Question 1

Does the HF222 have its own engine?

Accepted Answer

No. The HF222 is a passive hydraulic attachment with no engine, ECM, fuel tank, or cooling system of its own. Its saw-drive motor and arm cylinders run entirely off the host carrier's hydraulic circuit.

Question 2

What carriers does the HF222 mount on?

Accepted Answer

The factory catalog lists two mounting frames under this same model: one for mounting the head onto a 611 excavator, and a second for use with the 720B and 720C wheel feller buncher.

Question 3

What replaced the HF222?

Accepted Answer

The HF222 is discontinued. Caterpillar's current felling-head lineup for track feller bunchers is built around the HF201B and HF221, which supersede this and other earlier HF-series disc-saw heads.

Question 4

How fast do the saw disc teeth wear on a Cat-style disc-saw felling head, and when do crews replace them?

Accepted Answer

Tooth wear is the main running cost on this kind of head. The disc itself is built to outlast the cutting edges, so wear is meant to land on the bolt-on teeth (carbide or hardened-steel) rather than the plate. Multi-face rotatable teeth let a shop index or flip a dulling tooth to a fresh edge instead of pulling it, stretching the interval between actual tooth changes. There's no single hour figure owners agree on -- wear tracks tree species, stem size, and how often the disc contacts dirt or rock rather than a calendar schedule, so most crews judge by cut quality: splintering, a ragged stump face, or the saw bogging down are the signals to check teeth. Any chipped or missing tooth gets swapped right away since it throws the disc out of balance and loads the shaft bearings unevenly.

Question 5

The grapple and accumulator arm cylinders on this style of felling head are weeping oil -- is that just normal wear?

Accepted Answer

It's one of the most common wear points on this class of head. The clamp and accumulator-arm cylinders cycle constantly against bark, sap, and dirt packed right against the rod, and the usual failure path is a scored or pitted rod surface cutting up the seal rather than the seal simply aging out. Owners who get the longest seal life keep the rods wiped clean and make sure the wiper/scraper seal at the gland is doing its job, since packed grit at that face is what scores the chrome. Once a cylinder drifts under load holding a tree, or starts leaking past the piston seal, a full reseal -- with a rod polish or swap if it's scored -- is the standard fix. Have your dealer verify any cylinder teardown or pressure test, since these cylinders hold load right next to a spinning saw disc.

Question 6

What hydraulic problems come up most with the saw motor and case drain on this type of felling head?

Accepted Answer

The high-speed motor that spins the disc is the most demanding hydraulic component on the head, and its case-drain line is treated as critical plumbing, not an afterthought. That line bleeds off internal motor leakage; if it's undersized, kinked, or partly blocked, case pressure builds and can push out an output shaft seal or damage the motor internally. Setting the saw circuit's pressures is described as touchy, tight-tolerance work, and an undersized hose run or a carrier without enough cooling capacity shows up repeatedly as the reason a saw motor runs hot and fails early. A built-in anti-cavitation valve helps the motor recover speed coming out of a cut, but it doesn't make up for a poorly sized case-drain or cooling circuit upstream.

Question 7

The saw disc bogs down or stalls partway through a cut -- what's usually behind that?

Accepted Answer

Outside of dull or chipped teeth, the two things owners chase first are a clogged housing and low flow to the saw motor. Chips and debris packing into the chip-exhaust path make the disc fight its own waste instead of the tree, which alone can drag speed down enough to stall a cut. If clearing the housing doesn't fix it, the next suspect is the saw circuit not getting the flow or pressure it needs -- a marginal carrier pump, a partly blocked filter, or a hose that's too small will all show up as a saw that's slow to spin up and quick to bog down. Worn saw-shaft bearings letting the disc run out of true are a less common but real cause of chronic vibration and lost speed. Have your dealer verify pressure and flow at the saw circuit with the head fully shut down before any hands-on diagnosis near the disc.

Question 8

What grease habits actually keep the arm and saw-shaft pivots from wearing out early?

Accepted Answer

Every pivot on the head -- saw-shaft bearings, grapple and accumulator arm pins, cylinder clevises -- is grease-lubricated, and the habit owners credit most is greasing at the start of every shift rather than stretching it to a weekly or hour-based interval. Felling work packs bark grit and mud into these joints constantly, so a shift-start routine catches wear before it compounds. Wiping the fitting clean before pumping fresh grease in matters too, since forcing grease past a dirty fitting just pumps grit into the joint. Heads with grease points grouped at ground level get serviced more consistently than ones where fittings are scattered and hard to reach, which shows up over time as less pin and bushing play.

Question 9

What should someone check before buying a used Cat felling head of this type?

Accepted Answer

Start with the disc and teeth: uneven wear across the teeth or repeated weld repair on the disc plate itself points to a hard life. Cycle the grapple and accumulator arms through full travel and feel for play in the pins and bushings, and watch for any cylinder creeping or drifting once it's holding a load. Check that the hose routing and case-drain plumbing match the original layout -- a rerouted or resized hose can be a sign a past owner patched around a saw-motor problem instead of fixing it. Ask for hours and cutting history where the seller has it, and go in expecting that a low-volume, long-discontinued head like this will lean on a dealer for parts sourcing more than a current-production head would. Have your dealer verify saw motor and disc-bearing condition, and confirm the head is fully depressurized, before any test cut.

Question 10

Is an excavator carrier like the 611 really enough machine to run one of these heads properly?

Accepted Answer

These heads were designed around a purpose-built feller-buncher's hydraulic system, so when one gets mounted on an excavator carrier instead, matching flow and pressure -- not the mechanical mounting -- is what owners say takes the real effort. The saw circuit needs steady flow to hold cutting speed under load, and a carrier with a marginal pump or hose sized too small for the run is the common thread behind chronic overheating and short motor life on this kind of retrofit. Anyone doing this pairing is better off working from the head's original hydraulic spec rather than guessing at hose and relief-valve sizing.

System	Capacity	Recommended fluid
Grease points - grapple and collector arm pivot bearings	Per grease fitting	Cat Advanced 3Moly Grease (lithium EP grease with moly) or Cat MPGM; grease daily or every 10 service hours, whichever comes first
Grease points - felling head frame pivots and saw disc output shaft bearing	Per grease fitting	Cat Advanced 3Moly Grease (lithium EP grease with moly) or Cat MPGM; grease daily or every 10 service hours, whichever comes first
Hydraulic oil	No separate reservoir or fill point on the felling head	Runs entirely off the host carrier's hydraulic circuit - follow the hydraulic oil recommendation in the carrier machine's own operation and maintenance manual. The saw drive piston motor has no separate gear-oil fill; it is lubricated internally by system hydraulic oil through its case drain

Service interval	Tasks
Every 10 h	Grease all accumulator-arm and grapple-arm pivot pins and the felling-head frame pivots Grease the saw-disc output shaft bearing Visually inspect saw-disc teeth for chipped, cracked, or missing carbide inserts Check hydraulic hoses and fittings on the head for leaks, chafing, or loose clamps Check grapple-arm and accumulator-arm cylinder rods for scoring or external leakage
Every 50 h	Do a detailed tooth-wear check and rotate or replace worn teeth in matched pairs to keep the disc balanced Check tooth mounting bolt torque and replace bolts whenever teeth are replaced Check grapple and accumulator-arm cylinder pins and rod ends for play or wear Check felling-head frame pivot bushings for excess play Inspect the saw-disc transport guard, if fitted, for damage or looseness
Every 250 h	Check the saw-drive motor case-drain flow and return line for restriction or signs of contamination Measure pivot pin and bushing wear at all major frame and arm joints Inspect hydraulic hose routing and clamping for chafe points caused by disc vibration Inspect structural welds at cylinder mounting points and frame gussets for cracking Pull a hydraulic oil sample from the host carrier if it is not already on a fluid-analysis program
Every 500 h	Do a full structural inspection of the felling-head frame for cracks, bent members, or worn mounting ears Inspect the saw-disc output shaft bearing and seal, and replace if worn Reseal or overhaul grapple and accumulator-arm cylinders showing drift or leakage Check the saw-drive piston motor for internal wear such as slipping disc speed, and rebuild if indicated Recondition exposed frame surfaces for corrosion protection ahead of seasonal storage

18***38	Lines Group-Grease	1
18***32	Hose As	1
3B***89	Fitting-Grease; (Fan And Alternator Drive)	1

09***85	Locknut; (M16x2-Thd)	8
17***22	Pin	1
17***23	Pin	3
17***24	Pin	2

09***85	Locknut; (M16x2-Thd)	8
17***22	Pin	1
17***23	Pin	3
17***24	Pin	2

Caterpillar HF222

Caterpillar HF222 specifications

Service capacities (summary)

HF222 fluids & capacities

Caterpillar HF222 maintenance schedule

Servicing the HF222 beyond the schedule

Predictive Maintenance & Fluid Analysis

Corrective & Common Repairs

Overhaul & Rebuild Points

Seasonal & Environment Servicing

HF222 attachments & work tools

Host carrier compatibility

Saw disc / tooth options

Grapple/accumulator arm

Guarding / transport options

All HF222 assemblies by section

HF222 serial number reference

Frequently asked questions

What HF222 owners discuss

Need a specific HF222 part?

15***11	Lockwasher	11
19***58	Cylinder Group-Hydraulic	1
19***64	Rod As	1
19***65	Head	1

03***39	Seal-O-Ring (Id=9.25mm)	2
10***16	Seal-O-Ring	2
12***94	Plug; (Break Off)	1
12***16	Pin	1

14***27	Connector Group	4
14***40	Adapter; (Straight) (-8 Orb X -8 Orfs)	4
14***63	Elbow Group	2
14***64	Elbow, 90°,-8 Orb /-8 Orfs	8

14***18	Connector As	2
14***27	Connector Group	4
14***40	Adapter; (Straight) (-8 Orb X -8 Orfs)	6
14***54	Elbow; (45) (-8/-8 Orb/Orfs)	1

14***28	Connector Assem.	1
14***47	Elbow; (-12 Orb/Orfs)	2
14***75	Elbow Group	1
14***44	Tee Group; (Swivel)	1

16***67	Fitting As; (Quick Disconnect, Male)(Quick Disconnect)	2
18***86	Motor Group-Piston; -Saw	1
18***09	Ring-Adapter	1
19***92	Motor & Lines Group-Saw	1

12***54	Setscrew; (M12x1.75-Thd)	2
12***50	Shim; (1-mm Thk)	1
12***81	Cap	2
13***37	Rotating Group-Motor; -Winch, Hook	1

11***20	Screw; (M6x20-mm)	14
12***51	Barrel	1
12***52	Plate-Control	1
12***53	Pin-Center	1

00***24	Cup-Bearing	1
00***25	Cone-Bearing	1
18***14	Shaft Group-Output; -Saw	1
18***15	Plate-Retainer	1

19***00	Poppet	1
19***96	Valve Group-Check; -Vented Pilot	1
19***97	Plug	1
19***71	Spring	1

12***97	Cover	1
12***98	Seat	1
12***99	Seat	1
12***57	Pin	1

09***01	Bolt-Socket Head; (M8x1.25x40-mm)	4
12***17	Plug	1
12***90	Retainer-Spring	1
12***91	Spring	1

17***64	Film-Danger; (Moving Parts, Stay Clear)	2
18***86	Film-Warning; (Hose Pressure Leak)	2
19***31	Film-Danger; (Moving Parts, Read Omm)	2
19***95	Plate & Film Group	1

18***62	Tool Group-Hand	1
18***46	Wrench As	1
8J***36	Nut-Weld; (3/4-10-Thd)	1

19***69	Arm Group-Accumulator; -Collector Arms	2
19***54	Arm Group-Grapple	1
19***10	Arm Ar-Grapple	1
22***69	Arm Group-Grapple	1

09***83	Nut-Self-Locking; (M10x1.50 Thd)	2
09***85	Locknut; (M16x2-Thd)	1
17***12	Bearing-Sleeve	2
17***11	Bearing-Sleeve	1

17***12	Bearing-Sleeve	2
19***52	Arm Group-Grapple	1
3B***89	Fitting-Grease; (Fan And Alternator Drive)	2

09***85	Locknut; (M16x2-Thd)	4
10***17	Washer; (36.7x77x6-mm Thk)	4
17***61	Plate	1
17***66	Plate	1

10***17	Washer; (36.7x77x6-mm Thk)	4
13***65	Washer; (13.8x45x3-mm Thk)	4
17***61	Plate	1
17***66	Plate	1

18***73	Pin As	1
21***11	Guard As	1
21***90	Guard Group-Transport	1
8T***33	Nut (M10x1.50 Thd)	1

18***73	Pin As	1
19***83	Guard Group-Transport	1
27***87	Guard As	1
8T***33	Nut (M10x1.50 Thd)	1

17***17	Saw Group-Disc	1
18***14	Shaft Group-Output; -Saw	1
18***38	Lines Group-Grease	1
18***62	Tool Group-Hand	1

18***85	Saw Group-Disc	1
19***85	Saw Group-Disc	1
9S***67	Bolt (3.75 In.)Long	18

18***41	Holder-Tooth	18
18***43	Sleeve-Head	36
18***44	Nut-Sleeve	36
18***27	Bolt-Socket Head; (5/8-18x1.25-In)	36

22***31	Saw Group-Disc	1
22***33	Disc-Saw	1
9S***67	Bolt (3.75 In.)Long	18

Prefix	Identifies	Notes
CFR	S/N CFR1-206 (early build)	Covers the felling-head cylinder-and-lines group for this earlier sub-range.
CFR	S/N CFR207-339 (later build)	Running design change to the felling-head cylinder-and-lines group, carried under the same CFR prefix rather than a new one.