Developing a New Harvester Head for Tree Felling

Technological progress is constantly advancing. After a detailed analysis of the existing options for technological equipment used in production, as outline in various patent information sources, the idea of modernizing the harvester (processor) head of logging machines emerged, aiming to enhance the function the equipment can perform. However, all currently existing designs of harvester heads either do not allow debarking or, when using them, slow debarking is carried out with multiple starts and stops of the debarking mechanism. The purpose of the variant of the modernization of the harvester head of a logging machine for felling, delimbing, and bucking of trees described in this study is to create such a technical device that will allow the debarking of assortments by a rotary debarking mechanism without stopping its operation at the moments of delimbing and bucking the trunk. The main research method in preparing the article materials was the patent search for analogues and the development of a new technical solution based on them, making it possible to implement the task set by the authors. As an analogue, the impulse type of the harvester head was chosen. As a result of the modernization of the existing technical solution, several important elements were added to the design. The principle of operation of the new technical solution is substantiated. The proposed working body of the feller-lopper-bucker performs capture, sawing, felling a tree, pruning, bucking into assortments, and debarking without stopping the debarking mechanism in the process of delimbing and bucking the tree trunk, which allows debarking timber without reducing the productivity of the harvester head.