Success equals more of same

BIG HAULER: The remodelled log hauler in Garmac Engineering's workshop is good to go. With it are Marcus Musson (left), whose company owns the vehicle, and Trent and Jamie Williamson of Garmac Engineering. PHOTO/ STUART MUNRO 280415WCSMGARMAC1

A Wanganui firm has done such an impressive job upgrading a log hauler that it has earned itself the job of making similar conversions to more machinery.

Garmac Engineering in Heads Rd has just finished a $180,000 upgrade of a 1995 cable log hauler for Forest Owners Marketing Services (FOMS), taking about 14 weeks.

Marcus Musson, a director of the Feilding-based forest services company, said the result has so impressed them that other log haulers will come to Garmac for similar makeovers.

The original machine was based on a truck chassis but the makeover has created a machine that moves on tracks, giving it greater ability in the type of country it will be working in.

Jamie Williamson of Garmac Engineering, said the log hauler is now sitting on a 21-tonne Hyundai undercarriage.

"We stripped it down completely before we completely rebuilt it," he said.

Mr Musson said his company has 11 similar log haulers dating back to the late 1970s.

"The technology has changed within the last 30 years, so rather than buy brand new machines costing anywhere from $1.5 million to $2 million, we're rebuilding our entire fleet.

"This is the first we've done, sitting down with engineers and saying this is exactly what we want and working to a budget," he said.

FOMS had intended to tender out the other log haulers for their refits but was so impressed with Garmac's skill they are not going to bother.

"It's completely exceeded our expectations and we're rapt. There have been problems these guys at Garmac found along the way but they have always come back to us with a solution," Mr Musson said.

FMOS has between 35-50 logging crews working around the North Island and owns the haulers and leases them out to the crews.

"This machine is the baby, really, as it weighs about 30 tonne. We've got others weighing up to 75 tonnes. The next one coming into Garmac for the rebuild weighs about 62 tonne."

Gear added to the machine includes new hydraulics and controls. All that needs to be fitted now is about 5 tonnes of cable to haul the logs before it is trucked to work in forests north of Auckland within a week.

Mr Musson said it was a feather in Garmac's cap because they had never worked on a cable hauler before, "but they've come up with some really great innovations".

Mr Williamson said it was a daunting prospect, but once they stripped the machine down things fell into place.