Operating Tips to Reduce Fuel Consumption of Forestry Machine

The designing and maintenance practices of all forestry machines will usually determine the fuel consumption.

You may check https://payeur.com/produits/ for timber loaders or in French you can say https://payeur.com/produits/chargeuses a bois to know how to minimize fuel consumption.

Tips of reducing fuel consumption of harvesters and track feller bunchers:

• Try to work by using the mid-range of the reach of boom. This will reduce the energy needed to move the boom.

• Try to harvest maximum trees while remaining at the same position.

• Telescoping booms usually need less power and can reduce fuel consumption.

• During travel try to avoid sharp direction changes as gradual turns will not only produce less skidding but also consume less fuel.

• Prefer to use hydraulic cylinders provided to keep cab level as swinging tilted cab needs more power and fuel consumption.

• Avoid unnecessary boom and swing movements.

Harvesting heads:

• Exert little pressure on the feed rollers and delimbing knives

• Use the falling tree’s energy to move forward.

• Keep the delimbing knives as well as saw chain sharp.

Felling heads

• Replace immediately worn or damaged saw teeth as it will need less power

• During long travel on cutover stop saw motor.

Skidding and forwarding

• While traveling with load minimize turns, this consumes much less fuel as compared to sharp turns.

• At most appropriate locations install extraction and landing trails which will decrease fuel consumption and also increase productivity.

• Prefer to travel on such soils having good bearing capacity to minimize fuel consumption.

• Avoid using tire chains or the tracks unless it is required to get better mobility.

• As much as possible, plan your work so that your landings are located in downhill.

Skidders

• Transfer maximum load onto the skidder thus you reduce friction of tops on ground and decrease fuel consumption.

• Between both front and rear tires balance the pressure.

Forwarders

• Cranes having telescopic extension, try to pull all the logs as closer possible to your machine by using telescoping feature prior to lifting the logs on the forwarder. If you lift the logs at the full extension then it will need more power and fuel too.

• Try to avoid raising your logs high above stakes. Better position the forwarder more closely to the log and try passing the logs in between the stakes but not above them, as fuel consumption will increase if the logs are raised higher.