A report by Urus Equipment

Nine months into full operation in Mondi’s Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal plantations, the URUS TL3021 Winch Assist mounted on a Hitachi Zaxis 350 excavator base is tethering a Ponsse Bison forwarder and transforming steep-slope harvesting.

The Urus system is a proudly South African innovation. The highly manoeuvrable Bison with a machine weight of 22,000 kg and payload capacity of 16,000 kg, confidently handles combined loads of up to 38 tons on slopes of up to 100%. This is the kind of challenging terrain that previously restricted mechanised harvesting in South Africa.

The milestone deployment is the responsibility of the Cintasign forestry team, a progressive mechanised contractor operating in KwaZulu-Natal. We are grateful to Quinton Preen, one of the shareholders at Cintasign and his seasoned team for placing their trust in our technology. Their unwavering commitment to safety and minimal environmental impact has been the perfect partnership for proving the URUS TL3021’s real-world value.

A special tribute goes to Technical Operations Manager Nitesh Govender, who oversaw the meticulous fitment and system integration in close collaboration with the Hitachi Construction South Africa team of Marius Fourie and Morne Van Wyk.

The day-to-day operations are conducted under the watchful eye of Jason Menell, who has been instrumental in getting the system operating, along with Barbara Smith and Natalie Crouch, who manage Cintasign’s operational health and safety. Their professionalism and attention to detail ensured a flawless commissioning and continue to drive daily success.

The URUS TL3021 is designed and built in South Africa and is a point of immense pride for us at Urus Equipment.

Our heritage stretches back to 1966, when we began solving steep-slope forestry challenges with robust engineered Universal Rigging Under Skyline cable-yarding systems. Fast-forward to the introduction of the Shovel Yarder in 2005, and we are proud of our “winching heritage”, having produced over 500 yarders operating worldwide.

We have always focused on durable, operator-friendly equipment tailored to South African conditions. The TL3021 is the latest chapter in that story: The only winch-assist systems developed and manufactured entirely on home soil and now performing reliably on three continents.

The unit’s steep-slope credentials shine through in every detail. A powerful 21-ton line pull, 500m operating range and 25/28mm wire rope provide the muscle needed for tethered forwarders and skidders. The innovative 90-degree swivel pulley enables smooth roadside stacking. At the same time, the purpose-built snatch block system keeps the winch unit clear of hot decking areas during tight-binding operations, critical for safety and productivity in confined plantation layouts.

For South African forestry, where much of the resource sits on steep terrain, winch-assist technology is essential.

The Cintasign harvesting team’s success in Mondi’s Greytown operations proves that locally developed solutions can meet the highest international standards while delivering the safety, efficiency, and environmental care our industry demands.

We at Urus Equipment salute progressive teams like Cintasign for their vision and partnership. Their continued support inspires us to keep innovating, proving once again that proudly South African engineering can compete and win on the global stage.

All our machines are proudly built and assembled at our facility in Johannesburg. Beware of any lookalikes. Log and Load Pty Ltd is the sole owner of the Hin-Tech & URUS Equipment brands.More info: www.urus-equipment.com