Hauling Rounds on ATV

[benp]

That ASV is cool. Real cool i would really like it if it didn't have the cab and just a roll over bar. like a UTV or SXS a bit. but i don't like confined spaces much.

SVK you could almost build something like that photo but to give a bit more ground clearance use a square spindle almost like a walking beam with only singles have a tube come straight down, and brace it back a bit
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Trailer_Spindles-sz-For_2000_lb_Axle.aspx

after all this talk about walking beam trailers i have been thinking about building a little one for the compact tractor, or something like this even. http://www.bigtoolrack.com/

 

[kodiak]

@kodiak Going with the higher tires would put more weight on the tongue as well, wouldn't it?

Only if I didn't raise the tongue/hitch to keep the trailer level.

Every trailer I own has a 2" ball coupler including this one. To get the coupler to properly meet the ball on the ATV there is a 4" spacer block between the bottom of the coupler and the top of the tongue. If you zoom in on the earlier picture with the ATV you can just see the corner of the spacer/coupler.

 

[Wowzer]

that what i am talking about right there. just need this instead of a UTV with tracks, Wood scrounging in the Winter time around here wouldn't know what hit it.

 

[NSMaple1]

Here's mine:



I hook the splitter on the ball at the back.

Found it used, think I paid $200 for it. I swapped the 1-7/8 front hitch for a 2", and added the hitch at the back - only things I have done to it. Thing is built solid as heck, whoever built it. I would like to have more ground clearance at times - if I was building, I would work that into the equation. I might see if I can find some 15" wheels for it, has 14" on it. Box is 2' wide, 8' long, 2' high. It will go wherever I can get the wheeler to - but it is kinda heavy, so have to watch the steep hills for spin-out potential. Takes a bit of room to get turned around too - but I am way more than happy with it.

 

[svk]

Off-road tandem, I like it! Another great AS member idea!

 

[spowers]

Get a trailer with the wheels mounted outboard of the body. The axle determines the clearance, not the wheel size! Center of gravity is much lower. Look at Nichols Trailers in Maine. They aren't cheap but they are worth every penny!

 

[NSMaple1]

Mine above has an axle, and that is indeed the limiting thing for clearance. That & the cross members.

If I had built it, it wouldn't have an axle. Each walking beam would have had its own pivot. So one each side. Like a wheel hub. And those would have been welded onto each side, but dropped down on a bracket. To get more clearance. It's a catch 22 though - higher = more ground clearance, but also makes it tippier in the rough stuff.

So given what I bought, swapping wheels out would get me another inch the easiest way. Plus they would roll over obstacles easier & trailer would pull a bit easier. Plus I have all kinds of used 15" tires to use on it, and for spares - but used 14" tires seem to be hard to come by around here.

 

[svk]

Pending tax return results I may pick up that log arch. Just thinking I can use that more than an expensive trailer at this point (not including the project this spring to get wood out of the tough to reach areas).

 

[fields_mj]

So how much wood are we talking on an annual basis? If you could stack it on racks and safely haul it over most average terrains, and get it out in 2 or 3 trips (in other words not a lot of wood), then I can see why you're going down this route. However, if you're talking about a cord per year, that's a noticeable portion of your winter heat and it really is worth putting some effort into. Instead of trying to find some really cool mod or toy that MIGHT help you get the wood out, how about you spend time and just fix the trail? Yeah, it might be a lot of work, but it will pay off in the first year. If you're trying to transport that much firewood over that kind of distance, do what you need to in order to make the trail safe. Otherwise you're going to be trying some rigged up solution and if it doesn't work quite the way you thought, you'll destroy your machine if you're lucky, end up in the hospital or morgue if your not.

Forget the log arch. Great if you are wanting to make lumber, but trailers are a lot more useful for firewood (my opinion of course). Buy/build a single axle trailer. Walking trailers are nice for really rough terrain, but if you'll fix your trail, you shouldn't need to spend the extra money. My terrain in southern Indiana isn't that bad because the trails have been fixed When the ground is soft, I use the same 4x8 trailer to bring the firewood out that I use to haul the ATV down the highway. 4 to 5 trips = 1 cord. That may not work for you, but the point is that a trailer will bring out just as much firewood as an arch, and I use it for lots of other things too.

Adding a hitch isn't difficult but can take some time. I've got a 2003 Yamaha Big Bear, and the chincy sheet metal plate on it is pathetic. I built a full blow clevis hitch for it (think garden tractor implements) that also locked the rear suspension. It provided a nice solid location for a 2" receiver.

 

[svk]

I'm still going to get a log arch at some point as most of my scrounging is less than 1/4 mile from my woodpile. The ability to drop a log right in the splitting area saves a lot of time and touches.

Of course there's a 60 acre cut happening on the land adjacent to my cabin so after this year those tops piles should hold me over for at least three years.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

 

[Sandhill Crane]

A number of years ago it was a very dry summer, and several large double trunk oaks uprooted during a late Summer wind storm. The rest of the photos are over a period of years, all dead and down.
A quarter to maybe a half of a tree can be limb wood, depending on species, and a trailer is much better suited for that. The arch is great, but truthfully, sits unused most of the time. It would be great if your harvesting the standing dead Elms.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I have 12 miles of very rugged road to navigate with every load. Grading the road is not an option at this moment. Two weeks ago there was a landslide that involved at least a 100 yards of dirt and rock on the road way. It seemed that the USDA would likely send some personnel up to the site to clear it because near the top of the hill is a transmitter. The part that I use probably will not be graded or fixed for some time so rugged it is for me. Once in awhile I use a softly sprung leaf axled trailer, but for most part it is not worth the extra effort. My 1200 lb splitter is another matter so installed a walking beam type suspension on it. It took a very long week to do it, but it glides over rough terrain better than my truck. To make a smoother ride I lower the air pressure considerably going up then pump the tires to about 60 going down.

Sandhill I used an straight axle to use in similar fashion. It did help a lot. I would raise one end up with my crawler then chain the axle in place. For the other end I clamped my 4 n 1 bucket on to the log and back down the hill. My neck got sore until I made the seat turn. One problem turned up when I had about 15,000 lbs of wood going down a steep rock hillside with the crawler. Since using the wheels eliminates much of the friction it can be exciting going down a hill with a load sliding backwards at 20 MPH. Thanks

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Pretty flat here. Sometimes I would run the shoulder of the road for a short ways. Easy to go to fast and not realize it until you feel the load pushing when slowing down.

 

[Car Knocker]

This is the way to haul this big rounds. The bigger ones are 20"

 

[unclemoustache]

 

[unclemoustache]

I had to cut a tree in a neighbor's back yard, and haul it out by hand - about 200 yards uphill. I hired a bunch of kids to roll the rounds up. I should have taken some pics of that!

 

[Cody]

I don't know if you ever came up with anything but paging through the latest sportsmans guide I noticed these.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...MTIjwgBfX0RmaEG3PrRuw6IgrS7G4qEDCIaAluD8P8HAQ

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...-front-rear-cargo-basket-set-2-piece?a=580319

 

[svk]

I don't know if you ever came up with anything but paging through the latest sportsmans guide I noticed these.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...MTIjwgBfX0RmaEG3PrRuw6IgrS7G4qEDCIaAluD8P8HAQ

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...-front-rear-cargo-basket-set-2-piece?a=580319

That first one looks great.

I have somewhat planned out a high sided front rack in my head. That back rack with the drop box would be nice with the extra capacity.

 

[Cody]

That first one looks great.

I have somewhat planned out a high sided front rack in my head. That back rack with the drop box would be nice with the extra capacity.

Would be real slick if it was extended enough to hold the splits length wise, but I suppose that would through off balance and take away rear departure too much.