In this series of articles, we will be sharing exclusive coverage from all aspects of APF 2022. 

It’s a common complaint levelled against the APF that it no longer caters for heavy harvesting equipment, but fans of forwarders and harvesters were still presented with a few items at this year’s show to whet the appetite.

Ponsse capitalised on the absence of its main rivals to take centre stage with an Elephant forwarder, Ergo harvester and the new Scorpion Giant. Plus some impressive machines from Neuson and Logset were available to view on the RJ Fukes stand.

Norbert Schalkx of Finnish machine manufacturer ProSilva made an unexpected visit to the show, joining Joe Litter on the Oakleaf stand. He brought with him a harvester which has been touring Europe, putting in appearances at FinnMetko in Finland and DLG-Waldtage in Germany before arriving in the UK. 

Forestry Journal: Norbert Schalkx of ProSilva with the S5 harvester.Norbert Schalkx of ProSilva with the S5 harvester. (Image: FJ)

The S5 harvester features a new colour scheme – olive green with gold wheel rims – and a larger cabin, big enough to comfortably accommodate a driver and passenger.

Norbert said: “This is a mid-sized-class harvester. The cabin, compared to the old one, is 20 cm wider and a lot deeper. There’s a lot more glass, especially the front window, which runs up into the roof to provide a better view of the trees.

“It’s far more comfortable, with more storage space at the back. We designed our own touchscreen operating system which is far more user-friendly and doesn’t require any buttons or switches. We’ve also included a few gadgets like speaker lighting, which are just for fun.

“Some people have never heard of us. It’s our first time showing our face in the UK, so it’s important that people get to know the name and the brand. We have a machine that offers some really unique features that other suppliers do not have. It would be interesting to see if we can do something in the UK market. Challenging, but interesting.”

He was unable to bring along the brand-new J14 forwarder, but crowds were suitably excited to get up close with the S5.

Forestry Journal: Sampo Rosenlew could also been seen on the stand Sampo Rosenlew could also been seen on the stand (Image: FJ)

Plus, the stand also offered visitors the chance to see the first Sampo Rosenlew FR48 forwarder to arrive in the UK.

Keep an eye on our channels for a full version of the interview with Simon