Here it is!

[Whitespider]

MY HEAVY-DUTY HOMEMADE LOG LIFT. I know it looks a bit rough, but I wanted to try it before cleaning it up and putting paint on it in case I needed to do any mods… It don’t need mods, it works better than I expected. Made entirely of scrap steel I had laying around, my only investment is the welding rod and a bit of time. It’s heavy, weighing in at 22-pounds, but I always have the little tractor and trailer so that means nothing to me. Designed to lift logs at least 24-inches diameter and larger, but I also wanted it to properly “hook” and hold smaller logs. The two-piece handle is from a H/D floor jack that had the pump go south a couple years back… with the handle removed it will easily fit in the trunk of a small car.

I made it so I could slip a “cheater” bar inside the handle for greater leverage. The bar is always with me when I’m out cutting… a big pry bar is always a handy tool to have close. Here’s a pic of the handle assembled and the “cheater” inserted.

This morning I went out and felled a standing-dead elm. The log is 29-feet long and 23-inches diameter at the felling cuts. I placed the lift at a spot where log diameter is just over 20-inches and had plenty of spare room for a larger diameter. With the “cheater” bar I easily lifted the log with one arm. Of course a dead elm isn’t near as heavy as a green cut oak… but notice I said I lifted it easily with one arm. I now realize I should have started at the limb end… I could have lifted the tree at the main fork and cut all the limb wood without repositioning, and probably never needed to bend over. Oh well, live and learn.

After making three bucking cuts I repositioned the lift, still using the “cheater”, but wouldn’t have needed it because pressure with just three fingers lifted the log.

 

[Whitespider]

Ten bucking cuts later and I repositioned the lift again, without the “cheater”.

The positioning of the spike on the arm is perfect… it even hooked the small limb wood without any aid from me.

I can’t believe I didn’t make one of these years ago, what a huge time and labor saver it is. That tree seamed like it was bucked in half the time it normally takes using wedges and whatnot. I could have even save more time if I would have lifted the limb end first.

 

[LAH]

You did good.

 

[ss~zoso~ss]

time to make a few and sell them at a modest price!

 

[Iron man]

Took me a bit to figure out how it works.Good idea.

 

[Section VIII]

time to make a few and sell them at a modest price!

I second that! You'd be surprised how many you could sell if priced right.

 

[MATTYB11]

Nice job! I am curious how long is the "cheater arm?"

 

[cnice_37]

Nice! I was a skeptic.

Actually, nah, wait, that can't work - I don't believe you. Better send it to me for trial to rebuke.

 

[Blazin]

Nice! Work smarter not harder!

 

[TJ-Bill]

great Idea.. I wish I had trees that big to cut..

 

[Whitespider]

...how long is the "cheater arm?"

That particular “cheater” is 4.5 feet long, 1-inch diameter solid steel with threads at both ends (one end is left-hand thread). It also has a keyway at both ends leading me to believe it’s some sort of implement drive shaft… but I have no way of knowing because I found it leaning against a tree many moons ago. It will slide into the removable handle until it hits the handle joint, about 2-feet. So depending on how far I slide it in I can extend my leverage advantage by 2.5 to 4 feet. But I have several other pry bars/levers of varying lengths that will fit, from 1-foot to over 8-feet.… tie-rods, torsion bars, etc. That particular bar is just the one I always have in the trailer when I go out to cut wood.

Actually, the two-piece handle may not work out so well. Last night I started cleaning the thing up, getting it ready for paint. Seems the handle joint has developed a bit of slop after being subjected to the stress, so I’m gonna’ hold off on the paint for now and keep an eye on it. I may haf’ta reinforce the joint, or just weld it solid and be done with it. I sure like being able to remove the handle though, it would certainly make storage/transportation nice at times.

It was kind of a pain to weld up, all the dissimilar metals… black pipe, mild rusty steel, galvanized reinforcement plates, painted jack handle, and scrap galvanized and painted angle salvaged from a fallen tower, all of it different thicknesses and carbon content. It seemed like I was swapping rod, and adjusting the welder for each and every weld. Some of the welds look super nice… some I’m not so proud of… but black paint hides a lot of sins. Anybody ever tried welding black pipe to hard galvanized reinforcing plate? I never did get the rod type and amps just “right”, but it’ll hold. It was kind’a like welding cast iron to high-carbon steel… a huge PITA.

 

[atvguns]

Are the measurements double dog top secret

 

[howard270]

Man that thing looks quite handy. I have been trying to put one together in my head to weld up when I had some free time but wasn't quite sure it would be able to pick up what I wanted.
But after seeing your pics I am really wanting to put rid to metal and get it done. Thanks for the pics!

 

[Whitespider]

Are the measurements double dog top secret

Naw, the measurements aren’t “double dog top secret”... but… I didn’t build it with a tape measure; I used buckets and tubs of different diameters and just built the thing around them. I never even pulled the tape out of the toolbox.

There are two critical points that must work together for different diameter logs, the spike on the end of the swinging arm and the pivot pipe on the bottom… getting those two “right” took a bit of trial and error. Much of the “lift” is accomplished by the swing arm; as you pull back on the handle the spike is pulled into the log, so the swing arm kind’a pulls the log up on the lift as the pivot pipe slides under, rather than the lift levering the log. At the same time, the pivot pipe (or pivot point) must be placed so once the lift is accomplished the majority of the weight has to be on the handle side of the pivot or it will just flip back up when you let go of it (and probably take out a few of your teeth). Some sort of roller pivot, rather than a solid welded pipe, would smooth the lifting action quite a bit (and I’m thinking of a possible mod).

The swing arm was made from a single piece of angle-iron; I just cut a little “V” out of one face at strategic points, bent it over and welded it back together. When I got it where it needed to be I cut it off and welded the spike to it… and the angle of the spike in relation to the swing arm and handle took some more trial and error. Getting the darn thing to work with multiple diameter logs took more time than anything. With smaller logs the spike doesn’t actually stick into the wood, rather it sort’a hooks them; that way the log is free to roll, or slide, over to the handle side of the pivot point after the lift. I used a swing arm hinge plate that was tall enough to keep any log from rolling over it.

 

[Beefie]

Nice Fab work.I love it when a plan comes together!!!!!. I would rep ya but need to spread it around before i can hit ya again.


Beefie

 

[Nosmo]

Timber Jack - Log Jack

I use a homemade timber jack or some folks call it a log jack. It is heavy duty and gets "em up off the ground.

If a person is not really handy making up tools or welding there are other options. I know Tractor Supply sells one and Harbor Freight has them too. Bailey's Logging supply of Californina has several types also.

If you get or make a well made one you won't be sorry. They are easy to take with you to the cutting site. Used mine again yesterday on some 16" stuff.

Nosmo

 

[Nosmo]

Wrong Thread

I'm gonna copy this post over into the next thread "Best way to get wood off the ground for cutting " this is where I intended to post it.

Nosmo