Popular models lately

[Gnome Sayn]

A buddy of mine who works over in Maine told me he's seen quite a few Komatsu forwarders moving in on jobs that used to be mostly Deere territory. I've always loved John Deere equipment in logging but I can't help but follow what other brands are doing. Komatsu's reputation for fuel efficiency has been floating around a lot more than it used to. I'm wondering if this is a regional thing or if they are actually building a bigger footprint across the US. Has anyone here run one of the newer Komatsu 895 forwarders?

 

[Elliott B]

I tried a Komatsu 895 last fall in Oregon and that was my first time not using Deere. It ran smooth and used less fuel than I expected. The cab was a bit different, but it handled hills great. More people out here seem to be switching, maybe because of fuel prices. Let's see if it lasts!

 

[PaleSaints22]

I tried a Komatsu 895 last fall in Oregon and that was my first time not using Deere. It ran smooth and used less fuel than I expected. The cab was a bit different, but it handled hills great. More people out here seem to be switching, maybe because of fuel prices. Let's see if it lasts!

Did you notice any trade-offs in power or load handling compared to Deere? And how's the cab comfort on long shifts, does it beat the older Deere setups?

 

[Gnome Sayn]

Thanks for the feedback on the 895, @Elliott B. @PaleSaints22 asked the exact follow up questions I had about power and cab comfort. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on how it compares to the Deere. I'm hoping to get a look at a demo unit myself sometime next week.