Forest Centre is the equipment supplier which not only meets the high standards and embraces the environmental aims of Granite Group Services, but gets actively involved in helping the company achieve its goals.
Granite Group Services encompasses several divisions, one of which is Granite Tree Works, and Director Jon Rogash is strong on the company’s aims.
“Everything we remove, we recycle,” the Mornington Peninsula-based director told The Australian Arbor Age. “Absolutely everything we can.”
“We don’t believe in waste, he continued. “We work very closely with a mill called The Wood Project and recycle as much timber as we possibly can.”
That’s saying something, because Jon and his team run a sizable collection of machinery which is kept steadily at work.
“It’s a pretty large fleet,” Jon outlined. “We have a Westtech Woodcracker CS750 smart grapple saw – the first Westtech grapple saw retro-fitted to a Magni telehandler in Australia – and we also have a Westtech Woodcracker W1350 log-splitting grapple that partners up with our Morbark 22×30- inch chipper, so we don’t get stuck with log wood. We can break it down and we can feed it all through the chipper.”
Filling out this particular set, but by no means completing the fleet inventory, is a Hultdins SuperSaw 555 grapple saw unit retro-fitted to an existing rotating grapple, operating on a 14T excavator.
All three attachments came from Forest Centre.
Forest Centre and Granite Tree Works work well together.
Working hard
The work of Granite Tree Works is heavily based in land clearing and large-scale tree removal, although the company also offers earthworks, driveway packages, and complete packages to builders. A division of the company is also focussed on its environmental aims, and includes a horizontal grinder, forestry mulching and similar machinery to ensure the product of the company’s activities can be reused and recycled.
Despite a considerable commitment to a sizable fleet of machinery, Granite Tree Works’ doesn’t include any LGAs or councils.
“We’re solely concentrated on the private sector,” said Jon, “and we’re booked out for the rest of the year.”
Playing favourites
We asked which machine was the most popular with the Granite Tree Works team.
“They’ve all got their different purposes,” Jon explained thoughtfully.
“I like the Magni for the control it has over the lifts. When we’re working in tight spaces, over structures and things like that, it’s very smooth, and the Woodcracker CS750 has incredible grab power, so it doesn’t feel like a load is going to go astray.
“That gets everything down to the height of 10 metres, and then the 14-tonner with the Hultdins takes over. It’s just so quick and efficient.”
Forest Centre
Why retro fit the attachments in the first place?
“I wanted to set up the 25-metre so it was actually light enough to transport ourselves on our tri-axle float, being 18.1 ton instead of 23 ton,” Jon told us, quietly gliding over what a daunting task that could possibly be.
As it turned out, Westtech grapples are designed to fit and work seamlessly with a wide range of machinery, and the fitting of the grapples wasn’t too much trouble.
And that’s helped along by Granite Tree Works’ association with Rey Kell at Forest Centre in Tumut, NSW.
“100 per cent!” agreed the Victorian. “I don’t deal with anyone else for attachments. Everything goes through Rey at Forest Centre.”
We asked why that was.
“We think a lot alike,” said Jon. “Mechanically, I tell him an idea and he’ll go, ‘If we do it a bit different…’ or he’ll throw a couple of other ideas out there, and it makes the whole retro-fitting scenario so much easier. There’s never an issue. It’s always a result when it’s Rey and Forest Centre.
“I probably end up on the phone too long with him,” chuckled Jon, who clearly wasn’t complaining. It seems like sessions of problem solving with Rey at Forest Centre are one of the enjoyable parts of purchasing and fitting equipment.
And after speaking to Jon, it looks as though those conversations will be continuing for some time to come.
Check out Forest Centre attachment solutions at forestcentre.com.au or visit Forest Centre’s social-media channels.