Under vårterminen 2012 utförde Rick Hedell examensarbetet ?Utformning av ergonomisk joystick för styrning av gripklon i Timmerbilar? i kursen Examensarbete för högskoleingenjörsexamen i innovationsteknik och design (MSGC12).Uppdragsgivaren som inte fick nämnas i denna rapport på grund av sekretess fick benämningen "den marknadsledande tillverkaren av joystickar?. Arbetet utfördes på Camatec Industriteknik AB där konstruktör Martin Ekefalk var handledare. Handledare på Karlstads universitet var universitetsadjunkt Monica Jakobsson. Examinator för kursen var professor Fredrik Thuvander.Uppgiften bestod av att göra ett nytt koncept av en joystick till Timmerbilar med fokus på en funktion som skulle styra gripklon som man lyfte timmer med.

Holmen Skog has in some places in their operation area access to timber trucks with centre mounted scrapers. They make transportation more flexible and reduce reliance on contractors for road maintenance. The trucks with centre mounted scrapers have a higher tare weight, making them less productive and therefore they receive compensation with a 0.75 % increase on transportation price. The purpose of this study was to investigate what actions a timber truck with centre mounted scraper can perform with acceptable quality in winter, and to examine if it is an economically profitable solution for the truck operator and charterer. The study was done in three stages; interviews, performance analysis of the transportations carried out and an economic analysis with the help of Sven Erik Gilles spreadsheet tool. The study included the districts Delsbo and Hudiksvall.