Working efficiency during the controlled sliding of logs in the polyethylene chute by tractor power

Transportation of logs from the bottom up is carried out by the tractor or cable yarding systems in mountainous areas of Turkey. Cable yarding systems approximately 28 years old are used only in a region in Turkey. Because they need to be together as much logs to be used, their use is not economical. Logs are pulled up randomly as ground based skidding method by tractor widely used in transportation from bottom up. Meanwhile, logs have attached to residual trees, saplings and ground. This can cause both severe damages to the logs and residual stand, and time consuming due to rescue of the products plugged into. Therefore a semi-mechanized system has been developed minimizing the negativity of ground based skidding by tractor (TOKK-T). This system, which allows the withdrawal of logs by tractor power on a specific artificial route, eliminates the damage to the logs as a result of collision the trees or the ground, the formation of scars on trees and skidding damages on forest soil. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of the skidding of logs by TOKK-T system from the bottom up in 2 sample fields with a different slope in Artvin region. 37 logs were moved on the each sample route. Their slopes and lengths were 60% and 119 m, 90% and112 m, respectively. Logs were skidded one by one on artificial routes and moving time of them was measured by resetting measurement method. While the total amount of transported logs on the routes 31.16 m3 and 27.25 m3, respectively, the operational efficiencies were identified as 10.39m3/min and 11.60m3/min, respectively. Keywords: Working efficiency, Time measurement, The TOKK-T method, Logging