FAE USA Inc. held an open house and demo event at its North American headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga., on Oct. 24. Dealers, regional representatives and customers came to see demonstrations of the newest products, including the new low flow forestry mulcher attachment and the PrimeTech PT-175 prime mover, which had just been introduced several weeks ago at ICUEE in Louisville, Ky. After the demo, attendees enjoyed dinner and beverages in the warehouse at the FAE USA facility.

A few attendees took advantage of the opportunity to operate the new PrimeTech PT-175 prime mover including Timothy Keller of North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Marion, N.C. Keller said he was quite impressed with the machine.

“It had a fast recovery on the head,” Keller said “When you get into heavy brush it would recover quickly and pick up speed very fast once you bogged it down. It regulated itself and it was almost instant to get back to full speed when challenged. It’s faster than other similar products we’ve demoed and more maneuverable, with greater overall grinding ability and has a mulching head that quickly picks up speed.”

Keller said he feels the PrimeTech machine is superior to others he’s tried.

“We’re new to this, so this is a market that we’re just now starting to look at. We’ve been testing other brands — from mulcher attachments to self-contained prime movers. So far, this is the best machine we’ve tried.”

When asked what tasks the PT-175 model would be used for Keller said, “the terrain we work in requires a machine with maximum maneuverability and a smaller size so we can get to the job site more easily with the existing trailers and equipment that we have.”

Serviceability and cost also factor into Keller’s thoughts of the machine.

“Most of what we do is clear cuts of 3 to 4 inch. 10 to 15 year old stands that we want to knock back down and create early successional habitat for song birds and turkey brood habitat. We’re looking at wildlife management benefits from the machine instead of general land clearing for agricultural use or development.”

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