Moving trunks advice

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foeke

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We now move our trunks for our mill around with the yard loader from our neighbours. But lifting 1000kg trunks often results in some two wheel action.
Now we are looking at buying our own solution.
The smaller the better. We don't have a huge compound. Just a big garden.
How do you guys move your trunks?
How heavy does a tractor need to be to lift 1 tonne (kg). Would a 26hp yanmar/Kubota/ford suffice?
Upside of buying a tractor is the added lawnmower capabilities.
 
Check the specs on tractordata.com.

If you are shopping for something new, talk to the local dealers.
 
Can't alaskan mill them on site?
Failing that what about just using an Alaskan to break them in halves or 3rds along their lengths and then use the yard loader?
I would like to buy my own, but not have to muck about with breaking up a trunk on site.
We have short winters where we can cut trees. In autumn the earth is to mushy and in spring also mushy plus around march birds start to think it starts to get warm enough to make a nest.
But I can mill the other 300 days.
A shovel (3 to 5 tonne) would do the job easy peasy, but they ruin my lawn.
 
Check the specs on tractordata.com.

If you are shopping for something new, talk to the local dealers.
I am looking for something used. It doesn't need to be perfect. I only use it to start-->replace a trunk 2 minutes --> stop for half an hour. And that for maybe 20 days a year.

I know that site, and it works for yard loaders and shovels.
But not for tractors. Since it depends on the front loader that has it's separate specs.
I am looking for some ballpark figures. Like 10cm (4") bar for every hp on a chainsaw. Or lowest part ballsack is the hight of a sink.
How heavy does a tractor need to be to lift 1000kg half a meter from the ground.
And maybe someone uses something else to move these things? Anyone using a off-road forklift or something?
 
I think 40hp is probably too small, and 100hp is way more than you need.

Just to get you in the ball park.
 
It's relative. I would like a 9000lb tractor +2000lb loader + 1500lbs worth of loaded rear tires to lift a tonne safely under various random conditions. That would be about a 90hp tractor.
Some people feel safe on the edge of killing themselves. Ignorance is bliss.

I think you could get away with a properly ballasted 50hp tractor if you were careful and on pretty level, pretty hard ground.

forklifts have a lot of lifting capability. that's what they do. A forklift will way out-perform a farm tractor in lbs lifted/lb of machine. So will a skidsteer.

tractordata does have the information you are looking for. You just have to click on the attachment info. It's there and most of it is correct.
 
Yup. At least 50hp. At least. I checked a 50hp tractor on tractordata.
most loader max lift specs are "at pin" which doesn't account for the cantilever out from the pivot pin to the actual point of lift.

farm tractors are pretty light duty, as equipment goes, especially the loaders.

i would like to see a loader max spec of nearly twice what I expect to routinely lift. Just me.
 
Thanks you guys!
Those 1000kg happen ones a year. Most are easily handled with a small yard loader (Weidemann 1230).
We live near the Netherlands. Everything is flat.
Now I know I can skip looking for a tractor. Those 50hp and above are just to big to store and move around with children and animals roaming free.
I'll give those skid steers an other look.
And for some reason forklifts are quite cheap relatively. I found so far, stuff that is made for build yards are way more capable than farm stuff.
 

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With the perimeters stated, have you toyed around the option
of setting up a Gantry crane to feed / lift logs onto the mill
and cut lumber back onto a trailer.
Assuming still using the neighbors equipment for placement.

What i use a Case 580K backhoe rated just under 5200 lbs on the 4
In 1 front bucket, some larger logs are drug off a trailer & the Lucas
Mill set up in place around them.
 
It's relative. I would like a 9000lb tractor +2000lb loader + 1500lbs worth of loaded rear tires to lift a tonne safely under various random conditions. That would be about a 90hp tractor.
Some people feel safe on the edge of killing themselves. Ignorance is bliss.

I think you could get away with a properly ballasted 50hp tractor if you were careful and on pretty level, pretty hard ground.

forklifts have a lot of lifting capability. that's what they do. A forklift will way out-perform a farm tractor in lbs lifted/lb of machine. So will a skidsteer.

tractordata does have the information you are looking for. You just have to click on the attachment info. It's there and most of it is correct.
I worked at a commercial lumber mill for a while. They had a mid-size farm tractor that had a forklift mounted on the rear. It would lift big piles of stacked lumber, but not good for logs
 
I was looking into that set-up at one point. I forget even what for..anyway, I didn't get one. Almost anything you attach to a tractor that isn't agricultural is a compromise. There are purpose built tools that will perform better.
 
I think you would be fine with a 60 Hp ag tractor with a 1 ton loader and an add on grapple. No more than you will be using it.
 
To be sure, I am talking about kilo's. 1 ton kilo equals 2200 lbs.

That case 580 looks very handy.
But is to big.

A crane would be practical.
Even with a yard loader dropping such a log on the mill involves a lot of prayers, and I'm not even religious.
 
That is exactly what is happening with the yard loader. Even worse when you steer a tiny bit to much and the whole thing violently tries to topple over.
 
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