Logging eTool
Mechanical Operations » Feller Buncher and Feller Forwarder
A Feller Buncher is a mobile machine, either rubber tired or tracked, with a power plant, operator enclosure, and an articulating extensible arm onto which a felling head is attached. The felling head consists of grappling devices and either a disc saw or chain saw. The operator moves the machine into position in front of a tree and maneuvers the felling head to the tree trunk. The grappling devices wrap around the tree and the saw severs the tree from the stump. The machine then takes the severed vertical tree and lowers it into a horizontal position onto a pile or bunch of trees on the ground, hence the term feller buncher.
A Feller Forwarder is a feller buncher with a bunk to the rear of the operator into which the felled trees are lowered and carried to the next tree to be felled. The process is repeated until the bunk is full. The machine then moves or forwards the trees to the landing and unloads them. The machine then moves back into the woods to repeat the cycle.
There are no specific OSHA requirements for Feller Buncher and Feller Forwarder. Please refer to General Requirements for Machines and Vechicles.