Forestry Journal – August 2019

FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK AUGUST 20 19 59

harvesting sites
lined up in the JCFS
contract book.
The standard
dimensions and
manoeuvrability of
the JD1110G would still
make it perfectly capable
of forwarding thinning produce
out of softwood plantations, for example, but expanding
the machine’s operating envelope for the more complex
harvesting situations was a priority. Shifting hardwood
harvesting residues, or transporting hardwoods to
the roadside for chipping, entails an increased risk of
hydraulic hose damage. John Deere’s ‘hidden hoses’
option encloses most of the hosing inside the booms and
extensions and out of danger from snagging.
John Deere’s IBC (Intelligent Boom Control) allows the
operator to concentrate solely on the position and angle
of the grapple, rather than managing individual boom
joint movements. With the aforementioned ‘hidden hoses’
option, the only hydraulic connections at risk are the two
pairs of hoses to the rotator and grapple – always in the
operator’s direct line of sight.
Both Jonathan Cook and George Gilder agree that the
IBC system is probably the most impressive asset of
the 1110G delivered by John Deere. The overall speed
of the IBC operation is adjustable to suit the operator’s
requirements, as is the specific speed of the various
boom functions. There is always the option of manual
control of the boom extensions and the IBC can be
deactivated by the flick of a switch, reverting loader
control to conventional operation. Cylinder-end damping
momentarily reduces hydraulic power as rams reach

the end of their travel, reducing the shock and hammer

often associated with hydraulic components working

fast and coming into close proximity. The durability and

longevity of the loader and its constituent components is

significantly enhanced.

The double extension option – increasing the maximum

reach of the CF7 loader to 10 m – was always going to

provide benefits on many of the JCFS harvesting sites.

In mixed woodland with trees of assorted dimensions,

Jonathan Cook will walk the ground before taking a

first pass through with the Hitachi/Keto combination.

Inset: Charlie Rayson

delimbs and crosscuts

one of the oversize

ash trees down by the

stream side. The form of

this one is particularly

poor and the whole

tree will be destined

for chipping. To avoid

the risk of ‘burying’ cut

timber, George Gilder

has already cleared the

mechanically harvested

produce from this

section and will be

ready to move in and

uplift the cut sections

before the other trees

are felled.

Left: (l to r) Chainsaw

operator Paul Powell,

forwarder operator

George Gilder, chainsaw

operator Charlie

Rayson, Jonathan Cook,

maintenance engineer

Nigel Overton. Nigel was

on site to service the

Hitachi excavator while

the cutters dealt with

the last of the bigger

ashes down below.