New Madill 124 Featured in - Brightwater Engineers Ltd

iron test
The first New Zealandmade
Madill 124 has been
working with Peacocke
Logging since mid-year.
Peacocke
Proud as a
First NZ-made madill iN actioN
Story & photos: John Ellegard
Alister Peacocke didn’t think twice when the oPPortunity
to purchase a brand new Madill 124 swing yarder came up.
He wanted one, no question. And when the original buyer of the
first all-new Madill to be built in New Zealand released an option
to purchase, Alister went to the head of the queue.
“When I heard Brightwater was going to be making brand
new Madill yarders here I decided to pretty much go for it,
there and then,” says Alister as we watch his new pride and
joy bring up another fat stem from the gully below us.
That may have raised the eyebrows of some contractors, since Peacocke Logging is
a single crew and the ability to earn enough to pay the new asking price from just one
operation is limited. Talk about having all your eggs in one basket.
A big gamble? Not to Alister. He runs a very efficient outfit that pulls an impressive
tally of wood each day (the exact amount is hush-hush), so he is confident the new
machine will more than pay for itself.
“I know the numbers we do and buying a machine like this was never an issue,” he
says. And anyway, the price is equivalent to a fairly ordinary house in central Auckland
these days, so it’s all relative.
It helps that Peacocke Logging is working in one of the most productive parts of the
country, in Kaingaroa Forest, just 20 minutes south of Murupara. Though it’s not all easy
harvesting in this forest and it can get very broken in some places, particularly where
rivers criss-cross the landscape. Like where the crew is working now, pulling trees up
from a 200ft deep gully with a stream at the bottom.
This type of work is tailor-made for a nimble swing yarder because it’s steep, uneven
and requires lots of equipment shifts. And now Alister Peacocke and his men have the
best piece of yarding equipment in the country to get the job done. Actually, make that
the world, as it’s the first brand new Madill 124 to be built since the original Canadian
company went into receivership five years ago.
In the wake of that collapse, the rights to the Madill brand passed through
Washington state’s Modern Machinery before moving back across the border to
Nicholson Manufacturing, which decided to re-start production of the tracked loaders
and harvesters at its Sidney assembly site in British Columbia. Brightwater Services
was already in discussions with Modern Machinery about manufacturing Madill yarders
20 NZ Logger | December 2012/January 2013 December 2012/January 2013 | NZ Logger 21

It’s been five years
since the last all-new
Madill 124 arrived in
New Zealand.
in New Zealand under licence and the deal to do so was
confirmed by Nicholson Manufacturing after it became
the new owner.
Regular readers of NZ Logger will know from the article
published earlier in the year that it took more than 12
months from signing the deal for this first Madill 124
to emerge from the Brightwater facility in Christchurch,
since the 2-Dimensional engineering drawings had to be
re-created digitally in 3-D and then orders placed with
component suppliers before production could commence.
And, as we explained in that article, Brightwater did not
rush the build, wanting to ensure the first New Zealand
machine would be as good, if not better than the original
– a concern that may have crossed the minds of some
potential buyers, but not Alister.
“I figured they’d want to do everything possible to get
it right, so that didn’t worry me,” he says. And have they?
“It’s worked brilliantly since we took delivery (in June)
and nothing has gone wrong, so yes, they did get it right,”
adds Alister.
The only work required after it arrived in the forest
was some adjustment to the speed of the drums for the
guy ropes, which weren’t being taken up quickly enough
when the yarder was being shifted back and forth into
new positions. But that was more a case of fine-tuning,
not a repair, and any contractor will attest that it’s not
unusual for new machines to suffer a few teething
problems once they get out to the bush. So that’s a pass
with flying colours for the new Madill 124.
Credit goes to the diligence of the Brightwater Services
Andrew Vari positions the Madill
124 as close to the edge of the
gully as is safely allowable for
greater visibility to grab and
drag trees to the landing.
team, led by Lincoln Rayner, Engineer Manager, which
took great pains to build quality and reliability into
Number One (it’s actually been given the serial number
51, to follow on from the last Canadian-built machine) at
every step of the process. Lincoln has returned for the
first time since the Peacocke yarder was commissioned,
to see how his “first-born” is running and to answer any
technical questions myself or Iron Tester ‘Scania James
may have.
Right now, we’re just admiring the job being done by
Andrew Vari in the controlling seat up in the shiny new
cab, as he expertly places the Young grapple tongs over
each tree and pulls them up to the landing.
Before Andrew arrived two years ago, the old yarder
was worked by Alister, but he’s happy to take a back seat
these days and manage the operation instead, though
does admit to having a few sneaky goes on the Madill
when Andrew wants a break. Well, who could resist
playing with such a nice (big boy’s) toy?
We chat about his forestry experience and the steps
that led to the Madill purchase and it’s interesting to hear
that Alister does not have a family history in this industry
– his father was a sheep farmer and when the farm was
sold they upped sticks and sailed the Pacific on a yacht for
a while. Back on land, Alister decided to give forestry a go
after school and found work with Sam Webb’s harvesting
crew near Taupo. He graduated to foreman and then
started up his own crew 12 years ago with a Berger tower
hauler, working various areas, from the Raglan coast
through to Gisborne, before arriving in Kaingaroa.
Andrew Vari likes the
easy access to the
new Detroit engine and
Allison transmission.
He swapped the tower for a 1991 Cypress swing yarder
along the way because of its greater versatility on broken
country and it worked well, although suffered the usual
issues you’d expect of a well-used machine, needing
various components fixed and upgraded on a regular
basis, as they succumbed to wear-and tear.
“I guess I got fed up with the phone calls from Andrew
saying this needs fixing or we have to replace that
because it’s wearing, which was really behind the idea of
getting a brand new yarder,” says Alister.
“I shouldn’t need to do anything to it for a long while
and I know I will get 20 years of good service from a
machine like this if we take care of it.”
While Alister and I have been chatting, ‘Scania’ has
climbed up to join Andrew in the cab, to get his part of
the Iron Test under way. Watching the new 124 going
through its test paces, Alister says there are a number
of similarities between his old Cypress and this machine,
after all, it is an early predecessor (the Madill business
was purchased by Cypress, which put some of its models
into the familiar red and white livery).
Twenty years later and we are in an entirely new era,
although the Madill 124 of 2012 is not much different
to the machines that have carved a great reputation
in forests around the world. It still looks and runs like
a Madill 124, but there are a number of 21st century
upgrades.
They include the latest 14-litre Detroit Diesel Series
60 engine built to Tier III standards, in place of the 12.7litre
Detroit previously used, which lifts power output to
336kW (450hp). The fully automatic transmission has
given way to Allison’s Powershift clutchless 6-speed
manual – a change that is designed to give the operator
more control over pulls, eliminating the ‘hunting’ between
gears that can occur with an auto as it drags a heavy
tree to the landing. The winch control has changed to
air-actuated, instead of electric, to preserve reliability
and also allow for fixes to be done in the bush, being less
complex than an electric system.
The Madill sits on a D7 track base, as before, but with
up-to-date track motors. The hydraulic system is also
similar to that used in the past, but with latest technology
components it now delivers increased flows.
All the metal fabrication is New Zealand-made and
the biggest change to the earlier 124s is the cab, which
is closely modelled on the one designed for the Madill
3800 log loader that is back in production in Canada and
features Marguard front and Lexan side screens, so there
is no need for protective bars on the windows.
Brightwater talked to Madill 124 owners and operators
to get their input on improvements to the machine during
the re-drafting process and one of the updates suggested
is evident up on the 60ft boom, where the main fairleads
now have retaining collars in the bronze thrust bearings
to hold them captive if they break – thus, the yarding
operation won’t come to a juddering halt as it can still be
used until a full repair is made.
Have the upgrades and newer componentry made
much difference to the actual operation of the new
Madill, compared to his old yarder? Very much so, says
22 NZ Logger | December 2012/January 2013 December 2012/January 2013 | NZ Logger 23

Left: Andrew Vari has the distinction of operating the last new Madill 124 that came to this country and now the very first NZ-produced
model (note the glass window in the footwell).
Right: Alister Peacocke (right) discusses his new Madill 124 with Iron Tester ‘Scania’ James.
Alister. It’ much quicker in its functions, is a lot smoother
and the line pulls are faster, by about 15% compared to
the old Cypress. The crew is producing more wood, and
more easily meeting their daily target. The more efficient
Detroit engine uses less fuel, too, consuming around 200
litres less per week – a reduction of 8-to-10% over the
Cypress and probably 5% better than the last of the old
Madill 124s.
That must have pleased Kaingaroa Timberlands, I add.
“I think so,” replies Alister, an answer that puzzles
me. While he did mention to KT he was buying a new
yarder, “the equipment configuration is more up to the
contractor,” he says, explaining that KT doesn’t tend to
discuss machinery with him, as it is primarily concerned
with the harvest planning, production targets, managing
the flow of stems out to the Webb Road processing facility
and ensuring Health and safety, environmental protocols
are followed. As long as those parameters are met, it’s up
to Alister to decide on the equipment he employs.
You only have to look around to see that KT doesn’t
need to worry, as this is a very slick operation. The Madill
is pretty much in a scabbing role at the moment, clearing
trees from this messy gully, with a Hitachi loader in
support to clear the chute. You can’t do big numbers with
this sort of piecemeal recovery, so the Cat 336/Woodsman
processor that normally works in unison with the 124 has
been despatched to a block of trees a few hundred metres
away to do ground-based harvesting, supported by the
crew’s Tigercat skidder. And a little further on, the two
fallers, who make up the rest of this seven-man team,
are bringing down more trees for the Madill to grab later.
That’s how you keep your numbers up.
Back to the Iron Test. Andrew is showing off his fishing
skills with the grapple on a lone pine that had been
overlooked during falling and still remains standing at the
bottom of the gully. He wants to get the tongs around the
trunk before his spotter falls it with the chainsaw. After a
few deft swings he latches onto it and within minutes the
tree is up on the landing.
While the Hitachi drags the tree clear to be de-limbed
The fully automatic transmission has given way to Allison’s Powershift
clutchless 6-speed manual – a change that is designed to give the
operator more control over pulls, eliminating the ‘hunting’ between
gears that can occur with an auto.
later, Andrew and Scania take the opportunity to
reposition the Madill a few metres to the right, to clear
another section of the slope. The guy lines are tethered
to a bulldozer at the back of the landing, which Andrew
has to go and move periodically, though he is able to
leave it in place for this shift. However, the spotter has to
move the excavator down in the bottom of the gully that
is fitted with pulleys on a neat cradle assembly on top of
the boom that holds the tailrope.
Move completed, ‘Scania’ steps down and I take his
place to chat with Andrew and see how the new style cab
looks in its completed state and discuss his impressions
of his new steed.
Last time I was in this cab at Brightwater’s Christchurch
facility it was still a work in progress and it has now
evolved into a much lighter and roomier workplace than
first impressions had indicated. Those big screens and
absence of bars open it up to the outside world and
make it feel appreciably bigger than a traditional 124 cab.
There’s a little more height to the roof at the front, further
increasing the amount of light coming in, compared to
the previous Canadian-built machines.
Andrew has noticed the difference, not just with his old
Cypress, but also to previous Madill’s he has operated.
He drove the last Madill 124 to come to New Zealand
(and one of the last out of the factory), owned by Doug
Kinney of Whakatane, so it’s interesting to get his views
on what has changed and, more importantly, what is
better than before.
One of the changes he does like is the provision of
a glass panel in the front of the floor, which enables
Andrew to see the tracks and better judge how close to
get to the cliff edge. It also improves the view downhill.
One drawback, however, is that dirt from his boots
collects on the lower edge of the glass and is difficult
to clean out, so Brightwater is going to fit hinges for the
panel to be opened on this machine and all future ones.
The new air-suspended seat gets the thumbs-up and
the controls are identical to those on earlier versions of
the 124, except that the left-hand shifter now includes
buttons for selecting the gears manually. Surprisingly,
Andrew is not a fan of manual gears and prefers the old
automatic set-up – “less to have to think about”.
Andrew also prefers the previous electric shift to the
new air-activated shift, commenting that there is not as
much feel with the new system. But he understands the
reason for the move and agrees that it is much simpler,
so less likely to go wrong and will be easier to fix if it
does go down.
“I’m getting used to it,” he adds, though he’s had to
tape up the aluminium shift control handle because it
was leaving the palms of his hands black at the end of
the day. Later on I discuss the shifter with Lincoln and he
says there is an option to have a joystick instead, which
could improve feel and control, as well as eliminating the
black coming off the alloy.
Similarly, Andrew prefers to have the switches and
gauges in his field of vision by the left front pillar where
he can keep an eye on them, as on the Cypress, rather
than on the panel up by the ceiling. That, too, is an
option owners will be able specify on future machines,
says Lincoln.
24 NZ Logger | December 2012/January 2013 December 2012/January 2013 | NZ Logger 25

The neat tailrope set-up on the excavator boom at the bottom of the gully.
Another change Andrew will have to get used to, is
running the air-conditioning at the height of the summer.
He’s noticed the extra glass creates more heat in the cab
and this old-school operator prefers to open the window
for fresh air rather than turning on the A/C (“gives me
the flu,” he says). At least he has a decent A/C system to
cool the cab – many of the older, secondhand, imported
Madills that I’ve seen around the country either don’t
have one that’s running or they are not very efficient.
Overall, the changes have enhanced the operation
of the Madill and made it a more complete workhorse
– “you don’t change a winning formula and the
Brightwater guys have done a very good job,” says
Andrew.
And you can’t wipe the smile off his face at the
thought of coming to work every day in such a nice piece
of equipment.
“It’s an awesome machine,” he says. “It does
everything quicker, smoother and faster – the line speed
downhill is great. It can keep up that pace all day and
you don’t come away feeling tired.”
The upgraded hydraulics work a treat and the
percentage of trees missed with the first close of the
grapple is much reduced.
The drums are the same as before (with the benefit
of interlocking, of course): a pair of front/rear grooved
drums carrying 770 metres (2250ft) of 7/8 swaged rope;
a haulback grooved drum carrying 1420 metres (4660ft)
of 7/8 swaged roped; and a strawline drum carrying
1420 metres (4660ft) of 3/8 swaged rope. Three guylines
are supplied as standard.
Although he’s got six speeds at his finger tips, the
top gear is actually too fast to use and would lead to
additional wear on the ropes, Andrew reckons. Generally
he’ll send the grapple down the slopes in fourth gear and
then pull average-size trees back in third. Smaller ones
may come back up in fourth, while larger ones could
require second. For the really large, old growth pines it
would pay to start off in first and then change to second,
just to get them moving without straining the system.
The rest of the crew are a tad jealous and have asked
if they can take a turn with the Madill, but Andrew
tells them they have to do their time down the hill to
understand what yarding is all about first before they
can sit at the controls.
We’ve opened up the big clamshell bonnet to get
a view of the engine and transmission, which was
still being plumbed when I last viewed it. The bonnet
makes a great platform for servicing and working on
the mechanical parts and also holds the extinguishers
mounted on the inside of the shell.
It all looks so familiar that it’s hard to think of this
as an-all new 124, which, in many ways is a comforting
thought. The Madill 124 has built up such a reputation
for great performance over the years you really wouldn’t
want to change it, unless there were real grounds for
improvement. And that is exactly how Brightwater under
the guidance of Nicholson Manufacturing has gone
about remaking this forestry legend.
There was genuine sadness among all foresters
around the globe when the Madill company faltered five
years ago. Now there is equal joy to see these brilliant
machines back in production.
Alister Peacocke took a brave but calculated step
ordering the very first of the New Zealand-built 124s. It’s
already repaying his leap of faith. nZl
Madill 124
26 NZ Logger | December 2012/January 2013 December 2012/January 2013 | NZ Logger 27
ification
ENGINE
6-cylinder, 14-litre, Detroit Series 60 common rail diesel, Tier lll,
turbocharged & after-cooled
Bore / stroke 106mm x 168mm
Net power 336kW (450hp) @ 2100rpm
Torque 1966Nm @ 1200rpm
Transmission Allison HD 4060 6-speed Powershift
HYDRAULICS
Main pump Variable displacement load-sensing piston type
Gear pump Four pilot circuits, plus actuation of pull clutches
Swing Twin multi-stage planetary with bent axis piston motors
DRUMS
Front – Main Capacity – 777m; Pull – 41,730kg; Speed 1260m/min
Rear – Main Capacity – 777m; Pull – 41,730kg; Speed 1260m/min
Haulback Capacity – 1420m; Pull – 42,180kg; Speed 1810m/min
Strawline Capacity – 1420m; Pull – 720kg; Speed 3535m/min
BooM
Height 18.3 metres (60ft)
GRAPPLE
Model Young 120
REFILL CAPACITIES (LITRES)
Fuel tank 1192L
Engine oil tank 40L
Hydraulic system 400L
DIMENSIoNS (MM)
Shipping length 22,265
Shipping height (cab folded) 3952
Track length 5334
Track shoe width 700
operating weight (roped) 65,000kg approx

iron test ‘scania james’
HEADING
in the 1980s, movie hard-man sylvester
Stallone taught the men of the world how to
be macho with Rocky and Rambo. The lesson
didn’t go unnoticed and men everywhere
bought aviator sunglasses, tore the sleeves
off their T-shirts and communicated only
with grunts and whistles. All gruff and rough
edges.
When the Rocky and Rambo movies ran
out of steam, the men of the world were left
without guidance and like a rudderless boat
they drifted into discussing their feelings and
actually caring about their appearance, finally
adding some finesse to the gruff exterior.
What does all this have to do with a Madill
124 swing yarder?
A bit actually. Haulers followed a similar
transition from macho machines, with no frills,
into a nice, comfortable, yet still effective piece
of equipment that even Rambo and Rocky
might like to operate.
I’m the first to admit that I have spent
bugger-all time at the controls of a swinger –
actually, what I know about operating a yarder
productively could be written on the back of
your pay slip, so being perched on the edge
of a shear face in an unfamiliar machine sure
wasn’t my cup of tea and time in the cab with
Andrew Vari was a big learning curve.
But I can appreciate what has changed over
the years. Like the modern interior cab, which
is a lot quieter than haulers and yarders of
yesteryear. Vision is better, too, especially with
the small window under the pedals.
Air con that actually works, even though
Andrew – like me – would rather have a window
open. A good stereo and an air-ride seat that
doesn’t sag and puts you in a good position
for the controls make it a very welcoming place
to work.
Switches and gauges are up above your
head in a ceiling pod, as opposed to on the
windscreen pillar, which I would actually prefer,
but with modern engines and computers it’s
28 NZ Logger | December 2012/January 2013
not so important to keep a constant eye on
gauges these days.
The basic controls are more or less the same
as they’ve always been in the 124, although
some things have changed.
Among them is the new power-shift Allison
clutchless manual tranny. I can see why that
change has been made, but, like Andrew,
I prefer an auto for ease of use, though it
hasn’t taken him long to adapt and he reckons
most of the changes are for the better. The
bare aluminium shift lever will benefit from
the cover that Brightwater is fitting to future
Madills, as half-an-hour with your hand on
it and your palm is black – just like an old
Leyland Hippo steering wheel – so Andrew has
it wrapped in tape.
I have to agree with the decision to swap
from electric controls to air activated. It’s much
more reliable and Williams Air Controls have
been around as long as the Madill name.
And the great benefit of having a brand new
machine is that everything is tight and works
just the way it was designed.
The highlight for me was when Andrew got
a call from Mark, the spotter down the hill,
to say he needed a wayward standing tree
pulled over – “it’s leaning over the creek and
you’ll have to grapple it away while I fall it”.
I’ve seen some pretty good operators in my
day but Andrew rates very close to the top. Try
swinging the grapple of your excavator loader
sideways and grab a standing tree? You can
do it alright with a bit of practice, but now put
five hundred metres of rope between you and
the grapple, looking down a near vertical face.
Andrew reckons “it’s a bit nerve wracking
with five people watching” but three or four
swings later he latches on, takes the weight
and tells Mark to scarf and back-cut the tree,
then let him know when he’s done.
“All yours mate,” crackles through the RT
and Andrew shows me something I’ve never
seen before. Once he can see Mark is clear,
he slews the 124 to the right, pulls ahead on
the main and tail together, then slews left, the
standing tree snaps off and is literally plucked
clean from the stump. Within 30 seconds the
hairy old edge tree is in the chute and the
grapple is heading back down the hill. This guy
is not just a hauler driver, he’s an artist!
Hydraulics have been re-vamped for the
better. Andrew showed me you can walk
backwards and forwards while lowering and
raising all three guy ropes at the same time,
this cuts the repositioning time in half and the
guy winches have plenty of power to get good
tension on the ropes.
I’m equally impressed with the rest of the
machine. Great access with the huge bonnet
opened up and mechanics will be very happy
with so much working space.
The undercarriage is big and tough just like
the old 124s, with D7 size track gear. Plenty
of power for walking and it will counter-rotate
the tracks with the engine idling, which is
real good for tricky stuff like loading it on the
transporter.
Outside, it is very familiar to those operating
older 124s and for those like me who move
them around the bush. The gantry lays down
flat on top of the boom for transporting and
this also has plenty of power. Some of the
older Madills used to struggle a bit to raise
the tower from the ground, but Andrew says
the ‘Kiwi’ Madill will pluck the boom from the
ground without raising a sweat.
The Brightwater guys have made their own
improvements in the tower set up with some
clever bushes and a few other ideas picked up
from local operators.
It’s great to see Madill yarders back in
business and going better than ever, thanks to
a Kiwi can-do attitude. This is the stuff legends
are made of and you have to take your hats
off to Brightwater for making it work. And to
Alister Peacocke for stepping up to be the first
customer. nZl
AD