INTRODUCTION TO TIMBER HARVESTING SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT

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INTRODUCTION TO TIMBER HARVESTING SYSTEMS AND
EQUIPMENT
Courtesy of the UMFK Forestry Program
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Harvest Systems

• Method and equipment used to cut timber and bring
  it roadside. -involves more than one piece of
  machinery
• System used depends upon
• Type of silvicultural operation -clearcut,
  overstory removal, thinning, etc)
• Size of timber

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Harvest Systems

• Method and equipment used to cut timber and bring
  it roadside. -involves gtone piece of
  machinery
• System used depends upon
• Terrain -steep, flat, rocky, wet, etc
• Acceptable amount of stand damage
• Landowners objective
• Financial constraints

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Types of Harvest Systems

• Conventional -chainsaw, cable skidder
• Mechanical -harvester, grapple skidder, delimber
• Cut-to-length -Processor, forwarder
• Horse/oxen
• High Lead
• Helicopter

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Harvest Systems

• What is covered today
• Basic information on each piece of equipment
• What is not covered
• In-depth discussion of equipment
• Production levels
• Costs
• Silvicultural systems
• WHY?
• THATS YOUR JOB

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Cable Skidder

• First type of Skidder (1950s)
• Replaced horse
• Variety of sizes but similar in design
• Used in conjunction with chainsaw or feller
  buncher
• Use on decline in Maine?

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Semi-enclosed cab

• OSHA requirement
• Roll cage/screen protects from debris and
  rollovers
• Some protection from elements
• Lights

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Arch
Winch

• Winch Winds/pulls cable and chokers for
  pulling/skidding logs
• Arch supports logs above ground
• Reduces resistance, ground disturbance, damage to
  log

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ArticulationPoint

• Joint in center of skidder
• Enables skidder to turn (fixed axles)
• Oscillation results in better traction

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Grapple Skidder

• Larger/more powerful than cable skidder
• More production
• Work in conjunction with feller-buncher -wood is
  bunched by feller-buncher
• Operator remains in cab
• Air conditioned/ heated cab/radio
• Duel arch increases reach/maneuverability
• Greater soil compaction/stand damage

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Grapple skidder pulling hitch
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ClambunkSkidder
Other Types of Skidders
Tracked Skidder
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Feller-Bunchers (Harvesters)

• Work in conjunction with grapple skidders
  (sometimes cable skidders)
• Fells, holds, lifts and piles trees in/near skid
  trail
• Can harvest trees 20 feet away if equipped with
  boom
• Two Types Wheeled feller-buncher Tracked
  feller-buncher
• More productive/safer than hand felling
• Less stand damage (with good operator)
• Cut small wood feasibly

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Wheeled Feller-Buncher
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Three-Wheeled Feller-Buncher
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Wheeled Feller-Bunchers

• Advantages
• Maneuverability
• Speed
• Disadvantages
• Suitable only for dry, level ground
• Damages advanced regeneration
• Soil compaction/disturbance

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Tracked Feller-Bunchers

• Most common in NE
• Advantages
• Do not have to drive up to every tree
• Less damage to regeneration
• Less soil compaction (greater wt dispersal)
• Can work on steep terrain (especially
  self-leveling)
• Greater stability
• Disadvantages
• Greater cost

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Feller-Buncher
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Tracked Feller-Buncher
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Self-leveling cab
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Circular Saw Head
Bar Saw Head
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Boom-Delimber

• Delimbs wood at landing
• Works in conjunction with harvester and grapple
  skidder

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In-Woods Delimber
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Pull-Through Delimber

• Works in conjunction with loader
• Low production (conventional logging systems)
• Primarily softwoods

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Cut-to-Length System

• Processor - fells, delimbs, bucks, and scales
  wood at the stump.

Forwarder Picks up wood cut by processor and
carries out to road on bunk
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Processor Head
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Forwarder (6WD)
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4WD Forwarder
8WD Forwarder
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Cut-to-Length System

• Advantages
• Significantly reduces forest impact
• Slash remains in forest -No concern over
  nutrient depletion
• Slash placed directly in trail creating a bed
  that forwarder travels over -significantly
  reduces soil compaction
• Wood carried in bunks, not dragged on
  ground -less damage to regeneration/residual
  stand -cleaner wood

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Cut-to-Length System

• Advantages
• Less space needed for landing
• Less equipment needed -wood loaded by forwarder
  or by self-loading truck
• Less manpower

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Cut-to-Length System

• Disadvantages
• Very costly (600,000)
• Less production -slower than harvester-grapple
• Processor has complex hydraulics/electronics
• Restricted to softwoods stands or small hardwoods

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Feller Forwarder

• Budworm salvageduring 80s
• No longer in use in Maine
• Clearcutting only

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Knuckle Boom Loader
Knuckle-boom loader

• Uses
• Load trucks
• Sorts wood on landing
• Slashing wood (slasher)
• Delimbing tree (pull through delimber)

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Loader
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Loader
Self-Propelled Loader
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Slasher

• Saws trees into product at landing
• Works in conjunction with loader
• Circular saw -high production - does not
  require frequent sharpening
• Bar saw -inexpensive -chain dulls
  frequently -low production

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Buck Plate
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Loader and SlasherPull-through delimber
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Whole Tree Chipper