At last year’s Elmia Wood, FTG Cranes showed a new larger Mowi loader prototype. Now, the new 9-meter loader is ready for the market after testing during autumn and winter. Torbjörn at Skogsforum.se visited a site close to the Mowi factory in western Sweden where the Mowi P81DT was demonstrated. These are his impressions. 
MOWI P81DT – 9,4 meters reach
With the launch of the P81DT loader, a full-size loader is available both in the Moheda and Mowi ranges. The Mowi loaders are parallel loaders and the Moheda range consists of knuckle boom loaders.
The parallel loaders are highly appreciated for the private forest owner’s log trailers as they are easy to maneuver. The new P81DT has a double telescope and a reach of 9,4 meters (31 ft.). The lifting capacity at full length is 540 kg (1190 lbs.) and at four meters (13 ft.) it’s 1 500 kg (3307 lbs.). 
The P81DT is normally mounted on the largest Mowi trailer, Mowi 1450, which has a loading capacity of 15 tons and is available with a separate hydraulic system. If you have a tractor large enough, you can of course use the internal hydraulic system of the tractor. Recommended oil flow is 60 – 80 liters (16 – 21 US Gallons) per minute and a pressure of 190 bar. 
An extra cylinder gives a better parking position
Unlike other parallel loaders, the Mowi P81DT can be folded like a knuckle boom loader into a parking/transport position. This gives an unloaded trailer a low center of gravity. One extra hydraulic cylinder makes this possible as it gives the parallel loader completely new features. The loader can also reach high which is appreciated when e.g., forwarding slash for chipping. 
The Mowi P81DT loader is now available on the market. The Mowi range of loaders and log trailers is sold by dealers around the World. You will find your closest dealer here.
The corresponding Moheda loader was launched a year ago. You can read a previous article about that one here.
MOWI is the origin of today’s FTG factory
FTG Cranes manufactures log loaders and log trailers of the two brands Mowi and Moheda at the factory in Bäckefors in west Sweden. From the start, the factory, under the name Wikhede Mekaniska Verkstad (Wikhede Mechanical Workshop), was a sub-supplier to the engineering industry. One day a man called Wiking Gunnarsson knocked on the door and showed drawings of a parallel loader for the forestry business. He got the idea from an IKEA desk lamp that had a similar construction.
At the beginning of the 80s, a prototype was ready to be tested. The loader was given the name Mowi after the two involved companies, Wiking’s MoTrak and Wikhede (Mekaniska Verkstad). The rest is as they say history. 
Large harvester cranes
A vast number of Mowi loaders and cranes have been developed and manufactured through the years. During the 80s and 90s, many harvester cranes were made and still today many forest machine manufacturers use Mowi equipment for their machines, like for example Sampo, Tigercat, Malwa, Terri, and Vimek. But most of the cranes made today are for log trailers.
FTG, the Forest Technology Group, has grown over the years and brands like Moheda, Källefall, and V-Kran are included in the group. Today FTG is a part of Bruks-Siwertell.
The manufacturing takes place in both Sweden and Lithuania. The Swedish Bäckefors plant makes some 300 log trailers and 150 log loaders annually. The distribution between Moheda and Mowi is about 60/40 according to the sales manager Anders Skogsberg. In total FTG Cranes make approx. 700 log trailers and 1 200 log loaders per year. Many of the loaders are sold to industries for static use, e.g., at sawmills around the World.
Photos: Torbjörn Johnsen and Mowi
