small tracked skidder

[Bubba Stump]

It's been a while since I have been on this site but I know there is a wealth of knowledge to be had here so I decided to address a problem I have at the moment. I am a owner of a small tree service and have recently been getting a lot of jobs doing small scale thinning. It is just my brother and I and we don't want to have to hire anyone to work for us at the moment. Getting the material down to a landing is our biggest problem. The terrain is pretty steep and the hills are a long ways to the top of the ridge. I have tried winching, and using a small kubota tractor as a skidder but the tractor is not wide enough to maneuver on the steep grades and the winching system is a pain to move around and set up. I have thought about maybe trying a yarder type method but space is limmited on the small parcels of private land. I looked all over the web for small scale skidders and dozers but can only come up with the Tremzac Oxtrac low impact skidder and the nortract 35xtd dozer. both are new production machines but the Oxtrac is a little out of my price range at around $57 G's or more depending on options. The Nortac dozer is in the 20's but is made in china and I can't find any real info on how it holds up or performs. I think a small dozer like the size of a Caterpillar D-2 or Twenty two would be perfect but finding one in tip top shape that could handle the steep hills without having it loose power to the tracs or be able to brake on the steep ground is almost impossible. I also need to consider availability of parts. Does anybody know of another machine that is made these days that would work for what I need.

 

[treeslayer2003]

komatsu made a little dozer, like 4-5 tons. pretty light. personally i would go with some thing a little heavier like a d 4.

 

[northmanlogging]

I've known a few fellers with those china dozers, not bad machines, not top of the line either, but they get the job done.

Slayer is right though, something a little heavier would be better.

 

[fordf150]

Komatsu d21. 10000 lbs $10-15k in decent shape. Never seen one with a winch let alone a log arch though.
We used a deere 350 track loader with a winch and log arch for years commercial/hobby logging. Not enough power if your in a hurry but has a strong enough winch to pull 36" oak up a pretty step hill.

 

[Gologit]

D-4 or a D-6. Don't screw around with toy tractors. They'll either run you into bankruptcy or kill you.

 

[fordf150]

D-4 or a D-6. Don't screw around with toy tractors. They'll either run you into bankruptcy or kill you.

That's why I said hobby...350 deere was to slow to really make money....and agree completely on get you killed...that 350 was on its side more than once

 

[anlrolfe]

The best "Low Impact Skidder" I've ever used was a pair of 2200 lb steers.
Daily maintenance, break-in/training/growth period require determination.
When a pair of Big Oxen lean into it(Get up), they make the work of Clydesdale's look like Shetland ponys.

Seen some creative things with well-wheels and power tugger driving big loops of cable but that brings up lots of other issues.

 

[Gologit]

That's why I said hobby...350 deere was to slow to really make money....and agree completely on get you killed...that 350 was on its side more than once

LOL...you can turn 4's and 6's over too...you just have to work a little harder at it. Same with rubber tired skidders. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
I just hate to see a guy buy one of those little rigs that really isn't much more than a riding lawnmower and expect super performance out of it.
If they want to play logger they should get some serious toys. Safe ones, too.

 

[Trx250r180]

so my dozer wont cut it i take it ?

 

[Gologit]

so my dozer wont cut it i take it ?View attachment 428617

LOL...looks fine right where it is.

 

[Bubba Stump]

Well I can see that the majority of you think I need to go with something in the medium size. My problem is finding something that is not going to have to have a lowboy to pull it around with. I have a 1999 Ford F-250 Superduty Lariat 4X4 and a twenty foot 17,000lb dual axle bumper pull trailer. If I could find something that would not be to heavy for what I have available that would be great, that is why I was looking for something small. I see that in europe they have all kinds of small forestry machinery including Awosos Rubber tire skidders and small log loader/forwarders etc. I am not wanting to go full bore logging, I have been there when I was falling timber for a living. If you want to log full time you have to go big. I am out in the southwest and there is not alot of big timber to be cut unless you are working on a Indian reservation were you don't have to go by the Forest Circus rules. Down here the FS won't let you cut down anything bigger than 24" at breast height. I am strictly dooing small private land urban interface thinning to reduce the fire hazard, and it is not full time. I just recently have been getting alot of customers who are trying to prepare before the drought brings the fire danger back up the "extreme". Another matter I have to contend with is that alot of my customers are from the city and big logging equipment means high environmental impact and forest destruction if you know what I mean. You all know that this is not the case but city people have been brain washed into thinking that logging is an environmental demon. If you use words like "Thinning or Urban interface" it some how magically becomes good for the environment. Anyway, this is what I have found to be true.

 

[fordf150]

step dad logged full time and part time/hobby logging as some would call it. here is what he had and depending on the jobsite he used every piece to pull logs. deere 440 skidder , 350 track loader w/ winch and log arch , 450H dozer w/winch, toyota skid steer with metal tracks and grapple bucket. depending on the terrain and quantity he may have only used the skid steer for one job or the 350 and the very next job had every piece out there. i think what everyone is trying to say is that to be efficient and safe it takes bigger equipment than what your asking about. that 350 track loader pulled allot of timber over the 15 yrs or so he used it. he also had quite a few mishaps that ended with it laying on its side and any of those had the potential to be deadly. he looked at one of those oxtrac skidders and couldnt justify it. not enough money in the jobs he did. which most were small acreage jobs or thinning jobs so i would say similar to what your doing. that 350 track loader weighed in around 13k lbs. it did good to pull one 24" tree length log and was slow doing it on the hills we have in southern ohio but he used it for 15 yrs or better and it is still sitting at the last job he did 5 yrs ago while everything else was sold when he got out of it.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

We have a JD550 dozer with the forestry package (limb risers, radiator guard, track guards, logging arch/winch). I've never used it to skid, but I guess it wasn't too bad of a "skidder" back in the day before the 648 grapple skidders were bought. I believe it weighs around 20,000lbs, so it's not a "light" machine, but it's about as small of a dozer that is somewhat practicle. Was told it was real easy to tip if not on decent ground... some days it tipped over 3-4 times.

Nortrac.. is just a relabeled Jinma/Foton tractor. I would be hitting auctions/private sales for a John Deere, CAT, etc dozer well well well before I thought about counting on those Chinese units. Even if it does work ok, parts are tough to find unless you have a decent dealer, and the manuals... the Changlish is so bad it's laughable.

 

[Trx250r180]

Flying cats are common in this area

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Thats nuts! What bird is lifting it?

D5 TSK is roughly 35k I think? As far as I know a "shithook" (ch-47) can't do it.

 

[_RJ_]

Thats nuts! What bird is lifting it?

D5 TSK is roughly 35k I think? As far as I know a "shithook" (ch-47) can't do it.

Yarder I bet.

 

[Gologit]

Yarder I bet.

Yup....sure beats having to walk it all the way out.

 

[northmanlogging]

Thats nuts! What bird is lifting it?

D5 TSK is roughly 35k I think? As far as I know a "shithook" (ch-47) can't do it.

Berger MK IV or MK VI... if memory serves.

One of the members here, and my memory is crap lately was playing forester for em last summer...

 

[BeatCJ]

I helped change the oil in that yarder once, when it was at St. Helens salvage logging.

 

[AKDoug]

komatsu made a little dozer, like 4-5 tons. pretty light. personally i would go with some thing a little heavier like a d 4.

I have one. A little D-21A8. They're handy little sh!ts. Mine starts when it's super cold and will pull quite a bit for it's size. You can snake it through the woods like crazy. It's light enough that I've even driven it on top of dense snow. I pulled out 100 cords of full length birch without a log arch, just flat towing it with chokers on snow trails I made. Not much for real logging, but kick butt for firewood work. Of course, the D6N with 20 hrs on it I ran last week made it look like a toy.