Northern Tool Skidding tongs

[CK1]

Nothing wrong with those tongs, its your tractor that is the problem. PM me your address, I'll swing by and pick up tractor & bring it to my FL repair shop & return it to you within six months, free of any charges.

 

[rwoods]

Nothing wrong with those tongs, its your tractor that is the problem. PM me your address, I'll swing by and pick up tractor & bring it to my FL repair shop & return it to you within six months, free of any charges.

Tempting, but No. :msp_smile: Ron

 

[rwoods]

Tongs at play, uh I mean work.

Put the tongs to work today. Nothing big really just two little white oaks that were blocking my way. Decided to skid them in 10' lenghts and then cut them 5' so I could roll them in the trailer as I forgot and left my forks at home.

First, a shot of tongs at maximum extension (32" - lifting my tuning log):

View attachment 241092

Skidding some of the white oak:

View attachment 241093

Shot of the trailer with the smaller of the white oaks loaded:

View attachment 241094

Shot of my saw (in my hurry I grabbed the wrong chains for my 036Pro - cutting small stuff with a 125 is not a lot of fun) (Yes, Gologit, that is my little hammer):

View attachment 241096

The red oak log I was after (a little bigger than I was remembering - 47' before first branch and still almost 3' in diameter - I quess I'll have to split it or cut some notches for the tongs and limit my lenghts to 4' or so):

View attachment 241097

Ron

 

[Gologit]

Hammer

Ron, there's nothing wrong with that hammer. It's cute. I imagine that a little tack-hammer like that might come in real handy for, well, something.

Those new tongs make a difference, don't they?

 

[rwoods]

Ron, there's nothing wrong with that hammer. It's cute. I imagine that a little tack-hammer like that might come in real handy for, well, something.

Those new tongs make a difference, don't they?

Sure do. I am starting to get the hang of it (no pun intended) where I can double stack them in the trailer. I have to be careful not to overload the trailer nor the tongue. The tongs don't really like anything under 12". It will pick them up but doesn't have enough bite to drag against any real resistance. I also can't drop it and go - I have to get off the tractor and swing them to one side. The next accessory that I need is a good strong teenager.

After a little wrenching on my truck, I went back cleared a path with the 036 and cut the top of the large red oak to length this afternoon. I am seriously questioning whether I should tackle the main log or not. Its not the bucking that's on my mind it is all the manhandling after I've done sawing. After a little over a year of recovery from my brush with death in late 2010 with a shredded carotid artery lining the doctors gave me this advice - "You can do anything you want but not to the state of breathlessness and not anything stupid - like you did that caused this." I can handle the breathlessness part as I just stop and rest but the stupid part - well, it just seems to be my nature state. While I don't plan to ever again try to move a 52" diameter oak round one handed (not macho - just had a sprained shoulder I couldn't use and the round was a traffic hazard in a blind curve), something is telling me that trying to load a dozen 30" to 40" diameter 4' logs and later split them all by myself may be in the same category for me - just plain stupid. As I am sure you know it is tough trying to slow down and give up something you enjoy doing. I am making a little progress, I don't fall many large standing dead trees anymore. In fact my last dead tree, I hired a tree service to fall it and I let them put the subject red oak on the ground for me while they were there as it was beginning to die. I know the day will come when I'll have to give up rootballs as well but hopefully that will be many years from now.

Gologit, thanks for all the good advice you give and for putting up with at least one guy who carries a hammer. :msp_thumbup: Ron

For the rest of you guys, two blurry shots of my load of white oak:

View attachment 241144View attachment 241145

Ron

 

[ShaneLogs]

Put the tongs to work today. Nothing big really just two little white oaks that were blocking my way. Decided to skid them in 10' lenghts and then cut them 5' so I could roll them in the trailer as I forgot and left my forks at home.

First, a shot of tongs at maximum extension (32" - lifting my tuning log):

View attachment 241092

Skidding some of the white oak:

View attachment 241093

Shot of the trailer with the smaller of the white oaks loaded:

View attachment 241094

Shot of my saw (in my hurry I grabbed the wrong chains for my 036Pro - cutting small stuff with a 125 is not a lot of fun) (Yes, Gologit, that is my little hammer):

View attachment 241096

The red oak log I was after (a little bigger than I was remembering - 47' before first branch and still almost 3' in diameter - I quess I'll have to split it or cut some notches for the tongs and limit my lenghts to 4' or so):

View attachment 241097

Ron

Good Pictures Ron! Those tongs look like they are doing there job! Good job, Rep sent.

 

[Gologit]

The body vs. the mind.

Yup, I can relate. The mind, ever young and optimistic, tells you "you can do that". The body, worn and already complaining, replies "if you do I'll make you sorry". The body always wins that argument. Always.

I'll spare you the "old guy" lecture but there comes a time when the mind better start listening to the body. I don't move as fast as I used to and I can't "scramble" like I could even ten years ago. I'm still doing the same things, just doing them a little slower and with more thought.

I've had two heart attacks. I don't want a third. I've heard the sound of my own bones breaking. It didn't like it. Hospital food sucks and I'm too old to flirt with nurses. Time to change my ways.

And that hammer? I have one just like it. It's in the toolbox on the Cat where it belongs. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[rwoods]

Yup, I can relate. The mind, ever young and optimistic, tells you "you can do that". The body, worn and already complaining, replies "if you do I'll make you sorry". The body always wins that argument. Always.

I'll spare you the "old guy" lecture but there comes a time when the mind better start listening to the body. I don't move as fast as I used to and I can't "scramble" like I could even ten years ago. I'm still doing the same things, just doing them a little slower and with more thought.

I've had two heart attacks. I don't want a third. I've heard the sound of my own bones breaking. It didn't like it. Hospital food sucks and I'm too old to flirt with nurses. Time to change my ways.

And that hammer? I have one just like it. It's in the toolbox on the Cat where it belongs. :hmm3grin2orange:

Now back the truck up a little. The last funny story I have of my dad was him flirting with the nurses just days before he died at 83. My mom related it to me and you could tell it made her feel good as well. As for the hammer, I am too young for an axe - I might cut myself. :msp_wink: Ron

 

[rwoods]

Shanelogs, I'm glad you like my little rig. Thanks for the compliment. Ron

 

[ShaneLogs]

Shanelogs, I'm glad you like my little rig. Thanks for the compliment. Ron

No problem rwoods, My uncle has a tractor like that John Deere 4400 but his is a Kioti and it has the log arch with the winch on the back, It seems to work good, Keep up the good work

 

[Preston]

If that red oak was a solid log no telling how many red oak shingles could have been made from that one. What a nice tree. When red oak get that large around here they are hollow. Carpenter ants have had a feast. :msp_sneaky:

 

[rwoods]

If that red oak was a solid log no telling how many red oak shingles could have been made from that one. What a nice tree. When red oak get that large around here they are hollow. Carpenter ants have had a feast. :msp_sneaky:

It has a little hollow. And the ants certainly love red oaks. Too bad it isn't veneer quality. No one around here with a portable bandsaw will take on something this size and it is not worth enough to hire a logger to drag it out and haul to the mill. Otherwise I would consider cutting it into timbers and boards for an outbuilding. Ron