Assessment on Uphill Yarding with the Combination of Log Chute and Portable Winch

Year 2015, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 34 - 40, 01.06.2015

H.hulusi Acar , Saliha Unver Okan , Kemal Ucuncu

Abstract

In
forestry, it is important that wood production activity, which intervenes most
with the ecosystem, should be performed by a minimum quality and quantity
losses on wood, along with minimum damage to residual stand. Besides, it is
also of a great importance that the operation should be done ergonomically. In
this study, the use of an integrated system that consists of a portable winch
and chute system was evaluated in the uphill yarding of logs in a mountainous
terrain. The average speed of uphill yarding using a portable winch was 14.97
m/min and the productivity was calculated as an average of 5.92 m³/hour.
Statistically, it was determined that the log volume and winching time were the
main factors that affect the productivity. Also, it was found that the size of
the log and skidding distance are effective on winching time. Moreover, it was
confirmed that the speed of uphill yarding did not change significantly
considering the different volumes of logs. The portable winch, which has a
reasonable price that can be afforded by forestry workers, is productive,
environmentally friendly, and multi-purposed equipment. This system combining
log chute and portable winch has provided an important alternative by which
logging operation can be done easily in an ergonomic way and forest managements
can fulfil their duties within the course of planned time without any setbacks.

Keywords

Portable winch, Chute system, Uphill yarding, Productivity, Mountainous terrain

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