The expected economic advantage of a new hybrid harvesting machine

Abstract

Because of the pressures of smaller harvesting areas, an increased thinning requirement and labor shortage a whole-tree harvesting system has evolved using a mobile tower yarder and roadside processor. Under analysis, this system is seen to display capital and labor utilization inefficiency due to the waiting time incurred by the processor. As measured in two studies in Toyoma-cho, Miyagi prefecture, this imbalance may result in a loss of \2500-3000 per hour at a haul distance of just 60 meters in a row thinning operation. Proposed here is the development of a hybrid machine, part processor, part tower yarder, controlled by a single operator. For practical viability the yarding tasks must be reallocated among the operator and chokerman using remote control and other technologies. If the capital cost of the hybrid machine is \25 million, or about 25% less than the existing two-machine system, then the savings per harvested cubic meter could be up to 26%. The new machine will show the greatest benefit over the existing system when operating at spans over 100 meters with a good landing space. Training and the downtime costs will be higher with this machine due to its increased complexity and the dependence on one machine to do two operations ; this should not be underestimated.