Control of log end checks during bucking with a modified single-grip harvester

Crosscutting (bucking) with a mechanized single-grip harvester often results in checking of log ends. Annual material loss in the Finnish wood-processing industry due to log end checks is considerable. A Finnish manufacturer of harvesting equipment has recently developed a method of reducing their occurrence of log end checks during bucking with a single grip harvester. The method involves the reduction of torque at the point of the crosscut by automatic downward movement of the harvester's boom. Results of the study indicate that the new method notably reduced the number of end checks during bucking, and that the checks that did occur were shorter and narrower.