Annual usage and long-term productivity of a truck-mounted slash bundler under mountain conditions

The paper presents the main results of a long-term follow-up study conducted on the first truck-mounted slash bundler deployed on the Alps. Data collection covers the 58-month period from the commissioning of the machine in January 2004 to the completion of this study in October 2008. During this period, the machine worked all across the Alps, covering Austria, Germany and Italy from its Swiss base. Frequent travelling can be considered a general condition for Alpine operations, where operators must deal with comparatively small and scattered landings: a highly mobile truck-base unit is most suited to these conditions, which require frequent relocation. The study also highlights a typical Alpine annual usage pattern, with activity peaks during the summer and lows in mid-winter, due to bad weather conditions. It also shows a growing usage trend, with usage levels almost doubling in 4 years, as the new technology receives widespread appreciation. Gross bundling productivity averages 10 bundles or about 4.5 green metric tons per worksite hour, while diesel consumption is below 1 l per bundle. The skill of individual operators can account for differences in productivity of up to 30%. The findings of this research provide further insight into the results obtained from a number of shorter studies conducted on the same machine by several scientific institutions across Central Europe. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.