still in use commercially....

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Luke R

Just a thought, Could there be a bit of confusion between Madill a Canadian based company that built spar yarders on sherman/HST chassis's and the Grizzly the Canadian built shermans.

Luke

Any similarity would be coincidental. From what I've read, the most common donor chassis was the M32 ARV followed by the HVSS postwar Sherman. So much so, the model number is repeated in their conversion model number. I haven't seen anything that suggests country of origin, but there would have been enough surplus vehicles in the fifties and sixties to meet demand. And, from what I can tell, these arrived already demilitarized (saves the freight).

As has been implied, the modular design of the M4 is the key to the success of the Madill spar yarders. The three-sided chassis is tied together on the front with a final drive, with three (or four!) suspension stations per side, and whatever engine the company liked. As far as I can tell, the logging companies didn't want anything old or esoteric. They needed dependable, fixable and cheap fittings. Whether it is the engine to move the yarder around, or the winch drives, these were not nostalgic items. These are hard working tools! Used until the contract or season was done, fixed enough to make the month end, and if the company has to slim down, whatever will sell fast at auction goes out of the yard. Gradually, the heavy duty excavators seem to have taken over as the platform for spar yarders.