TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF HARVESTER OPERATING IN TWO WOOD HARVESTING SUBSYSTEMS

Abstract

Although there has been advances in wood harvesting in recent years, Brazil ranks fourth among countries with the highest production costs. Therefore the search for alternatives, like new subsystems, is necessary to increase productivity and reduce costs. The objective of this research was to conduct a technical and economic analysis of a harvester operating in two cut-to-length harvesting subsystems. The study was conducted in a forest harvesting area in the municipality of Eunápolis – BA. In subsystem 1, the harvester performed the cutting and processing of trees. In the subsystem 2, cutting was performed by a feller-buncher and the harvester just executed log processing. Technical analysis included the study of time and motion, productivity, mechanical availability and operational effciency. Economic analysis was based on the determination of the operating cost and production, sensitivity analysis and internal rate of return. The total cycle time and productivity of the harvester in the subsystem 1 and 2 did not differed statistically. The operating cost for the harvester 1 and 2 were US $ 80.86 he-1 and US $ 79,15 he-1, respectively. The harvester had the lowest average production cost, US$ 2,27 m-3, in subsystem 1. The results for the harvester working in subsystem 2 are not satisfactory, and, therefore, the use of the subsystem is not viable due to the need to introduce another machine to perform cutting.