Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning
Within the majority of forest areas where timber is harvested for industrial and energy purposes, working technologies using highly efficient multi-operational machinery and equipment are employed. The situation is different in fragmented, privately owned forests. In such forests, timber harvesting...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/12/1626 |
| _version_ | 1797504666323386368 |
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| author | Arkadiusz Stańczykiewicz Dariusz Kulak Krzysztof Leszczyński Grzegorz Szewczyk Paweł Kozicki |
| author_facet | Arkadiusz Stańczykiewicz Dariusz Kulak Krzysztof Leszczyński Grzegorz Szewczyk Paweł Kozicki |
| author_sort | Arkadiusz Stańczykiewicz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Within the majority of forest areas where timber is harvested for industrial and energy purposes, working technologies using highly efficient multi-operational machinery and equipment are employed. The situation is different in fragmented, privately owned forests. In such forests, timber harvesting is mainly based on motor-manual technologies with a high proportion of manual labor, both at the stage of felling and timber processing and at the stage of its transport. The study aimed to characterize the work time structure of the ATV unit driver and his helper, to determine the productivity of this team, and to estimate the risk of injury during manual loading and unloading. Based on the data collected during the field research, the theoretical work time structure, work productivity and costs, and injury risk were estimated as a result of using a professional small trailer equipped with a hydraulic crane for timber forwarding, designed for aggregation with the ATV. The average, calculated productivity of timber forwarding (over an average distance of about 500 m) with manual loading and unloading was almost twice as low as the estimated average productivity of forwarding with mechanical loading and unloading using a hydraulic crane. The total unit costs (including labor costs) of forwarding with manual loading and unloading were almost threefold higher than those of forwarding using a trailer with a hydraulic crane. The use of small forest trailers equipped with a hydraulic crane not only ensures higher productivity and cost effectiveness but also allows reducing (even by several percent) the inconvenience of manual timber handling and the risk of strain of the musculoskeletal system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:07:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be4a33f8b2394167975d367d3a7645fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:07:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-be4a33f8b2394167975d367d3a7645fc2023-11-23T08:20:08ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072021-11-011212162610.3390/f12121626Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early ThinningArkadiusz Stańczykiewicz0Dariusz Kulak1Krzysztof Leszczyński2Grzegorz Szewczyk3Paweł Kozicki4Department of Forest Utilization, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Forest Utilization, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Forest Utilization, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Forest Utilization, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Forest Utilization, Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, PolandWithin the majority of forest areas where timber is harvested for industrial and energy purposes, working technologies using highly efficient multi-operational machinery and equipment are employed. The situation is different in fragmented, privately owned forests. In such forests, timber harvesting is mainly based on motor-manual technologies with a high proportion of manual labor, both at the stage of felling and timber processing and at the stage of its transport. The study aimed to characterize the work time structure of the ATV unit driver and his helper, to determine the productivity of this team, and to estimate the risk of injury during manual loading and unloading. Based on the data collected during the field research, the theoretical work time structure, work productivity and costs, and injury risk were estimated as a result of using a professional small trailer equipped with a hydraulic crane for timber forwarding, designed for aggregation with the ATV. The average, calculated productivity of timber forwarding (over an average distance of about 500 m) with manual loading and unloading was almost twice as low as the estimated average productivity of forwarding with mechanical loading and unloading using a hydraulic crane. The total unit costs (including labor costs) of forwarding with manual loading and unloading were almost threefold higher than those of forwarding using a trailer with a hydraulic crane. The use of small forest trailers equipped with a hydraulic crane not only ensures higher productivity and cost effectiveness but also allows reducing (even by several percent) the inconvenience of manual timber handling and the risk of strain of the musculoskeletal system.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/12/1626all-terrain vehicle—ATVwork time structureproductivityextraction costsmusculoskeletal strain |
| spellingShingle | Arkadiusz Stańczykiewicz Dariusz Kulak Krzysztof Leszczyński Grzegorz Szewczyk Paweł Kozicki Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning Forests all-terrain vehicle—ATV work time structure productivity extraction costs musculoskeletal strain |
| title | Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning |
| title_full | Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning |
| title_short | Effectiveness and Injury Risk during Timber Forwarding with a Quad Bike in Early Thinning |
| title_sort | effectiveness and injury risk during timber forwarding with a quad bike in early thinning |
| topic | all-terrain vehicle—ATV work time structure productivity extraction costs musculoskeletal strain |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/12/1626 |
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