Description

ANNOTATION: This report, part of a larger study of factors affecting the utilization of small trees, deals with the impact of capital investment on logging productivity. Equipment selling price is not an indicator of machine productivity. Translated into machine production costs, which do not include any wages, supervision, or overhead, it cost 12 to 48 cents to skid each piece, with higher costs associated with higher priced skidders. Ten skidders and fifteen yarders were studied. The selling price of these machines ranged from $72,000 to $240,000. Yarding costs varied directly with selling price and ranged from $1.10 to $4.30 per piece and $5.77 to $23.90 per Cunit. ABSTRACT: The selling price of logging equipment directly affects ownership costs, and indirectly affects operating costs. This paper shows that equipment selling price is not an indicator of machine productivity. Translated into machine production costs, which do not include any wages, supervision, or overhead, it cost 12 to 48 cents to skid each piece, with higher costs associated with higher priced skidders. Ten skidders were studied which included horse, farm tractor, track and rubber tired skidders. Fifteen yarders were studied. The selling price of these machines ranged from $72,000 to $240,000. Yarding costs varied directly with selling price and ranged from $1.10 to $4.30 per piece and $5.77 to $23.90 per cunit.