Full Description

This SAE standard applies to all forestry machines exposed to the hazard of objects penetrating the front of the operator station (other than the roof). This would include: Front guards for yarders with cabs mounted next to the tower; Front guards for forestry machines capable of handling material in front of and above the deflection limiting volume (DLV); such as knuckle boom log loaders and swing to tree feller bunchers; but excluding rubber-tired or tracked front-end loaders when equipped with buckets or forks with hold down grapple arm(s); and excluding forwarders and clambunk skidders fitted with load bunk headboards meeting the requirements of ISO 11850.

The evaluations are for resistance to penetration of guards or deflection to the point of infringement of the Deflection Limiting Volume (DLV). (See SAE J397.) The performance requirements of a representative specimen (that is, within the manufacturer's specifications) are based on the performance of proven structures under laboratory evaluation procedures.

The purpose of these Operator Front Protective Structures (OFPS) is to protect the operator from boom and load collapse, or head-on collision or impact with logs handled by the machine with the least adverse effect on operator visibility, and comfort.

Although OFPS meeting the following criteria may not give protection under all conceivable circumstances in which the machine could be struck from the front, it is expected that protection will be ensured under at least the loading condition specified in the test listed in Section 6.

The protection provided by this document is intended to supplement, but not replace, other types of protection provided by other standards, such as SAE J1084.

This document establishes a consistent, repeatable test procedure and performance requirements for evaluating OFPS intended to provide forestry machine operators with reasonable protection from falling or swinging objects such as logs.

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Published: 04/01/2007