Selecting a harvester head using digital modeling

Abstract

Abstract The article presents theoretical and experimental studies on the justification of the harvester head selection. A mathematical model of the harvester’s work has been developed based on natural and constructional-technological factors. The results obtained make it possible to justify the characteristics of the harvester head for the Siberian region of Russia, in particular, the maximum width of the gripping levers opening of the harvester head. When selecting the harvester head, it is recommended to proceed from the fact that some of the large trees can be left in the cutting area. Felling of such trees can be done with chainsaws. For the forests of the Siberian region of Russia, a harvester head with a maximum width of the gripping levers opening of the harvester head of 750-850 mm is recommended. In this case, the harvested number of trees without taking into account the thin gauge will be 94.1-99.1 % of the total number of trees in the cutting area, and the volume of harvested wood-99.1-99.9 %.