either SDF branded or sourced from key suppliers such as Sparex or Draper Tools.

“I see the launch of the Agricenter as an important development of our business,” says David Palliser. “For the first time our customers will have access to a wide range of parts – from oil filters to service their tractors to new blades to fit on their ride-on mower, and thousands of other items.”

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.

A John Deere 3036E compact tractor is more than pulling its weight at Norwich International Airport. The tractor is being used by NHV (Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen, which translates as North Sea Helicopters Flanders) to tow its three Eurocopter helicopters in and out of the company’s hangars and manoeuvre them around ready for take-off.

Established in Belgium and with other bases in France and Africa, NHV is employed by the owners of gas rigs in the southern North Sea to regularly transport people and equipment up to 200 miles north from its Norwich base. The company also provides helicopters for other offshore operations, such as winching marine pilots onto ships in the English Channel, and for an air ambulance service in France.