The time has come to visit a sturdy forwarder again. Ponsse Elephant and Rottne F20 have already been written about here at NordicWoodJournal.com. Now we present the John Deere 1910G forwarder. 
John Deere 1910G – king of the Swedish forest
According to the latest report about the Swedish forwarder market, the 1910G is the most sold forwarder in Sweden. It recently took over the throne from the mid-sized John Deere 1510G. There is a trend in Sweden that the mid-sized forwarders are losing popularity to small and big ones. Maybe we will see fewer forwarders in the middle segment in the future?
Anyway, I went to the forest to have a closer look at the 1910G. It is for sure a sturdy machine, and with the rotating and leveling cabin it offers a good working environment for the operator. The site I visited had been harvested by a John Deere 1470G. If you are curious on that machine, you can read, and see a film about it here.
John Deere Forestry – a stew of brands
Us older owls remembers Kockums, Skotten, Bruunett, ÖSA, Lokomo, Timberjack and some others. They are all nowadays ingredients in the “stew” called John Deere Forestry. With all of those good old brands included there´s no wonder that they have managed to create something good.
Large machines were the strength of Lokomo and Kockums back in the days. Kockum’s top-of-the-line model was the 85-35. As they were brought into the conglomerate called FMG (Forest Machine Group) the new organization wanted to replace the 85-35 with the ÖSA/FMG 280 Master. The rumor back then, claimed that every time the decision was announced to remove the 85-35 from the range, lots of orders for the model came in which kept the model Kockum/FMG 85-35 alive for quite some time before it, at last, was out of date and was removed from the range.
When Timberjack entered the group, the name was changes to Timberjack. In 2005, John Deere bought Timberjack and changed the name again, to John Deere (of course). The dark green Timberjack-color was also changed into a lighter green. The rumor at that time was that it was a compromise between the green Timberjack and the yellow John Deere colors.
John Deere 1910G
That is, as they say, history. Now the 1910, version G, is the top-of-the-line forwarder in the John Deere range. A sturdy machine, just like the Kockum 85-35 and the Lokomo 933 but with all kinds of today’s technology loaded into it. Self-leveling and rotating cab is already mentioned above. Computer controlled engine, hydraulics and crane are standard equipment today. All those things put together gives a much better working environment than what the old machines could offer which makes the operators more efficient. In addition to that, all computerized help makes the machine itself even more efficient. The result is a capacity that we (the old ones) only could dream about back then.
Figures about the 1910G
(Source: Deere.com)
Driveline
Engine John Deere
Engine model PowerTech Plus 6090
Displacement, ltr (inches3) 9 (549,2)
Engine output, kW (hp) 200 (268,2)
Engine torque, Nm (lbf/ft) 1315 (969,8)
Drive configuration 8 x 8
Transmission Hydrostatic-Mechanical
Std tire size front 26.5 – 20
Std tire size rear 26.5 – 20
Dimensions
Base carrier Length, mm (inches) 11470 (451,2)
Transport height, mm (inches) 3900 (153,6)
Width, mm (inches) 3090 (122,4)
Wheelbase, mm (inches) 6250 (246)
Ground Clearance, mm (inches) 800 (32)
Width – Fixed Bunk, mm (inches) 2953 (115,2)
Horizontal Reach, m (ft/in) 8,5 (27 ft 10 in)
Load Length, mm (inches) 5635 (222)
Capacities
Fuel Tank, ltr (US gallons) 184 (49)
Hydraulic Tank, ltr (US gallons) 185 (49)
Alternator Output, Amp 150
Performance
Lifting Moment –
Standard Crane, kNm (lbf / ft) 151 (111372)
Load Capacity, tonnes (tons (short)) 19 (20,944)
Travel Speed, kph (mph) 21 (13)
Tractive Force, kN (lbf) 230 (169639)
System Voltage, V 24
Pump Capacity, cm3 (inches3) 180 (11)
Film and more info
Here is a film from my visit in the John Deere forest:
Find out more at Deere.com
and here you can read about two other giants of the forest:
Film and photos: Per Jonsson
