Attempts to Standardise Vibration Measurements in a Single-Grip Harvester

Abstract

Forest harvesters are machines used for felling, delimbing, cross cutting, and sorting of trees in the Nordic countries. During these operations, the operators are exposed to vibration generated from the working process. This study measures the transmission of vibration from the crane to the cabin and to the driver's seat in a harvester during delimbing and felling with varying angles between the crane and machine. Moreover, this study suggests a way to conduct these measurements with a repeatable method. The vibration levels decreased in each step in the vibration chain “crane foot — cabin floor — seat”; less than 10% of the vibration reached the seat pad. The angle between the crane and machine had only minor effects on the transmission. The experimental method used for measuring the vibration seems to give a good opportunity to conduct standardised measurements for different work elements.