For Immediate Release:
Tigercat Develops ER Boom System
Tigercat’s revolutionary ER boom results in higher production, less
operator fatigue and improved fuel efficiency.
PARIS, ON, January 4, 2002 – Tigercat
has developed a new boom system called ER that promises to bring revolutionary
improvements to tree
harvesting not seen since the invention
of the high-speed disc saw 20 years ago.
Important advantages of the ER boom system include improved fuel efficiency,
increased production and reduced operator fatigue. Also, training for new operators
is a far less daunting task.
Conventional boom systems are fundamentally inefficient at felling because
they must mix two arcing motion functions to get the desired reaching motion.
Conversely, the patent pending ER boom system allows the machine operator to
extend and retract the boom on a horizontal plane smoothly and quickly using a
single joystick. The stick boom or "reach" joystick controls both the
main and stick booms simultaneously, resulting in the attachment moving either
away from or toward the operator. The main boom and tilt functions operate in the
traditional manner to adjust the height and angle of the attachment.
"The operator no longer has the mentally tiring job of simultaneously
working the boom and stick controls to manipulate the attachment in and out in a
smooth manner, " comments Grant Somerville, head of Tigercat’s track
carrier engineering group. "We have been testing the ER boom for over a
year now and find the operators adapt almost immediately to the ER, even in
cases where we hadn’t explained to them that the boom operates
differently."
Key to this technology is reduced energy consumption. The ER system transfers
energy back and forth between the main and the stick boom functions, reducing
the total energy needed to move the boom system. This translates to reduced
demands for power, pump flow and system cooling.
Operators who have spent time on ER machines comment on the speed, ease of
operation and smoothness of the boom as well as the extra horsepower available
for other functions and faster saw recovery.
"Give someone five minutes on an ER felling machine and he will never
again choose a conventional one," says John Kurelek, veteran forestry
equipment designer. "We old time logging machine designers now have to
apologize to loggers. For lack of this innovation, we have kept them using
energy wasteful and difficult to run booms."
The ER boom will soon be standard equipment on all Tigercat track feller
bunchers and harvesters.
About Tigercat
Tigercat Industries designs and manufactures premium quality forestry and
off-road equipment with manufacturing facilities in Canada and Sweden. The
diverse forestry line includes complete full-tree and cut-to-length harvesting
systems.
Tigercat and the Tigercat logo are registered trademarks of
Tigercat Industries Inc. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their
respective owners. Copyright (c) 2001 Tigercat Industries Inc.
# # #
Contact:
Paul Iarocci 519-442-1529 ext .314
piarocci@tigercat.com
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