John Deere Harvesters have the reputation for being go-getters who start early, stay late, and rarely take a break. Built forest tough, these dependable workers deliver exceptional uptime and hardly ever need a sick day.

Just ask Andy Looke and Randy Moore, two Canadian loggers who each own a 1270B Harvester with almost 40,000 hours on each of them. If these machines worked a desk job, someone would be buying them gold watches for exemplary service.

Looke, owner of Looke CanCut Limited in Barss Corners, Nova Scotia, runs his 1270B two shifts a day. "There's not a lot of other forestry equipment you can run 19 hours every day," he says. The harvester helps the company cut about 85,000 metric tons of wood annually, mostly red spruce and hardwoods.

Moore, owner of Moore's Logging in Edson, Alberta, used to run his 1270B around the clock on back-to-back 12-hour shifts, but with volumes down he recently cut back to a single 12-hour day shift. Moore began mechanical logging in 1989, when he switched from a chain saw and skidder to a harvester. "That was like going from a bicycle to a helicopter," he says. "It was just amazing as far as productivity."

Moore uses his 1270B Harvester to cut West Frazier and lodgepole pine, as well as some white spruce. Moore Logging typically cuts 75,000 to 100,000 cubic meters a year. "I operate the machine a lot, and it's hardly ever down," he says. "It just goes and goes."

So how do these loggers get such impressive uptime out of their John Deere harvesters? Like any good bosses, they take care of their workers. Here's what they do:

Maintain, Or Feel The Pain
Like any tough loggers, John Deere harvesters are rugged individualists who don't need constant attention. But that doesn't mean you should neglect daily and periodic maintenance. "Every shift change, our operators have a routine where they grease the machine and perform daily checks," says Looke.

The engine hood on the 1270B comprises two sections operated by an electrical motor for quick access. "Maintenance on the 1270B is pretty easy," says Looke. "Filters and everything are quite accessible." All of Looke's employees are trained to maintain the machine for maximum uptime as soon as they come onboard. "One of the things we are adamant about is regularly changing oil, because buying oil is cheaper than buying parts," says Looke. "We're up to 30,000 hours on the engine, and it's never been touched."

If It Ain't Broke, Fix It
Both Looke and Moore do their own repairs. "I hardly ever have a mechanic out," says Moore. "I do all the work myself. All my machines look like they're brand-new, even my oldest ones."

Both loggers check the machines on a daily basis for anything that's damaged and fix it right away before it becomes a real problem. "As soon as something looks like it's starting to go, I fix it right now," says Moore. "Because if you leave it too long, other things will start to go wrong. "I never let it go to where there're a number of things to repair at once. Come spring breakup, most people around here have a month of repairs because they leave them too long. That's when it becomes extremely costly."

Like Moore, Looke is also very mechanically inclined. When he first got into mechanical logging in 1999, he took quite a bit of training from his dealer, plus courses in welding, hydraulics, and electrical repair. Looke has a 48-foot service trailer he keeps at jobsites that functions as a mobile workshop. The exterior features a hand-painted mural of the company's harvesters, buncher, and forwarders. Inside are a 6,500-liter diesel tank, a generator/welder, a well-organized and -labeled parts bins, and assembled and labeled hoses. At the back is a work area with bench, vise, and tools. "It has everything we need to keep the job going," he says.

And if needed, there's always a Deere dealer close by. "The service department is very good," he says. "Deere keeps their technicians trained very well. And the Deere people themselves are second to none -- they are always there looking out for you."

Back to Stories from the Woods