skidding firewood logs

[urhstry]

What brand of 350??

Farmall 350 Rowcrop gas

 

[bump_r]

Last year we used my buddy's Minneapolis Moline BF (20something hp) wide front -it doesn't have a difflock, so it got a bit dicey at times. All in all it did well, but flat-bedding it to and from each day really cut down on efficiency. So far this year, we're using his Grand Cherokee with great success (and heat!). If I can just rig up a towbar for the Wrangler, I think we'll use it instead.

 

[wdchuck]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=26571&highlight=tractor+woods

After spending the time reading this thread, I felt pretty comfortable looking for tractors instead of skidsteers. For our needs at home only, a 45hp+ tractor is a little big, but in the woods, its nice, and that was what determined the size, also it had to be able to lift a chained log high enough to side load a dumptruck, and set the log inside the bed to get the chain slacked and removed.
Used compact 4x4 tractors didn't have the lift capacity and certainly not the lift height that was needed, they did however have double and triple the price tag of a stout farm tractor/loader. Used skidsteers also came with hefty price tags($12,000+), and attachments were ALOT of money.

So we ended up with a 1972 Ford 3400 Industrial with factory Ford loader.
chains and all shop manuals included.
The guy we bought it from, owned it for the previous 19years, and had a regular mechanic on staff, and spent 4hours just helping us get familiar with operating it, quirks, and such, felt pretty good about buying it from him.
One great thing about it, the maintenance items can be purchased at Farm/Fleet, off the shelf stock items at reasonable prices, even on a sunday night.

For a first time tractor owner/operator, its plenty of machine for our needs, when the opportunity comes, I'd like to get a 4x4 machine, but, patience/diligence with this one will get a lot of wood moved, and lots of work done for a long time to come.

 

[HEAVY FUEL]

Durty wood ain't purty. Use a grapple and carry it.

 

[iCreek]

Durty wood ain't purty. Use a grapple and carry it.

Yeah would have to agree. We have two in the family, along with thumbs on a small trackhoe, and backhoe that come in handy also. Hard to beat having lots of equipment around the farm.

 

[MJR]

Look at the farm wagons in northern tool. There is one there for $239 add a deck and truck crane ($149) and you made a mini (please reread mini) log trailer for a wheeler. Would work great for flat ground, should kill you in the hills unless you put surge brakes on. I agree if you don’t already own a wheeler nor have other uses for it your money would be better served in a tractor. Arches are very over priced for what you get and a lot of people make there own. Good luck.

 

[Mike Van]

I gotta vote for the tractor too - And the 3 pt. hitch winch if you can swing one! We had an Artic Cat 4x4 for awhile, there's just no camparing it to my IH 574 as far as pulling goes. One rear tire on the IH weighs more than the whole A.C. did. Something with a 3 point hitch, there's no end to what you can buy/make to put on it.

 

[sawinredneck]

As I said, the mini skid has worked out well for me, but I am driving 90 miles each way. It's small enough to sit on the back of the trailer and leave me plenty of room for wood. It's compactness gets in and out of the woods with minimal impact, and I have numerous other jobs I intend to use it for.
You really have to think about what you expect from the machine and what other uses you can get from it. A quad was nice, but the price and limited usage made it prohibitive for my needs. A mid size tractor/skidsteer would have been great, but I would then have to had two trucks and trilers to accomplish anything, adn that made them prohibitive for my needs.
What are you going to be able to use and what can you justify, then why? Put some forethought into this. Is the quad going to be a mulit use, or can you use it enough hunting, doing yard work, playing with the kids etc. to justify the cost?
If you get a larger machine are you going to be able to haul it if you need/want to later? Do you have enough work around the house/farm to make use of a mid size tractor?
Could you just buy a newer garden sized tractor with a small 3 point and have it do the same as what the Cub did and use it for other things around the place? (there can be some deals on the older JD's, 318's etc.)
Just some things to think of!
The mini with a small load on the trailer:

 

[modn]

I put the forks on my Kubota L5030 and buck the logs to 10' and carry them out and finish cutting them at home. My chainsaw sure does appreciate it!!

 

[merlynr]

Farmall 350 Rowcrop gas

Wasn't 3 pt was it? I had a 450 with 2 pt, but got some arms that slid in with the barbs on them like the 2 pt eqpt has, but these had the pivot balls for 3pt. Put on center link and it was 3pt hitch

 

[flxblx]

Farmall 350 Rowcrop gas

Just curious. Most I have seen were 2 point (Fast Hitch). There are 3 pt adapters that slide into the lift arms. I never did it but thought about buying a quick hitch (tractor supply, rural king) for 3 pt and modifying that to mount to a Farmall 460 with fast hitch. Then would be a ble to use 3 pt implements on it.

I have got a set of pallet forks that are quick attachable for a Koyker 510 loader that I use. Not limited by width, like I was with the material bucket. These are on a bigger tractor (IH 986).

 

[maplemeister]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=26571&highlight=tractor+woods

After spending the time reading this thread, I felt pretty comfortable looking for tractors instead of skidsteers. For our needs at home only, a 45hp+ tractor is a little big, but in the woods, its nice, and that was what determined the size, also it had to be able to lift a chained log high enough to side load a dumptruck, and set the log inside the bed to get the chain slacked and removed.
Used compact 4x4 tractors didn't have the lift capacity and certainly not the lift height that was needed, they did however have double and triple the price tag of a stout farm tractor/loader. Used skidsteers also came with hefty price tags($12,000+), and attachments were ALOT of money.

So we ended up with a 1972 Ford 3400 Industrial with factory Ford loader.
chains and all shop manuals included.
The guy we bought it from, owned it for the previous 19years, and had a regular mechanic on staff, and spent 4hours just helping us get familiar with operating it, quirks, and such, felt pretty good about buying it from him.
One great thing about it, the maintenance items can be purchased at Farm/Fleet, off the shelf stock items at reasonable prices, even on a sunday night.

For a first time tractor owner/operator, its plenty of machine for our needs, when the opportunity comes, I'd like to get a 4x4 machine, but, patience/diligence with this one will get a lot of wood moved, and lots of work done for a long time to come.

Hi Mike,
I am heading down pretty much that same road. I have a john Deere 1020 with a a FEL, quick detach plow blade, and three point hitch that I purchased
back in 98 to keep my driveway clear in the winter. I picked up a pair of forks that will work off the bucket just recently and plan and getting her ready so I can offer woodlot cleanup to local landowners by next spring. It is not a 4 wheel drive but goes well with a set of heavy diamond type chains I put on it. Still need to decide whether I will just use a log grapple and chain
off the 3 point or try to get something a little better. I know it's not going to go in deep woods snow but should be fine on dry ground and light snow. It's
nothing fancy but it's something I can get by with for now without taking on
any additional payments.

Maplemeister:

 

[dingeryote]

Why the 45hp restriction? Is my 401 Industrial overqualified at 65hp?

LOL!!!!

My little Landini runs out at 85hp and is shorter coupled and more Narrow than my Jeep!
Great in the trees, except for the cab, but the A/C is nice.

Agreed. Tractors rule when the logs get bigger than 10" or so.

I love my Sportsman 700, but all she does is dig holes at a certain point.
Plenty of grunt, just not enough weight, especially in the snow.

A guy can get a good deal on a new tractor right now with zero % financing commonly available.

Dingeryote.

 

[DonB]

They had one of those grapple skidders at the local agricultural fair this fall, holy mother that thing is ginormous!

Running that Deere skidder through the woods is like driving a house. Even though it's highly maneuverable, you don't have to bother with going around too much of anything. With the blade on the front, you simply go through it or over it.

 

[qphrfd01]

Since this thread was started I hope you don't mind if I add to the subject question. I am removing 4 acres of trees at my wifes friend house. They want all lawn to have a large area for sports...I thought that was a smashing idea myself. This is a typical mini mc mansion but only has 300 ft of road frontage, the left side is consumed with a septic so the owner said it is ok to drive on the lawn on the right side. I can sneak the excavator to the wood by weaving thru the hedge row but can not get wood out of any length that way. I made three loads in a mason dump on the lawn with frost in the ground and it shows wear.
I know they said they don't care about the lawn but like many other areas "it ain't like it use to round here" and don't want hard feelings for my wife. I can get the logs out to the lawn edge with the excavator but getting across the lawn is my concern. The lawn is flat and I was wondering if anyone had experience with an ATV and arch would this be the answer. I am thinking low impact multiple paths to ride and ok for the septic. What do ya' think?

 

[dingeryote]

gphrfd,

Even with the Arch, the trailing end of the log is going to bite the ground a bit if it isn't frozen.

Now if you had turf tires on a tractor with a 3 point hitch, and used the arch on the trailing end, ya might be able to pull it off.

How much snow ya got?

The reason I'm asking is that if the folks and neighbors don't mind, a good layer of snow watered down to make a couple inches of Ice will protect the lawn a bit by spreading out the "Footprint" of the logs and tires.
The thicker the better.

Another option is a "Log Tobaggan" made outta plywood and half of a length of 16" drain tile bolted on the front to keep the leading edge from biting in.
(Saw one bieng used in the sand a couple years ago, I laughed, but it worked)

I'm plumb outta Ideas other than that.

Urban Logging.....new challenges I guess!!

Check the logging forum, Those guys pull logs outta impossible places and likely have some ideas.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[stumpjumper83]

qphrfd01, here are some tips

Wait to move the trees until the ground is frozen. If your going to have a 20 degree night, plow the path you want to use the night or day before so the snow doesn't insulate the ground and the top crust will freeze. Once frozen you can drive a pickup or pickup and trailer on the lawn with any damage to it.

If you dont have a pickup and or trailer to use, rent a bobcat a300 skidsteer with a graple and carry them out. A300's have 4 wheel steering that will save the lawn. If the ground is froze good, a ruber tracked skid loader should be able to do the trick with minimal damage.

As always for best advise it help to post pics of what your up to, STAY SAFE !!

 

[urhstry]

Wasn't 3 pt was it? I had a 450 with 2 pt, but got some arms that slid in with the barbs on them like the 2 pt eqpt has, but these had the pivot balls for 3pt. Put on center link and it was 3pt hitch

Yep, has the fast hitch but I have the arms to make it a 3 point. Just not sure how to handle the logs to get them where I need them.

 

[wampum]

If you have to move logs a good distance and have a trailer,I may have a real cheap solution. I put a bracket on each stud pocket on both sides at the rear and bolt them in. Then I made a cheap A frame about 7 feet long out of heavy angle. And bolt them so they can pivot on the brackets. A hook or steel loop is added at the top. I back up as close as I can to the log,and hook a winch or come a long to the A frame and drop it over the log. Winch is secured to the front of the trailer. Next I take another come a long or chain ratchet and hook to the log and pick it up. Once I clear the trailer I winch the A frame up and the log goes several feet on the trailer. Unhook the a frame and stand it up out of the way and winch the log on. This works faster then it sounds and you can get several logs on one load. Simply lay the A frame on the logs while in transit. then stand the A frame up and pull the logs off with a tractor, a winch, or tie a chain to a log and a stable point and pill the trailer forward removing the logs.

 

[wdchuck]

If you have to move logs a good distance and have a trailer,I may have a real cheap solution. I put a bracket on each stud pocket on both sides at the rear and bolt them in. Then I made a cheap A frame about 7 feet long out of heavy angle. And bolt them so they can pivot on the brackets. A hook or steel loop is added at the top. I back up as close as I can to the log,and hook a winch or come a long to the A frame and drop it over the log. Winch is secured to the front of the trailer. Next I take another come a long or chain ratchet and hook to the log and pick it up. Once I clear the trailer I winch the A frame up and the log goes several feet on the trailer. Unhook the a frame and stand it up out of the way and winch the log on. This works faster then it sounds and you can get several logs on one load. Simply lay the A frame on the logs while in transit. then stand the A frame up and pull the logs off with a tractor, a winch, or tie a chain to a log and a stable point and pill the trailer forward removing the logs.

We want to see pictures of that setup. Visualizing your method isn't too hard, but pictures really help the most folks.