Advances in Cable Yarding: A Review of Recent Developments in Skyline Carriage Technology

Thomas Varch; Gernot Erber; Rien Visser; Raffaele Spinelli; Hunter Harrill; Karl Stampfer

doi:10.1007/s40725-021-00150-x

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Advances in Cable Yarding: A Review of Recent Developments in Skyline Carriage Technology

Journal article

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Advances in Cable Yarding: A Review of Recent Developments in Skyline Carriage Technology

Thomas Varch, Gernot Erber, Rien Visser, Raffaele Spinelli, Hunter Harrill and Karl Stampfer

Current Forestry Reports, Vol.7(4), pp.181-194

2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-021-00150-x

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Abstract

cable logging

carriage

energy recuperation

grapple carriage

horizontal yarding

steep terrain harvesting

Purpose of Review: Carriages are an integral component of cable yarding systems that are used to harvest timber on steep terrain. They provide the mobility component by allowing a payload to be pulled along a skyline that spans a harvest setting, as opposed to a brute force pulling a load along a slope. While yarder machinery and cable yarding systems are extensively studied and reported, this paper provides a first detailed review of recent developments in carriage technology. Recent Findings: There has been significant development in carriage technology in the last decade. In addition to step changes in functionality, they are now also used as technology platforms. This includes integration of geospatial and camera technology to provide for higher levels of automation. There are clear regional drivers that have differentiated carriage development. The need for low mass, versatility, and energy efficiency has generated a demand for electric carriages in the central European market. A focus on safety has driven New Zealand designers to work almost exclusively grapple carriages that no longer need choker setters on the ground being exposed to danger. North American developments include carriages capable of larger payloads to increase productivity and off-set high operation cost. Summary: Carriages have developed over time to become complex systems and provide additional capabilities instead of just providing a mobility and transfer mechanism within the yarding systems. By integrating new technologies that provide for greater efficiency and/or automation, carriage developments will help cable yarding systems remain cost-competitive, with high safety standard and environmentally sound.

Details

Title: Advances in Cable Yarding: A Review of Recent Developments in Skyline Carriage Technology
Authors: Thomas Varch (Author) - BOKU University
Gernot Erber (Corresponding Author) - BOKU University
Rien Visser (Author) - University of Canterbury
Raffaele Spinelli (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Industries Research Centre
Hunter Harrill (Author) - Cal Poly Humboldt
Karl Stampfer (Author) - BOKU University
Publication details: Current Forestry Reports, Vol.7(4), pp.181-194
Publisher: Springer
Date published: 2021
DOI: 10.1007/s40725-021-00150-x
ISSN: 2198-6436
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as longas you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Grant note: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU)
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99585407402621
Output Type: Journal article