Best older skidder for steep mtn logging

[sammy riddle]

looking at
franklin 170
timberjack 240
both manual transamission
some people say frankilin gearin don't work as good steep mtns
not sure couples guys round here say 2nd to slow 3rd to fast to pull good what your guys experience
both mid 70'S year models
looking for some input thks in advance

 

[Marshy]

Any consideration for JohnDeere 440? I'm not sure how they compare to the other two you listed...

 

[sammy riddle]

Not sure it's big enough. Over all but not sure how it compares maybe closer than I think for fairly large tree steep ground
Do know lot of people say cab entry little small for big guy I m 260 6'5"

 

[northmanlogging]

Well, pretty much all skidders suck on steep ground, but I hear the Timberjack has a lower center of gravity and will be more stable on steep ground. IF you plan on logging mostly hill sides consider a dozer, or one of the FMC tracked skidders.

The Deere 440's do have a smallish cage, but its not so bad I'm 6.0 and 310#s with a gimpy leg, hop in and out no problem (right side entry is a little goofy...)

Also if you do end up getting a Deere, they are known for being tippy on steep ground, and wear a hard hat when driving, one wrong bump and you can and will knock yerself out on the cage

 

[Marshy]

Well, pretty much all skidders suck on steep ground, but I hear the Timberjack has a lower center of gravity and will be more stable on steep ground. IF you plan on logging mostly hill sides consider a dozer, or one of the FMC tracked skidders.

The Deere 440's do have a smallish cage, but its not so bad I'm 6.0 and 310#s with a gimpy leg, hop in and out no problem (right side entry is a little goofy...)

Also if you do end up getting a Deere, they are known for being tippy on steep ground, and wear a hard hat when driving, one wrong bump and you can and will knock yerself out on the cage

No doubt on the head knockers. If you can I suggest a football helmet with a chainsaw face shield. I've never hit my head so many times in my life.

 

[chucker]

! on steep ground the bottom line will say tracked skidder/dozer will be your best bet right out of the cage!!!! slower with a sure footing, and no roll like the tired/rubber wheeled skidders to worry about! sliding down hill sideways with a load on the back pulled in tight an slipping into a stump/rock can and will take out a bead seat! !!"OH ****"!!, YOU WONT LIKE!!..............

 

[Ferguson system]

One word: Forwarder!

 

[sammy riddle]

Got a dozer built arch to go on back .works great but be building roads the long hauls wearing my tracks way to quick

 

[northmanlogging]

Long skids ya can't beat a good skidder, but give the dozer some serious thought if you want to work on steep ground.

A skidders weight is 2 or more feet off the ground, with one axle pivoting its really a glorified trike with the delusion of security, much more then a few degrees of side hill and you end up rolling down hill on your roof and then probably dying in a nice ball of fire.

A dozer or cat, most of the weight is down low, and in the tracks themself's much harder to roll then a skidder, not impossible, just more difficult, they will tend to slide sideways rather then just ****ing tip over.

But hey its your project, and I understand that tracks are expensive, just be careful will ya.

 

[coltont]

540E with a 6cyl and 200' of cable. Crawl like a goat. If you have good tires or chains.

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[triathlete123]

If you go with a skidder, I'd look at something small, such as a JD440, Clark664, or TJ350. And have a long mainline and keep the machine in-line with the slope.

 

[2dogs]

JD 440s scare me on flat ground. At least the cable version, no idea if the mad a grapple version. Pull just a little off line and the skidder starts to tip. Steep ground to me means tracks. Or a yarder. Or this.


There is another vid on youtube showing a remote controlled winch help a skidder. I can't find it right now but I think it was Norwegian.

 

[fordf150]

Not much experience with skidders but the 440 has a reputation for tipping even on our mild hills. Few weeks ago local loggers had 648? grapple skidder layed over on what I would call flat ground.

 

[triathlete123]

Tipping over has a lot to do with how much of a load and how high a load is carried. Keep your loads lighter and lower on steep ground and vertical to the slope as much as possible. And 23.1's are best for steeper slopes. If you are skidding exclusively on steeper slopes avoid the 18.4s, unless you have a lot of experience with them.

 

[northmanlogging]

I don't know if a load has much to do with it, at least with the 440's, pulling a sharp corner on flat ground will tip em, but even unloaded on a slope is sketchy, real easy to get one wheel in the air and be using the blade as a kickstand. Hell even going forward down hill and stomping on the brakes can send you over front ways

 

[chucker]

"EXPERIENCE" is the key to dealing with tough situations, be careful with your decisions!

 

[Gologit]

Steep ground? Tracks, not tires.

 

[triathlete123]

I don't know if a load has much to do with it, at least with the 440's, pulling a sharp corner on flat ground will tip em, but even unloaded on a slope is sketchy, real easy to get one wheel in the air and be using the blade as a kickstand. Hell even going forward down hill and stomping on the brakes can send you over front ways

It's the load that will turn over a skidder, depending on the size, height, terrain, and how it's carried in relation to the slope. Carry a heavy load high in the fairlead across a fairly steep slope and I don't think any skidder will remain on four wheels.

To be sure, I've never run a 440 but assumed that since it was small/compact, it ought to be fairly stable. I'm in the market for a skidder too but preferably a grapple to do a little bit of cutting on my own property. Thanks for the input. I know better to stay away from them then.

And to be fair to JDs, which I really like but have never owned one, I've run 648 and 748e's with 30.5's and they are extremely stable, but they have much longer wheelbases than the smaller skidders too. In fact, I can recall nearly standing straight up on the floor boards going down some hills at times, without a load of course, thinking that it would loop end over end. The situations we sometimes get ourselves into can give us nightmares.

If I was still in the logging business, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a JD grapple, especially the 648's. Very fast, powerful, easy to drive, maneuverable, and easy to service but expensive to repair should anything break.

 

[coltont]

Low and slow with a load on the steep and you'll be just fine. No hot rodding. It's really not that bad , normally the operator chickens out before it get dicey. It usually feels way worse in the cab than it actually it's.

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[northmanlogging]

Maybe its just me... and maybe its just my skidder, but more then once I've had it up on one wheel, and not always while pulling, about 50-50 really, But then I 'don't work on real flat ground all the time...