Peering through the dense Reporoa fog, we can see a Cat 336GC excavator running the aggressive new Woodsman Pro 566.
It is carving through the trees like a wolf through sheep. If that phrase sounds familiar, that’s because we used it for the other new generation Woodsman Pro, the 560 thinning head, when it was released in December 2024 at Jensen Logging.
The 560 is a bare-bones speed machine without a top saw, designed for thinning at high speed and minimal cost. The 566, on the other hand, has a newly developed top saw with auto tensioning. This one also has colour marking as an option.
It replaces a Woodsman Pro 750 on this base, and the differences are stark: 1000kg less weight, a lower profile design and faster feed. The head is quick, and time, as they say, is money.
When we lay eyes on the big 35 tonne Cat rampaging through the mist-choked forest below us, it looks like Operator, Johnson Hubbard, is just ripping the trees out of the ground and chewing them up into bite sized pieces for their Komatsu 895 forwarders. But no, on closer inspection, the saw is that quick and also seems quieter than previous heads we have observed. It’s fair to say Johnson is laying these trees down with considerable aplomb.
Great features
Woodsman Pro’s Commissioning Engineer, John van Boven, is on site with us and says this unit is aimed at the medium-sized harvesting operations of the New Zealand, Australian and North American Douglas fir market, where they have more of a similar piece size.
“Our first 560s were sold into Jensen Logging, who love them so much they bought six of them, but for thinnings they don’t need a top saw,” he says.
“The paint marking system, which is an optional extra, is quick and efficient. It’s an ideal head for Douglas fir. It can do pine, and has done in this block. This still has our great features, one bolt replaceable knife inserts, detachable wear plates – things that bring great cost efficiencies for our customers, reducing down-time and increasing their own easy serviceability when required.
“Wheels are reversible, as they do tend to wear in one place, so that dramatically increases durability,” John continues. “There’s a top saw with auto tensioning. This top saw is a first for us. We haven’t got it on any of our other harvesters with auto tensioning. So the head sits slightly taller than the 560, but the operators say they don’t even feel this head on the machine, which shows we have done our jobs right in reducing weight while increasing speed.
“The top saw with auto tensioning is a really cool addition for us, and will be added to our heads going forward.
“The paint marking tank on this is custom made, and as we have a lot of real estate on the top of the head, it is tucked well away from any of the action. On previous models, it’s been a side-mounted tank, as it’s an optional extra, but...
