2017 International Forest Industries Magazines June July 2017 | Page 56

Tigercat competes in three forwarder classes: the 1055C is a 14 t capacity machine; the 1075C is a 20 t forwarder and the 1085C is rated to carry a massive 25 t load. The new C-series forwarders are all powered by the Tigercat FPT N67 engine with either Tier 4f or Tier 2 configurations. The 1055C now offers Tigercat’s innovative ‘low-wide’ bunk system and ‘WideRange’ drive. The 1055C is also available with a choice of three wagon frame lengths and fixed bunks. The new Tigercat F135T85 hooked crane means more lift for the 1055C and less chance of the crane contacting the gate. 1075C is designed for long- distance forwarding, steep slopes, scarifying and other tough applications. With heavy duty wide spread bogies, the 1075C excels in tough terrain and slopes and operates with minimal soil disturbance. The expandable bunk improves productivity by increasing payload in applications where the wood is relatively light in weight and load area is the constraining factor. With a reliable two-speed transmission, the 1075C is also the best choice when extensive roading is required for the application. The 1085C excels in “severe duty” applications and is especially well matched to steep slopes. This model is equipped with the extreme duty Tigercat engineered and manufactured ROB17 bogies and Tigercat the WideRange transmission. The Tigercat designed and manufactured driveline provides tractive effort that is “unmatched in the industry”, according to the manufacturer. WideRange transmission The 1055C and 1085C both use Tigercat’s WideRange transmission. WideRange is an infinitely variable, single speed transmission well-proven in extreme forestry applications. For the 1085C, WideRange allows for extremely high tractive effort while achieving a maximum working speed of 7 km/hr. Hooked-crane profile and low- wide bunks Tigercat’s innovative hooked cranes are now available on all three forwarder models and include standard end-of-position dampening sensors on the stick boom and slew bearing to prevent impact loads. The tapered roller bearing in the slew base is designed to last the life of the machine, an improvement over the plain bearing and spherical rollers used in other cranes. The crane’s hooked profile increases the working envelope of the crane for reduced machine travel and improved productivity. “The crane really shines when used in combination with Tigercat’s low-wide expandable bunk systems,” Tigercat stated. The low-wide bunks are angled to reduce overall gate height and eliminate the need for a vertically sliding gate. In combination with the hooked crane, the low-wide bunk system significantly reduces the chance of contact with the gate or bunk stakes. The operator enjoys a clear sightline to the top of the load, increasing log placement accuracy and decreasing cycle times. In addition, the grapple stays within the operator’s view through the entire loading and unloading cycle for reduced operator strain. The low-wide system is available for all Tigercat forwarders. Tigercat grapples Since an average of 50% of the forwarder duty cycle is spent loading and unloading, increasing the number of logs per crane cycle is another way that Tigercat is improving overall machine productivity and reducing forwarding cost per tonne. The FG43 and FG53 series Tigercat grapples available on the 1075C and 1085C complement the powerful cranes with larger load area capacities of 0.43 m2 (4.6 ft2) and 0.53 m2 (5.7 ft2) respectively. The grapples are fitted with thick walled bushings for extended service life. The link has a patent pending hose routing design to better protect the hoses and the swing dampener has been designed for heavy duty. The tilt out hood enclosure on all Tigercat C-series forwarders makes for simple access to the Tigercat FPT N67 engine for regular servicing 50 International Forest Industries | JUNE / JULY 2017