firewood tractors

[Lee192233]

My little New Holland 1520 with the 3 pt carryall is pretty nimble around our place. I can lug everything I need down to the woods - cut and haul back a load in the bucket and the carryall. Keeps me busy enough.

That's a sweet little tractor! A carryall is on my list of projects to make my woodlot maintenance easier. Right now I have a trailer. It works but a carryall would be more nimble.
Here's a picture of my 2120 moving a repurposed roof for my woodshed.

 

[Jake Wilson]

Other than my 3 pt mower, I have found that carryall to be my most liked 3pt implement. Easy to build and customize. I carry everything I need when headed down to the woods to clear, burn a pile of limbs and cut some dead Ash trees (of which I have many). I made a dolly for it to sit on when off the tractor so I can move it around when fully loaded. I bought an extra top link for it to stay on it full time so it only takes 10 minutes to disengage the mower and hook up the carryall. I added a receiver to it so I can also pull our log splitter down with me when cutting for the day. It also saves mileage since the wife rides down in the carryall too! That 2120 is a beast. My 1520 was new in 1996 when we built our house. It has been a real workhorse around the place and I treat it like a member of the family.

 

[square1]

My little New Holland 1520 with the 3 pt carryall is pretty nimble around our place. I can lug everything I need down to the woods - cut and haul back a load in the bucket and the carryall. Keeps me busy enough.

Nice set up

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Well, I picked up these two cherry logs from a pile of logs, see how you can choose one log, hold it and then pick through a pile to get the "next log you want", out of the pile,

That's another thing that pallet forks/grapple will do, that a dedicated grapple doesn't. Anyway, I managed to load the front log on the BSM, mill it and then get started on the second log,

Second log turned out some decent grade lumber, and I DID "grade saw" them,

They were the neighbors logs and he came over in his wheel barrow truck, and left with a decent tally of cherry lumber, 105.6 bd. ft. in all...

and he was happy to get it done...

SR

 

[square1]

Here's my 1700 with caddy in the bucket (will also sit on trailer tongue). The trailer hauls 2 face cord (2/3 cord) and has a hitch now to pull the splitter. Can also put the backblade between the tractor and trailer, by that time it's about 35 feet altogether in length.

Pulling about 1300 pounds of black walnut

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Here's my 1700 with caddy in the bucket (will also sit on trailer tongue). The trailer hauls 2 face cord (2/3 cord) and has a hitch now to pull the splitter. Can also put the backblade between the tractor and trailer, by that time it's about 35 feet altogether in length.
View attachment 815466
Pulling about 1300 pounds of black walnut
View attachment 815470

Here's my Kubota is a similar arrangement. Rack of wood up front, the winch on the back with a trailer loaded with a face cord on a pallet.
And with a big log the same week.

 

[rwoods]

For you who use a factory skidding winch, how are you ballasting for your FEL? I looked up the specs on one brand of winch and they don’t weigh much. I don’t see many wheel weights so are you running fluid in your tires?

Ron

 

[dancan]

I have wheelweights on my Yammy 336 but liquid is required for better balance .

 

[dave_dj1]

I don't have a store bought winch but a home built one that is similar and I run loaded tires, wheel spacers and the forks on the front most of the time. I never did put the chains on this winter.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

For you who use a factory skidding winch, how are you ballasting for your FEL? I looked up the specs on one brand of winch and they don’t weigh much. I don’t see many wheel weights so are you running fluid in your tires?

Ron

I do run beet juice in my tires, but I don't consider it ballast against the loader since it's not behind the rear axle. It does help keep the tires on the ground though.

You're definitely right about the winches not being heavy enough for lots of loader use. On my Kubota I like to have 1000-1500# on the three point if I'm going to be using the bucket a lot or lifting heavy pallets. The winch is about 500# and it's very close to the tractor, reducing it's effectiveness as ballast. So generally, I will add some weight to the winch. I have hung five 85# suitcase weights from it, I've wrapped a choker around both ends of a 5' long 24-30" oak log and picked it up with the notches on the winch. I have grab hooks welded on my bucket, and I've picked that up the same way for using forks or the grapple. I've been meaning to make up a barrel full of sand or concrete to pick up the same way. It does help a lot.

Here's an old pic of the log method. A shorter, bigger log is better because it won't affect maneuverability as much.

 

[Lee192233]

Other than my 3 pt mower, I have found that carryall to be my most liked 3pt implement. Easy to build and customize. I carry everything I need when headed down to the woods to clear, burn a pile of limbs and cut some dead Ash trees (of which I have many). I made a dolly for it to sit on when off the tractor so I can move it around when fully loaded. I bought an extra top link for it to stay on it full time so it only takes 10 minutes to disengage the mower and hook up the carryall. I added a receiver to it so I can also pull our log splitter down with me when cutting for the day. It also saves mileage since the wife rides down in the carryall too! That 2120 is a beast. My 1520 was new in 1996 when we built our house. It has been a real workhorse around the place and I treat it like a member of the family.

I've had the 2120 for about 6 years. It is also a 1996 model year. It is truly amazing how much a tractor helps maintain our 15 acres. I used to blow almost 1/4 mile of driveway with my JD 318. It used to take me close to six hours depending on how wet the snow was. Now I've never taken more than 2 hours and I can do a better job. Just need to build myself a carryall. I also would love a skidding winch to get the trees out of the ravine.
It sounds like you have a pretty great system worked out for you. I sure do love these Shibaura built tractors. Only downfall is New Holland part prices!
Stay safe,
Lee

 

[mountainguyed67]

Not as good, but I’ve used a length of cable and snatch block (pulley) to pull logs out of the woods with my loader. My pickup has a winch, but I can move bigger sections with the loader. It goes quicker that way in certain situations, if the length is right. I just drive along my access road, and the cable goes 90 degrees off into the woods. I don’t have pictures or video yet.

One for my loader, and one for my pickup.

 

[nettle]

Ive never seen a set of chains like that, the circumference pieces aid in the traction.

The chains are Aquiline Talons.

 

[Brownthumb]

Freaking kid of mine will try to break everything I own. He can fit more in the bucket than me

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I managed to get a couple loads of firewood/saw logs today and it took a while to get them cut out and loaded,

But I did,

and they were a couple decent sized loads,

SO, I got them hooked up and headed home,

But, I didn't get them all the way home, I had to get them across a longer muddy section, and there's NO WAY this tractor was going to pull doubles through there, even a single would have left DEEP ruts (if I made it) so I dropped both loads and came home.

At least I got them out of the hay field I was loading in, so I'll go back with a "bigger hammer" and get them later, so this one is "to be continued". lol

SR

 

[Brownthumb]

I told my kid to go get the splitter.
I about choked him. He’s to lazy to take the rototiller off and put the ball hitch on.

 

[Lee192233]

I told my kid to go get the splitter.
I about choked him. He’s to lazy to take the rototiller off and put the ball hitch on.
View attachment 816872

Jeez! I know the feeling. My six year old drives me nuts sometimes as well. I'm a little nervous about ten years from now. I was a teenager once! I guess we just gotta keep training 'em up. They'll get there!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

After dropping these two loads at a muddy spot in the road,

I decided I better go get them out today, as it rained some last night and we have more rain coming tomorrow. SO, with water standing all over today, I took the dozer out to retrieve the loads,

I had already separated the loads, so I decided to pull them the last quarter mile one at a time,

and with the new water in the fields, it was very muddy,

So I was glad I was on tracks, as I didn't want my lanes all rutted up!

Once the heavier load was at the splitting site, I went back for the load of logs,

and it was easy peasy to pull it through,

Next will be to get it all cut/split and into boxes!

SR

 

[alleyyooper]

We had lots of mud here too but it dried uo a lot in the last two weeks.
But we got a bunch of rain last night to make it wet again.

Al

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It was drying up fast here too, but now that it rained some for the last two days, I'm betting the fields aren't so dry again!

SR