Harvesting Machinery demo Black Isle

Date Added: 23 January 2013 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1976 Picture No: 1447

The photograph is courtesy of the family of George Dey. George took many forestry photographs in his forestry career and many are now shown on this web site. Check under ‘Groups’ and George Dey Collection.

This sequence of photographs show a variety of harvesting machinery gathered together in the Black Isle Forest as a demonstration for visiting foresters and harvesting managers.

Can anyone name the some of the people gathered around the harvesting machine? Can anyone name the type of harvesting machine which appears to have two sets of powerful jaws to cut through the tree stems similar to a branch in pruning shears?

This machine has a Forestry Commission label (check PDF attached) and it would seem the lower set of shear jaws are on an arm which grips the tree and once cut lifts the stem up and lays it in a rack with another set of arms and cutters.

Download Large Version (241kB)

Download PDF (183kB)

Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, George Dey Forestry Collection, Groups of people, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes

1 Comment

This machine was a Timberjack, I think from Australia.It worked by felling with the shears, it debranched by pulling pole through knives for 30 feet or so.If there was more usable timber the whole top was discarded. Poles were carried in the side rack until there were sufficient to make a load for the grapple skidder.The harvester required a very wide rack and at least at Culloden where it was used on Larch. Much damage was done to remainder of crop. The team was badly balanced as the skidder and grab saw were very underemployed.
It was a Work Study trial which never took off. The team leader was, I think, Athole Wayman - with grey moustache and beard Comment left on 27 January 2013 at 14:45 by Frank Thom

Form Goes Here