Technological schemes of using mini-tractors for cleaning cutting in forest

The study is aimed at testing and proposing some technological schemes for using mini-tractors as skidding mechanisms for cleaning cutting in forest. One of the advantages of this type of equipment on selective cuttings is the possibility to skid wood without cutting technological corridors in the forest. . Another advantage is the preservation of the ground vegetation and topsoil during the skidding of the harvested wood on the loading device. The MTR-1 mini-tractor created by students and staff of the Ural State Forestry University was used as a skidding mechanism. The article presents the results of three-year tests of an experimental mini-forwarder MTR-1 performance during severance cuttings in artificial and natural forests. Some technologies excluding cutting roads during logging operations have been tested. It is concluded that when choosing a scheme for the development of a cutting area it is necessary to take into account the configuration of the cutting area, its relief, the presence of glades, forest and dirt roads, and the trees location. It has been established that when the entire complex of cutting operations is performed by one person, the real productivity of a mini-tractor on wood skidding is 3.0—3.5 m3 per working day. It is recommended to use dunnage timber when skidding large logs to reduce the area of their contact with the surface. Remote control of the winch allowed the mini-tractor effective usage as a self-propelled winch at the initial stage of the cutting area development, to reduce the loading time of the logs and to increase the volume of harvested wood to 4 m3 per working day. In addition, this device allowed synchronizing the work of two people during operations that included short-length logging, skidding and stockpiling. Thus two people harvested 7.5 m3 per working day reducing the period of the cutting area development.