Since 1972, logging equipment operators have demonstrated their skills by participating in the Loader Championship contest, where they pick up and move wood blocks between two checkerboards using a knuckleboom loader. The contest was first started by Prentice™, a brand Caterpillar acquired in 2007. Today, the contest features the latest Cat® 559C Knuckleboom Loader and is held at logging trade shows throughout the United States.
The Cat Loader Championship is a popular draw, attracting many spectators and a steady stream of contestants. This year, Brian McCumber, Tomahawk, Wis., took first place at the Lake States Logging Congress, Sept. 5-6 in Oshkosh, Wis. The competition is a fundraiser for Log A Load For Kids, an organization sponsored by loggers and other forest products people to raise funds for hospitals associated with the Children’s Miracle Network.
Knuckleboom loaders are used in harvesting timber primarily to load and unload logging trucks. The C Series, introduced in 2013, features fuel-efficient power systems, upgraded hydraulics and significantly more lift when the boom is at full reach than previous models. In addition to the 559C, ideal for working in pine and pulpwood, the line includes the 579C for big wood.
