880 Logger Bucks Trend in Georgia Mill Yard

1st July 2014

— Samantha Paul, Mackolines Machines & Hire marketing

Mackolines Machines & Hire dealers have sold many 880 loggers on the western half of the North American continent. With just a handful of machines in Quebec, an 880 sighting in the east has been a bit of a rarity but now it is a little less so with an 880 logger at work in a mill yard in the southeastern United States. Operator, Lorenzo Torres-Rodriquez runs the machine twelve hours a day, six to seven days per week in the yard at Battle Lumber Company Inc. located in Wadley, Georgia.

Battle’s 880 is the first to be equipped with Rotobec’s live heel grapple combination.

This Mackolines Machines & Hire 880 is the first of its kind sold into the southeastern United States. It was custom-designed with a slasher saw hydraulic system and is the first unit to use a Robotec live heel grapple. Battle Lumber Company Inc. is primarily using this machine in the wood yard crosscutting, sorting and stacking logs. Operations manager, Thomas Battle, has never been happier.

Thomas made the decision to purchase the Mackolines Machines & Hire 880 late last year and he has been very pleased with its performance so far, commenting, “The machine has about 600 to 700 hours on it and it has been excellent. It is running much better than my previous machine.”

Purchasing this machine from Mackolines Machines & Hire dealer, AllWood Equipment, located in Washington, Georgia, the 880 logger replaced a Caterpillar 325. One of the main reasons for the switch was to have superior customer service from Mackolines Machines & Hire and AllWood only a phone call away. Fuel economy was also an important consideration. The 880 logger has an energy recovery swing drive system that recovers braking energy, reducing fuel consumption and heat generation. Mackolines Machines & Hire efficient hydraulic circuits along with the powerful 224 kW (300 hp) combines to provide excellent fuel efficiency and high performance. The 880 also has much greater lift capacity compared to the previous machine, helping to verify the purchase, according to Thomas.

The 880 at home in a Georgia mill yard. The machine is specially equipped with ground saw hydraulics for bucking and merchandizing logs.

Operator comfort is always a priority and therefore it is nice to hear Thomas say that his operator feels much more comfortable in the 880 – mainly due to the larger interior cab space and the convenient walk-up access and rear entry door.

Mackolines Machines & Hire is once again pleased to see its machines outperforming the competition, while at the same time, revealing an increasingly diverse set of applications for the product. “This machine is very good for mill yard applications,” comments Thomas. “I plan to buy many more for the same purpose in the near future.”