This is exactly how an established family-run timber and logistics business in Mpumalanga has managed its mechanised fleet for many years.
GJ Filter and Sons is a company involved in timber growing and logistics. The name is derived from the present owner Hans Filter’s own father, Gunther Johannes Filter. Hans is ably assisted in the business by his two sons, Johan and Hein, and the business is run from the family’s farm, Kiel, situated adjacent to Panbult, between eMkhondo (formerly Piet Retief) and Ermelo.
“Our family has been on this land since the 1950s and our farm’s main crop is timber. We grow gum and pine, which are evenly split and make up around 90% of our production, with the balance being wattle,” Johan says when we meet at their spacious farm offices. “The gum is mostly sent to Richards Bay for export, with the pine sent to sawmills and shavings mills in South Africa and neighbouring Eswatini. The wattle is used for wood chipping, with the bark used in leather tanning.”
With forestry and timber production being the Filter family’s main business, we suggest to Johan that this implies a certain amount of mechanisation. “All credit to our dad Hans, who already back in 1994 bought the farm’s first Bell Logger – a transaction that was the forerunner of the many varied machines we now own and operate that originate from Bell Equipment,” he says. “His foresight also led us to obtaining and retaining sustained material handling contracts at a large board mill outside eMkhondo since 2002, where many of our machines are used in a variety of roles.”
GJ Filter & Sons’ Bell Logger fleet now stands at 17, of which all are 225A models except for one new Bell 225F machine. Some older Loggers that are in use for material handling at the board mill have clocked over 20 000 hours. These tasks include unloading raw timber entering the mill, loading timber stock into the mill and handling waste. Wood chips are handled using no less than ten Bell L1204D and E-series Wheeled Loaders.
“Our largest fleet of Bell machines, however, is found among the Haulage Tractors where we have 15 ranging from older Bell 1216 models through the Bell 1464 Series 4 machines to the latest Bell 1406A and 1406AF models,” Johan explains. “Our five Bell 1216 Tractors, all with between 12 000 and 16 000 hours, were coming to the end of their productive lives and we knew we’d have to steadily begin replacing them.”
“The plan was to sell three of these Bell 1216 Tractors and keep two as standby machines. With solid forward planning and the assistance and good advice from Bell Equipment’s experienced Sales Representative, Daniel van Huyssteen, we started this phased replacement drive in June 2023.”
GJ Filter & Sons took delivery of two new Bell 1406A Tractors in June and December 2023 respectively and one more in January 2024. They were followed by two more powerful Bell 1406AF models in March and April 2024.
“We bought these five machines early before we had sold the older machines – and mothballed the new ones, as we had managed to acquire them at a competitive price and the older machines were still in active service,” Johan adds. “The new machines have therefore only recently been put into service and are proving their mettle with sustained availabilities and better fuel consumption.”
The Bell 1406AF Tractors, with their all-wheel drive traction, are used for infield extraction of felled timber and hauling this to roadside depots. From there, the Bell 1406A Tractors take over and haul the timber to the mills, some as far as 40km away. Double-axle trailers that carry 20 to 23 tons are used, as well as tri-axle trailers that carry up to 27 tons. This haulage is done during daylight hours only as the sawmills close at 5pm. The Filter’s are satisfied with fuel consumption of 50 litres over a 100km distance which translates to 7,5 to 8,5 litres an hour, depending on the terrain.
“Our mid-tier fleet in terms of age – namely the Bell 1464 Tractors at the mill – see much higher utilisation, as they run for 23 out of a possible 24 hours and are used for a variety of tasks such as solid waste and sewerage removal, and hauling coal for the mill’s boilers,” Johan continues. “Two of our four qualified mechanics are stationed at the mill on a full-time basis, and they service these Tractors every 12 days without fail to ensure sustained uptime.”
Johan says that all the tractor drivers have a daily checklist for their machines and the infield machines are seen by a mechanic on a weekly basis. Infield machines are serviced every 250 hours, and this proven preventative maintenance regime ensures longevity of machine and component life.
GJ Filter & Sons recently added a Kobelco SK220XDLC-10 Excavator to their fleet that is used primarily for extracting old tree stumps from compartments and for general maintenance on roads and drainage infrastructure.
“We believe that the equipment supplied by Bell Equipment, along with the company’s legendary technical backup from its branch in eMkhondo, forms the backbone of our operations both on the farm and at the mill with loyal support for their and our brands working both ways. Bell Equipment understands our business,” says Johan.
