2017 International Forest Industries Magazines April May 2017 | Page 52

KESLA LogCUT rotor was introduces last year. It has not only improved the
chip quality but also increased the chip output significantly with the bigger
chipper models
Kesla has created its own advanced control system for chipper and crane
Chipping 42 cubic meters of wood chips takes 15 - 20 minutes with
Häggman’s C860 chipper. This truck handles three containers
In his wood chipping work, Kurt Häggman has relied on Kesla since the
beginning
Finnish winter conditions and
contractor mentality – ‘keep it
simple and keep it going’ – has
shaped the Kesla chipper gear to
its present state.”
The proLOG rotor
Machine contractor
Maskinentreprenad Kurt Häggman
uses truck and tractor-powered
chippers to chip wood an 80 km
radius from his home village in
Komossa on the West Coast of
Finland. From the very beginning
(2003), his chipper has been a
Kesla, now he runs a third tractor
chipper and another truck chipper.
Municipal heating plants are
his main source of employment,
and there are currently 11 plants in
the region. There are also a good
number of industrial buildings and
50 International Forest Industries | APRIL / MAY 2017
farms so that in total Häggman
produces wood chips for more than
200 locations. His fees are based
on cubic meter of chips produced.
“There are indeed differences
in wood stacks, and of course one
notices differences in transporters.
The quality has certainly
improved,” he said.
“The cleanness of the product
is very important, as the blades are
easily damaged by stone or metal,”
Häggman said of the day’s chipping
conditions. The cleanness of the
wood chipping, that is, without
stones or iron, is at the top of every
wood chipping contractor’s list.
Häggman himself works with
the truck powered C860A and his
long-term partner Ralf Backman
works quite independently with his
own Valtra T tractor with a single
axle C645 chipper.
“Single axle unit is more agile,”
Häggman said. “We operate over
a 40 km radius, and sometimes
there are difficult places that are
soft and hilly. However, it is more
convenient to work with a truck-
mounted chipper when operating
far from home base.
“Truck chipper offers greater
mobility on the road and a good
material yield, almost 250 m3 per
hour,” explains Häggman on his
choice. The engine power offered
by the Volvo 6x4 is 650 hp and the
work weigh is around 26 t.
Why only Kesla?
“I have of course looked
at other brands and heard
promotions, but it has been easy to
stay with Kesla, which is a reliable
Finnish partner,” Häggman said.
“The service has been excellent
and the quality-price ratio is OK.
“The new LogCut rotor with
straight blades is a very successful
structure and produces even
more wood chips. There is a
big difference compared to my
first truck-mounted chipper. The
ability to turn the chip pipe from
the truck’s cab is in practice a
great advantage in tight spaces,”
continued Häggman. For municipal
customers, an 85 mm screen is
used in the chipper and for others
65 mm or 45 mm. With the 85 mm
screen, the chip size in practice is
in a range of 30-50 mm.
Häggman does the maintenance
himself and entrusts major repairs
to Kesla or a local repair shop.
Despite the distance of 450-500
km, he has often visited the factory.
He has also worked as Kesla’s
machine presenter at trade fairs,
such as FinnMetko, in Sweden at
Elmia and Nolia. As an experienced
user, he knows what he is talking
about.