THE UK’s first Sampo-Rosenlew FR28 forwarder has been purchased by Buckinghamshire-based tree clearance firm, Practicality Brown.

The 13-tonner now supersedes Practicality Brown’s Rottne forwarder and features 10-tonne load bearing, articulated steering, optimised weight division between front and rear axles, 710 wide tyres, loading space length 4.4 m and a 10 m-reach crane designed for thinning operations.

“We had been looking for a lightweight, nimble yet powerful small forestry forwarder for a while, and this new machine fits our requirements well,” explained Alastair Beddall, managing director at Practicality Brown.

“Whilst we were delighted with our Rottne F9, production lead time became a priority to meet contract requirements for Tier 4 Final emission standards, which led us to explore the market.”