The Challenge:
Morepork Forest Harvesting was working on a forestry skid. Access was tight with large near vertical drops either side. The terrain was sandstone base – very soft and unstable. It was accessible when dry but when wet access was challenging. Most areas had forestry debris which added an unstable surface layer.
Foresty tracks needed to be cut to access all logs. This required operation of heavy machinery on slopes of up to 43°.
The Solution:
Brian has over 20 years forestry experience, and was working a Sumitomo SH240 with 700mm double grousers and 30 ton plus undercarriage. He’d used his previous MightyGrips for four years and decided to fit his new vehicle. His Sumitomo required the heavy-duty MightyGrips specifically designed to handle the weight and thickness of the track.
MightyGrips gave the vehicle additional stability and traction allowing work to continue in marginal conditions. The flexibility of the bolt on and bolt off grips allowed Brian to work in previously unworkable conditions without permanent modification to his tracks.
The Outcome:
Less time was spent with the bucket on the ground providing stability and more time was spent operating. Brian noted the following improvements to his working conditions:
- Exceptional sideways protection – ability to operate with stability when climbing or descending a slope and walking across on an angle
- Dramatically improved traction and stability when operating on forestry debris
- Improved fuel efficiency
- The ability to work in previously unworkable conditions with mixed weather
- Bolt on and bolt off grips gave flexibility with no permanent modification to tracks
