ABSTRACT
This research examined the operation of forestry tractor Forwarder based on the variables productivity, costs and potential for load aiming its optimization and consequent reduction in production costs. A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the degree of production variation in relation to the reduction of unproductive times. The optimization of the use of loading compartment of the forwarder was done by means of a measurement study of the volume of wood stacked on the edges of roads and, together with the value of the wood density provided by the company, the determination of average weight (ton) of wood extracted in each operating cycle of the forwarder. The results indicated that, with the elimination of unproductive times it is possible to increase the production of the forwarder and reduce the final cost of wood up to 8.24 %. Inefficiency in optimizing the load potential of forwarder was verified, so that the increase of the load compartment until the weight limit recommended by the manufacturer may increase the machine productivity in 32.0 %, 44.5% and 54.7% for stands with an individual average volume of 0.19 m3.tree-1, 0.15 m3.tree-1 and 0.10 m3.tree-1, respectively. It was also found that, in relation to average distances of extraction, there was no significant difference in the productivity of the machine until the distance of extraction of 200 m.
Keywords:
Forest Harvesting; Forest Extraction; Analysis of Income