Slasher Cuts Up Logs Fast

Slasher Cuts Up Logs Fast WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous The self-powered Tracked Slasher from Spruce Creek Mechanical and Four Men Manufacturing gets the job done for a fraction of the cost of conventional log slashers It was designed by a second-generation logger who needed a better less expensive alternative to new equipment on the market “You don’t have to buy a $600 000 slasher and crawler log loader if you already have an excavator or any log loader ” says John Steciak Spruce Creek Mechanical “Our Tracked Slasher is just under $200 000 ” Designed for maneuverability the self-propelled machine can be driven on a trailer and pulled behind a full-size or larger pickup or driven on a straight truck “You don’t need a tractor-trailer to haul it ” says Steciak “You can get into tight areas unload it and go to work ” The slasher is self-contained with a 5-ft circle saw its own engine and its own hydraulic system It doesn’t require a computer-controlled processing head hydraulic hoses and a conglomerate of wires waiting for mice to nip Unlike conventional slashers that require another piece of equipment to power them and to readjust placement Steciak’s is self-powered and mounted on tracks When Steciak came up with the idea he built a prototype and headed into the woods The concept was similar to the old tractor-mounted buzz saw It consisted of a tracked trailer with a circle saw slasher mounted on it all powered by a 3-71 Detroit diesel He used both a Barco 80 log loader and a Cat 336 Excavator to set trees into position for the saw “I wanted it on tracks so it was easy to reposition or turn and get out of the way to clean up the scraps underneath ” says Steciak “Our goal is to provide an economical slasher that can be used with any loader or excavator old or new ” His then 97-year-old father looked at the prototype and advised him to get it patented With the collaboration of engineer Tom Johnson of Four Men Manufacturing the tracked slasher was patented and refined Initially the two hoped to find an existing manufacturer to build and market the unit The problem was it would compete with and likely cannibalize sales of existing and higher-priced machinery They started building the machines for sale and working with interested dealers The current design uses a 60-in circle saw on a Strickland DT40 undercarriage powered by a Cat C3 4B 12-hp engine It’s 8 1/4 ft wide by 18 1/2 ft long and weighs 11 750 lbs Trees are brought to the slasher and placed on the table which has marks on it in 2-ft increments The circle saw and tracks can be controlled wirelessly by the operator in the excavator or loader Steciak and Johnson have recently designed an even simpler and smaller slasher It’s for the part-timer less for the commercial operator It has a 74-hp Cat engine and a 5-ft bar saw but retains the tracked undercarriage and full wireless remote control The lighter unit can be transported on a trailer behind a pickup or even an SUV It’s priced at less than $170 000 “It can still buck trees into shorter lengths just like its big brother albeit a shade slower because of the bar saw ” says Steciak “However it has fewer components and less steel and thus a lower price It can still cut up trees into logs or firewood and is affordable for the weekend logger/lumberman ” Go to www trackedslasher com to view videos photos and detailed drawings of the units FARM SHOW readers may recall a previous Steciak innovation Vol 31 No 2 It was a self-propelled twin-station log splitter with a conveyer for loading out firewood Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Spruce Creek Mechanical 2687 State Route 29 Dolgeville N Y 13329 ph 315-429-3496; sprucecreekmechanical@ibyfax com; www trackedslasher com or Four Men Manufacturing 7400 South Clare Ave Clare Mich 48617 ph 989-627-6258; www fourmenmfg com

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