600 series | Digging and construction

Island makeover project: A real Avant-garde adventure

What happens when you have a Finnish comedy production company rebuilding an overgrown island with an Avant 650i? You get stuff done, of course, and a bunch of great work videos conveying genuine enthusiasm for the green machine. We talked to the dynamic duo Janne Kaperi and Kai “Kaitsu” Rinkinen about their island project and Avant’s perfomance so far.

This island thing started from the idea of all successful people having their own island. So, before the world crowned us moguls, we decided to buy one – because, who knows? Success might just follow,” Kai “Kaitsu” Rinkinen jokes.

Originating from snowboarding videos by Kaitsu Rinkinen and Janne Kaperi at the dawn of the 2000s, Finnish production company Biisonimafia has later morphed into a veritable comedy group of the social media age. With content ranging from quirky sketches to candid lifestyle escapades, these Finns have donned many hats, construction helmets included.

“We thought about making a bigger and longer construction story, and the island came along first just as a joke. But the idea was good, and it got Avant folks excited, too,” Janne recounts the commercial cooperation.

Thanks to the Avant 650i, the breakwater now stands taller.

Biisonimafia

— Founded by Janne Kaperi and Kaitsu Rinkinen.
— Produces content for social media platforms.
— Directs and produces films, advertisements and other video productions.
— First movie: MCHelper – BeKINGs (2022).
— Biisonimafia Adventure vlog channel on YouTube showcases the island project with Avant 650i. @BiisonimafiaAdventure

Agile Avant thrives on cramped island

In the spring of 2023, the island on lake Saimaa sported nothing but battered shacks and a shoreline thick with nearly unpassable vegetation. But in July, the makeover project picked up as the Avant 650i and its attachments docked at the island. While Kaitsu had some experience with tractors and Janne with telehandlers, the Avant was a new acquaintance for both.

The Biisonimafia island project videos convey a boyish enthusiasm and sense of wonder when the loader and attachments get down to business. On the videos, Kaitsu playfully describes working with the Avant as a “Manager level job”. Soon, the shores and pathways begin to emerge, stumps vanish, land smoothens out, and decaying wood stacks bid their adieu.

“Avant is just insanely feisty for its size! The island is very cramped with uneven terrain, so probably nothing else could have worked here so well,” Kaitsu says.

Attachments for clearing and making firewood

On the island stands a log-crafted main edifice along with a sauna and some storage buildings. The most ramshackle of them met their fate in the jaws of a Demolition Grapple Bucket. That’s when, to everybody’s surprise, a relic emerged from under the debris: a wartime GMC truck crew carriage, masquerading all these years as a humble shed.

“Now, the game plan is to revive the carriage into, say, a bar. We’re also eyeing harbor refurbishment, breakwater touch-ups, and a new summer kitchen,” says Kaitsu.

During makeover, Janne and Kaitsu got rid of roots and stumps with a Root Grapple and cleared paths and the shoreline with a Mini Digger and a Stump Grinder. They utilized the Horizontal Log Splitter to make firewood for the sauna – the first building they renovated.

“With its attachments, the Avant is a real Swiss Army knife. After crafting stone steps with it I really had a winning feeling,” says Janne.

“For sure, the machine and its attachments boast more brains than the guy behind the wheel,” Kaitsu quips.

Kaitsu says he is a bit envious of Janne’s fast boat. With it, Janne often beats him to the island, hopping straight onto the Avant before Kaitsu gets there. But don’t be mistaken, Janne has his share of fears, too.

“One night I woke up from a nightmare: The island was finished without me! It was such a relief when I woke up and realized there’s still work to be done there,” Janne says.

Stumps getting rough treatment from the Ripper and Janne Kaperi. Below, Kaitsu Rinkinen behind the wheel.

Images: Biisonimafia