VICTORIAN entrepreneurial spirit is evident in two tree trimmers-with-a-difference currently earning their keep by working beneath power lines.
South Gipsland contractor David Silcock, Australian TTTS, said a trip to New Zealand gave him an insight into the scale of equipment being used in their forestry industries.
The upshot is this fiercesome-looking rotary-style tree trimmer built with the help of Australian engineering know-how.
Essentially, each 850mm wide four-bladed head spins at about 25,000rpm to slice through up to 400mm thick vegetation to cover a range of tasks including road-side clearing, also the construction of firebreaks.
David currently is building another unit with a longer 16m boom, replicating the 3.4m cutting width of its predecessor.
His tree trimmers are powered by 130hp New Holland T6030 tractors supplied by Gendore Tractors and Machinery, Tooradin, which covers both Victoria and south east South Australia.
Meanwhile, CJ Andrew Plumbing and Excavation proprietor Clinton Andrew, Warrnambool, is working with a helicopter company to provide another option for trimming trees around dangerous powerlines.
He operates a Case CX210B excavator which is equipped with a mammoth-sized custom-made tree-trimming saw attachment that makes light work of an otherwise tricky job.
Clinton works in conjunction with helicopter company Helimatic Australia which has equipped one of it machines with a row of 10, two-foot diameter saw blades hanging beneath it - for trimming trees around dangerous powerlines.
“(But) if there are no powerlines, it’s just as fast, safe and efficient, as well as much cheaper, to use a ground crew,” he explained.
Clinton chose his CX210B excavator based on previous experience with Case equipment.
“We needed an excavator that would be stable and reliable,” he said.
The CX210Bs 20-tonne weight is said to make it it easy to transport while its long tracks give it extra stability. This is considered essential for the dangerous, overhead work of tree-trimming.
But powerful and responsive hydraulics ensure the saw performs its delicate operations smoothly, according to Clinton.
“You’re waving a lot of money around on the end of the excavator’s arm - so this sort of work is not for the faint hearted,” he said.
“In this job you’re dealing with a massive saw attached to the excavator and you’ve got falling trees and branches, plus other environmental factors to consider, such as wind.”
Clinton and his team say they have written extensive and specific OH&S policies covering every eventuality.
“No one has done this particular kind of tree-trimming in Australia before that we know of, so we had to write our policies from scratch,” he said.
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