Forestry Memories

Machines for training at Ae Training Centre

Machines for training at Ae Training Centre

Date Added: 23 January 2015 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1979 Picture No: 2785

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.

A nice view of two ground skidding machines outside the Machine Training Centre at Ae. The little green one is a Holder Tractor FC72475 with what looks like an Igland Winch on the back. Not sure if it is a frame steering machine with central body joint? Any information on the origins of the Holder Tractor skidding machines would be very welcome. They were certainly used in the FC around 1967.

The other machine is named as a ‘Malvern’ but again the photograph does not show the machine in full detail. It looks a bit like the FC designed hydraulic hub driven hydrostatic tractor and certainly had a Ford front end. Again any information on this machine FC 71094.

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Groups: Forester Training Schools and Universities, Forestry Areas, George Dey Forestry Collection, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes

2 Comments

The 'Malvern' skidders were built by JHB of Thetford, as was the Falstone, but this looks like the Roadless Traction built, FC designed, hydrostatic skidder, some of which had an International front end, so the Ford is unusual. Early machines had a Fordson Dexta engine and bonnet.

The history of their development is given in the FC Leaflet No.59 - "Hydrostatic Skidder" by W. O. Wittering, FC Publications 1974. Comment left on 21 May 2015 at 22:17 by David Shearer
The Holder was frame steered and there were some still with the commission in the early 1980s Comment left on 10 December 2019 at 21:01 by Matthew Hodder
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