Timbermaster on Sanatorium Road Fort Augustus

Date Added: 16 September 2016 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1987 Picture No: 3414

Photograph is courtesy of John Ireland, who is currently based at Lochaber Forest District.

The Scott brothers from the Grantown area (Dave Scott on the winch) are again working the winch this time at Auchterawe (Fort Augustus Forest District) extracting whole trees felled in amongst the old oak wood at the site of the Sanatorium ruin. The photograph gives a partial view inside the cab of the winch and the operator can be seen standing in front of a bank of control levers.

Can anyone say how weather, midge and log proof was the cab and whether noise and vibration was and issue?

The attached PDF shows the Douglas fir felled by Forestry Commission feller Willie Smeaton and left in the length being extracted by the Timbermaster. It looks as though the suspended load is locked into the carriage going by the slack haul in line and is approaching the unlock mechanism fitted on the skyline above and in front of the winch unhook point.

Note the oak trees now cleared of the conifers. Are they still there?

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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes

5 Comments

The cabs weren't midge or wind and rain proof. The one in the picture has, I presume, perspex windows. What luxury. They had good protection from logs, I bounced a few big ones off the cab and they were quite robust. They were also quite quiet as the tractor was separate from the winch which also meant there was no vibration.
There wasn't a bank of levers, there were only two to control the winch. Each one worked the brake and clutch for the haul-in or haul-back. I can't remember whether you pushed or pulled for brake or clutch.
Separately, there was a big lever to wind in or tighten the skyline but the tightening was done on a separate section of the drum and sometimes the line got caught on the disc and was damaged. We had ours modified so that if the skyline crossed over the disc it still cleared the frame. Splicing the thick skyline was not easy. Once tight, another lever clamped a brake band on the drum and held it tight.
They were excellent machines with plenty of power. It could pull 5 tons, and 2� tons totally suspended, but you had to ensure you had the anchors to cope with those loads. Everything about the set-up was heavy. The first set-up on a job was hard going as everything had to be carried up by hand. There was also a 5 metre strop to be hung on the spar tree as the skyline was too heavy to pull up. One end of the strop went up the tree and the skyline was attached to the other end of that. Comment left on 12 April 2020 at 18:47 by Andy MacNicol

The perspex helped with the wind and rain, but on a frosty morning you couldn't see through it. The two levers were push for brakes pull for clutches. They were faster than the previous Trailer Alp,but the Alp had a stronger tower,we bent the Timbermaster tower a couple of times.
We used a snatch pulley on the spar tree, and back to an anchor tree behind, that way you could get the carriage right back to the tree.
The haul in drum had an epicyclic gear, which slowed it down for more pulling power.

Comment left on 13 April 2020 at 22:21 by Robert Hannah

We never managed to bend the tower but the towbar was bent on one occasion. One of the anchors had pulled out but when the tension was off, the root sat back down again so we didn't see it. The step up to the winch seemed to be getting higher but I put it down to me being knackered and imagining it. Only when I looked round as I was hauling in did I notice it. The welder from the workshop welded plates on the towbar and that solved the problem.
The only other problem we had was when the sun gear on the haul-in gearing sheared off from the shaft. Repairing this involved pulling off all the ropes from the drums by hand and removing all the control mechanisms. Even with the ropes off, the drums were still very heavy so we rigged up ropes to his van from through the top of the tower to lift the assembly and once it was up we clamped it to allow the van under it. The shaft had to go back to the manufacturer for repair. The next time it happened we were ready for him when he arrived and he just reversed under it and off he went.
Another time, the tractor had to go for repair and we were given a much lighter one temporarily. We had to move to another job but the tractor wouldn't pull the winch and kit trailer up a hill. I decided to take off the trailer and once the winch was up the hill I'd go back for it. I unhooked the trailer and was easing it into the drain when the plastic handle on the brake came off. I was left with a bit of plastic as the trailer bounced off down the hill and rolled over 3 or 4 times on the bottom side. What fun! Comment left on 14 April 2020 at 19:33 by Andy MacNicol

We had to replace the bearings on the shaft, and had the same problem lifting the drum assembly. If i remember rightly, we lifted it with a tirfor with a pulley up the tower and the mechanic stripped it on site.
Wouldn't like to go back to those days, especially the midges! Comment left on 14 April 2020 at 21:34 by Robert Hannah

I served my time building timbermaster at G R Smith Acharn. That perspex in cab was lexan - its seriously strong stuff. Originally when I started cab was mesh with front heavy concrete reinforcing mesh that we fully welded every single joint to make stronger. Remember salesman coming with lexan ( seem to remember it's also bullet proof ) he had wooden box with sheet of lexan mounted in it .gave it to us apprentices to try smash. Took sledge hammer to it box was cracking but probably 6 mm thick plastic undamaged. Comment left on 24 November 2022 at 00:03 by Kenny manders

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