We have a Tigercat dealer about a mile from my house Was a Deere and Bell till barton was bought out by Nortrax Then they moved to Tupelo. For about 3 maybe 4 yea4rs Ive admired the 620 and 630 skidders and loaders with the occasional Fabtek forwarder. Last week they had one Fabtek and all the TC skidders were in the back I noticed at night they werent there. then saw one on the tiny shipping wheels like it was being sent back. Then I noticed a new Prentice loader out fron in with the TC's. Now thay have a New TC skidder up front and 2 new Prentice skidders and a feller buncher out back being prepped. Any experiance with a Prentice machine, Are they original machines or rebadged. I havent been able to get close to them. Im interested in forestry equipment but dont get much time on it.
The entire Fabtek line was re-badged as Prentice machines. The CTL line up is now branded as Cat, who bought Blount's forestry division.
aren't prentice and hydro-ax the same machine?
I didnt even know Fabtek had a skidder, The forwarders were the only thing sold here that wasnt a TC or Deere. What was CTL I cant place the name. about the only Cat equipment ive been around was the 518 FB we converted into a compactor and a a few 518 skidders. I like the looks of the Prentices. Im not around alot of logging equipment I guess i get overly interested in it. I was hard facing a rake on the front of a JD 648 on a clean up job the other day the main contractor had a Prentice skidder pulling the thinned trees, looked like a good machine.
Cut To Length harvesting, using harvester with processing head, and forwarder. We only produced one prototype skidder.
I could be wrong but, this is what a dealer told me,Timberjack sold it's skidder design to Prentice before JohnDeere bought the company.Take a close look at a Prentice. I've never been in the market for a new grapple,(too many good used ones out there)But I would look at a used Prentice if I ever saw one.