A forwarder carries logs completely off the ground in a load bunk. That single characteristic distinguishes it from a skidder, and it is the reason cut-to-length systems produce cleaner, less contaminated wood with less soil disturbance.
Forwarder economics reduce to a very simple expression: payload per trip multiplied by trips per productive hour. Everything else — crane reach, bunk area, tractive force, travel speed — exists to serve one of those two terms. A large payload is useful only when the machine can fill it efficiently.
Forwarder economics reduce to two terms: payload per trip, and trips per productive hour. Everything else on the specification sheet exists to serve one of them, and a large bunk is worthless if the machine cannot fill it efficiently.
Australian forwarder selection is unusually sensitive to load space rather than rated mass. John Deere publishes a 7.5 m² load-space option specifically noted for heavy hardwood and eucalyptus — a reminder that bunk volume and log dimensions, not tonnes, are frequently the binding constraint in local conditions.
Capacity classes run from around 10 tonnes for dedicated thinning machines up to 25 tonnes for long-distance clearfell extraction. There is no universally correct size: the right answer depends on extraction distance, stem size, soil and whether residual crop damage is contractually limited.
Indicative published manufacturer and distributor figures. Confirm every specification, lift chart and hydraulic requirement with the manufacturer or authorised dealer before purchase.
A 20-tonne-capacity forwarder positioned particularly strongly for final felling and plantation forestry.
| Payload | 20,000 kg |
|---|---|
| Machine weight | ~21.85-24.83 t depending on configuration |
| Engine | 210 kW |
| Torque | 1,280 Nm |
| Tractive force | 262 kN |
| Hydraulic flow | up to 409 L/min |
| Crane options | up to 205 kNm lifting torque |
| Crane reaches | 7.5 / 8.5 / 10 m |
A heavy forwarder benchmark in the 20-tonne payload class, supported in Australia through Onetrak.
| Payload class | 20 t |
|---|---|
| Machine weight | ~27.5 t |
| Peak engine power | ~230 kW depending on emissions configuration |
| Standard crane reach | 8.5 m |
| Optional cranes | up to ~195 kNm gross lift torque |
The 20-tonne machine in the latest large H-Series forwarder line.
| Load capacity | 20 t |
|---|---|
| Maximum power | 220 kW |
| Tractive force | 255 kN |
The 25-tonne H-Series forwarder, with a 7.5 m² load-space option specifically noted for heavy hardwood and eucalyptus applications.
| Load capacity | 25 t |
|---|---|
| Maximum power | 252 kW |
| Tractive force | 290 kN |
| Load space | up to 8.5 m² options |
| Eucalyptus option | 7.5 m² load space |
Full published specifications, commercial fit, and what to verify before signing — for each machine.
20-tonne forwarder positioned strongly for final felling and plantation forestry.
Heavy 20-tonne-class forwarder at ~27.5 t machine weight, supported through Onetrak.
20-tonne H-Series forwarder — the volume machine in the current large John Deere line.
25-tonne H-Series forwarder with a 7.5 m² load-space option specifically noted for heavy hardwood and eucalyptus.
These are the numbers that determine whether the purchase works. Specification sheets rarely contain any of them.
Assemble every one of these before contacting a supplier. Any line you cannot answer is where your commercial risk sits.
Each of these is a documented pattern, not a hypothetical.
Purchase price is the smallest part of most forestry equipment decisions. These are the variables that decide what the machine costs per unit of saleable production.
Fuel and tyres dominate the running cost, and both are driven by extraction distance and ground conditions rather than by machine brand. A machine that is oversized for short hauls burns fuel carrying its own mass.
In wet or steep regions, bogie tracks should be budgeted as a running cost rather than a one-off option — they frequently determine whether the machine works at all in a wet week.
Model these against your own contracted hours rather than accepting a generic hourly rate — the machine cost calculator works the arithmetic with your figures, and the bottleneck analyser shows whether the machine is the constraint at all.
The same machine class suits very different businesses in very different configurations. These are the situations that recur.
Specification sheets are written for global markets. These are the factors that change the answer here.
None of these are proof of a bad supplier. All of them are reasons to keep asking.
Any line you cannot answer is where your commercial risk sits. Take this to the supplier meeting.
The comparisons, buyer profiles and fleet packages that turn on this machine.