In May this year, we wrote about the new 8-wheeled Komatsu harvester 951XC. It was shown for the first time at the Swedish Forestry Expo in early June. Now we have seen it in action in the forest.
Komatsu 951XC
The Komatsu 951XC has the same size as the smaller 931XC. The differences are under the shell. The engine and the torque of the 951XC are slightly stronger, the tractive force on the 931XC is 200 kN and on the 951XC it’s 242 kN. The lifting torque of the crane on the 931XC is 230 kNm and on the 951XC 275 kNm. The hydraulic system is more or less the same, theoretically, but according to the operator in the film below the new hydraulic system is quicker than the old.
A sturdy machine in a medium-sized machine’s size must be a good combination – even a success perhaps. According to Komatsu Forest, the interest is big in markets like Germany and France where sturdy machines with good floatation are in high demand. Also in the southern parts of Sweden, the 951XC will likely be popular as there is a lot of thick spruce forests there.
Film
My colleague Torbjörn at Skogsforum.se went up north to see the very machine that was shown at the Swedish Forestry Expo in action in the forest. Unfortunately, the forest at the demo site was a bit thin for this machine but he had a nice chat with the operator who has operated this machine for almost a year.
You will receive more information about the machine in the film. (Don’t forget to activate the texting in English).
Find out more about Komatsu Forest and their forest machines on their home page here.
