Reference
Glossary
The vocabulary of quotations, data sheets and site talk, defined in one place. Each entry links to the guide where the term matters most.
- Accumulator (tree shear)
- An upper arm arrangement that lets a shear hold one or more cut stems while it cuts the next, so several small stems are placed in one cycle instead of one at a time. Read more →
- Auxiliary circuit
- The hydraulic circuit on an excavator that powers attachments, separate from the boom, stick, bucket and slew functions. Its continuous flow and pressure, not the pump maximum, decide what an attachment can do. Read more →
- Back pressure (return pressure)
- Resistance in the return line from the attachment to the tank. Excess back pressure reduces available power and can damage motors and seals; manufacturers publish a maximum permitted figure.
- Bite limiter
- A mulcher rotor design that controls how much material each tool can engage per revolution, smoothing power demand and reducing stalls. Read more →
- Brash
- Branches, tops and small woody residue left after felling. Low mass, high volume, awkward to handle, and the reason forestry grapples are judged on area and tine penetration rather than rated load. Read more →
- Carbide teeth
- Tungsten-carbide-tipped mulcher tools chosen for durability in rocky, abrasive or dirty conditions, as opposed to sharpened blades that cut cleaner and faster in clean wood. Read more →
- Case drain
- A low-pressure line that returns internal leakage from a hydraulic motor directly to tank. Many high-flow attachments require one; running without it damages the motor.
- Carrier
- The base machine an attachment is fitted to: an excavator, skid steer, compact track loader or purpose-built forestry machine.
- Continuous flow
- The flow an auxiliary circuit can sustain under load at working temperature. The figure that matters for mulchers, grinders and saw motors, as distinct from peak or theoretical pump flow. Read more →
- Diameter distribution
- The share of stems or stumps on a site in each diameter class. The basis for sizing an attachment and pricing a job; a single maximum diameter is not enough. Read more →
- Feller buncher
- A purpose-built forestry machine that cuts trees and accumulates them in bunches for extraction. The benchmark a tree shear on an excavator is compared against for sustained plantation production. Read more →
- Fork tower
- An option on Trevi Benne WR shears for handling larger stems after cutting.
- Front-mount
- An attachment carried on the front of a skid steer, compact track loader or dedicated carrier rather than on an excavator boom, such as the Shearex HM mulchers. Read more →
- Grapple area (capacity)
- The cross-sectional area a grapple can contain when closed on a bundle, in square metres. A better guide to bundle capacity than maximum opening. Read more →
- Grapple saw
- An excavator attachment combining a forestry grapple, hydraulic chainsaw cassette and rotator, so a piece is secured before it is cut and controlled after. Read more →
- Hardox
- A branded abrasion-resistant steel used for blades, tines, liners and wear parts on several attachments covered on this site.
- Hydraulic power
- Theoretical power in kilowatts equals flow in litres per minute multiplied by pressure in bar, divided by 600. Used to screen carrier and attachment pairings. Read more →
- Indexator
- A manufacturer of rotators used on Powerhand grapples and grapple saws for continuous rotation.
- Lift chart
- The manufacturer's table of rated lift capacity for an excavator at each radius and height, for a specific boom, stick, counterweight and over-front or over-side position. Read more →
- Maximum diameter
- The largest stem, branch or stump an attachment is physically capable of cutting or processing under suitable conditions. Not a production figure. Read more →
- Mobilisation
- The cost and time of getting a machine to site, including float, permits and set-up. A large part of why excavator attachments beat dedicated machines on many contracts. Read more →
- Mulch in place
- Reducing vegetation on site with a forestry mulcher and leaving the material distributed, rather than recovering stems. Read more →
- Optimal target material diameter
- The stem size a Shearex mulcher is designed to process continuously and economically, as distinct from an occasional maximum. Read more →
- Possession (rail)
- A scheduled window in which a section of railway is closed to trains for maintenance. Vegetation work inside a possession is measured by output per window, not per hour. Read more →
- Quick hitch (quick coupler)
- A mechanical or hydraulic device on the end of the stick that allows attachments to be changed quickly. Its mass counts against the lift chart. Read more →
- Regrowth
- Young, dense woody vegetation that re-establishes after clearing. High stem counts and small diameters favour accumulating shears and mulchers.
- Rotator
- A hydraulic unit between the coupler and the attachment that rotates the head, usually continuously, for placement and orientation. Adds mass, cost and a wear component.
- Stump cutter (root cutter)
- A heavy hydraulic pincer that cuts roots, extracts the stump and splits it. Physically removes the root mass, unlike a grinder. Read more →
- Stump grinder (drill type)
- An excavator attachment that bores vertically through a stump with a cutting screw, processing it in place below ground level. The Dipperfox approach. Read more →
- Suspended load
- The total mass hanging from the stick: attachment, rotator, coupler and the timber being held. Compared against the lift chart at the actual working radius. Read more →
- Tiltrotator
- A coupler that both tilts and rotates the attachment, giving extra positioning control at the cost of mass, complexity and hydraulic demand.
- Tonne class
- The nominal operating mass band of an excavator. A starting point for attachment compatibility, never the whole answer. Read more →
- Traffic control
- The lane closures, signage and personnel required for work beside a road. Often the largest cost line on a roadside vegetation contract and the reason faster attachments pay. Read more →
- Twin-blade shear
- A shear cutting system with blades that penetrate the trunk from both sides, as on the Trevi Benne WR, rather than one blade forcing through the full section. Read more →
- Utilisation
- The share of available hours a machine or attachment actually spends earning. The master variable in total cost of ownership. Read more →
- Windrow
- A long row of felled stems or debris placed for later processing, burning where permitted, or removal.