The low-revving eight-cylinder growl of Scania’s unique 16-litre is being heard more often around the off-highway logging network of the North Island’s central plateau.

The V8 pioneer in this forest is Taupo-based Northern Linehaul Ltd. NLL firstly introduced The Hulk (a Scania R 620 working at up to 80 tonnes) to the off-highway scene in late-2018 and delivered a sequel last year with Black Adam, the Scania S 730 off-highway double hauling up to 120 tonnes of timber which featured in the June 2023 issue of New Zealand Truck & Driver.

This month we’re back in the bush with Leon Edge’s forestry fleet, but this time there isn’t a superhero nickname to accompany the first of two new Scania R 620 8x4 units which are joining NLL’s stems truck operations.

Stems haulage is a specialised sector of the logging industry, in this case moving 30-plus metre tree stems from harvesting sites to the Timberlands Kaingaroa Processing Plant (KPP), or as it’s more commonly known, The Web.

Scania’s move into the mostly unknown off highway logging sector is carrying on mostly down to Leon Edge at Taupo’s Northern Linehaul.

It was only June last year that we tested the  S 730 doubles unit he put in here working at up to 120 tonnes and now we are back again with Leon and his team to check out the first of his two new R 620 stems units that he has just sent to work.

It’s always a pleasure to drive the off highway network as these roads keep you away from the public and everyone who works out here is professional. It makes the driving more enjoyable in one of the most testing environments New Zealand has to offer.

After we have done one load with driver Te Arani Haurima at the wheel it’s my turn to check out what this R620 V8 can do while working up to 85 tonnes.