This is what Ewald Klingenberg experienced first-hand when he started doing contract timber harvesting on a larger scale. Ewald is part of the fifth generation of German settlers who originally came to this southernmost part of the picturesque Mpumalanga Province as missionaries and ended up farming a variety of crops and cattle. Ewald is the third generation to actively farm on Farm Alma and he and his wife, Marlies, cultivate crops like maize, soya, macadamias and timber on their farms close to eMkhondo. They grow Eucalyptus and Black Wattle. The entire farming operation operates under the name of EMK Investments (Pty) Ltd.
“We had first bought a Bell 225A Logger in 2009, but it was only in 2016 that we started harvesting for other growers on a small scale,” he tells us. “We however saw a gap in the market in 2023 and started doing contract timber harvesting on a larger scale.
“That Bell 225A Logger has now surpassed 40 000 hours of service and we replaced its Deutz engine at around 30 000 hours, which clearly shows how durable Bell Loggers are. This durability is also the reason that we bought the newer Bell 225F Logger in March 2024.”
Ewald’s timber harvesting teams normally work on between four and five sites, employing motor-manual harvesting techniques where the felling and cross-cutting of trees are done with chainsaws. Extraction, indexing and loading are done mechanically. The company currently uses eight Bell Loggers in these operations, three of which it owns and five are hired in.
“On the extraction of timber, we’ve been using Bell 1206 Haulage Tractors drawing single-axle trailers, but with the extended rainy season that we have, which generally lasts from October to May, infield conditions and roads between the compartments more often become very slippery, slowing down production,” Ewald explains. “This is why, in November 2024, I attended an open day at Bell Equipment’s Mbombela branch, where I got a closer look at the Bell TF302E Forwarder and found out what makes it so sought-after in the timber industry.”
This convinced Ewald that the Bell TF302E Forwarder was the way to go in terms of cost-effective and productive timber extraction and forwarding and, with financing in place, he placed an order for the machine with Bell Equipment’s Sales Representative, Daniel van Huyssteen, in January 2025. The Bell TF302E Forwarder was duly delivered on 1 April 2025 and put straight to work.
“Our initial target was to extract 5 000 tons of timber a month, and using the Bell TF302E Forwarder, we soon saw that running two eight-hour shifts, we would be able to comfortably double that volume,” Ewald says smiling. “We do, however, try and stay with daytime shifts only and find that, with the efficiency of the Bell Forwarder, production targets are met as our average hauls from infield to roadside depots are usually between 500 metres and two kilometres at most.”
Pointing out the advantages that the Bell TF302E Forwarder bring, Ewald says: “When the compartments are wet, we found that using the combination of Loggers and tractor-trailers to extract timber infield, churn up the underfoot conditions to the extent that it becomes one big slippery mud bath. The Bell TF302E Forwarder, though, has such even torque-distribution through its three axles and low ground impact that the soil disturbance is minimal even when it operates in all-wheel drive mode.
“Then, with the long reach of its crane, which can extend to 7,2 metres, it need only stay in one row but can reach into two further rows on either side. This again reduces ground impact and subsequent soil disturbance.”
He also points out that when production in one compartment has slowed down for whatever reason, the Bell TF302E Forwarder can quickly be rerouted to another compartment where felled timber is ready to be taken to roadside depots.
“The machine’s fuel consumption has been a pleasant surprise, considering the volumes it carries, with 11 litres an hour when working on flat sections and going up to 14 litres an hour when working in steeper terrain,” he explains. “Our first month of production was a little slow, with our two operators finding their feet with the machine, but we expect that an average of 300 hours a month should see us comfortably meeting our production targets.
“The service that we’ve received from Bell Equipment’s branch in eMkhondo has been fantastic and this gives us the assurance that our timber-handling equipment serviced by Bell Equipment is in the best hands with obvious long-term advantages,” Ewald concludes. “At times I have to pinch myself that we actually have a Bell TF302E Forwarder as it really is a dream that has come true for us and its production data will greatly assist us in tendering more accurately for future contracts.”
