This month, our Iron Test team is visiting the Stewart Logging Mosgiel site with AB Equipment’s Nicolas Ekron, who is the Dunedin branch Service Manager. Stewart Logging owner, Grant Stewart’s son Matt, owns the Sumitomo 4040 with Duxson Donaldson GX182HD grapple being tested.
“Nicolas is originally from South Africa and grew up on a farm with his Dad and Uncle being quarry managers and mechanics, so he got to working with machinery maintenance from an early age. He went on to work for JCB in South Africa and then arrived in Mosgiel about six years ago to work on the floor at AB Equipment, servicing construction and forestry equipment and then moved into sales before taking on the Service Manager role for both construction and forestry equipment,” says Iron Test writer, Tim Benseman.
He continues: “It’s a big ridge we climb just South of Mosgiel and its almost as busy as rush hour in Kaingaroa Forest. We soon see there are three crews up this road and a heck of a lot of line raking has been going on post-harvest here on some pretty steep ground.
“It seems very common now that crews are two-staging and this one is no different. We drop over the side of the ridge onto a North face and the Stewart’s processing area, load out and container are on a plateau. Further West, about 250 metres away, is a Madill 172E tower with an ACME carriage and Fortronics chokers - quite a while since we have seen those in use but they are making it work with a steady couple of thick stems coming up from about 400 metres down the steep hill on the regular.
“The Sumitomo 4040 is behind the Madill shovelling stems around the hauler and bunching them for the Tigercat six-wheel skidder which is dragging some good six- to eight-stem drags up to the processor on a fairly nice grade but through a tight gully. Dan Stewart says they have great ground conditions here with plenty of rock so the skidder can get up there even when it is pouring rain.
“Directly below the haul track to the processor is a Falcon winch machine tethering another Tigercat which is down the hill felling, with a shovel machine bunching for the hauler. And not too far from them is a Hitachi 30 tonner tail hold sitting between two surge piles which are being hauled up to the Madill.
“When we get down to the hauler landing, Dan and Matt Stewart are figuring out some strops and they decide one needs shortening to smooth out the operation. A Milwaukee battery chop saw is dragged out and Dan cuts off the required length and gets busy with a hammer and driving drift, removing the end block with a bit of encouragement from older brother Matt.”
To read more, get your copy of the September 2025 edition of NZ Logger magazine, on sale from 1 September. Check the link on this page to subscribe to either a printed or digital copy (or both).
