Timber talk
High-quality system
Optional Komatsu Traction Aid Winch ensures continued production with low impact on steep terrain
When harvesting and forwarding in steep terrain, a traction aid winch is a useful complement to ensure a productive workday while also considering the impact on the forest. The Komatsu Traction Aid Winch is a high-quality system based on more than 20 years of experience of winch use in the Alpine regions of Eu-rope. It provides extra tractive force and grip, and it enables the machine to navigate inaccessible terrain.
Available as an option on the Komatsu 875 forwarder and the Komatsu 931XC harvester, the winch has a well-considered design that helps simplify the workday. Thanks to its compact dimensions, it has no ad-verse impact on maneuverability or visibility. The winch is easily removed during servicing or when driving on flat terrain. It also has a hydraulic tilt that makes it easy to tilt the winch downward when opening the hood or adjusting the rope angle.
Komatsu designed the winch to be well-integrated into the rear frame. The Komatsu 875 has an integrated crane tilt option, which helps to compensate for any lean of the machine up to 22 degrees and thereby better maintains the crane’s slewing torque on steep ground.
The winch is controlled with a remote, and several operating modes are available to optimize winch use.
The capstan principle
The system is based on the well-proven capstan principle, which means that the winch has a separate drum for rope storage while the capstan unit provides the tractive force. This solution provides even trac-tion regardless of how much rope is left on the drum. It also causes less wear on the rope, resulting in a longer service life. Additionally, it has a feeder unit that ensures that the rope is always tensioned inside the winch.
Anchor point monitoring
One new feature is that the system has been complemented with anchor point monitoring, which meets the requirements of the new ISO standard (EN ISO 19472-2:2022 and EN 17067:2018) for traction aid winches. This system warns the operator if the anchor tree moves, so the machine can be secured.
To learn more about Komatsu Traction Aid Winch visit https://www.komatsuforest.com/forest-machines/our-wheeled-harvesters/harvester-options.
