Productivity of HSM 208F forwarder in selective cutting and mountainous area

Abstract

Forwarders have been used in the forest harvesting in the world for decades and are irreplaceable in the first phase of wood transportation. The use of forwarders in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still in its initial phase. Although they are used sporadically, there are still many uncertainties about the operation of forwarders in selection stands. Especially if we take into account that the current practice is that machinery in the stand is allowed to move only along pre-defined routes, trail. This practice has been used for years with winch skidders. In this research, which was carried out in selective cutting and mountainous areas, it was determined that the most important influencing factors on the productivity of the forwarder is the unloaded drive distance, loaded drive distance and distance of load collecting drive. The productivity of 7.17 m3/h was determined for a loaded drive distance of 700 m and load collecting distance of 200 m. Forwarders require a different forest infrastructure than skidders if we want them to have competitive productivity.