A Beginner's Guide to Forest Machines
Forest machines are essential pieces of equipment in the forestry industry. Every model is designed to navigate the difficult terrain found in the woods and suited to given logging and forest upkeep tasks, such as cutting or transporting wood.
Keep reading to learn more, then visit Cascade Trader to shop forest machines for sale. Our dealership is located in Chehalis, Washington, and we also serve those in Olympia.
The Definition of Forest Machines
Forest machines, also commonly called logging and forestry equipment, are pieces of heavy equipment that handle forest-related tasks. These tasks can including planting, managing, caring for, and harvesting trees in a forest.
The Design of Forest Machines
These models usually are built with large diesel engines and hydraulic systems. Forest machines can either move using tracks (which offer excellent stability) or using wheels (which offer excellent speed).
When exploring forest machines, there are two key specifications to consider:
Gross power: this is the amount of power that the engine can produce.
Operating weight: this is the total weight of the forest machine without any cargo.
Common Applications of Forest Machines
Forest machines are often used in forestry management, landscaping, and other industries that work the land.
The various forest machines are typically used to help with one or more of the phases in the harvesting process:
Felling, or the process of cutting down a tree.
Extraction, or the process of transporting cut timber from where it was growing to a location where it can be removed from the site.
Processing, or the process of creating some material out of the cut timber.
Loading, or the process of picking up trees and their parts from the ground and putting them in a vehicle.
Transportation, or the process of moving the trees and their parts to another location.
Clearing away materials, or the process of removing items (such as stumps that are rooted in the ground after trees have been felled).
Common Types of Forest Machines
There are many different forest machines options on the market that are tailored to given tasks.
For example, a log loader is designed to stack and load pre-cut pieces of wood. This type of forest machine can quickly handle a high number of logs in a short period of time, which helps boost worksite productivity.
Another common type of forest machine is a mulcher, which comes with a spinning rotor and blades. Mulchers can shred shrubs, trees, and other such plant debris, which is helpful for clearing away debris or manage the growth of foliage.
Ready to shop forest machines for sale? Cascade Trader carries a variety of options, including log loaders and mulchers. Explore the models online or stop by our dealership in Chehalis, Washington. We also proudly serve those in Olympia, Washington.