The Productivity and the Costs Forwarding Wood of a Farm Tractor with a Trailer in Late Thinning and Cutting in Gaps of Forests

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the efficiency and the direct costs of wood forwarding with a farm tractor with a trailer in a gap cutting and in the late thinning of a stand. The forwarding productivity was determined by the timing method. The unit costs of wood harvesting were calculated on the basis of annual own costs. With the same set, short wood harvesting is more productive in a stand with a cut over the entire surface than in group cutting. It resulted from a shorter time of accumulating a larger load and higher driving speeds. Most of the forwarding time is spent on loading, so stacking the logs in an orderly manner, preferably in bundles, can improve performance. Better use of the loading case increases productivity and reduces unit costs. The speed of the forwarding is independent of the cutting category and the volume of the load. The speed of the forwarding is influenced by the arrangement of the remains of branches, soil conditions, the condition of the skidding trails, and the weight of the load. In flat and less demanding terrain, an agricultural tractor with a trailer will be a good alternative to a forwarder.