New Madill 124 Featured in - Brightwater Engineers Ltd

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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
Page 1 and 2: iron test The first New Zealandmade
Page 3: Left: Andrew Vari has the distincti

New Madill 124 Featured in - Brightwater Engineers Ltd

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