Fuel Consumption

[AlexInman06]

I am looking for any kind of information as to what kind of machines have what kind of fuel consumption... as of now we are running a treelength crew and i would really like to hear what kind of gallons per hour or day that some shortwood or cut to length machines are using... fuel is probably our biggest expense and its just hard to make it going through nearly 100 gallons a day with just three guys?

[snowstorm]

i own valmet ctl machines. i would never go back to a cable skidder. i work alone only running one at a time. bolth are pretty good on fuel the fowarder is better but it isnt working as hard. is that your buncher in the pic? here there are very few rubber tired bunchers. most are tracked. with ctl more rubber than tracked. what a you looking at for a harvester?

[Jamie_C]

There's a lot of variables in fuel consumption in CTL machines, tracked carriers as a rule will burn more than a rubber tired machine will.

Expect to burn anywhere from 10-20 gallons an hour using a 2 machine system

[lumberjack48]

Working a lone with a cable skidder, fuel consumption was about 0.5 gal per cd. Sometimes more, sometimes less, this is with a 3-53.

I ran a C4 with a 238 Perkins, it was hard to use 7 gal a day.

I used a C6 with the 6 cylinder Perkins, snow was deep, soft Spruce swamp. It used 30 to 40 gals a day, i wasn't used to that. I ran out of fuel to many times, my thumb got tired of pumping the fuel pump and cracking all 6 fuel lines to get it running.

I would have my cut to length head on my forwarder. I'd load it, in stead of putting the wood on the ground, to just to have to pick it up again.

I would all so like to have my own truck. The only time the wood should touch the ground is when its delivered to the mill. I would have 2 or maybe 3 trailers, so the forwarder could keep on cutting and loading wood when the truck was gone.

[Black_Bear]

I am looking for any kind of information as to what kind of machines have what kind of fuel consumption... as of now we are running a treelength crew and i would really like to hear what kind of gallons per hour or day that some shortwood or cut to length machines are using... fuel is probably our biggest expense and its just hard to make it going through nearly 100 gallons a day with just three guys?

I can't answer your question, but 100 gallons/day doesn't seem unreasonable. Instead of switching to a different equipment mix is it possible to increase efficiency with your system? What machines are you currently running?

[logging pete]

I run a 133 fabtek harvester and a 646 valmet forwarder. 133 uses about 3.5 gal. hour.  1 gal. per cord cut and skid  roadside

[thenorthman]

So how long until fuel prices put the harvesters, feller bunchers, shovels, etc. back in the parking lot?  sound like some of you guys are spending as much on fuel as you would on a good cutter.  Not to mention maintenance, lube, break downs, the operator, and don't forget the bank gets their cut... moving expense...

So how do you guys stay in business anyway?

[Gary_C]

So how long until fuel prices put the harvesters, feller bunchers, shovels, etc. back in the parking lot?  sound like some of you guys are spending as much on fuel as you would on a good cutter.

Around here there aren't any good cutters. Or the ones you can find will work for a few days till they get some money in their pockets and then they don't come to work till that's gone. Two operators I know that use hand cutters are looking hard for harvesters. Just can't get enough done with hand cutters and it's DanG hard work.

I run a Ponsse Ergo harvester that has the Mercedes 250 HP engine and it will not use 2 gallons of fuel per hour. I keep the work throttle down under 1500 RPM's most of the time unless I am cutting big and tought to delimb trees.

I also have a Valmet 840 forwarder and that 4 cylinder engine is also very stingy on fuel, perhaps 1.5 GPH.

You can figure tracked machines will take a lot more fuel as it take a lot of HP to move those tracked machines.

But the big fuel user is the semi and it gets 5-6 MPG so some trips take 80-90 gallons of fuel.

[snowstorm]

I run a 133 fabtek harvester and a 646 valmet forwarder. 133 uses about 3.5 gal. hour.  1 gal. per cord cut and skid  roadside

dose the fabtek have the 4 rool head? how is it in hw how big a limb will it take off. there are a few around here. i also have a 646

[logging pete]

I got it to cut hwd. Every tree species limbs different. Hard maple is the toughest, the angle the knives are sharpened are a compromise, if they are aggressive they will limb maple well but, will slice a birch or aspen in half. Yes it has the 4roller head. As for the size limb it will take off that is up to the  operator, if you own the machine you will saw tough limbs off with the head. You can keep pounding on them or use the swing power and shorten the life of the machine

[Ken]

Fuel is a huge expense for us as well.  My 608 Timberjack harvester with a 6cyl Cummins burns about 17-18 litres/hr (3.78 litres/US gallon) and the 610 Timberjack porter with a 4cyl Cummins burns about 6-7 litres/hr.  Currently I am paying around 93 cents/litre before taxes.

As has already been mentioned skilled chainsaw operators are getting scarce.  I certainly can not blame people for not wanting to learn how to manually cut and skid as it is very hard work.  In addition the stand conditions that we often have to work in are not stocked with enough larger diameter wood to allow for a decent days production with a skidder crew. 

I have only been using CTL for a little less than 2 years and although I still own and sporadically use a small skidder for larger trees and some selective harvesting I can't see me going back to hand cutting and skidders for a full time job.  If the costs get too extreme and the revenue does not keep pace I will be forced to choose another occupation.

[1270d]

50-60 gal per day. Running a 1270 john deere with 9L and ponsse caribou with perkins 4 cyl

10 hrs on the harvester
7 to 8 on the forwarder

[MDLogging]

Alexinman06,  we're starting the same transaction you are thinking about for the same exact reasons you are.  We cut hardwood mainly with a cutter skidder knuckleboom w/delimber and a groundman.  We purchased a 7000 logmax and are planning on having it mounted on our 845 tigercat next week.     

[1270d]

How many tons per day are you treelength guys producing with that 100 gals?  Seems like we get roughly 2 to 2.5 ton to the gallon avg. with CTL.  How about shortwood production?

[tyb525]

Have you considered making your own fuel from used frying oil? :D Just kidding, that's hardly practical for vehicles, definitely not for skidders and such.

[MDLogging]

How many tons per day are you treelength guys producing with that 100 gals?  Seems like we get roughly 2 to 2.5 ton to the gallon avg. with CTL.  How about shortwood production?

Our treelength operation is doing around 2.5 tons per gallon average in hardwood clearcut or select.  If we thin or clearcut pine we can get  3.5 sometimes 4 tons per gallon in decent wood. 

[MDLogging]

Sorry i quoted my whole reply by accident

[Shotgun]

Sorry i quoted my whole reply by accident

You can easily edit your own post any time.  Go back to your original post and look for "modify". Then follow your nose.

Norm

[AlexInman06]

well guys... im from the NorthEastern part of the lower penninsula, so i should probably explain how we cut around here. We run a wheeled feller buncher, an old john deere 648d Grapple and a Hood Loader To slash wood Into various Lengths(usually 8') and to feed our trelan chipper. We load all of our logs on a straight 8 axle Trailer Usually as its cut, and haul our chips in six axle custom chip vans...

As for production, we seem to be slow. Maybe 200-250 cord a week including chips. Im really looking for any info or suggestions as to what might help us to up production or save money as im somewhat new to running a bigger operation two years ago it was just my dad and i with the same setup and it seemed like the two of us produced just as much as the three or four of us that work now?

Im wondering if cut to length Equipment isnt the answer for us? and if so how to make that Change, its a tremendous amount of money for anything in decent shape and finance companies arent gonna lend us the kind of money i would probably need to just jump right into it... Plus, our chip markets are very important to us so we would like to keep doing that as well...  8)

[Gary_C]

It very much depends on the type of jobs you are and will be cutting. Plus the direction your markets are heading.

And you are right, with a chipper, a cut to length set up may not be the best option for you as you will be leaving much of the feed for the chipper in the woods. And cut to length does require a big investment right up front.

There are just no easy answers, and fuel consumption may not be the most important question you need answered if you go to cut to length.

[thecfarm]

AlexInman06 and logging pete, welcome to the forum. Check out this thread and add a few pictures of your equipment.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,13313.0.html