In forestry production, it is necessary to produce short logs in cases of specific skidding or transportation conditions or needs of wood customers. In tractor skidding, it is cheaper and easier to use the half-tree method of skidding than the cut-to-length method. The tractor operator usually skids long logs and cuts them in the auxiliary storage place. We tried to determine the need of helper in the auxiliary storage place for unhooking and cutting. Time study show that the delays take 26,53 % of work-time without the helper and 37,81 % of the tractor operator’s work-time in work with helper. The amount of time needed to skid ton of wood is lower when using helper in auxiliary storage place. The man-hour cost for tractor skidding when the tractor operator cuts logs is 42,81 € compared to the price of 60,79 € when having a helper. In analyzed conditions, in downhill skidding with John Deere 6230 and mean volume of tree 3,02 m3, is helper still economically acceptable when the winching distance is 15 meters and the skidding distance is 231,8 meters, or the winching distance is 30 meters and the skidding distance is 183,6 meters, or the winching distance is 45 meters and skidding distance is 95,9 meters.
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