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Bi-Directional Loader Makes Log Handling Easier
"It can load logs from any direction and works better than anything else on the market," says Dominique Bherer, Maniwaki, Quebec, who recently sent FARM SHOW photos of an articulated, bi-directional, 4-WD log-loading tractor equipped with a front-mounted boom.
The machine was built by Andre Levesque in Quebe
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Bi-Directional Loader Makes Log Handling Easier TRACTORS Made-It-Myself 32-2-35 "It can load logs from any direction and works better than anything else on the market," says Dominique Bherer, Maniwaki, Quebec, who recently sent FARM SHOW photos of an articulated, bi-directional, 4-WD log-loading tractor equipped with a front-mounted boom.
The machine was built by Andre Levesque in Quebec. According to Bherer, Levesque has spent almost 25 years building machines designed for small operators to transport logs out of the woods. He uses big truck parts that are easy to replace. For example, the machine has two big non-locking truck differentials, one for each axle. It's powered by a Cat 62 CV engine.
What makes the machine really unique is the cab and boom design. The boom is front-mounted and can swing to either side a total of 180 degrees, and the cab rides on a turntable that allows it to rotate 180 degrees, allowing the operator to load logs on back. You use the boom to grab the log, then rotate the cab to face backward and lay the log down on the truck.
"Most machines have the boom located behind the cab so they can load only from the back. This one lets you use the boom to load logs onto a truck in front of you, or onto the back of the machine itself," says Bherer.
Another advantage is that the machine is fairly light and rides on big wheels so it doesn't tear up the ground as much as other machines. "It doesn't ride on tracks so it's a lot cheaper to build and to maintain. It weighs only about half as much as bigger log loaders and costs only about one third as much. Also, at 16 ft. long it's much shorter so it can turn short around trees," says Bherer.
Another nice feature is that the engine is located behind the cab and can be swung out to the side for maintenance work.
The machine sells for about $90,000.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dominique Bherer, 473 St. Lionel, Maniwaki, Quebec, Canada J9E 1M5 (ph 819 449-3276; www.lestransporteurslevesque.com).
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