Arborist Adds SP Load Pin to Tree Felling Toolkit

Craneva’s Mecanil grapple saw and SP load pin combine to remove another piece of an unwanted tree.

December 5, 2018 - Arborist Adaptable Aerial Solutions LLC, Suffolk, Virginia, has added a second Straightpoint (SP) force-measurement device to its inventory. Following the successful implementation of a wireless 25,000-lb. capacity Radiolink plus load cell, a 60kN capacity load pin has also proved its usefulness in felling trees.

 

SP’s range of load or shear pins is designed for use where an end-of-line load cell cannot be used or when an integrated solution is required in applications such as pulley or sheave axles, moorings, winches, or support blocks.

The SP load pin provides valuable data during sawing applications.

In this instance, Adaptable (or Craneva, as it is known from its website name) uses the pin on a Mecanil grapple saw. Readings are taken wirelessly on a Hand Held Plus, also an SP product.

“I can check the total weight on the grapple’s mount or I can adjust it to tare [unladen] weight and measure what each particular piece weighs,” said Steve Connally of Craneva. “I had always felt there was a need for a load-sensing module for the application of grapple saw work.”

Connally added, “The cranes themselves don’t show a number reading. They have an LED [light-emitting diode] that shows a percentage of the maximum. I thought there needed to be something more accurate, if nothing more than to build the mental library of weights, sizes, shapes, and tree species. Having posted pictures of the Radiolink plus on Instagram, I pitched the idea of the pin in ensuing dialog with SP.”

Connally explained that both the load cell and pin will continue to have a purpose. The former is used beneath the hook of the company’s Palfinger knuckleboom crane, while the pin provides valuable data during sawing. In addition to the inherent safety advantages of recording data, the pin also helps prevent unnecessary wear and tear on equipment.

 

 

SP Support
As can be the case in niche applications, Craneva’s successful use of the load pin wasn’t instantaneous. For example, remote control transmissions from the crane and grapple saw interrupted Bluetooth connection—only while running the grapple saw. SP converted the unit to use the wireless handheld receiver instead.

Connally said: “SP were extremely cooperative throughout the process and we have arrived at a solid arboreal tool. In our industry we are faced with dynamic situations with rough predictions of weight, although we still have to follow strict load parameters. The load pin allows us to mentally catalog our work.”

Connally added, “Granted, once you cut a piec