Fandrich Desailer Fandrich desailers reduce the wind resistance of trees to reduce blowdown by removing the topmost branches of a tree or the whole treetop (depending on the model). The tree branches or top falls to the ground. The Fandrich delimber uses specially designed upward-facing knives on a triangular head. It requires no electrical hookup to the helicopter. The Fandrich topper is powered by a Honda engine. The pilot presses and releases a switch to control the hydraulic cutting head and the blade cuts tops up to 9.5 inches in diameter. Up to 3 trees a minute can be treated. The delimber weighs about 300 pounds. The topper weighs 580 pounds with the extra penetration ring and 345 without. Following are typical results with the Fandrich Topper. Location Helicopter Trees topped / day Flying time (h) Topping rate (trees/h) Hope,B.C. Jet Ranger 519 3.3 157 Youbou, B.C. Jet Ranger 468 3.8 123 Lake Cowichan, B.C. Gazelle 493 3.2 154 Harris Creek, B.C. Gazelle 580 3.5 166 Overall average topping rate = 150 trees / hour Check out our full-colour desailer brochures.

Fandrich Aerial Powerrake Fandrich powerrakes collect cones with minimum damage to trees by using a Honda engine to power rotors. Flexible fingers on the rotors strip the cones from the branches while leaving the tree intact. Powerrakes are best suited for Douglas fir, spruce and larch cones. Cones are collected in two baskets that are tripped by the ground crew to dump the load. Fandrich powerrakes weigh about 365 pounds.

Fandrich Aerial Shear The Fandrich shear has a cutting blade that is hydraulically powered by a Honda engine. The blade cuts cone-laden tree-tops that fall into a basket. Fandrich shears are used for all species with narrow crowns. The manual unloading shear weighs 380 lbs. During unloading the helicopter hovers while the tree-tops are thrown out of the basket by hand. The selfdumping shear weighs 425 lbs. The pilot dumps the load using a switch in the helicopter. Unloading is faster than with the manual unloading model but the machine is 45 pounds heavier so can carry a smaller load of cones. The Fandrich manual unload shear requires the ground crew to unload the cone-laden tree-tops by hand while the helicopter is hovering overhead. By decreasing unloading time from 60 to 30 seconds, production is increased 5%. The self-dumping shear is usually faster than the manual unload shear when distances from trees to dumping sites are less than 3 km (2 miles). A fast pilot with a larger helicopter who dumps the load without stopping will find the self-dumper faster up to a distance of 5 km (3 miles). A manual unloading lodgepole pine shear has been developed specifically to deal with the challenges of collecting cones from dead trees.

Fandrich Branch Collector The Fandrich branch collector cuts cone-laden branches that fall into a basket. Since helicopter lift supplies the force to cut the branches the helicopter should have a lift of at least 1200 lbs. The manual latch model requires the basket to be latched on to the cables by hand by 1-3 people on the ground. The self-latching model requires one person on the ground to flip a handle to actuate the self-latching mechanism. The helicopter then lifts the basket to dump the load. Branch collectors are best suited for balsam and true fir cones. The machine weighs about 310 lbs.

Fandrich Aerial Grapple The Fandrich grapple moves logs, cleans debris from creeks and transports material using helicopters. The Fandrich grapple needs no engine, hydraulic or electric power. It uses helicopter lift to close arms, a switch to dump load and weight of the grapple to reset the fingers. Slender fingers penetrate deep into a pile. The arms grasp loads up to 40 in. wide and 35 in. high. The Fandrich grapple weighs about 140 lbs Fandrich grapples can lift 1600 pounds. A Fandrich aerial grapple cleans creeks, penetrates and moves debris, and opens up beaver dams in water. Simply hook the grapple to a helicopter and connect to a switch to make the mechanical grapple fully operational. Lifting the grapple encloses the load and pressing a switch releases the load. A Fandrich grapple can be used on small projects since the minimum rental is only 4 hours.