One of the biggest releases at the upcoming forestry fair – FinnMetko will be the new Bison forwarder from Ponsse. Source: Timberbiz and Forestry
The new forwarder has a load capacity of 16 tonnes and wedges in between the Ponsse Buffalo and the BuffaloKing.
The new forwarder has a loading capacity of 16 tonnes which makes it a middle-sized forwarder for medium sized final fellings.
Bison is the first model from Ponsse with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) transmission. It is Ponsses’ first and maybe the first CVT transmission in a serial production forwarder of its kind.
The main advantage of a CVT is that you don’t need to change gear, it is fully automatic and seamless in its function. Normally a forwarder with a hydrostatic drive has two gears, low and high. With Ponsse Bison you now can go from 0 to 20 km/h without changing gears and you always have full tractive force. This will come in handy if you have sites with long hauling distances for example forest roads.
Gearless forwarding is not something new, Gremo had it on its 1350vt forwarder and Komatsu Forest has its “SpeedShift” as an option. They offer the same end result but have a different technical construction.
With the release of Bison, Ponsse emphasizes its Active Frame option. Active Frame is a system for less vibration and shocks in cabin and syncs well with the CVT transmission. Fast road hauling with low vibrations is a big selling point.
Active Frame is not new, it was released in 2014 and is now an option for Bison, Buffalo, Elephant and ElephantKing models.
Simultaneously with the release of Bison, Ponsse also launched Active Crane, its first boom tip control. Boom Tip Control is a semi-automated, computer controlled, crane steering system making it easier for the operator to control the crane from the cabin.
Normally you have two levers with three functions each. With Boom tip control you still have all these controls and the same levers, some of the functions are automated though. For example, you adjust the height of the grapple with your right lever and move the crane in and out with your left lever, leaving the control of the extension to the computer.
A positive side effect with Boom Tip Control is that all the functions of the crane have position sensors making it easy to make a computer aided function for electronically end damping of all vital functions.
Boom Tip Control has been a buzz word some years but until now only John Deere Forestry with its IBC solution has had it on the market.
