New logging products - Komatsu 398 harvester head

The Komatsu 398 is a versatile head designed to operate in thinning and clearfelling.

The 398 is currently being introduced into Australia, and will be released into the North American market in 2012. It can operate as a harvester head, or as a processor of pre-felled timber, with tree DBH’s ranging from 20 to 68 cm (8 to 27 inches). For optimal productivity, the majority of trees processed should be between 40 and 60cm (16 and 24 inches). The new head requires a tracked carrier of at least 27 tonnes, and is ideally matched to the purpose built Komatsu XT450L.

Good productivity has been achieved through the use of three feed rollers. They are powered by four hydraulic motors, with a geometric placement and movement pattern that allows the rollers to feed the stem through the head and also lift it. This results in optimal gripping of the stem and very accurate tree measurement. The feed rollers are controlled by two cylinders with an equaliser bar. The 398 has three standard delimbing knives, as well as two optional knives that can be mounted in the rear section of the head. A topping saw is optional.

Komatsu has focussed on designing a head which has low maintenance costs and minimal downtime. To achieve this, the chassis design has been given much attention to make it as robust as possible, hydraulic hoses to the head are protected by being routed through the rotator, and soft-sealing (ORFS) hydraulic couplings that use o-rings instead of metal-to-metal interfaces which reduce leaks are used.

The head is fitted with EcoOiler, which controls the quantity of lubricant fed to the chain and bar. The 398 is designed to be used with the MaxiXplorer head control system. Some of the key specifications are included in the table below.