KSK16 Steyr Cable crane set up in forest
Photographs courtesy of Walter Strzygowski (Austria) who accompanied the new Steyr Crane/lorry KSK16 from Hull to Fort William with three Steyr crew members. He was the technical field engineer who worked for Steyr and his role, with the three crew, was to set up, operate and prove that the KSK system could work successfully in Scottish conditions prior to purchase by Riddochs of Rothiemay Ltd.
Walter describes the system as Canadian technology which was downsized and adapted for European conditions. KSK means Kippmast-Seil-Kran (tilting spar-cable-crane) 16m (or 20m) from bottom to the guy line ring. The factory which made the trucks was in Steyr, Upper Austria, and the winch production and mounting was down in Vienna, Steyr Werke Wien 1110. The Canadian feasibility study forecast several hundred KSKs worldwide. After 80 units were sold in Europe, 1 in Scotland, 1 in Canada and 2 in China, the bank stopped any further financing after 15 years and sold the division.
The location shown here is not known. Mr B A Johnston of Riddochs of Rothiemay is seen standing nearest to the camera. The three men on the left are the KSK crew. It is thought the three men on the right at the back are Riddochs of Rothiemay employees and may have been future winch operators. Can anyone be named?
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Groups: Forestry in Action, Groups of people, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes