Cutting firewood with a Skid-steer

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I tried to talk a coworker out of buying a rubber tracked skidsteer. He bought it anyway then had a lot of buyers remorse after having to replace one of the tracks. He cut/broke it in the woods dragging logs, caught a limb between the track and one of the end sprockets. While he was replacing the track, he found that the idlers needed a lot of work. Rubber tracked models are nice if you can afford the upkeep, tires are a lot cheaper.

A good friend has a bobcat with tracks and he has kept careful track of his expenses running it and he said it costs him $7/hour for track and carrage expenses while running that machine. He said when it is moving those tracks are wearing.

Last winter while cutting up some logs into lumber on his property I watched (in horror) and he came towards me down the snow covered gravel driveway and the tracks started to slide. He had absolutely ZERO control of that skid steer going down the tiny little slope of a driveway. Later on he could barely make it back up the hill. His 4WD Kubota had zero problems with the same hill.

Even a small tractor with a skidding winch on the back is aformidable force in the woods. I put a Farmi skidding winch on my Ford 9N and was able to single handedly cut and split about 700 face cords of wood per year for about 8 years. It put me though college and kept me in money in highschool.
 
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(ever try plowing the garden or bush hogging with a skid steer?), more ground clearance, lighter (depending), easier to haul and get unstuck, and climbing over the bucket or forks of a skidsteer all day gets real tiring real fast.

Garden, yep rototiller
Bush Hog, yep mounted on the the end that see the tree first, I can cut it off 10 ft high if you like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcNB9KUcboM

Mud, with steel tracks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRODFyeNrj0

If I had to chose I'd take a skid any day. Is a tractor cheaper, sure that tells you something right there. Attachment cheaper, true again, but the cheap ones are usually junk. If you look at quality attachments for a tractor the margins narrow.
Ken
 
I googled that town and grapple etc and couldnt come up with anything. If you come across anymore info on him I'd appriciate it.

Hey, I'm looking for number for the guy... As soon as I find the receipt:confused: I'm not sure he is still is in buisness, he normally advertised in the Indiana Auto and RV but I'm not seeing any advertisemnets for him int eh current issues??? He might have went under.

Here is the grapple bucket though, this one is a 72" which is sorta big for my machine, I wish I had a 68".

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If I had to chose I'd take a skid any day. Is a tractor cheaper, sure that tells you something right there. Attachment cheaper, true again, but the cheap ones are usually junk. If you look at quality attachments for a tractor the margins narrow.
Depends on the job. I got a bunch of logs earlier this summer and they were all in the backyard of a home near me. I was able to go in and get them all out without any damage to the yard. A steer would have torn the yard up. The guy got the trees down cheep but were laying every which way all over the yard. As for cheeper I'll say not. I bought a used "95" 5400 for 16.9K that I priced at the dealer new for 35K and the BoDozer grapple was 3,500 dollars. I could have bought a used skid in almost any brand cheeper and the implement would have been cheeper too.
Don't get me wrong I've owned Skid Steers and they are fantastic at what they do, but a 60-100hp tractor can do alot too. Each has their fortie.
 
(unless you have a really large skid steer) is the lifting ability and lifting height. They will out do a CUT but a larger farm tractor will have more lift power and ability to push or pull with a load. The grapple on my Deere weights 800lbs and I still have a 2500lb lift potential. So working along fence rows or edge of th woods the tractor is alright, in the woods a steer is the way to go no doubt about it. Wish I had both.

I can lift 2500 lbs, with a 773, it's only rated at 1750, but that is the "safe" load rating, you can go well over that!!!

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I'd love to have a skid loader, and would use the heck out of one. In the woods would not be on that list though. The reason my woods are woods and not cornfields is that they're too steep to farm. Top that with the fact that I cut mostly in the winter on snow, and it'd be more of a slip and slide than a skid steer.

I'd make a lot of use of one once the logs were skidded out though, piling brush, loading and unloading, etc. In my conditions, a farm tractor, with tire chains, is the right tool for the job. It's also a lot smoother ride than any skid loader I've ran.
 
I can lift 2500 lbs, with a 773, it's only rated at 1750, but that is the "safe" load rating, you can go well over that!!!

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They must rate it at full lift height then Gink. My neighbor had what I think was a 773 or or 700 series something a few yrs back and I didn't think his would lift that much. Another guy near me has a monster track steer that can lift cars like there nothing on the forks. But its a 100+ hp steer too.
My grapple is very durable but the weight is a real penalty. I would like to see yours sometime to see if your design is strong but lighter in weight.
 
Hey, I'm looking for number for the guy... As soon as I find the receipt:confused: I'm not sure he is still is in buisness, he normally advertised in the Indiana Auto and RV but I'm not seeing any advertisemnets for him int eh current issues??? He might have went under.

Here is the grapple bucket though, this one is a 72" which is sorta big for my machine, I wish I had a 68".

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frank, you must have alot of chickens or they follow you around, cause they seem to be in alot of your pics!
 
They must rate it at full lift height then Gink. My neighbor had what I think was a 773 or or 700 series something a few yrs back and I didn't think his would lift that much. Another guy near me has a monster track steer that can lift cars like there nothing on the forks. But its a 100+ hp steer too.
My grapple is very durable but the weight is a real penalty. I would like to see yours sometime to see if your design is strong but lighter in weight.

I think they do, I know for a fact it will lift 3k, but you will not be able to move either direction without nose diving it. Hydraluics are plenty strong, I have never had a problem with that I just need more arse end weight to keep it planted safely.

My grapple weighed 900#, and then I added some 100# 0f 1/2" bar on the bottom to keep firewood from falling through. It is a heavy unit, and I have used it hard and haven't broke or bent anything.
 
frank, you must have alot of chickens or they follow you around, cause they seem to be in alot of your pics!

No, it's not Frank it's Frank's wife that has many, many chickens, she's a chicken collecting machine:) And yes they do follow me around!!!
 
I like chickens hanging around but at my house they are mine. Tell her way to go!
 
Haha...will do. I don't mind them at all they are fun to watch at times, comical creatures!!! But I do mind when I find chicken **** all over my tools or a egg in my tool box drawer:)
 
Depends on the job. A steer would have torn the yard up. The guy got the trees down cheep but were laying every which way all over the yard.

That depends alot on the operator, the guys that insist on making sharp 180 degree turn makes messes. Drive in back out not much mess.

As for cheeper I'll say not. I bought a used "95" 5400 for 16.9K that I priced at the dealer new for 35K and the BoDozer grapple was 3,500 dollars. I could have bought a used skid in almost any brand cheeper and the implement would have been cheeper too.

Our Erskine grapples are @3 k too. Skids are down thanks to the housing slump, I picked up a 2 year old s185 with heat, tracks, 2 buckets and 4 spares for $18.5K 340 hours. Surprised that tractor is that much. Deere?

My feeling is that if you can skid it with a tractor you can get a truck there to haul it. Short skids are the only way to produce much. The gentle man asked about logging and I still think a skid would out produce a tractor. I would have one of those grapples on a short boom and I would put a hyd winch on it. You could skid in reverse just like a grapple skidder. Then use it to sort, pile and load logs later at the landing.
Steel over the tires tracks over a track (ctl) any day. More bang for the buck and more reliable. Weld on some side biters to prevent side skating and you would go any place a farm tractor will.


l Don't get me wrong I've owned Skid Steers and they are fantastic at what they do, but a 60-100hp tractor can do alot too. Each has their fortie.

Agreed, but cost versus ability, I like a skid.
 
I'll agree on points about a skid steer and in woods ability but one thing (unless you have a really large skid steer) is the lifting ability and lifting height. They will out do a CUT but a larger farm tractor will have more lift power and ability to push or pull with a load. The grapple on my Deere weights 800lbs and I still have a 2500lb lift potential. So working along fence rows or edge of th woods the tractor is alright, in the woods a steer is the way to go no doubt about it. Wish I had both.

I think your underestimating skid steers lifting abilitys.My Cat will likely outlift your tractor,ive easily picked up 3000lb logs with it.Mine is no where near the largest units,either,although it isnt the smallest one.Its rated for 2100lbs,but it easily will pick that up at the tips of the pallet forks and then some.Close to the machine it easily doubles that.The issue with skid steers is trying to carry that much weight very far,a tractor can so it easier,skid steers do not have much wheelbase,and therefore you need to be alot more careful. I agree with the pushing /pulling power,a tractor has it all over a skidsteer.A skidsteer is built much stronger from a loader/frame/chassis standpoint though,no comparison.
 
I ran a Bobcat 863 with over tire tracks in the woods for several years. Their main limitation on steep slopes is your nerves. I've had that 863 in places that most folks wouldn't carry a quart of oil. :laugh: Honestly, I've had it in places that made me ask myself; What am I doing here? I've taken it off of rocky hills that were measured at 46%, and taken it up hills that were steep enough that it just lost traction (pretty darned steep).
I sold the old Bobcat a year ago, and upgraded to an ASV 4810 (105 hp) track machine. I learned the hard way too that rubber tracks are expensive to maintain, but considering the amount of work it does it's well worth it. One thing to consider is that the extra weight of the tracks & undercarrage gives the machine a lot more stability. I can lift my 2300 lb mulching head to full lift on about a 20% side hill.
Tracks & undercarrage on a Bobcat are cheap compared to an ASV, something I'll consider when I get another one.
When looking at a skid steer with tires for use in the woods, look for one with a longer wheelbase & wider stance. It will make it a lot more stable on the hills and give a little more lifting capacity. A Bobcat 763, or 773 would be a better choice than a 753 due to the wheelbase.

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Of course, not much beats a log skidder for moving logs.

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Andy
 
I think your underestimating skid steers lifting abilitys.My Cat will likely outlift your tractor,ive easily picked up 3000lb logs with it.Mine is no where near the largest units,either,although it isnt the smallest one.Its rated for 2100lbs,but it easily will pick that up at the tips of the pallet forks and then some.Close to the machine it easily doubles that.The issue with skid steers is trying to carry that much weight very far,a tractor can so it easier,skid steers do not have much wheelbase,and therefore you need to be alot more careful. I agree with the pushing /pulling power,a tractor has it all over a skidsteer.A skidsteer is built much stronger from a loader/frame/chassis standpoint though,no comparison.

Yeah lifting is one thing but try to move anything on a set of forks with either a tractor or a skid loader and things can get ugly. I was in my brother's ~90 Hp Kubota with 4 nice ~30' logs in the grapple and I was moving the wood from the main stack over to the processor, a distance of about 150'. As I got going on the straightaway toward the processor I started to get er going a bit faster and about half way over I ran over a ~2" stick of wood with the front tires. That little bump was enough to cause the nose to drop like a rock and because I was not buckled in the seat my nose went up against the glass of the cab. Yeah I could lift those logs, but I could not carry them well and my nose was a good reminder of that lesson.

My brother nearly died laughing he thought it was so funny. His wife said he had done the same thing many, many times.
 
Thinking back about my uses ( by no means promoting a tractor over a Skid Steer) I typically pull a trailer or wagon back to where tree/logs are and no truck could possibly go. Then we fell and load the logs and then pull the load out. I doubt a steer could pull the wagon out the logging trail through deep ruts and all with several thousand pounds of logs in tow. I don't like to drag the logs any further than I have to thats why I take the wagon with me. One thing I don't like about using a tractor is they are made for driving over lots of things that like to get caught in wires and hoses. A skidder would be ideal but then its a single purpose tool for which I can't justify for myself.
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Curlycherry1; I started to get er going a bit faster and about half way over I ran over a ~2" stick of wood with the front tires. That little bump was enough to cause the nose to drop like a rock and because I was not buckled in the seat my nose went up against the glass of the cab. Yeah I could lift those logs said:
That would not be the machines fault though.
Forward tipping is a common and preventable mistake people make when new to a skidsteer (can happen with any fel) . A direct result of failing to consider the short wheel base and remembering how easy they can slow down then speed up when crossing obsticles.
Always carry low until your at the deck. They lift fast so no need to carry high.
Ken
 
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Gink, I finally got a connection that allows me to see your pics and that is more steer than my neigbhor had for sure. His would not have done that. He must have had a 753 or smaller. That is sure impressive. Can you move with that load? His is my grapple up close.
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