Analysis of a Kinematic Model for a Forestry Six-Wheeled Luffing Articulated Vehicle Chassis

Abstract

The chassis is a key component of forestry vehicular equipment that directly determines its ability to drive and climb in rough mountainous or forested terrain. A six-wheeled luffing articulated chassis was designed to scale obstacles on forested land. This paper discusses the use of the Devanit-Hartenberg method to establish a kinematic model for this vehicle chassis; positive solutions of the kinematic model were then applied to an analysis of the luffing capabilities of the six-wheeled luffing articulated chassis. Theoretical calculations, simulations, and experimental results showed that the established kinematic model can be applied to the development and production of forestry equipment.