treeslayer2003
Addicted to ArboristSite
hey, me too we had two 1135s when we farmed. they were dam good tractors. now we got 4 massey garden tractors.
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hey, me too we had two 1135s when we farmed. they were dam good tractors. now we got 4 massey garden tractors.
J
jrcat
Guest
I have a massey 10 with a haban sickle bar I mounted on it. I'll snap a pic or 2 for ya.
J
jrcat
Guest
More skidder pics. I just cruised google search. These are NOT my personal pictures.
This is what happens when your not paying attention... and really tired at the end of the day, figured I would get one more turn and then call it a day...:msp_ohmy:
Duck tape and some shoe goo on it and you're good to go.:smile2:
BERN-TIMBER
ArboristSite Lurker
Northman is that a forestry tire? Not for nothing but that puncture looks like it happened too easy to be in a ten or more ply tire. On a side note, you may be able to patch and vulcanize that to save some cash. Id see if there is a place in your area that does vulcanizing, that would get your inside ready for a tube and you'll be good to go.
As for the off brand skidders, there was a Massey for sale here in North Central PA a couple years back. Seen a few of them around. If I had the money when the one Im referring too was for sale I would have bought it just for the parts. Had 4 tires at better than 50%, heck that alone was probably 5 grand and the guy was only asking 12, and it was running and pulling wood. But like anything I imagine finding any part that is particular to them would be a challenge. Its sort of a shame how many manufacturers have fallen by the wayside. Now there are really only brands you can buy as far as skidders go, and they keep getting bigger and bigger.
To go along with the thread, heres my 240AView attachment 297114
As for the off brand skidders, there was a Massey for sale here in North Central PA a couple years back. Seen a few of them around. If I had the money when the one Im referring too was for sale I would have bought it just for the parts. Had 4 tires at better than 50%, heck that alone was probably 5 grand and the guy was only asking 12, and it was running and pulling wood. But like anything I imagine finding any part that is particular to them would be a challenge. Its sort of a shame how many manufacturers have fallen by the wayside. Now there are really only brands you can buy as far as skidders go, and they keep getting bigger and bigger.
To go along with the thread, heres my 240AView attachment 297114
treeslayer2003
Addicted to ArboristSite
welcome to AS bern, fine lookin tjack ya got there. ya set in middle a her?
too calk or not to calk?
When running the skidder or other equipment that ya need to crawl in and out of all day, how many of you guys wear yer calks while driving?
I know getting in and out is Hel, but it sure makes dragging line easier. I haven't laid down an old mud flap yet... (cause I don't have one and I'm to cheap to buy one) but I was thinking about getting a can of that spray in bed liner stuff, and going nuts, well more nuts:msp_wink:
When running the skidder or other equipment that ya need to crawl in and out of all day, how many of you guys wear yer calks while driving?
I know getting in and out is Hel, but it sure makes dragging line easier. I haven't laid down an old mud flap yet... (cause I don't have one and I'm to cheap to buy one) but I was thinking about getting a can of that spray in bed liner stuff, and going nuts, well more nuts:msp_wink:
BERN-TIMBER
ArboristSite Lurker
No its a one side only, unless you tip her over, then there is an Oh Schnikies door you can crawl out of. Its serial tag says its an 84, but its kind of a mutt I think. According the the factory it left with a naturally aspirated 453 detroit, now its powered by a turbo 353. It pulls what I need it too and I cant complain, but having run a few with the 453 that extra cylinder makes a difference. Ive gone through a lot of it. Did the winch up 2 summers ago, blew a hose and soaked the clutch and brake bands with hyd oil, so it was necessary. Last spring I had the front end out, redid pins and bushing in the walking beam and blade. Brakes are in the transfer case, did that when I bought it going on 4 years ago but its got a seal leaking somewhere and needs to be torn in to again. Transmission likes to hop out of first gear once in awhile so that will be getting looked into tomorrow. Got a good buddy whos a diesel tech by trade coming to take a peak at it and see what it needs. Not the fanciest of machines for sure, but they work and are easy to fix. And, if the ground and timber allows, I can usually cut most of the morning, skid in the afternoon, and if its not a long pull or nasty uphill I can get a load out on 5-8 gallons of fuel. Not too bad for an older machine, and keeps the costs down.
BERN-TIMBER
ArboristSite Lurker
Northman, I wear caulks in my 240 in the winter. Last few summers I was in oak stands and rocky ugly ground and caulks were just murder on my feet. Ive never had too much of an issue in my machine. That said, the steps in is just a couple pieces of rebar, and the plating on the floor is hard enough Ive never had issues. When it was in the welding shop to get the blade straightened out and the walking beam redone I had them goober some hard rod on to the pedals, that worked ok. If'in I was wearing caulks every day Id probably put a mudflap or something on the floor and the pedals. I know keeping a caulked boot on a slick metal pedal while navigating a steep downhill and trying to pay attention to where you are going while keeping an eye on a big hitch behind you is not the easiest of tasks.
Yup, cut in the morning, and pull after lunch. Think the most I've burned in a day is 6 gallons so far, averaging a load a day. Makes me wonder about the guys going ape #### and burning 100 gallons a day with processors, loaders, big ####ing skidders etc etc etc, Yeah there moving more wood, but they're still #####ing about being broke...
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Corks in the morning, rubber in the afternoon. Having your foot slip off the clutch at the wrong time can suck bad. Those guys running a million dollars in equipment have big bills to pay and at the end of the day aren't bringing that much more home than I am.
I find myself not wanting to take the time to pull off the calks, got wood to move, bad enough I'm trying to eat a sandwich while filling the missus with diesel, out of jerry cans... best part of skidding in the afternoon is I can sit my fat arse down on a comfy seat and catch my breath for a few seconds, before unhooking and finding more logs...
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Take a break to unwind after the cutting! Its easy to burn yourself out to just keep pounding away. You need that come down from the adrenaline before you get your skidder on. Take like 20-30 min. I almost always do a full change of clothes after cutting too. Makes you feel like a new man for the rest of the day and gets you in the mindset for the next job at hand. You are pretty much doing two jobs when cutting and skidding in the same day.
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
I spent some time last weekend in my buddy's shiny new 4wd tractor turning over dirt - there were times the monitor was over 30 GPH, was averaging 23GPH - 560HP running at about 65-75% load most of the time. occasionally at 100% load pulling a hill. Imagine feeding that beast day after day. What he burns in fuel in a day during the spring, I could run everything I own for a year.
BERN-TIMBER
ArboristSite Lurker
Ive come to find the guys that actually make money do so because they are efficient with what they have, regardless of size. The other thing about the bigger crews is that assuming they are making payments they have a lot more equity built up in iron than I do. I have friends who run a high ball outfit, 3 big grapples, three landing loaders, 5 over the road trucks, and they work with another outfit producing clean paper chips. All told they average well over 2500 tons of logs, pulp, chips etc a week, sometimes its over 3500 tons if they get on the right job and work double shifts. Thing is, they are big enough where they command a better price from the low grade markets because they produce so much. And should they ever want to sell it all, even the used iron they have is 1.5 million or more. I get busted up and cant cut timber, sell my 240, Id be lucky to get 15k for it. So ya, they may not be taking home a lot more, but when they are all done and sell out its worth a lot more than a small one man show. And as for the ***ching, I think it goes with the territory. Ive met a lot of good loggers, but never one that didnt do some whining once in a while. Here in PA its a contract for the mills kind of game, and when mills fill up you always get a busy work job. Im on one now, averages a load of firewood to every load of logs, kinda sidehill, lots of ugly half rotted beech you got to dump but isnt worth the 25 cents in gas you burned to cut it. If it isnt bad wood, its bad ground, if its good wood and good ground and you can produce the trucks dont clean you up or fuel is too expensive. And then, holy cow if you have employees its guaranteed you will have iron to fix because you got to go through ten of em before you find a good one that doesnt crash and bang and beat up your stuff. I think a little BS goes with the job.
Bitz, how do you like your forwarder? There are a few guys here embracing CTL and going with the newer 6 and 8 wheeled versions, but I dont want to have to cut enough wood alone to pay for one of them. That one you are running looks to be decent but not too common over here. The guys Im working for are real particular about sorting everything out nice and neat, and with a cable machine its a PITA to have a pile of different sorts. Spend more time getting on and off the skidder and cutting off pieces in the right pile than you do getting anything else done. Im taking it you pick up logs then wood? Or do you just throw it all on and sort once you get out? And how does it handle hills?
Bitz, how do you like your forwarder? There are a few guys here embracing CTL and going with the newer 6 and 8 wheeled versions, but I dont want to have to cut enough wood alone to pay for one of them. That one you are running looks to be decent but not too common over here. The guys Im working for are real particular about sorting everything out nice and neat, and with a cable machine its a PITA to have a pile of different sorts. Spend more time getting on and off the skidder and cutting off pieces in the right pile than you do getting anything else done. Im taking it you pick up logs then wood? Or do you just throw it all on and sort once you get out? And how does it handle hills?
PB
Addicted to ArboristSite
I am guessing if he is dropping $400k on a JD 9560, he isn't too concerned about fuel.
He would save even more money if he went with no-till.
I am guessing if he is dropping $400k on a JD 9560, he isn't too concerned about fuel.
No till is all fine and good until you realize that what your saving in not tilling your spending in herbicides.
A better option is to not try and plow 1000 acres in a day and go with a smaller tractor, but what do I know I'm just a stupid logger/machinist/punk kid. However my little Ford 9n can turn 20 acres in a 10 hour day on about 15 gallons of gas, and that's more then enough for me, and its payed for.
Back to the logging...
Don't know about changing my clothes up... (I only own 2-3 pairs of pants as it is...). Driving a line skidder is dirtier work than falling, ya just sweat less. But I do make the vain attempt at gathering my senses, greasing up the skidder, checking the fluids, fueling her up, that kind of thing gives me a bit of a pause. That and chugging 1/2 gallon of watered down gator aid...
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
I am guessing if he is dropping $400k on a JD 9560, he isn't too concerned about fuel.
He's a dairy farmer, lots of compaction to deal with from silage trucks running in the field, tillage is kind of a necessary evil. This one's a rental to help catch up from the late spring, his big tractor is "only" 350HP, and closing on 20 years old.
As close to a skidder as I own:
That's the business end of my 180 Massey. 65hp and 9700# with the loader on it, it's enough to pull a 20" out in tree length, or 3-4 shorter sticks. I'm just a firewooder, but I'd rather work in the open than in the brush, especially in prickly ash.
Some bigger pics of the MF skidders posted above:
The 1200 looks like a converted ag tractor with a winch mounted on it, same chassis as the 15/1805:
I haven't had time to get my MF book down off the shelf yet.
