treeclimber165
Member A.K.A Skwerl
Hey Rich
When ya gonna weld me up a Porta-Wrap?
When ya gonna weld me up a Porta-Wrap?
Log haulers
- Thread starter Greg
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
We'll see Rich at TCI next year "Hoffman's Fabricating".
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2002
- Messages
- 6,071
- Reaction score
- 605
Re: Hey Rich
I've made those too. A few small ones for climging buddies to use up in a tree. Made one for myself just like the Porta-Wrap II. Have yet to use it. I don't know of a safe way to load test it. I made this one up one winter day when I had nothing else to do.
Originally posted by treeclimber165
When ya gonna weld me up a Porta-Wrap?
I've made those too. A few small ones for climging buddies to use up in a tree. Made one for myself just like the Porta-Wrap II. Have yet to use it. I don't know of a safe way to load test it. I made this one up one winter day when I had nothing else to do.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2002
- Messages
- 6,071
- Reaction score
- 605
That would be a dream come true! Sure would beat my day gig now.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2002
- Messages
- 6,071
- Reaction score
- 605
I wish I could. I need to get a digital camera in a bad way. If I can get my hands on one I will post some pics!
Tree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
Log Movers
Sorry I fell out of the loop there for awhile. Attached is a pic that 165 crunched down for me. I shoot all my images at hi resolution and they're all 1 meg, too big to put on this site. I haven't learned how to crunch em down yet. Pretty silly to have a full digital studio and not know how to crunch an image.
The attached shot is of a 30"DBH semi-technical hard maple I took down by myself, the day before the TCI expo. The image looks foggy because it was drizzly out. I pieced the crown down until I had a 20 foot trunk. I felled that, backed the arch up over the log, hooked up and pulled it out with a Toyota 4-Runner. The log in the photo is 18 1/2 feet long. It took me under 10 minutes to hook it up and get it out of there. The arch there is the biggest of the three I have and it can take up to a 42" diameter log. I think 18 feet is as long as you should go.
The beauty of the arches are that they allow me the freedom to work alone, as I most often do, and I can move a log that weighs a ton or two with relative ease. An arch is much less expensive, and takes up less space than a crane truck, needs no license plate, can be moved around by hand.
I must learn how to crunch images dow because I've photographed all three of my arches over the last year and have some really cool shots to share with you.
Sorry I fell out of the loop there for awhile. Attached is a pic that 165 crunched down for me. I shoot all my images at hi resolution and they're all 1 meg, too big to put on this site. I haven't learned how to crunch em down yet. Pretty silly to have a full digital studio and not know how to crunch an image.
The attached shot is of a 30"DBH semi-technical hard maple I took down by myself, the day before the TCI expo. The image looks foggy because it was drizzly out. I pieced the crown down until I had a 20 foot trunk. I felled that, backed the arch up over the log, hooked up and pulled it out with a Toyota 4-Runner. The log in the photo is 18 1/2 feet long. It took me under 10 minutes to hook it up and get it out of there. The arch there is the biggest of the three I have and it can take up to a 42" diameter log. I think 18 feet is as long as you should go.
The beauty of the arches are that they allow me the freedom to work alone, as I most often do, and I can move a log that weighs a ton or two with relative ease. An arch is much less expensive, and takes up less space than a crane truck, needs no license plate, can be moved around by hand.
I must learn how to crunch images dow because I've photographed all three of my arches over the last year and have some really cool shots to share with you.
Tree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
Another log mover image
Again, thank you 165 for crunching this image down to a viewable size. This shot shows a fat sugar maple log that I Woodmizered into 2" slabs. The arch is able to hook up to the whole stickered stack and travel down the road with it.
Would you guys be interested in seeing some more photos? I've got Photoshop and can find someone to teach me how to make the image files smaller so I can share them with you.
The middle-size arch is just the best! It's a size that covers the most bases and gets the most use from me. It is very low impact with it's balloon tires and is quick to hook-up. The middle size arch also has both tongs AND a winch system and so is very versatile. I carry it mounted ON my chipper to the jobs where I'll need it. I had mine for two months, sold it, bought the bigger one, then missed it so terribly that I had to purchase another. Having all three sizes really allows me to take on, well, really just about anything. I'd like to show you pics of how I pull small stumps out of the ground, plant trees, build log benches and (recently) hollow out drums for a local artisan.... all made possible with these new tools.
Again, thank you 165 for crunching this image down to a viewable size. This shot shows a fat sugar maple log that I Woodmizered into 2" slabs. The arch is able to hook up to the whole stickered stack and travel down the road with it.
Would you guys be interested in seeing some more photos? I've got Photoshop and can find someone to teach me how to make the image files smaller so I can share them with you.
The middle-size arch is just the best! It's a size that covers the most bases and gets the most use from me. It is very low impact with it's balloon tires and is quick to hook-up. The middle size arch also has both tongs AND a winch system and so is very versatile. I carry it mounted ON my chipper to the jobs where I'll need it. I had mine for two months, sold it, bought the bigger one, then missed it so terribly that I had to purchase another. Having all three sizes really allows me to take on, well, really just about anything. I'd like to show you pics of how I pull small stumps out of the ground, plant trees, build log benches and (recently) hollow out drums for a local artisan.... all made possible with these new tools.
mikecross23
ArboristSite Guru
Rich, could you send me those dimensions and tell me what kind of wheels/tires you got from Home Depot? What kind of pipe? Water pipe? I've got the means, and I can get the supplies to build one, but I have been putting it off for lack of good design.
Got a good picture yet? Any input would be helpful. Thanks! ! !
xander9727
The Silverback
Yeah Rich,
Send them to me too.
Send them to me too.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Hey now, you gotta order the whole from Hoffman Frabricating should be around 180 + shipping
should be around 180 + shippingTree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
Building your own log mover
My respect to Rich Hoffman for creating a working arch for around $60. I've attached a picture of one I was creating awhile back, shown partially assembled. Someone gave me the arch, so all I had to do was throw together the other parts and Viola! I would have a mid-size log hauler.
This was about a year ago. I went to Lowe's and bought regular trailer tires (as showen in the pic), the tire and rim, ready to go, for around fifty bucks each. My guess is Rich was going for a smaller arch and went with wheelbarrow tires. So I'm at a hundred bucks, plus the time shopping. Then I had to go to Farm and Fleet because Lowe's didn't have axle assemblies. These, along with the lug nuts, cost about another 60 bucks. Then you have the other parts, the neck, the handle and then the lifting device... the tongs or a winch. I have a metal cutting chop saw, a 220 V plasma cutter, a MIG welder, a TIG welder and a stick welder. I have a great deal of experience in fabrication.
By the time I got to the point of the attached photo, I had sunk considerable time, driving to different places, the fabrication time, the cost of the materials and it was the last day of the 2001 TCI Expo, held in Columbus. My frustrating choice was to drive the couple hours to the show, or stay at home and try to finish this device. My better judgement said, "Go to the tree Expo."
I got to TCI and came upon the Future Forestry Products booth, and saw the log arches they had to offer. I told him I was building one of my own, but I let him show me his log arches so I could 'steal' some design features. The more I watched, the more I saw how there was no way, with all my self-proclaimed fabrication skills, I could build one to the level that I was seeing. He showed me all the components, I watched the video.
In a single moment of pure good judgement and sense, I threw down my credit card and said, "Ship me one." It was one of the smartest things I've ever done. Why? Because reinventing a wheel is a redundant exercise. Just because you CAN build something doesn't automatically mean you SHOULD. I applaud Rich, but he wisely concluded with a disclaimer that ,I know that not everyone has the means or supplies to build one of these...,. Thank you, Rich, as that is an all-important point. Even if you DO have the means, as do I, is it worth your time??? I learned (again) the hard way, that it was not .
If you're earning $60 to $90 an hour, you should consider what is the best use of your time. Consider 'Murphy's Law' before embarking on your fabrication project. Consider 'opportunity cost'. If you have 'spare time' to build an arch, maybe you should be returning calls on those estimates where the people haven't gotten back to you, or drumming up new business.
Everyone's got there own scene and I'm not attempting to tell others how they should do it. I'm sharing some thought and wisdom because it's almost always easier to walk around a pit, than to fall in and crawl back out. There are some killer arches out there, phenomonally effective, well-designed and intelligently constructed. My advice? . At least get the free video before you go trying to build an arch yourself . www.futureforestry.com Tell Mark The Tree Machine sent you. Good luck.
My respect to Rich Hoffman for creating a working arch for around $60. I've attached a picture of one I was creating awhile back, shown partially assembled. Someone gave me the arch, so all I had to do was throw together the other parts and Viola! I would have a mid-size log hauler.
This was about a year ago. I went to Lowe's and bought regular trailer tires (as showen in the pic), the tire and rim, ready to go, for around fifty bucks each. My guess is Rich was going for a smaller arch and went with wheelbarrow tires. So I'm at a hundred bucks, plus the time shopping. Then I had to go to Farm and Fleet because Lowe's didn't have axle assemblies. These, along with the lug nuts, cost about another 60 bucks. Then you have the other parts, the neck, the handle and then the lifting device... the tongs or a winch. I have a metal cutting chop saw, a 220 V plasma cutter, a MIG welder, a TIG welder and a stick welder. I have a great deal of experience in fabrication.
By the time I got to the point of the attached photo, I had sunk considerable time, driving to different places, the fabrication time, the cost of the materials and it was the last day of the 2001 TCI Expo, held in Columbus. My frustrating choice was to drive the couple hours to the show, or stay at home and try to finish this device. My better judgement said, "Go to the tree Expo."
I got to TCI and came upon the Future Forestry Products booth, and saw the log arches they had to offer. I told him I was building one of my own, but I let him show me his log arches so I could 'steal' some design features. The more I watched, the more I saw how there was no way, with all my self-proclaimed fabrication skills, I could build one to the level that I was seeing. He showed me all the components, I watched the video.
In a single moment of pure good judgement and sense, I threw down my credit card and said, "Ship me one." It was one of the smartest things I've ever done. Why? Because reinventing a wheel is a redundant exercise. Just because you CAN build something doesn't automatically mean you SHOULD. I applaud Rich, but he wisely concluded with a disclaimer that ,I know that not everyone has the means or supplies to build one of these...,. Thank you, Rich, as that is an all-important point. Even if you DO have the means, as do I, is it worth your time??? I learned (again) the hard way, that it was not .
If you're earning $60 to $90 an hour, you should consider what is the best use of your time. Consider 'Murphy's Law' before embarking on your fabrication project. Consider 'opportunity cost'. If you have 'spare time' to build an arch, maybe you should be returning calls on those estimates where the people haven't gotten back to you, or drumming up new business.
Everyone's got there own scene and I'm not attempting to tell others how they should do it. I'm sharing some thought and wisdom because it's almost always easier to walk around a pit, than to fall in and crawl back out. There are some killer arches out there, phenomonally effective, well-designed and intelligently constructed. My advice? . At least get the free video before you go trying to build an arch yourself . www.futureforestry.com Tell Mark The Tree Machine sent you. Good luck.
mikecross23
ArboristSite Guru
Log Dolly
We're talking about a log dolly, not an arch. The dolly seems a little more realistic to build yourself and for me more practical considering I have a limited amount of space for equipment storage and hauling. Don't get me wrong I would love to have a mid-sized arch! ! !
We're talking about a log dolly, not an arch. The dolly seems a little more realistic to build yourself and for me more practical considering I have a limited amount of space for equipment storage and hauling. Don't get me wrong I would love to have a mid-sized arch! ! !
Future Forestry's equipment is a good source, I appreciate the link but my opinion on the vertical ascender is......
what kind of idiotic brain process went into that development?
what more deadly an approach (besides ladders) to limb pruning than a vertical pole a man is mounted on? What's wrong with spurs? The mentality (perhaps) that's making irons obsolete is nuts - before Tom sent me his used spurs I needed for take-downs (and after mine were stolen in S.C.) I tried to purchase a pair of Bashlin's but the source in San Antonio told me.."they spread disease!" What an idiot. I use them for takedowns only.
He couldn't fathom this thought. Sure hope he doesn't reproduce ANY offspring. WalMart thrives on fools like this.
No wonder the insurance industry is cautious. I wouldn't write a policy for ANY tree company that would employ such a device.
If someone would say spurs might hurt the integrity of the log, they know nothing about the sawyer's world or timber in general. I travel extensively to New Zealand and I never saw the "ladder method" professionally used, only a single homeowner and chances he's a transplant from the U.S.A. looked likely - he was removing all his trees to emplace an asphalt lawn.
I think we need to nip stupidity in the bud. Yesterday the news showed that 13% of high school students tested couldn't locate the U.S.A. on a globe.
what kind of idiotic brain process went into that development?
what more deadly an approach (besides ladders) to limb pruning than a vertical pole a man is mounted on? What's wrong with spurs? The mentality (perhaps) that's making irons obsolete is nuts - before Tom sent me his used spurs I needed for take-downs (and after mine were stolen in S.C.) I tried to purchase a pair of Bashlin's but the source in San Antonio told me.."they spread disease!" What an idiot. I use them for takedowns only.
He couldn't fathom this thought. Sure hope he doesn't reproduce ANY offspring. WalMart thrives on fools like this.
No wonder the insurance industry is cautious. I wouldn't write a policy for ANY tree company that would employ such a device.
If someone would say spurs might hurt the integrity of the log, they know nothing about the sawyer's world or timber in general. I travel extensively to New Zealand and I never saw the "ladder method" professionally used, only a single homeowner and chances he's a transplant from the U.S.A. looked likely - he was removing all his trees to emplace an asphalt lawn.
I think we need to nip stupidity in the bud. Yesterday the news showed that 13% of high school students tested couldn't locate the U.S.A. on a globe.
Tree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
Log Dolly and log arches
Ahhh, me sorry for the misconfusion, and this is great stuff for all the readers... we're sharing our collective knowledge.
For the readers, the difference between a log dolly and a log arch is that the arch is placed over top of the log, at the centerpoint, or just off-center and it lifts the log using either tongs or a winch / choker cable. Arches are used for moving l o n g pieces of wood. You get em up off the ground and wheel em out. The bigger arches will attach to the back of your truck, a bobcat, an ATV, a snowmobile, whatever, or more often than anything you push the log out powered by your own self. It is quite amazing the mass you can move by just overcoming the forces of friction.
The log DOLLY, on the other hand, differs in that you put the hunks of wood ON it. Its akin to a common two-wheeled, two-handled dolly that you use to move boxes of stuff, only the log dolly generally has a wider stance, fat pneumatic wheels and rather than a flat body, it is often cradled (has a curvature). The dolly is heavy duty to take the abuse you're going to put it through.
You move the log dolly much like you would move a wheelbarrow, standing it up vertically in front of you section of log, manuever the hunk onto it, tip it back to about 45 degrees or so and 'barrow' it out. Tree guys often use a device from the nursery industry called a 'ball cart', which is what I've just described, originally intended for moving burlapped trees, but of course can be used to wheel out anything heavy, especially good for masses that have an irregular shape.
Are those good verbal descriptions, or at least in the ball park? Both the arches and the dollies have their place in the tree guys tool arsenal. Both are valuable, back and labor saving devices.
Ahhh, me sorry for the misconfusion, and this is great stuff for all the readers... we're sharing our collective knowledge.
For the readers, the difference between a log dolly and a log arch is that the arch is placed over top of the log, at the centerpoint, or just off-center and it lifts the log using either tongs or a winch / choker cable. Arches are used for moving l o n g pieces of wood. You get em up off the ground and wheel em out. The bigger arches will attach to the back of your truck, a bobcat, an ATV, a snowmobile, whatever, or more often than anything you push the log out powered by your own self. It is quite amazing the mass you can move by just overcoming the forces of friction.
The log DOLLY, on the other hand, differs in that you put the hunks of wood ON it. Its akin to a common two-wheeled, two-handled dolly that you use to move boxes of stuff, only the log dolly generally has a wider stance, fat pneumatic wheels and rather than a flat body, it is often cradled (has a curvature). The dolly is heavy duty to take the abuse you're going to put it through.
You move the log dolly much like you would move a wheelbarrow, standing it up vertically in front of you section of log, manuever the hunk onto it, tip it back to about 45 degrees or so and 'barrow' it out. Tree guys often use a device from the nursery industry called a 'ball cart', which is what I've just described, originally intended for moving burlapped trees, but of course can be used to wheel out anything heavy, especially good for masses that have an irregular shape.
Are those good verbal descriptions, or at least in the ball park? Both the arches and the dollies have their place in the tree guys tool arsenal. Both are valuable, back and labor saving devices.
Tree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
Off the subject
Clearing up the reply on the vertical ascender thing.... Oakwilt is referring to a device by Future Forestry of a device you post adjacent to a pine tree. After securing it to the tree, you sit on it and use the bicycle-esque pedal system to move you vertically up, about a foot or so from the trunk. On your way up, you saw off all the limbs up to a certain height. You come down, move it to the next tree and repeat.
Oakwilt's reaction I support because in our industry, this rig has no place. However, it is not for our industry that it is intended. It's for woodlot management, production pruning of straight-trunked trees where there's hundreds of them to do. As hairbrained as it was perceived, the device is actually brilliant for doing what it's intended to do, and one needs to keep it in that context. To idealize pine and fir trees for the use of lumber, you need to remove the limbs from the trunk once the trees reach 8" diameter or so. This does several things. 1) once the lower branches are removed, the subsequent wood laid down is 'clear' (knot free). 2) the branches taken off decompose and add to the humus layer of the forest floor and 3) if a fire swept through the area its less likely that the fire would climb the trees and the canopy would be spared. This adds much to the future value of the woodlot, hence the name Future Forestry Products. Remember, they are out in the Pacific Northwest and that was their original market niche. The arborist industry they have just entered recently.
Next time, before jumping off the thread subject and suggesting an 'idiotic brain process' it might be well advised to get all your facts straight.
Clearing up the reply on the vertical ascender thing.... Oakwilt is referring to a device by Future Forestry of a device you post adjacent to a pine tree. After securing it to the tree, you sit on it and use the bicycle-esque pedal system to move you vertically up, about a foot or so from the trunk. On your way up, you saw off all the limbs up to a certain height. You come down, move it to the next tree and repeat.
Oakwilt's reaction I support because in our industry, this rig has no place. However, it is not for our industry that it is intended. It's for woodlot management, production pruning of straight-trunked trees where there's hundreds of them to do. As hairbrained as it was perceived, the device is actually brilliant for doing what it's intended to do, and one needs to keep it in that context. To idealize pine and fir trees for the use of lumber, you need to remove the limbs from the trunk once the trees reach 8" diameter or so. This does several things. 1) once the lower branches are removed, the subsequent wood laid down is 'clear' (knot free). 2) the branches taken off decompose and add to the humus layer of the forest floor and 3) if a fire swept through the area its less likely that the fire would climb the trees and the canopy would be spared. This adds much to the future value of the woodlot, hence the name Future Forestry Products. Remember, they are out in the Pacific Northwest and that was their original market niche. The arborist industry they have just entered recently.
Next time, before jumping off the thread subject and suggesting an 'idiotic brain process' it might be well advised to get all your facts straight.
I apologize. Sincerely.
Been fired-up more than enough lately, quick to jump on excrement.
Been to a few wilt sites as the bottom rung of disease intervention and witness too many bad calls from the "experts". Four dead giants resulting from misdiagnosed disease and therapeutic applications of the wrong agent, no liability on the part of the state agency, not even an apology.
First thing I want to do is make life difficult for the field forester, second is stop the relationship between the chemical comapny and our state.
Taking a break today. Relax a bit.
The thread impresses me however - upmost ingenuity on the arches, keep it up.
Been fired-up more than enough lately, quick to jump on excrement.
Been to a few wilt sites as the bottom rung of disease intervention and witness too many bad calls from the "experts". Four dead giants resulting from misdiagnosed disease and therapeutic applications of the wrong agent, no liability on the part of the state agency, not even an apology.
First thing I want to do is make life difficult for the field forester, second is stop the relationship between the chemical comapny and our state.
Taking a break today. Relax a bit.
The thread impresses me however - upmost ingenuity on the arches, keep it up.
Tree Machine
Addicted to ArboristSite
We're all professionals here
For the non-contributing readers, they must really appreciate the fact that we're vollying our knowledge and experience for their benefit, our own, and for the betterment and advancement of the arborist industry as a whole. That's what this site is all about and I'm proud to be amongst you guys.
I just took the morning off work today to have a graphic artist in to give me a lesson in using Photoshop, the program that will allow me to resize my 1 meg Hi res. images and crunch them down to a file size that I can transport into arboristsite. I have severel thousand images and enough digital video that I had to recently buy a 120 gig hard drive. Most of my stuff is tree-related and tree gear related. I carry my Nikon to tree sites daily and photodocument any fabrication sessions I have in improving or creating gear. I'm happy to share any of this with all of you. Attached is a shot of the middle size arch, and the big Arch next to one another, for perspective
For the non-contributing readers, they must really appreciate the fact that we're vollying our knowledge and experience for their benefit, our own, and for the betterment and advancement of the arborist industry as a whole. That's what this site is all about and I'm proud to be amongst you guys.
I just took the morning off work today to have a graphic artist in to give me a lesson in using Photoshop, the program that will allow me to resize my 1 meg Hi res. images and crunch them down to a file size that I can transport into arboristsite. I have severel thousand images and enough digital video that I had to recently buy a 120 gig hard drive. Most of my stuff is tree-related and tree gear related. I carry my Nikon to tree sites daily and photodocument any fabrication sessions I have in improving or creating gear. I'm happy to share any of this with all of you. Attached is a shot of the middle size arch, and the big Arch next to one another, for perspective
i didn't say so before, because it wouldn't apply to this device, but they have had "spar-cycles" for quite a while, i've seen one of the advertised uses for them were non-invasive climbing for seed specimen collection in giant pines! i heard of this long before hearing of arborists not using invasive (spurs) tree climbing strategies.
i too enjoy the tossing around, self challenging/testing and evolution of ideas and ideals. i too would like to see any plans for these devices for my own examinations and curiosities. Am also really looking forward to those pix as you sift the best from the multitudes finding the jewels!
i think we should allow these to be sold for an even $200, especially seeing as the Blue Ox has now drifted towards 400, and the larger, newer rendering @1000! Beautiful, simple design and leveraged, balancing!
Thanx guys!
i too enjoy the tossing around, self challenging/testing and evolution of ideas and ideals. i too would like to see any plans for these devices for my own examinations and curiosities. Am also really looking forward to those pix as you sift the best from the multitudes finding the jewels!
i think we should allow these to be sold for an even $200, especially seeing as the Blue Ox has now drifted towards 400, and the larger, newer rendering @1000! Beautiful, simple design and leveraged, balancing!
Thanx guys!
Similar threads
