The Feller-buncher is a machine used in for forest harvesting, whose main function is to cut and gather trees. In this study, we performed a technical and economical analysis of felling whole trees with the Feller-buncher in two different areas of eucalyptus stands (position 1 = cut to 45th and position 2 = cut to 90th). The technical analysis included a study of times and movements and of productivity. The economical analysis evaluated the parameters of operational cost, production cost, and energy income. Positions 1 and 2 did not differ with regard to tipping, as to the time to complete the registration of the trees and was cutting the partial element that consumed most of the operational cycle time, with approximately 66% of this, the two positions dropped. The productivity per effective hour of work of the Feller-buncher was approximately 347 trees (48.8 m³/he), the operating cost of R$195.26, giving a production cost of the machine from R$3.95 per m³ and an efficiency of 3.8 g /W m³ for both positions of felled trees. Despite the similarity in terms of productivity and cost of the two positions evaluated, we recommend cutting trees down to 45 th, due to ease of overturning these and to facilitate subsequent operations (extraction).
Forest mechanization; productivity; production cost