Logging Equipment and Methods 



Feller-bunchers. — An International track-mounted feller- 

 buncher (Model 3966-B) did most of the felling and bunching 

 for the study. A Melroe Bobcat (Model 1079) feller-buhcher 

 was also used on the Gold Creek lodgepole pine and on the 

 Sheep Flats blocks. The Bobcat shear had an accumulator to 

 hold two or more cut stems, whUe the International did not. 

 Conventional powersaws were used to fall trees 18 inches 

 (45.7 cm) d.b.h. and larger that were too large for the feller- 

 bunchers. Sawyers also limbed and bucked the first log out of 

 very large trees. The bunches were not sorted according to mer- 

 chantability. Bunches were oriented butt first toward the land- 

 ing to facilitate skidding as shown in figure 3. Unmarked trees 

 were sheared to a 6-inch (15.2-cm) lower d.b.h. limit. 



Figure 3. — Bunched trees oriented toward landing. 



Skidding machines. — Two John Deere Model 640 rubber- 

 tired skidders were used to do the skidding. One skidder was 

 equipped with a grapple and the other with chokers. The grap- 

 ple machine operated primarily on and close to the landing, 

 while the choker machine was used to forward bunches from 

 the back of the units. This separation of the skidders elim- 

 inated the hazardous unhooking of chokers. Also, there was 

 less delay with the grapple skidder at the machine-crowded 

 landing. 



Tree processor. — The machine used was a new Hahn Tree- 

 length Harvester equipped with two control cabs. One operator 

 controlled the log processing while the other operator con- 

 trolled the grapple, which fed trees to the processor and also 

 helped sort bunches and feed the chipper. 



Wliole-tree chipper. — A Trelan Model DL-18 whole-tree 

 chipper manufactured by Strong Manufacturing Company 

 chipped tops and cull trees for hog fuel. This model was also 

 equipped with a grapple loader. 



Log loading. — A truck-mounted Husky Brute hydraulic 

 loader loaded the logs produced. The loader was normally sta- 

 tioned next to the tree processor and sorted logs when a truck 

 was not available. 



Chip vans. — Chip vans were used to transport hog fuel 

 chips. The vans were not disconnected from the tractors when 

 they were filled, although this would be an option. Four types 

 of vans were used in the study, described in appendix A. Figure 

 4 shows the landing on Sheep Flats block; figure 5 illustrates 



the landing schematically. The landing could be (and was) split 



up if either the tree processor or the chipper was unavailable, 



or if landings were too small to accommodate all of the equipment. 



Figure 4. — Landing at the Sbeep Flats block. 



1. Log Truck 



2. Hydraulic Loader 



3. Hahn Harvester 



4. Whole Tree Chipper 



5. Truck Tractor used to move Chipper 



6. Chip Van 



7. Path of Skidder(s) 



Figure 5. — Orientation of equipment on the landing 

 as used in the study. 



4 



