The Efficiency of A Crawler Excavator With A Guillotine Cutting Head In The Harvesting of Energy Wood In Estonian Conditions

One of the key objectives of the still valid Estonian national energy and climate plan 2030 is the reduction of GHG emission in Estonia by 80% by 2030. But now, to contribute the goals of the European Green Deal, Estonian Government has declared the commitment to reach climate neutral by 2050. Achieving the targets, the use of wood fuels should increase. In this study, the procurement of energy wood with crawler excavators equipped with guillotine-type cutting heads is documented. The crawler excavators examined in the study were the Doosan DX160LC and the Komatsu PC170LC, both of which utilized the same type of guillotine cutting head, namely the MTM SKOPRION 3010. Both crawler excavators were brand new at the commencement of the work, and the study was conducted over 3500 working hours for each machine. The average fuel consumption was calculated in liters per working hour, ranging from 9.1 l/h for the Doosan to 11 l/h for the Komatsu. The difference in fuel consumption was undoubtedly influenced by the weight disparity between the machines; the Doosan weighing 16 tons and the Komatsu weighing 20 tons. Productivity for the machines was 21 ml3/h per working hour for the Doosan and 18 ml3/h for the Komatsu. This disparity may also be attributed to the experience levels of the machine operators. The work was primarily carried out in the clearing of overgrown properties, and the tree species to be felled included gray alder, silver birch, aspen, black alder, spruce, and pine.