New Gear Harvesting New Gear
John Deere FD55 disc saw felling head

The FD55 felling head is sure to boost productivity with its improved visibility to the cutting zone, high accumulation capacity, and ability to cut trees up to 23 inches in diameter. In addition, its tall horn structure design allows for more control and added stability while harvesting larger trees.

“We listened and learned from loggers who frequently handle various tree diameters in the development of the FD55,” said Neil Harber, product marketing manager at John Deere Construction & Forestry Division. “We’re confident our customers will appreciate the higher productivity rates, increased uptime and lower daily operational costs with this new versatile head.”

Engineered with extensive customer input, the FD55 delivers superior accumulation capacity through its innovative pocket design that allows for the collection of more trees due to more usable space. The pocket area is an industry leading .63 m2 (6.8 sq. ft.).

The ergonomic head can handle anything from small-diameter thinning to cutting large single stems up to 584 mm (23 in.). In addition, an efficient arm design allows for strong grab arm force for tree manipulation and placement. Engineered with one harvesting arm and one accumulating arm, the arms ensure tight tree alignment and clean bunch release. This simple arrangement translates to quicker and easier cuts for the operator.

John Deere also designed the FD55 to increase ease of use for operators as a means to improve productivity. The FD55 was engineered with a compact and streamline design for superior visibility around the saw motor to the cutting zone. In addition, the saw motor enclosure and sloping surfaces on the top of the head were designed to reduce debris from accumulating and impacting visibility and productivity.

These slight adjustments result in improved operator and machine efficiency and an ability to work better with multiple tree harvesting. Operators will also appreciate increased control and stability when harvesting large trees as a result of a tall horn structure aligned to position the centerline of large trees over the machine.

johndeere.com