Photo courtesy of Komatsu

With the 901 came the Komatsu Stability Concept, which still helps machine operators work safely and productively today.

This year marks 40 years since the introduction of the first 901 — one of the world's first single-grip harvesters designed from the ground up with a specific harvester chassis.

With the 901 came the Komatsu Stability Concept, which still helps machine operators work safely and productively today, according to the manufacturer.

Today's forestry machines are high-tech tools that combine strength and smart technology with innovations that are specially adapted for forestry. Mechanized forestry took off around the 1980s and since then a lot has happened in terms of technological development. But one thing remains the same, and that is Komatsu's stability concept, which was launched in 1984 — a full 40 years ago this year.

The breakthrough came when Komatsu engineers wanted to build a harvester from scratch, rather than on a modified forwarder chassis as was common at the time. They developed a prototype for a thinning harvester, but the difficulty was stability. After many tests, they came up with the solution that is still a hallmark of Komatsu harvesters today.

The concept consists of an innovative swing axle that improved stability by locating the engine at the rear. This design, together with a unique hydraulic levelling solution, allowed the machine to navigate difficult terrain with both high precision and efficiency. The tilt cylinders were linked to the swing axle stability cylinders, which meant very good machine control during work —even in steep terrain.

It sounds complicated — but in practice it means that if the crane is working far out from the machine and carrying a heavy tree, two stabilizing cylinders work as an automatic counterforce to maintain stability. This innovation, combined with the automatically levelling cab, makes Komatsu harvesters very stable and comfortable to work in, according to the manufacturer.

And that's probably the most important benefit of a stable machine. The feeling when you can sit safely and upright even though the terrain is sloping. It allows you to work in a more relaxed way and thus feel more alert at the end of the day.

Four decades later, Komatsu's stability concept shows that true innovation not only stands the test of time, but continues to make life easier for operators, whatever the terrain.

This story also appears on Forestry Equipment Guide.

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