Evaluation of the Feller-Buncher Moipu 400 E

The Moipu 400 E energy wood harwarder grip is a conventional forwarder equipped with a Finnish feller-buncher head. The felling-head uses a single-action shear, and has neither delimbing knives nor feed rollers. It is mounted on a forwarder’s crane and performs both felling and loading. The forwarder forwards the energy wood to the landing. Therefore just one machine – the so-called harwarder – is able to perform the whole thinning operations. The author’s aim was to evaluate the productivity and costs of a forwarder equipped with the energy wood harwarder grip Moipu 400 E, cutting coniferous and deciduous trees. Thus time studies were conducted while harvesting energy wood in a 35-40 years old Scots Pine – Oak dominated stand with a stand density of approximately 4.700 stems per hectare. The author Christian Rottensteiner evaluates the damages on the remaining stand, and gives practical recommendations for operating the machine system in the field as well.