Active Speed – improved productivity regardless of the stem size

With Active Speed, the harvester head’s operating speed can be adjusted based on the tree species and stem diameter. Equipped with this new function, working with the H8 harvester head is smooth and productive, no matter what the tree diameter is.

“We have developed our product range of harvester heads actively with our customers. Many of our customers work in challenging conditions, which is why their development ideas give us the best possible feedback for product development. With its completely new structure, the new H8 harvester head is ideal for processing large trees,”

says Janne Loponen, Product Manager for harvester heads.

A completely upgraded new structure

The new harvester head can be mounted on Ponsse Ergo and Bear, the strongest harvesters in our product range. The saw box area is even wider, making the harvester head an excellent choice for trees with a high butt diameter. The harvester head’s structure has been designed for easy maintenance, and the frame has been built to be even more durable. A powerful feed, combined with a geometry that firmly supports larger stems on feed rollers, guarantees high productivity and fuel economy. The automatic features of the Opti control system, developed and built by Ponsse, control the feed speed and saw movement, according to the tree diameter, and ensure fast and precise sawing.

All Ponsse harvester heads have been designed to withstand the toughest conditions. They are characterized by a simple and solid structure which is why they can be used in various harvesting applications. All Ponsse harvester heads are manufactured and designed at the Ponsse factory in Vieremä, Finland. The comprehensive design applies to both mechanical components and the electronic control system, controls, and software. The manufacturing process is highly automated, guaranteeing a high level of quality and measuring accuracy.

“Thinning can also be called improvement felling, as it ensures the productivity of the forest and the high quality and health of trees. The better a forest grows, the better it sequesters carbon. Thinning ensures that trees can be processed into high-quality products that sequester carbon for dozens or even hundreds of years,”

says Tuomo Moilanen, forest specialist at Ponsse.

In cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting, trees are already processed up to the intended length in the forest, enabling thinning to be ecological. When the harvester operator plans trails so that they can also be driven by the forwarder, trees can be both felled and transported without needing to move around unnecessarily in the forest.

“At thinning sites, the distance between trails is roughly 20 meters, and trees remaining by the side of the trail will grow in Finnish conditions 20–25 percent more quickly, because they will have room to grow, both above and below,”

Moilanen says.

Ponsse’s harvesters, forwarders, and harvester heads have also been designed for thinning sites

The six-wheeled Ponsse Beaver and the eight-wheeled Ponsse Fox, Ponsse’s harvesters in the smaller size category, are ideal solutions for first thinning. Ponsse Fox is an excellent choice, especially when operating in soft terrain. High-flotation tracks should be selected as optional equipment for softer terrain to prevent surface damage.

At heavier thinning sites, the Ponsse Cobra and Scorpion harvesters, combined with the H5 or H6 harvester head, are the best choices in terms of productivity. In Ponsse Scorpion, the unobstructed visibility in all directions, together with cabin and crane leveling, makes working smooth even at dense thinning sites. As eight-wheeler machines, both models are also excellent in soft terrain.

While Elk and Wisent are the most popular Ponsse forwarders for thinning sites, Buffalo is also an excellent choice, especially when distances are longer, and the aim is to improve productivity. The forwarder can easily pick up trees from thinning sites when trails are properly protected (with branches) and as straight as possible; the fewer sharp bends there are, the less surface damage is caused.

At thinning sites, the harvester head should be selected according to the dominant tree species. However, it should be considered that damaged trees and other trees in poor condition must also be removed from thinning sites, calling for sawing and feed forces from the harvester head. The harvester head must be reliable at thinning sites because a large number of trees are produced quickly during each shift.

At thinning sites, much rests on the forest machine operator – the operator decides what trees are removed and what are left standing. The forest owner hands over their assets to a professional forest machine operator to receive the highest possible profit, also in the future.