New development of a remotely operated falling wedge

Abstract

A series of projects has developed an alternate cutting pattern that prevents a tree from moving while the faller is cutting at the base and a tool to initiate falling once the faller is in the clear. This specific project developed a second prototype of a remotely operated wedge for use when manually falling trees. The second prototype reduced the friction in the drive train and increased the mechanical advantage, and this increased the separation force produced for a given input torque by a multiple of approximately four, depending on the magnitude of the input torque. In this project, success means the tree did not begin to displace until the remotely operated wedge was inserted and activated. When using the second prototype and permitting the faller to vary the cutting pattern depending on tree imbalance, the success rate was increased from 91% when using the first prototype to 98%. Further testing is required in larger timber and with other fallers to determine if the high success rate can be maintained in these conditions.