OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF RIMBAKA TIMBER HARVESTER IN HILLY TROPICAL FOREST

This paper presents a description of working pattern and results of productivity and cost studies of the RIMBAKA R2020-A Timber Harvester (RIMBAKA harvester). The RIMBAKA harvester was introduced in 2001 to work in tropical forest condition for extracting felled timber to roadside logyard. Field trials were established in the compartment 484-A Ulu Jelai Forest Reserve, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. Analyses of time-study data were carried out using analysis of variance and regression techniques to examine significant levels of observed variables and produce prediction equations for each elemental time, hourly productivity and unit cost. Results showed that the RIMBAKA harvester operation extracted 3.55 m³ of log per cycle and had a machine utilisation rate of 74%, where the productivity was 46.39 m³ for every productive machine hour. Cost of using RIMBAKA harvester was RM12.70 m-3. Thus, the RIMBAKA harvester system had some advantages over ground-based skidders. A higher production rate of RIMBAKA harvester will be able to reduce cost of operation.