A comparison of 14 currently applicable wood harvesting systems was assessed with respect to ergonomic point of view. For this purpose, the research method, based on the Hodges-Lehmann rule and the integrated work-severity rate of single machinery, was developed for ergonomic evaluation of cut-to-length, tree-length and full-tree harvesting systems. Altogether, about 130 different parameters of...

Nacrtak Roadside chipping is a common harvesting system in Australian plantations, which utilizes a mobile chipper stationed at the field edge to produce high-quality pulp chips for export. The studied harvesting system included a feller-buncher, two grapple skidders, a flail-debarker and a disc chipper. The study goals were to determine machine productivity, operation costs, fuel consumption, ...

Time study is an important research tool used in comparing productivity of forest harvesting systems across varying conditions. Unfortunately, it has been an expensive tool to apply, involving travel and fieldwork by a crew of technicians plus time in the office to reduce raw data to usable information. In the interests of safety and cost reduction, it would be preferable to have a means of per...

Machine traffic and timber skidding significantly affect the soil surface and soil properties. The effects are mostly negative and result in soil erosion, worsening of soil properties and inhibition of the growth of roots and soil organisms. In this study, we evaluated forest soil damage caused by the HSM 805 HD wheeled skidder during timber skidding in selected forest stands in the School Fore...

A study was done to evaluate the use of global positioning systems (GPS) to track the position of forest harvesting equipment and use the information to assess site impacts. GPS units were attached to tree-length harvesting machinery in two clearcuts (1 feller-buncher, 2 skidders). Position of the equipment was recorded at 2-second intervals throughout the harvest of both stands. The positional...