Technical-Economic Analysis of Grapple Saw

Abstract

<jats:p>The processing of Eucalyptus logs is a stage that follows the full tree system in mechanized forest harvesting, commonly performed by grapple saw. Therefore, this activity presents some associated uncertainties, especially regarding technical and silvicultural factors that can affect productivity and production costs. To get around this problem, Monte Carlo simulation can be applied, or rather a technique that allows to measure the probabilities of values from factors that are under conditions of uncertainties, to which probability distributions are attributed. The objective of this study was to apply the Monte Carlo method for determining the probabilistic technical-economical coefficients of log processing using two different grapple saw models. Field data were obtained from an area of forest planted with Eucalyptus, located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. For the technical analysis, the time study protocol was applied by the method of continuous reading of the operational cycle elements, which resulted in production. As for the estimated cost of programmed hour, the applied methods were recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The incorporation of the uncertainties was carried out by applying the Monte Carlo simulation method, by which 100,000 random values were generated. The results showed that the crane empty movement is the operational element that most impacts the total time for processing the logs; the variables that most influence the productivity are specific to each grapple saw model; the difference of USD 0.04 m3 in production costs was observed between processors with gripping area of 0.58 m2 and 0.85 m2. The Monte Carlo method proved to be an applicable tool for mechanized wood harvesting for presenting a range of probability of occurrences for the operational elements and for the production cost.</jats:p>

A Low-Investment Option for the Integrated Semi-mechanized Harvesting of Small-Scale, Short-Rotation Poplar Plantations

“…However, slashers are stationary machines installed at the landing, and are part of whole-tree harvesting operations (Kammenga 1983), so it would be difficult to include them as part of the system tested without radically changing it and incurring substantial additional costs. On the other hand, a mobile bunch-cutting machine has recently appeared in the South American eucalypt plantations, and perhaps a scaled-down version of the same device might be developed for harvesting European poplar (Miyajima et al 2020). Of course, the best accuracy is obtained when applying a professionally implemented cut-tolength harvester: however, this machine is more expensive than the tilting grapple saw used for the test (Di Fulvio et al 2017) and is not designed for managing whole bunches, so that its use would imply forfeiting the efficiency benefits of mass handling.…”