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Constantly growing demand for wood chips

The demand for wood chips is rising globally. Wood chips are used in many forms. For example pulp (paper), restoration ecology, mulch in gardening, landscaping and of course biomass for heating. Especially in the current unstable situation in Europe, the demand for different forms of heating is high.

So nowadays, many people are looking for the right kind of forestry equipment for cutting energy wood. In Finland, we have forests as long as the eye can see, and forestry in Finland is a really big thing. Energy wood has been used for a long time. We at TMK have made chopping trees even more efficient with the one grapple arm tree shear.

This can also be seen among our customers, as our tree shears have already been sold to more than 40 countries around the world. Thanks to our customers for trusting us, with them TMK Tree Shear has grown even bigger year by year and we have been able to offer our services and products more widely around the world. Many customers have initially purchased one of our tree shears, but have later ended up buying another one after seeing its great benefits.

In this blog, we will go through why TMK Tree Shears are excellent forestry tools. So I recommend reading at least these three points to see why the TMK Tree Shear could be just the right choice for you.

3 reasons we promised

1.     The weight and size of the TMK Tree Shear in proportion to the size of the machine

TMK Tree Shears are light and compact. That’s a good thing, because then they can be connected to small machines. The smaller the machine, a smaller route into the forest is needed. This means that the forest remains better intact and only selected trees are cut. Also the lighter the attachment, the better the fuel economy as there is less weight needed to move. This is a very important point especially with the current fuel prices.

For example, the TMK 300, our second largest tree shear model, weighs only 260 kg (575 lb) and can be combined with machines as small as 5 ton kg (11 ton lb). The TMK 300 easily cuts up to 300 mm (11.81”) of soft wood and 250 mm (9.84”) of hard wood. Watch the video to see how efficiently the TMK 300 works on a 5.7 ton kg (12.6 ton lb) forestry excavator.

https://youtu.be/hOeqIx2rhZU

Read more about our four different tree shear models.

https://tmktreeshear.com/shear-products/

2.     Cutting capacity in proportion to the size of the tree shear

Although our tree shears are very light, they are still not ineffective. Each of our tree shear models has an incredibly good cutting capacity for its size. TMK Tree Shears are named according to their cutting capacity: TMK 150 cuts 150 mm (5.9”) wood, TMK 200 cuts 200 mm (7.87”) wood, etc.

In relation to its own weight, for example, the TMK 150 is really efficient. The TMK 150 weighs only 75 kg (165 lb) and cuts 150 mm (5.9”) wood with ease. All this is possible thanks to the unique durable structure and the extremely durable Hardox 500 steel used in production.

3.     Productivity with a wide selection of attachments

However, the money-making energy tree felling is not only about cutting capacity or easy movement of the machine in the forest. In order for the job to be profitable, the trees must be felled quickly enough. Time is money! This is why TMK Tree Shear attachments have been made. I will raise two special attachments here: the Collector and the TMK Turbo cylinder.

The Collector makes cutting trees and moving them much more efficient. The Collector takes hold of the cut wood, so the grapple is released, and it allows another tree to be cut. This can be repeated until the tree shear is full and several trees can be lowered to the ground at a time. The Collector therefore considerably reduces the need to move the boom and the machine, when several trees can be caught before they are dropped.

TMK Turbo is our patented main cylinder consisting of a smaller cylinder inside a bigger one. The smaller cylinder is always activated first, and the bigger one only if there is not enough power. This speeds up the cutting of small trees a lot and does not eliminate the possibility of cutting a larger tree.

The 3 points mentioned above are only a small part of what we can offer

Based on these three things, you’ve probably already got a better understanding of why TMK Tree Shears are the right choice for cutting energy wood. However, the good sides of TMK Tree Shears are not limited to these. The jobs varie and therefore our product offering meets the needs of different users.

Our TMK Family around the world will help you find just the right tree shear set to suit your work. Check the list to see where you can find your nearest distributor and contact them. You can also contact us directly via the form below.

-Antti Toikkanen

Maintaining sustainability and functionality of your TMK tree shear

Like every enthusiastic and passionate TMK tree shear user acknowledges, the maintenance of the shear is important to maintain its sustainability and functionality.

Before you start using your shear first time or before your daily work, you should always check these things:

1. Make sure that all your fittings, quick connectors, hoses and everything in the hydraulic system is securely tightened.
2. Clear your shear from all the twigs, branches and other loose material immediately when noticed. If you are working with the Delimber, remember to clear the back of the Delimber blade frequently, especially when working with wet snow or a lot of loose material which may get backed up behind it.
3. Check the frame all-around for any possible damage or defects.
4. Tree Shear should be greased every 8 hours of work. Remember to grease also the grease nipple of the Collector arm as it is normally hidden inside of the shear.
5. Always check if the blade requires sharpening. To improve your cutting results, you should keep the blade equally sharp in 15-degree angles from each side.

However, the king of the maintenance tips for all the users is the correct cutting angle and technique. Following Robert’s example, you should always tilt the tree shear downwards a little bit since it makes the cutting safer and you are able to push a little bit with your excavator at the same time.

Taking these maintenance tips to your daily use, your shear can continue its shearing adventure from father to son. It might be boring at times, but I am sure it will be much better to maintain your shear frequently than go shear-shopping more often.

Thanks for the read & go grease your nipples!

– Jaakko Piispanen

Where to start?

As a member of TMK’s sales team I hear every day what clients want to know about our products. It is understandable that at first sight all the information about different tree shears can seem overwhelming. I am often asked what are the main points to consider when selecting the right product, and here I’ll give you a brief overview that will hopefully help you get started.

TMK product family includes 3 tree shear options: TMK 200, TMK 300 and TMK 400. Every shear is available with a BrushGrapple, which can cut soft twigs neatly and gets the work done during every season of the year. Furthermore, you only need one double-acting hydraulic circuit for cutting, delimbing and collecting the trees.

Our basic shear is a great choice for hobbyists with a limited budget. All the shears can also be customized with a variety of attachments to meet the professional and unique needs of every client. It is also possible to buy and retrofit attachments afterwards to already existing tree shears.

When choosing the best tree shear for your excavator, there are few aspects to consider. Let me go through the 4 most important ones to help you with your decision-making.

It’s all about size

Every TMK Tree Shear is designed for a specific size. Our smallest tree shear TMK 200 is developed for the smaller machines. Its small size and precisely designed structure make this shear a good fit for tractor cranes, miniloaders and small excavators. This powerhouse, weighing only 165 kg, cuts hardwood up to 180 mm and softwood up to 200 mm quite comfortably.

TMK 300 is intended for machines weighing 5-20 tons. Its light weight (the basic shear weighs only 260 kg) and very durable capsular structure make this shear a good option for both large and small excavators. The shear, like all the other models as well, is manufactured from Hardox steel, which endures hard wearing. Thanks to the efficient blade, even a 300 mm tree can be cut neatly.

Our biggest and strongest shear TMK 400 was created for the large trees of Central Europe. ”Big Boy” fits to excavators from 10-30 tons. Shear opens respectively 1070mm and can cut trees up to 400mm. Still the basic shear with bracket only weighs 560 kg. With the help of the TMK 400 even heavy-duty excavators can keep earning also in the more
quiet winter months.

Cylinder options

When you have the size of the shear figured out, it is time to consider the 4 different cylinder options TMK offers. The cylinder choice mostly depends on hydraulic flow and -pressure. In a nutshell, the more hydraulic flow the cylinder receives, the faster the cylinder speed. The higher the hydraulic pressure, the bigger the cutting capacity.

In Finland there are many excavators with tiltrotators that limit hydraulic pressure. This results in lower speed and cutting capacity of the shear. Often times this also affects the quality of work as smaller trees are left uncut to save time. The TMK Turbo cylinder developed and patented by TMK solves this problem. The small and fast 80 mm cylinder is great for smaller trees and when you run out of power, the bigger cylinder takes automatically over and finishes the job with the force of the 130 mm ram. The bigger cylinder can cut trees up to 300 mm.

Attachments are worth the investment

It is important to contemplate your professional needs and goals. Attachments make a big difference when it comes to efficiency.

The collector increases the productivity of the shear significantly. It works automatically with an open-close motion all the way to the point when you are ready to drop the bunch. Thanks to its high productivity, the collector is TMKs most popular attachment worldwide.

TMK also has the first easily controllable delimber on the market without expensive feeding systems. With the help of the delimber you can use the bottom part of a cut tree to make firewood  as you are able to clear the branches from the tree. As the result of this process the tree also dries faster.

TMK’s solid extension beam (length about 1 m) was designed to give some extra reach and it works great with the tiltrotators to ensure that the sensitive hoses don’t get damaged in the bushes, but are kept in a safe distance from the branches. Therefore minimizing the damages. As the beam is attached with bolts, it can be taken off easily when not needed. The solid extension beam comes with the heel that gives you more support and reliability when moving in difficult terrain. It is especially helpful when crossing ditches and moving rocks or stumps out of the way.

If you want even more extra reach, it is possible to use the hydraulic extension beam (3,6 m).

These are only a few of the attachment options TMK offers. Check out our attachments page for more.

Controlling options

Lastly, depending on the attachments you choose, there are 2 different attachment controlling options: pressure diverted version or using electricity. If you opted for both the collector and the delimber, the attachments will use electricity. When using electricity, it is also possible to go wireless. For excavators with tiltrotators, this means there are no physical wires between the rotator and the excavator boom.

While I consider these 4 aspects the most crucial, this is only scratching the surface of what TMK products have to offer. For more information, contact a dealer closest to you.

-Rauno Kindma

TMK Tree Shear – The Original

The market has seen a lot of copies of our design over the years and even some big manufacturers have had to accept the benefits of the one grapple design. However what makes our tree shear better than competitions copies? Here are the top 3 reasons why.

1. Original design

Tenho invented the one grapple tree shear in 2009 for himself, as he had a lot of forests that needed some care and he was too busy during the summer. And of course in the winter time, when he had time, there was no motivation to go into the snow filled forests with a chainsaw. Tenho also had excavators staying idle during the winters, so he decided to buy a tree shear for himself. It quickly became clear to Tenho that the tree shear that had just been bought wouldn’t do the job accordingly, so he thought to himself why not try to make his own.

So he did one for himself. The first one wasn’t very good but the idea was there, instead of having two grapples and a flimsy blade, that requires frequent changing, he made one with just one grapple and capsular frame that had the blade as a fixed part of the frame. After a couple of revisions it turned out to be the one! Although the shear has been improved and developed a lot over the years, it still has the same basic principles that the Tenho’s first one had, it has just grown into an even more mature one.

We have over 10 years of experience with tree shears and as many in the market have noted, our tree shear family is probably the sturdiest and the most durable shears there are, thanks to the one grapple and capsular design. We have experienced all the pains and weak points of the shears ourselves and had feedback from customers using it in very different ways. This gives us knowledge unlike any other manufacturer. Experience is hard to buy or copy, that only comes with time.

2. User & manufacturing experience

We know the user experience of the shear. Why? Because we were the customer once. All our products are made using the mentality “By operators. To operators.” We test them ourselves and regularly use them. We have almost all the time one excavator working on forest thinnings or clearing the edges of fields and/or roads. This gives us very good knowledge of the shear and the ways people work. This also gives us unfiltered feedback because it’s us in the cabin using the shear.

We test many different configurations with a variety of attachments on the shear to learn how different machines and attachments work in each situation.

We also really care about the manufacturing. That’s why In 2019 we built and opened our own factory in Hankasalmi, Finland. This way we can monitor the manufacturing from start to finish and keep very high standards in quality control to ensure the end users receive a shear that is of the quality they are looking for in a professional product.

3. Attachments

We have the most comprehensive attachment range for the shear in the world and it’s growing all the time. For TMK 300 alone we have 10 different optional attachments and 4 different main cylinder options. These are made to get the most out of the shear depending on which type of work the customer is doing. For example here in Finland the most popular attachments are the Collector, Solid Extension Beam and the TMK Turbo cylinder. They suit many Finnish customers very well because most of the jobs here have small trees that see a lot of increase in efficiency when using the Collector. The Solid Extension Beam gives extra reach while at the same time gives protection for the tiltrotators as they are very commonly used in Finland and the TMK Turbo cylinder gives not only more speed and power for the shear, keeping the work very efficient whether you are cutting small brushes or big trees, but also it helps when using a tiltrotator because of their limited oil flow.

And the best part about the optional attachments is that they really are optional! As one of our slogans says “Grow With Your Work” you can add attachments later down the line without buying a whole new shear. This allows you to buy a basic shear at the beginning and when the jobs call for more professional equipment you can upgrade your shear to even have a Hydraulic Extension Beam reserved for the true professionals. So make your buying decision with peace of mind, you can always upgrade later!

Did you get interested of our Tree Shear products? Or did some questions arise? Find your nearest dealer here!

-Rauno Kindma