Traction Aid Winch: When the Terrain Demands Something Extra

Tue June 11, 2024
Komatsu

When harvesting and forwarding in steep terrain, a traction aid winch is a useful complement to ensure a productive working day with low impact on the forest.

The Komatsu Traction Aid Winch is a high-quality system based on more than 20 years' experience of winch use in the alpine regions of Europe. The system has been complemented with anchor point monitoring to meet the requirements of the new ISO standard for traction aid winches. The Komatsu Traction Aid Winch is available as an option on the Komatsu 875 and the Komatsu 931XC.

Harvesting and forwarding timber in demanding conditions requires specially adapted technology, such as a traction aid winch. The Komatsu Traction Aid Winch is a high-quality winch solution that provides extra tractive force and grip and enables the machine to navigate terrain that would otherwise prove inaccessible, according to the manufacturer.

Easy to Use

The winch has a well-considered design that helps to simplify your working day, and, due to its compact dimensions, it impacts neither maneuverability nor visibility.

The harvester winch is easily removed during servicing or when driving on flat terrain. It also has a hydraulic tilt that makes it easy to tilt the winch downwards when opening the hood or adjusting the rope angle.

The forwarder winch is designed to be well integrated with the rear frame. The Komatsu 875 has an integrated crane tilt option, which helps to compensate for any lean of the machine up to 22 degrees and thereby better maintains the crane's slewing torque in steep terrain.

The winch is controlled with the aid of a remote control, and to optimize winch use it also offers several operating modes.

The Capstan Pprinciple

The system is based on the well-proven capstan principle, which means that the winch has a separate drum for rope storage while the tractive force is provided by the capstan unit. This solution provides even traction regardless of how much rope is left on the drum. It also causes less wear on the rope, resulting in a longer service life. What's more, the winch has a rope feeder unit that ensures that the rope is always tensioned inside the winch.

Anchor Point Monitoring

One new feature is that the system has been complemented with anchor point monitoring, which meets the requirements of the new ISO standard for traction aid winches*. This system provides the operator with a warning if the anchor tree moves, so that the machine can be secured.

*EN ISO 19472-2:2022 (Machinery for forestry – Winches – Part 2: Traction aid winches) and EN 17067:2018 (Forestry machinery – Safety requirements on radio remote controls).