Strategies for Repair and Renewal of High-performance Forestry Machinery by Logging Contractors

Abstract

With the introduction of high-performance forestry machinery, the repair and purchase costs for the machinery form a high proportion of the overall management costs. To understand mechanisms to increase the operating rate of machinery and reduce costs, we investigated the machine repair and renewal strategies of logging contractors. Seven mechanized logging contractors in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, were interviewed. To reduce repair costs, it is important to reduce the frequency of repair work, to use machines whose operating time is short, and to operate machines carefully. For these strategies, minor repairs are carried out by the contractors themselves. Some contractors use insurance attaching leasing machine. Large-scale machinery contractors have established a machine renewal system, with regular self-financed renewal of equipment. For smaller contractors with fewer machines, the use of subsidies and machine rental was possible, but subsidy use is subject to restrictions on second-hand sale, and rental is unsuitable for long-term use. Both extending machine working life and establishing a renewal system for machines are highly important for the stable management of mechanized logging contractors.