Comparison of three methods to determine optimal road spacing for forwarder-type logging operations

Optimum road spacing (ORS) of forwarding operation in Styria in Southern Austria was studied. Different methods to determine ORS were compared. Data from 82 cycles were used to develop two models for predicting the cycle time using statistical analysis of a time study data base. The ORS was computed by three methods including Matthews' formula (1942), Sundberg's method (1976), and the two statistical models for predicting the cycle time. The results gave the ORS for one-way forwarding using Matthew's formula as 1,969 m, Sundberg's model as 394.4 m, and the two time study models as 463 and 909 m. The analysis of forwarding data indicated that the speed was related to a distance which contributed to the difference between models and that the loading and unloading time may be related to one or several other study variables.