ZF (www.zf.com) has expanded its product range for forestry machinery, with the introduction of its new cPower continuously variable transmission (CVT) for ‘forwarders’ — vehicles that carry felled and cut-to-length logs to pathways that are accessible to trucks.

Typically, forwarders are equipped with hydrostatic transmissions; with the cPower transmission, ZF now offers the first CVT for such applications world-wide. The new transmission is produced at the ZF facility in Passau, Germany.

The CVT technology of the cPower combines high levels of productivity with low fuel consumption.

The transmission adjusts the speed and engine load automatically to the given situation, thus allowing for the type of low engine speeds that result in fuel savings of up to 35%; compared to traditional hydrostatic transmissions, productivity increases of up to 25% can be achieved, as gear changes are no longer required, leaving the driver free to concentrate fully on his work.

Finnish forestry machinery manufacturer Ponsse has opted for this ZF CVT solution for its new forwarder, the Bison Active Frame.

Udo Kneitz, head of ZF’s off-highway systems, said: “Until now, CVTs from the cPower series have mostly been used in construction machinery such as wheel loaders, with more than 5,000 units sold globally.

"We now want to establish ourselves in the forestry machinery sector; and thanks to our pilot project with Ponsse, we have managed to successfully break into the market for forwarder vehicles.”