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Attachment manufacturer

Duxson

Forestry grapples and felling heads

Australian representation: Randalls

Commercial position

Where this brand fits

Manufactured in New Zealand and represented through Randalls, targeting applications including felling, bunching, log loading, woodlot thinning, sorting and stacking.

Duxson equipment is manufactured in New Zealand and represented in Australia through Randalls, covering forestry grapples and felling heads for felling, bunching, log loading, woodlot thinning, sorting and stacking.

New Zealand manufacture is commercially relevant to Australian buyers for a practical reason: the terrain, species and contracting structures across the Tasman are closer to Australian conditions than most northern-hemisphere design assumptions, and freight and lead times are shorter than from Europe or North America.

In the grapple and felling head category the deciding factor is rarely headline capacity. It is geometry — closing profile, tip shape and jaw count — matched to how your material actually moves.

Buyer fit

Who this suits — and who should look elsewhere

An equipment reference that only says where a brand fits is a brochure.

Suits you if

  • Felling and bunching operations wanting equipment designed for comparable conditions
  • Woodlot thinning, sorting and stacking work
  • Buyers who want shorter freight and parts lead times than European supply

Look elsewhere if

  • Where a single-OEM relationship across a large harvesting fleet is preferred
  • Highly specialised rotator or grapple-saw requirements better served by a category specialist

Buyer background

Felling heads and grapples: what to compare

Felling heads and forestry grapples are frequently sold on capacity figures that tell a buyer very little. What decides productivity is how well the geometry suits the stems and bunches you actually handle, and how quickly the assembly cycles.

For felling and bunching, the number that matters most is accumulation — how many stems the head holds before placing. In small-stem work, a head that accumulates several stems per cycle transforms the economics against one that places each stem individually, regardless of their respective maximum cut ratings.

For loading, sorting and stacking, closing geometry and rotation control govern. A grapple that needs a second grip to secure a log has lost a share of every cycle, and across a shift that compounds into real lost tonnage.

Whatever the application, check the lift chart with the full assembly fitted — head or grapple, plus rotator, plus coupler — at the radius you genuinely work at. That remaining capacity, not the attachment rating, is what determines what the machine can safely handle.

Before you commit

What to confirm with this supplier

  • Jaw geometry tested on your actual material, not just open area compared
  • Total assembly mass — grapple plus rotator plus coupler — against the carrier lift chart
  • Local availability of pins, bushes and seals, which are the parts that actually wear
  • Lead time through Randalls for your specific configuration

Comparison

Realistic alternatives

Where another supplier would genuinely serve the same requirement better.

RandallsAustralian-manufactured rotating log grapples with local parts supply.
RotobecRotating grapples for logging and material handling applications.

Method

Running the comparison properly

Comparing Duxson like for like

Against Randalls and Rotobec, match the grapple to material flow first — felling, bunching, thinning, sorting and stacking each favour different geometry — and only then compare on capacity. Confirm total attachment mass including rotator and coupler against your carrier's chart at working reach, and ask about wear-part supply and lead time through the Australian distributor, since that is an operating cost rather than a one-off.

Range

Products relevant to Australian buyers

  • Forestry grapples
  • Felling heads

Cross-reference

Machine classes covering this brand

Benchmark specifications, buying criteria and specification traps for each class.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Who supplies Duxson in Australia?

Randalls Equipment Company represents Duxson in Australia, alongside Ponsse, SP Maskiner, SANY, Indexator, Clark Tracks, Falcon Forestry, Risutec and OMEF.

What is Duxson equipment used for?

Felling, bunching, log loading, woodlot thinning, sorting and stacking. The range covers forestry grapples and felling heads — the attachment end of the market rather than carriers.

Is New Zealand-manufactured equipment suited to Australian conditions?

Broadly, yes — New Zealand terrain, species and contracting structures are closer to Australian conditions than many northern-hemisphere design assumptions, and freight and parts lead times are shorter than from Europe or North America. As always, confirm the specific configuration against your material and carrier rather than assuming regional suitability transfers.

What matters most when comparing felling heads?

Accumulation — how many stems the head holds before placing the bunch. In small-stem work this transforms the economics against a head that places each stem individually, and it matters far more than maximum cut rating. Ask for average accumulation per cycle in timber comparable to yours, witnessed rather than quoted.

How do I check whether a felling head suits my carrier?

Take the carrier lift chart at the radius you genuinely work at, then subtract head mass, rotator mass and quick coupler mass. What remains is what is available for timber. That figure, rather than the head rating or the carrier tonnage class, is what determines whether the combination works safely at reach.

Before comparing this brand with another

Brand strength is one input among eleven in the machine selection scorecard, where purchase price carries 3% and reliability, local service and parts availability together carry 40%. Make sure two quotations are genuinely comparable first — use the dealer quote checklist.