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The Introduction of Crawler Tractors to the Logging Industry

After the steam yarders were fi nally abandoned in 1934 no further attempts were made to mechanise and the

industry, which was almost entirely controlled by the British Borneo Timber Company (BBT), continued to rely on kuda-kuda (Plate 1) and light rail with some diesel and steam locomotives until the Japanese occupation in 1942. In a visit to Sandakan made in April 1946, R.E. Forester, of the Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Limited (BBTCL) reported that the same primitive methods of extraction were still being employed as had been reported by another BBTCL executive, H.W. Macaulay who had visited some fi fty years earlier in 1892. After a second visit in 1948 Forester concluded in his report to Rangoon, that employing the experience with mechanization that BBTCL had recently gained in India and postwar Burma, could revolutionise the industry in Borneo. The problem was gaining entry to the industry which was still controlled by the monopoly on all forests in Borneo awarded to BBT in 1920. However, the end of this monopoly was under discussion. Immediately after the Japanese surrender the British North Borneo Chartered Company, lacking the resources to rebuild the damaged infrastructure, had been forced to hand over the government of North Borneo to the British Colonial Offi ce and the new administration was more receptive to the advice of the Conservator of Forests, H.G. Keith and others, that this monopoly had stagnated the industry, and change was needed. In July 1948, Streatfeild of the Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Ltd (BBTCL), met the Governor of North Borneo in London and was advised that steps were being taken that might lead to its termination. This prompted BBTCL to have another look at North Borneo and, after registering their interests in forest concessions with the Conservator of Forests in Sandakan in their own name, they concluded protracted negotiations with the North Borneo Trading Company in London and Sandakan, which eventually resulted in the formation of a new Joint Venture company, the North Borneo Timbers Ltd (NBT), in February 1950. This company was established by BBTCL with the specifi c intention of introducing tractors to Borneo and demonstrating their effectiveness in the logging industry. O.C. Finch and D.T James surveyed an area of

40,000 acres at Kretam between November 1949 and March pronounced it suitable and 3 Caterpillar D8s were ordered and eventually delivered in November 1950. Karen and Pakistani operators were brought in from Burma prior to their arrival 1. The use of tracked bulldozers in logging operations was not exactly new technology. The fi rst steam powered track layer appeared during the Crimean War in 1854, but its real development in logging started in America with the Holt Tractor Company in 1908. By the time that Holt and C.L. Best merged to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925, tracked logging tractors were well distributed in North American logging operations. The success of the Caterpillar Tractor Company from 1925 and through World War II (and of course until this day) made the trade name “Cat” synonymous with tracklaying tractors of any manufacturer. Both the new and the old logging companies in North Borneo had by this time seen the effectiveness of bulldozers in wartime and post war reconstruction so the choice was obvious—or it should have been. The Caterpillar D8s shipped to Kretam were equipped with Hyster winches and Caterpillar hydraulic, angle bulldozer blades. (Plate 2) The engines were naturally aspirated, 6 cylinder Caterpillar diesels with a bore of 53⁄4 ins. and a stroke of 8 ins. which developed 148 HP. The engines were started using a hand cranked auxiliary gasoline engine. The Caterpillar D8 of 1950 had a manual 5 speed transmission with an oil bath clutch, and complete with winch and bulldozer blade weighed about 25 tons. These machines were each equipped with a Hyster tracked logging arch (Plate 3) and a number of skid pans had also been ordered.

Plate 2. Caterpillar D8 Tractor North Borneo Timbers Ltd, Kretam Operations, 1951. Photo O.C.Finch, Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Ltd.

Plate 1. Kuda - Kuda. Hand extraction prevailed from the 1880s until the introduction of tractors. Photo B.C. Allen. 1951

There are no details of this fi rst experiment with tractors. Photographs show the machines operating in fl at terrain, with and without the logging arches, apparently with logs yarded direct to the river (Plate 4). There is no indication that the skid pans which had been ordered were ever used. The problem with skid pans (fl at steel sleds attached to the draw bar of the tractor by a chain which in theory would support the butt of the logs and thereby decrease skidding resistance), is that they restricted the movements of the tractor in reverse. Logging

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Ltd (NBT) and the Kennedy Bay Timber Company (KBTC). All these companies now recognized the fact that the existing combinations of kuda-kuda with rail were not productive enough, too labour intensive, or even applicable to their new areas, and began to place orders for new equipment, predominantly bulldozers and trucks, although delivery was protracted and machines did not arrive until the end of 1953. The NBT tractor operations at Kretam continued to haul logs direct to waterside but they were obviously becoming aware of the high wear and tear on the tracks and rollers of the tractors and the arches, as haul distances increased. Tracks and rollers do not tolerate high speed continuous long haul operation, particularly in dry conditions, and failures would have been frequent and expensive. In an attempt to overcome these problems BBTCL purchased wheeled logging arches and a Le Tourneau rubber-tyred log skidders (Plates 5 & 6) in 1952 or 1953 but neither were successful. The single axle wheeled logging arches were unstable particularly, on soft ground, and turned over regularly. The Le Tourneau log skidder was driven by independent electric motors in all wheels as well as the winch and blade mechanism, all of which were powered by a diesel generator. This was too complex a system for its day and it was never successfully operated. The British Borneo Timber Company was not to be left out but, remembering the problems they had experienced with their commitment to steam yarders some 20 years earlier, proceeded with more caution. In 1951 Bob Macpherson was sent to the USA and the Philippines to study the options for mechanization available. His report 2 submitted to management in December 1951 went into considerable detail and concluded that “while conditions in Borneo may not be ideal for tractors, it would be very diffi cult indeed to fi nd a suitable substitute or alternative”. Most importantly, Macpherson immediately recognized that tractor hauls should be kept short and to achieve this they could only be operated successfully in conjunction with a road transportation system – and if roads were used tractors would also be needed to construct them. Macpherson also emphasised to his management that in addition to the capital cost of tractors they would have to accept that they would need to make a considerable initial investment in spare parts and maintenance facilities if they were to operate effi ciently and economically. Moreover, Borneo was at the end of the supply chain; there were no equipment dealerships with spare parts depots in the region, and any company operating heavy equipment there would

Plate 3. Caterpillar D8 Tractor with Hyster Logging Arch. North Borneo Timbers Ltd, Kretam 1951. Photo O.C.Finch, Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Ltd.

Plate 4. Caterpillar D8 Tractor with Hyster Logging Arch. Logging direct to river, North Borneo Timbers Ltd, Kretam 1951. Photo J.D.H. Hedley, Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Ltd.

arches also restrict tractor maneuverability too; but once logs have been bunched their use signifi cantly reduces skidding resistance and allows the tractor to tow a much greater load at higher speeds, over longer distances. However, the tractor logging arch combination does not prove effective when taking logs from stump. Logs have got to be stumped and bunched using another tractor before the logging arch is employed. If another tractor is not available the arch has to be uncoupled, which is a diffi cult and time consuming process. Despite this there is no doubt that tractors were a success. The Forestry Department Annual Report for 1951 records that production by British Borneo Timbers in their direct operations declined to 2,326,195 Hcft whereas their sub-licenses which included the NBT Kretam operation, increased to 2,321,799 Hcft (Hoppus Cubic Feet) from 1611,035 Hcft in 1950 and concluded: -“—it (Kretam) is a satisfactory and complete logging and has proved their (tractors) value in the North Borneo forests”. The fact that the same report states that “they (NBT) and other fi rms have large quantities of equipment on order” proves the point. 1951 also saw the issue of formal notice to BBT that their monopoly would expire in July 1952 and by 1952, in addition to the British Borneo Timber Company (BBT), new 1000 sq mile concessions had been granted to the Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Ltd (BBTCL), the North Borneo Timbers

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The Introduction of Crawler Tracters to the Logging Industry

have to be self suffi cient. British Borneo Timbers took delivery of their fi rst tractors at Mostyn operations at the end of 1953. Although their fi rst choice had been Caterpillar 3, because of the long delay in delivery, they opted for International Harvester TD 24s fi tted with Carco winches and Pullman Logging arches. These machines were also fi tted with Isaacson Cable Controlled Angle Dozers. (Plate 7) Cable controlled blade systems used a winch system mounted on the front of the tractor to raise or lower the blade. Unlike hydraulic controlled blades they could not exert a positive down force and relied on the curvature of the blade to dig in. It is possible that International Harvester had yet to develop a hydraulic blade system at this time, but cable controlled bulldozers were already dated technology. BBTCL’s new operations at Tawau commenced in 1953 and three units of Caterpillar D8, similarly equipped with Hyster logging arches arrived at the new camp on the Kalabakan River at the end of the year. As at Kretam they were again used to drag logs direct to the log dump at Kalabakan for distances said to be up to three miles (Plate 8). In these conditions

undercarriage wear would have been horrendous. Another Le Tourneau skidder was brought in but once again failed to perform satisfactorily. Three more D8s arrived in Kalabakan from Sarawak after BBTCL closed its operation at Similajau in April 1954 and a start was made on road construction in anticipation of the arrival of three Leyland Super Hippo logging Trucks with Dyson Trailers which arrived at the end of the year together with a Skagit SJ4RT mobile loader.

By the end of 1954 the Forestry Department reported the following equipment operating in the state: -

Heavy Tractors - 25Light Tractors - 7Locomotives - 14Logging Trucks - 6Cranes and Winches - 6

Plate 5. Le Tourneau Log Skidder being delivered to Kretam, The exact date of delivery is uncertain --- probably late 1952. Photographer unknown. G.S Brown collection.

Plate 6. Le Tourneau Log Skidder being used as Loader. Bombay Burma Trading Corporation, Kalabakan operations, 1958. By this time this machine had ceased to be effective as a log skidder. Photo David Brameld.

Plate 7. International Harvester TD-24 with Pullman Arch. British Borneo Timbers Ltd, Mostyn circa 1953. This tractor is fi tted with an Isaacson Cable controlled bulldozer blade. Photographer unknown, Probably G.S.Brown.

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Plate 8. Caterpillar D8 with Hyster Arch, Kalabakan, 1953. Bombay Burma Trading Corporation was still dragging some three miles to the river. The blade and C-frame has been removed from this tractor for some reason. Photo O.C. Finch.

Plate 9. Caterpillar D7E Stumping Logs, 1967. Luasong Operations, Kalabakan Forest Reserve. At this time tractors stumped logs in the woods during the day which were then dragged out by night shift crews. Authors Photo.

Tractors were established; and either in combination with road haul operations or to rail heads rapidly replaced kuda-kuda. The effect on production was dramatic. In the 10 year period prior to the outbreak of World War II, and up to 1950, production averaged about 6.0 million Hcuft (216,000 m3) about 80% of which came from BBT or licenses directly controlled by them. In 1953 production rose to 10.2 million, by 1957 it was 26.4 million, by 1960 it had reached 59.6 million Hcuft (2.15 million m3 ) and by 1965 it had doubled to 115 million Hcuft (4.16 million m3) Caterpillar remained the most popular brand, with the D8 model being retained for road construction, while by the 1960s in extraction operations the smaller D7E, which at 180HP was more powerful than the early D8s, had gained popularity (Plate 9), and this was followed by the D7G, and in some cases the D6D. Other manufacturers had a small share of the market. Having been unable to get delivery of Caterpillar tractors in 1952-3, BBT stuck by International Harvester until they closed operations in the 1980s. A few units of Allis-Chalmers and Terex were sold, but Caterpillar dominated the market until Komatsu entered the scene in the 1980s. At the peak of the industry in 1978 there were 8745 crawler tractors registered in the Sabah forest industry.

References1. The Bombay Burma Trading Corporation Limited 1863-1963, A.C, Pointon, Millbrook Press, Southhampton.2. Report on Mechanised Logging. R.M. Macpherson. Unpublished report to British Borneo Timbers, 18th December 19513. R.M. Macpherson, Personal communication

Note: The author of this article, Ross Ibbotson, is researching material for a comprehensive book on the History of Logging in North Borneo and would appreciate any information or copies of photographs pertinent to this subject. Please contact by Email: ibbotson@pd.jaring.my

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The Introduction of Crawler Tracters to the Logging Industry