Shaws Iron Test; Monster of a Machine
Rounding a corner in the sand dunes to see a new 350 horsepower TimberPro forwarder certainly makes an 11 hour drive to the Far North worthwhile. It’s a monster of a machine. The design engineers must have had a great time getting this beast into production.The crew at Subritzky Clark Logging is a small one with just three operators but these keen young men comprehend the advantage of big gear and maximising the value of every journey they make with this giant of a forwarder.
As well as big horsepower it’s got a big payload up to 25 tonnes, the industry’s strongest crane and it has speed with up to 23kph possible when empty, meaning a fast trip back for reloading, stumps permitting. And it does all of this on about 25 litres per hour of diesel.
The TimberPro story started in the 1940’s with Pat Crawford when he began logging with his father near the end of the crosscut saw and horse extraction days. After innovating with various self-loading log trucks and trailers, making forwarders from modified tank salvage trucks and building some early two-way levelling feller bunchers, he built his first Timbco four-way leveller in 1982.
With eight children to his name he had to keep busy either logging or manufacturing his new innovations. After several partnership deals with larger machinery manufacturers, Pat sold Timbco and started TimberPro in 2002 at 77 years old. At the time he stated that “retirement” was “a dirty word” to him.
With the bigger wood found in his home state of Wisconsin, Pat set out to build heavier wheeled forwarders and harvesters than the common, lighter weight Euro designs which were in much smaller wood. So that’s why TimberPro builds the biggest commercial forwarder out there today.
Pat’s four sons and one of his daughters have all been involved in logging and/or the TimberPro business in Shawano, Wisconsin, which was purchased by Komatsu America Corp in 2019.
The early days
Like many school leavers in 2013, twin brothers Cale and Dane Subritzky Clark were exploring their options when an unexpected opportunity arose at home.
Their parents brought them to work in their logging crew in Te Hiku Forest which runs along just inland from Ninety Mile Beach. And it’s turned out great. Cale says that after 12 years in the job and almost two years as co-owner and operator with his brother, he still feels like “a big kid in a massive sandpit with a couple of toys”.
Cale mentions that it was pouring with rain here yesterday which is hard to believe as this sand dune country is so free-draining. The only telltale sign is the lack of dust which is much appreciated.
The first job for the brothers in 2013 was on the skids learning the finer points of chainsaw operation and log making before they began working with bigger machines.
“Back then we were contracted to JNL, and were a small motor manual crew opening up skid sites, so we had...
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