Wheel Feller Bunchers Logging Equipment Upcoming Auctions

About Wheel Feller Bunchers

Along with track feller bunchers, wheel feller bunchers fell trees and bunch them in piles in a staging area where other equipment (forwarders, grapplers, skidders, etc.) take them away. Using rubber tires instead of tracks to move, a wheel feller buncher drives up to a tree to secure and fell it unlike a track feller buncher that moves on tracks but operates from a stationary position using a swing boom to move trees. Both feller buncher types generate considerable time and labor savings for operators, and both are used for clear-cutting, thinning, selective harvesting, and other applications in forestry, construction, logging, and other industries.

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2020 Barko 830B Wheel Feller Buncher

Making The Cut

Also referred to as “drive-to-tree” fellers, wheel feller buncher models generally use a chain saw, disc saw, or shear cutting head that is directly mounted to machine. While a track feller buncher uses the same cutting head types, the head is attached to a hydraulic boom. The two types also differ in the conditions under which they work best. Whereas a track feller buncher is more stable when operating in loose and wet soil conditions and on slopes, a wheel feller buncher is generally faster and more maneuverable. Models of both types include ROPS (rollover protective systems) and FOPS (falling object protective systems) to add a measure of safety.

Into The Woods

Erv Drott, a developer of logging equipment, is commonly credited with developing the first feller buncher in 1968. The machine reportedly featured an excavator base and shear-like felling head mounted on a knuckle boom that could clear the equivalent of 100 trees per hour. Today’s wheel feller buncher models feature engines in the 175- to 270-horsepower range and can weigh as much as 30,000 pounds (13,608 kilograms) or more. John Deere wheel feller buncher models include such technologies as a quick-dumping ability, JDLink Telematics software for remote monitoring, and TimberNavi Jobsite Mapping that provides GPS-mapped views of operation areas. CAT models, meanwhile, enable customizable terrain selection and include “creep control” and easy-to-engage speed and sensitivity adjustments.

You’ll find a variety of new and used wheel feller bunchers for sale on ForestryTrader.com, including models from John Deere and Caterpillar , as well as from Hydro-AX , Prentice , Tigercat , and more.