Flail-Delimbing of Loblolly Pine - A Case Study

The machine was part of a shortwood operation in a dense, 20-year-old pine stand that was being clear cut. The harvesting system was comprised of a Drott 40 feller buncher, a Hydro-Ax 511 feller buncher, the skidder flail, and a Barko Loader with a slasher. The skidder either skidded bunches and flailed at the deck or flailed bunches in the woods and then skidded. Trees delimbed at the deck were placed onto the slasher with the loader and bucked into shortwood. Trees delimbed in the woods were skidded to the deck and processed with the slasher. The shortwood was loaded onto set-out trailers.