A Magni rotating telehandler equipped with a Woodcracker tree-cutting attachment is boosting safety and efficiency for an arborist service in Rochester, New York.
“When you pair a Magni rotating telehandler with the Woodcracker tree-cutting attachment, you get one word — efficiency,” according to Andrew Scherdin, owner of Flower City Tree.
Flower City Tree bought a Magni RTH 6.30 rotating telehandler with a Woodcracker tree-cutting attachment from Empire Crane Company, North Syracuse, New York.
Before buying the combination, Flower City Tree’s crews consisted of five people on a job site using cranes and bucket trucks to remove tree limbs. The method required someone to climb the tree and attach a sling to the section of tree that would be cut.
Once the piece was cut, its weight and momentum caused it to swing as it was lowered to the ground.
“With the Magni and Woodcracker, once you grab a piece of wood, you’re assured it’s stable,” said Scherdin. “We do a lot of work over houses and in tight areas with power lines, so our tolerance for mess-ups is zero. Using the Magni and Woodcracker is more efficient and far safer.”
With the Magni, Flower City Tree typically sends a crew of just three people — an operator plus two ground people who either run a chipper or load sections onto grapple trucks.
“With the unpredictable Rochester weather and harsh winters, the Magni lets Flower City have fewer people working outdoors than they would with a bucket truck or some types of cranes,” said Mike Baron, Empire Crane’s salesman for western New York. “They not only eliminate the person in the tree, but their operator can sit in comfort with heat or AC.”
Empire Crane is the local Magni dealer for western New York state. Scherdin said having an authorized service provider only an hour away influenced his decision to buy the Magni instead of another brand of rotating telehandler.
“Before buying the Magni we were probably already the most efficient tree company in the area. With the Magni, we’re probably five times faster than the standard bucket-truck operation that uses roping and rigging, and twice as fast as one using a crane — and doing it with fewer people,” Scherdin said.
The Magni RTH6.30 has a 13,200-lb. maximum lifting capacity and can reach up to 97’9”. During lifting, it sits solidly on scissor-type stabilizers. Magni rotating telehandlers are compatible with a number of attachments, including forks, jibs, man baskets, rotating forks, buckets, winches, and more.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
