How can a har­ves­ter’s hydrau­lic capacity be uti­lized more efficiently wit­hout inc­rea­sing fuel con­sump­tion? This was the ques­tion Ponsse set out to solve toget­her with cus­to­mers, and the result is Ponsse Active Flow.

Accor­ding to Ponsse Pro­ject Mana­ger Anssi Sar­ha­luoma, Active Flow is a great example of a solu­tion that ori­gi­na­ted from prac­tical fore­stry work and cus­to­mer feed­back.

“Cus­to­mers high­ligh­ted the need for inc­rea­sed crane per­for­mance, especially in situa­tions where the har­ves­ter head does not con­ti­nuo­usly use all of its alloca­ted hydrau­lic capacity. We star­ted deve­lo­ping a solu­tion that would make the most efficient use of this unused capacity.”

Deli­ve­ring Bene­fits When They Are Nee­ded Most

Active Flow com­bi­nes the pres­sure lines of the har­ves­ter head and crane pumps in dual-circuit har­ves­ters. The sys­tem is avai­lable for the Ponsse Scor­pion King, Scor­pion Giant, and Ergo equip­ped with the C44+ crane. Active Flow is avai­lable for new mac­hi­nes and can also be ret­ro­fit­ted to com­pa­tible exis­ting mac­hi­nes.

The ope­ra­ting principle is simple yet effec­tive. When the har­ves­ter head is fee­ding or sawing, the sys­tem reser­ves the full pump capacity for har­ves­ting work. When fee­ding or sawing is not active, the avai­lable hydrau­lic capacity is redi­rec­ted to the crane.

“The idea was to ensure that the mac­hi­ne’s hydrau­lic capacity never goes to waste. When the har­ves­ter head doesn’t require all the avai­lable flow, we can uti­lize it for the crane and make mac­hine ope­ra­tion even smoot­her.”

More Power at Lower Engine Speeds

One of the most sig­ni­ficant bene­fits of Active Flow can be seen in thin­ning ope­ra­tions, where crane move­ments are frequent and the load on the har­ves­ter head varies con­ti­nuo­usly.

The sys­tem pro­vi­des inc­rea­sed oil flow to the crane even at lower die­sel engine speeds. In prac­tice, this means smoot­her crane move­ments, excel­lent cont­rol­la­bi­lity, and the pos­si­bi­lity to work with lower fuel con­sump­tion.

“Our goal was not only to improve per­for­mance but also to enhance the mac­hi­ne’s ove­rall efficiency. When work can be car­ried out at lower engine speeds wit­hout com­pro­mi­sing crane per­for­mance, the bene­fits are reflec­ted directly in fuel eco­nomy.”

Deve­lo­ped by Lis­te­ning to Users

Accor­ding to Sar­ha­luoma, Active Flow demon­stra­tes how inno­va­tions are often crea­ted to solve real-world chal­len­ges faced by mac­hine ope­ra­tors.

“The best solu­tions are deve­lo­ped when we lis­ten to the people who use our mac­hi­nes every day. Active Flow was crea­ted to address the needs rai­sed by cus­to­mers, which is why its bene­fits are visible in eve­ry­day work. Cus­to­mer feed­back has been the star­ting point throug­hout the entire deve­lop­ment process.”

The result is a solu­tion that helps ope­ra­tors make more efficient use of the har­ves­ter’s hydrau­lic capacity, impro­ves crane per­for­mance and usa­bi­lity, and sup­ports fuel-efficient ope­ra­tion at the same time.

Active Flow deli­vers more per­for­mance exactly when it is nee­ded, wit­hout com­pro­mi­sing efficiency or fuel eco­nomy.