A Self-Leveling and Swiveling Forestry Machine Cab
Authors
Sten Gellerstedt
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Garpenberg, Sweden
Abstract
A radical, new innovation with regards to forestry machines is the designof a cab suspended from an arched column connected to a swiveling socket.The purpose of the design is to reduce the amount of skewed and twisted work postures, which are often frequent among operators of logging machines.The ability to sit straight is what most operators point out to be the most desirable feature of the self-leveling and swiveling cab. The low noise level is also appreciated, as is the ability to swivel the cab aroundon its vertical axis. The swiveling ability of the cab gives better visibility and also helps reduce the amount of head rotations. Furthermore, jarring motions and extreme swing due to uneven terrain are much less bothersome than in a conventional cab design. Vibration levels at the operator's seat in the self-leveling cab are equal to those measured in conventional rigidcabs. This new cab design provides comfort to the operator and improves the operator's ability to work at a sustained high efficiency. A follow-up study conducted over several years shows that the productivity of a harvester increased by 5 to 10% after a change from a rigid to a self-leveling andswiveling cab.
