ABSTRACT
A mechanized harvest system was analysed, working in a radiata pine clear cut operation and compound by a feller buncher, a grapple skidder, a grapple processor and a three-wheeler. A Discrete - Event Simulation Model was built with the goal to balance the system. The mechanized wood processing was the bottleneck according to the time study results, then this process was supported adding 3 chain saw felling operators to reach a yield of 60.82 m3/Productive Machine-Hour (PMH) in the configuration proposal. Also the simulated skidding was done, operating the grapple skidder at 80 m Average Skidding Distance (ASD) with one loading stop at a bunch for four stems to balance the obtained processing yield. Finally, the feller buncher can spend 1.6 extra minutes grouping the modify bunches to accomplish the expected yield of the system. The simulation experiment gives 60.39 m3/PMH expected yield of the system if all the proposed modifications in felling, bunching, skidding and processing are done.
Keywords:
discrete event simulation; mechanized logging; harvesting operation analysis