My skidder

[Ryan Willock]

Just thought that I would post some pics of some of the equipment that I have bought since january this is my 2003 newholland TC40D with grappel

 

[Ryan Willock]

here's my newest piece

 

[Ryan Willock]

here's the skidder its self

 

[Ryan Willock]

and some nice poplar veneer that I cut the friday. Well back to the mountains to cut for a while, I am working on getting internet acess out there and as soon as I do I'll be back to normal!!!

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

Nice stuff Ryan,how do you like that Deere with the winch on it..I have a budy thats been thinking about doing that to his tractor..??

Rob.

 

[Ryan Willock]

Rob, it does real well. I'm thinking of putting a forestry package on it for protection. I've got to go pick up the forks for it tommorow morning. I'll post some more pics hopefully this month:Eye:

 

[Pacific]

I like the lawn tractors how much do they pull

I'am just teasing ya I guess if you doing small wood eco logging the smaller equipment doesn't damage the ground.

Around here when we are doing landclearing nothing gets skidded its all hoechucked if the wood is going to the local bandmills they won't take dirty wood. Skidders are becoming the thing of the past when the wood can be chucked to the side of the road and a self loading logging truck picks it up. If we haul the wood in gravel trucks or rolloff containers its kept 20 feet long a logging truck its upto 50-60 feet long.

 

[Harley]

Ryan,

What size JD is that? Also did you look at different winches and how much did it cost you?

Pacific, Excuse me for being a dumbass, but what is hoechucking?

 

[Pacific]

Harley don't feel bad I don't think Hoechucking is used any where else but in B.C.

Hoe chucking is a way to replace skidding logs where a Road builder excavator or a log loader with high walk undercarriage is walked out into the cut block cold decks the logs. The operator grabs the all the fallen trees scattered all over the cut block and piles them up in different piles. Once they are all piled the logs get moved again and again moving closer to the road edge where they will be loaded onto a truck. The excavator or log loader is equiped with a healboom and grapple it can be done with a standard bucket and live thumb.

Hoechucking might seem tobe more time consuming but its not if your working in areas where its not feasable to use a grapple yarder or a skidder. The trees range from 12"s to 36"s in diameter and up to 70 feet long all hand falled sometimes a buncher is used but most of the time its a westcoast faller and his saw. After all the logs have been chucked the machine goes back and piles up the branches into slash piles that will be burned later the piles are stacked 20-25 feet high.

Most excavators here are set up todo double duty build road and hoechuck so the machine has a riser in the cab to give the operator better visability chucking. A standard road builder doesn't have a riser but its got a highwalk chassis so when you walking in the cut block the machine doesn't get hung up. The ground isn't flat the machine is usually teetering on big rocks stumps etc rolling over is a concern.

East Coast logging is alot different from here on the West Coast where you use 5-10 ton farm tractors to skid logs we use 35-50 ton excavators and bulldozers. No offence but its funny seeing the pictures of the equipment you guys use back east man its very small scale.

 

[Harley]

Thanks for the explanation.
I kindof thought it had something to do with an excavator, but I didn't imagine that you would move from pile to pile down hill.

Don't get the impression of east coast logging from me. I just cut firewood on a farm and use whats available to help me. Ryan might be a different story though.

 

[Ryan Willock]

the John Deere is a 53 hp (engine hp) the New Holland is 40hp. The winch is an Igland 4001 and it cost me $2,500 at a show list is like $2,800 plus frieght I think. For what I do right now I don't need a bigger skidder although I probably will eventually get a JD540 like John's Where I'm cutting right now I'm cutting and skidding anywhere from 15-30 tons per day by myself. Some of my skids are a half mile!! the area is in acessable to a log truck or a small forwarder, one of the JD or Timber Jack forwarders would be great but cost just a little more than I can afford (about $200,000+ more ) I looked at quite a few different skidders before buying that one, Norse (owned by Igland) Farmi and a couple of others but settled with the Igland, GREAT winch by the way

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

Hey Ryan if your really interested in getting a real skidder I know where there is a Clark 664 or 666 cable skidder in NC for $3,500..??Let me know if your interested.

Rob.

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

.

 

[Ryan Willock]

what year and what kind of shape???

 

[logcutter429]

Clarks were top notch skidders lots of them in use here still, make sure the transmissions good, costs an arm and leg too get them fixed.

 

[bwalker]

I looked at a Clark awhile back. From the guys I talked too they where a good machine. I didnt end up buying because they guy i had looking it over said the engine needed a rebuild kit. Looking back I should have bought it because it was dirt cheap and a recon kit for a detroit is fairly cheap.

 

[Ryan Willock]

I would like to have a "full size" skidder but I don't really need one, in fact most people that I deal with wouldn't even consider letting one on their property. The John Deere does a good job and I'm happy with it.

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

I agree with you there Ben the Clark machines are a very good mid size skidder I have a buddy who has a 668 with a grapple on it and he loves it and has owned it for over 20 yrs and still uses it all the time on his 100 acre woodlot..They are great machines if you don't mind listening to the screamin' Detroit.. ..

IF anyone else would be interested in the 664 just let me know..

Rob.

 

[Climber2]

What's wrong with the 664 and what size tires?

Mike

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

Climber2,

The 664 was sold about two weeks ago to a guy in NC..I don't remember what size the tires were..

Rob.