Within Reach
Resources are scarce and it is important to conserve them. This is not only a responsibility for PALFINGER, but also Tim Kärtner and Moritz Theuerkauf’s firm of tree felling specialists. Day after day. Ultimately, every tree is worth preserving, because it has a long history. However, in some situations, trees need to be removed from the environment. In large cities such as Munich, it is often due to safety aspects.
The tree felling specialists started out as a small business. Tim Kärtner and Moritz Theuerkauf founded their company that specializes in tree care and felling 20 years ago in Baierbrunn just outside Munich. The history of the company shows that the decision to become self-employed was the right one. Continuous training and further education ensure that customers’ quality requirements can be met. As a result, the company is growing in all areas. Tim Kärtner and Moritz Theuerkauf take care of their daily work schedule with the help of 25 employees. They also have a fleet of powerful vehicles and machines that can be serviced in the company’s own workshop if required. Last year, the two merged with the company Gute Baumpflege belonging to Markus Müller. Now almost any job can be carried out efficiently and carefully.
The core business was, is and will remain tree felling. The tree specialists’ customer base includes municipalities, construction companies, property management companies, national castles and lakes, as well as private customers. It is often the “difficult cases” that the professionals are called to. After all, the tree’s surroundings should be left intact as far as possible.
This type of tree felling places the highest demands on the operator and the machinery. Exposed to wind and weather, the operator is still expected to concentrate and work at the limit. Georg Heindl from Maschinenring Oberland likes to rely on the support of the specialists when trees need to be felled in challenging terrain. “The types of machinery that needs to be deployed to job sites next to railway lines is precisely specified for safety reasons. Passing road traffic is also a challenge, because it must not be hindered,” explains the client.
Every Challenge Under Control
When the tree felling specialists are called to the job site, Tim Kärtner’s team always heads out with three people. A proven combination of felling crane operator, lumberjack and truck driver that has become established over the past 20 years. The process is soon clarified. Once again, it is the power of three that plays a decisive role. The Merlo felling crane lifts the tree out of the copse and places it at the side of the road. Then it is every cut made by the lumberjack that is critical. The tree has to be delimbed as quickly as possible so it can be easily loaded onto the truck by the PALFINGER Epsilon crane. Even though the work has to be done quickly, the timber crane operator ensures that the felled material is perfectly positioned on the trailer. This is important because the wood has to be unloaded by the crane again on this type of vehicle.
The PALFINGER Epsilon Q170Z offers numerous advantages when loading the tree, which is why the business owner decided to purchase this crane. The crane is mounted on the rear of the fixed, non-tilting trailer. The position of the crane offers Tim Kärtner several advantages: He can keep an eye on the work area at all times and, thanks to the 180-degree working radius, can easily support the felling work with the grab arm by lifting and repositioning the logs and, if necessary, pre-sorting them, and then loading his own truck up to the maximum loading height. The compact design of the Z-crane is also impressive. This makes it possible to fold the crane with the attached tool sideways to the direction of travel to achieve an optimal transport position, so that the vehicle can be loaded right up to the legally permitted height.
Sticking to the Overall Concept
During his daily work, Tim Kärtner no longer wants to do without the enclosed EPSCAB that can be hydraulically raised to five meters. Not only does it provide a comfortable working environment with adjustable temperature, above all it also ensures safety at work. “The space available on site is often very limited in the city,” explains the tree felling specialist. Felling, sawing, loading - at many locations all the work has to be completed within a radius of just a few meters around the tree. The dangers are right there, but inside the cab the driver is protected from falling branches, leaves and airborne sawdust.
Having operated the crane for around 1,000 hours over the past 1.5 years, it is clear to Tim Kärtner that the vehicle's overall concept is right. It was not only the Epsilon crane that impressed him, but also the concept of the log trough with the side flaps. These are used to secure loads during transport and protect passing traffic from falling tree sections during loading. After the last branches of the trees have been cut and loaded onto the truck, the flaps lock the trough and the three-operator team heads off to the next job site.
