Eco Log and Volvo Penta: putting forestry machines (and their engines) to the test
Among the machines that the operators of Nitta Rundvirke work with, and have tested thoroughly, are those of Swedish OEM Eco Log, equipped with Volvo Penta industrial engines.
Frans Spetz is one of the co-owners of Nitta Rundvirke AB, located in western Sweden. Founded in 1965, the family-owned company operates in several industries, including transportation, excavation, and – not least – forestry.
In addition to running his company, Frans conducts a lot of field tests. New engines and machines are tested in various forestry applications, in their proper work environment.
“As field testers, we are honest and straightforward throughout the development process. There are other field testers that are just happy to try something new, without giving proper feedback or telling the manufacturer what they actually think. But we always do”, says Frans.
Among the machines that the operators of Nitta Rundvirke work with, and have tested thoroughly, are those of Swedish OEM Eco Log, equipped with Volvo Penta industrial engines. Frans bought his first Eco Log 580E Harvester almost ten years ago, outfitted with the very first Volvo Penta engine ever installed in a forestry application. That D8 Stage IV engine is still running today – more than 11,000 work hours later – in the same harvester, and with only routine maintenance since its installation.
Why forestry applications require robust engines
When a forestry machine malfunctions in a remote location, the operator will often have to solve the issue on the spot. To keep costly downtime to a minimum, they need to know a lot about their machines and their engines.
In the spring of 2024, Frans ordered yet another harvester, the Eco Log 590G, equipped with the latest D8 EU Stage V Volvo Penta engine. Shortly afterward, he saw a video acknowledging the delivery of the one-thousandth Volvo Penta-powered Eco Log machine. “There was a clip highlighting the occasion, showing Volvo Penta coworkers displaying an engine with a shiny, goldlike engine cover, which I thought looked really nice.”
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When Frans met with Eco Log and Volvo Penta to receive his new harvester, he was greeted by an unusually great number of people out in the forest. “They had brought cake and stuff, and there – under the hood of my new harvester – was the engine with the golden cover.”
Frans’ D8 Volvo Penta engines – old and new alike – are put to the test every workday, by him and his colleagues. The engines’ robustness and reliability make his forestry operations more efficient, and contribute to a more worry-free work environment.
“The engines just keep going, meaning that we can keep going, too. No repair needed, only occasional routine maintenance. It’s cool to know that the thousandth engine sits right there, in our harvester. Not that we get that many opportunities to look at it, since it rarely ever needs to be checked.”
