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Cost calculations for different machines in first thinnings

Looking at the total cost per cubic metre (€/m³) measured from the roadside, no other method can compete with the €95,000 MultiFEX combination in small and medium-sized first thinnings.

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Below is a direct comparison against all alternative methods (100 m³ first-thinning stand, 2 ha):

1. MultiFEX vs chainsaw +tractor/ATV

Manual forestry work is often seen as cheap because “there are no investments”. In reality, the cost of human labour and of arranging short-distance forwarding make it considerably more expensive.

  • Work output: A professional lumberjack fells about 0.5–0.8 m³/h in dense first-thinning forest. A 100 m³ job takes about 130–160 working hours.

  • Lumberjack wage / labour cost: Including social security costs and equipment, a professional lumberjack costs at least €35–45/h → felling alone costs about €45–60/m³.

  • Short-distance forwarding on top: The trees still have to be hauled to the roadside with an agricultural tractor or ATV (∼€10–15/m³).

  • It should also be noted how seldom weather conditions are good for manual work, and how hard it is to find efficient lumberjacks.

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TOTAL COST WITH MANUAL WORK: ~€55–75/m³ (MultiFEX: ~€29.50/m³).

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If the forest owner does not count a wage for their own labour, the calculation is completely different.

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Manual work is more than twice as expensive because of the low hourly productivity of human labour.

2. MultiFEX vs small specialised forest machines

The market offers small harvester-class machines designed specifically for first thinnings.

  • Purchase price new: Despite their small size, these are specialised professional machines. The small harvester alone costs €120,000–280,000 new.

  • Production chain: A small harvester still needs a separate small forwarder alongside it.

  • Combined fleet: The total investment is €250,000–450,000 and requires two low-loader transports.

  • Soft terrain and high stumps are the biggest problem for small machines. The MultiFEX machine’s wide tracks and front wheels carry well in soft terrain, and stumps are removed from the strip roads with the bucket.

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TOTAL COST WITH A SMALL-HARVESTER CHAIN: ~€40–48/m³ (MultiFEX: ~€29.50/m³).

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In addition, brush clearing (€400–600/ha) raises the felling costs of other machines. With the MultiFEX machine’s bucket, brush can be cleared very efficiently, so separate clearing is not needed.

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A specialised fleet suffering from lower productivity still carries a many-fold capital burden and double the transport costs.

3. MultiFEX vs agricultural tractor + harvester unit/trailer

This is the most popular “do-it-yourself” solution among forest owners.

  • Purchase price: If a fairly new agricultural tractor (100 hp) and an attached harvester unit/crane/forestry trailer are bought as a package, the investment is about €100,000–140,000.

  • Work output and ergonomics: A tractor cab is not as agile in the terrain as an excavator. The boom and poor rear visibility make work slower (productivity approx. 1.0–1.3 m³/h).

  • Few tractors have tyres of more than 16 plies that can withstand driving over stump spikes, and adequate underbody protection is missing.

  • Fuel: A tractor consumes more fuel in the terrain (approx. 6–9 l/h) than a mini excavator (3 l/h).

 

TOTAL COST WITH A TRACTOR FLEET: ~€38–45/m³ (MultiFEX: ~€29.50/m³).

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The biggest problem for all small forest machines is high or sharp stumps. The MultiFEX machine does not have this problem, as the bucket can lift stumps out of the strip roads.

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The slower felling pace and higher fuel consumption of the tractor-based solution raise the price per cubic metre.

Why is a large harvester chain over €20/m³ more expensive than MultiFEX in first thinning?

1. The productivity advantage melts away:

  • A large harvester chain’s efficiency is based on large stems. In first thinning (tree size approx. 50–80 litres), a large harvester has to make as many movements as in a hectare-sized stand of saw logs, but the volume produced stays at only about 5 m³/hour.

2. Machine hourly cost and fuel price:

  • Running a large harvester chain costs about €180/hour (wages, financing, insurance, spare parts), and the machines consume about 15–20 litres of fuel per hour in total.

  • MultiFEX runs at a cost of about €50/hour including financing and consumes only about 3 litres per hour.

3. Pienen leimikon siirtorangaistus:

  • Moving two heavy machines on low-loaders can cost up to €1,000. On a small 100 m³ stand, that alone adds a burden of €10/m³ before the first tree has been felled.

Final ranking of methods in first thinning (100 m³)

  • Excavator + MultiFEX attachments: €29.5/m³

  • Tractor + harvester unit: €38/m³

  • Small specialised forest machines: €42/m³

  • Traditional large harvester chain: €50/m³

  • Manual work + short-distance forwarding: €65/m³

Why is MultiFEX so cost-efficient?

  1. Integration of work phases: Felling, clearing, road building and forwarding are done with one machine and one operator.

  2. Minimised fixed costs: The €95,000 investment brings only one machine and one light transfer by tractor, and there is no need to buy a low-loader trailer.

  3. Ergonomics and fuel: The excavator’s fully rotating upper carriage ensures fast movement and excellent visibility, which allows 2 m³/h productivity at a fuel consumption of 3 litres per hour.

  4. During the bird nesting season, other machines stand idle. The MultiFEX machine can be used for various earthmoving jobs when forestry work is suspended.

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