waratah FL85, Operator'S Manual

Page: 34 / 80

Operation: Felling
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Basic process
Felling
Pay careful attention to the felling direction and
presentation of the stem. Doing so will reduce breakage
and will allow you to present a stem that has been
appropriately delimbed, facilitating extraction and further
processing.
It is recommended you fell a tree against a standing tree
by felling it just off centre to a standing tree. Taking this
approach will: reduce the incidence of breakage; provide a
larger working radius; cushion the fall; reduce the amount
of under growth around the base of standing trees; and
prevent the felled tree from becoming “hung up”.
It is recommended the operated engaged in felling has
experience of manual felling; this allows a more thorough
understanding of felling techniques.
CAUTION: As a break in the saw chain can result in
chain shot, you should always keep all personnel
at least 90 metres (300 feet) away from the head
during felling. It is also strongly recommended
you ensure all carrier windows and doors are
closed. Take particular care with the hazardous
zone, which is approximately 15-degrees towards
the rear of sprocket and in front of the bar-tip.
Failing to follow with these recommendations can
increase the risk of serious injury or death.
In addition to the caution noted above, you should:
•
Identify any trees in the work area that may be
particularly hazardous.
•
Only fell those trees that meet the specifications of the
felling head.
•
Cut stumps as low as possible, to reduce the risk of the
carrier tipping over when it runs over a stump.
Felling process
CAUTION: As the speed and direction of the wind
will affect the felling direction, you should always
check these details when felling. Failing to do
can increase the risk of serious injury or death.
The direction the tree will fall is determined by the position
of the felling head on the tree; the tree should fall in a
direct line with the head’s tilt bracket.
To obtain the correct felling angle, position the felling
head on the tree as low as possible. To do so, you will
need to ensure the felling head is fully opened in the
tilt-up position, and, once the selected tree is correctly
positioned, the grabbing arms are closed.
Then, apply a small amount of pressure to the tree; this
ensures the saw chain does not jam as the tree is being
cut, and also assists with the felling direction.
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When the saw chain is activated, the grabbing arms will
operate at their highest setting, ensuring the tree does not
move within the felling head during cutting. During cutting,
you should be able to see a stream of chips leaving the
saw chain box area.
Keep the saw chain activated until you can ‘feel’ the tree
move vertically. Then, stop the saw chain, and apply force
to the desired falling direction.
If you operate the felling head at full reach, you will
reduced the amount of tree control you have during felling;
instead, operate the felling head to approximately 3/4 of
its maximum reach.
During these manoeuvres, the carrier should remain firm
at all times. If the carrier becomes unstable, you will need
to immediately reduce the head’s amount of reach.
Always ensure the carrier’s tracks are on a firm footing;
in particular, you should avoid placing one or both
tracks on stumps, as this may cause the carrier to move
unexpectedly.
The carrier’s position will determine the working envelope;
you can achieve a higher level of production through
maximum ground coverage with minimal track movement.
This approach has the additional benefit of reducing the
impact on the environment.
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