utility can be a personal thing!
Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)
- Thread starter mainewoods
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Probably little small for Kodiak
the log or the skidder! lol... for me, it would have to have a great heater!!!
freeasaburt
ArboristSite Operative
Such alloys are usually referred to by the (U.S. Steel owned) trademark 'COR-TEN' over here (Belgium). I believe they are not exactly cheap but they do get used for outside applications a lot indeed, although it seems to me that it's usually monuments or works of art that are built with them.
Here's an example of a 'floating' staircase (basically a fancy lookout tower, for tourists) close to one of my cutting places, made out of weathered steel. The thing was built with a lot of flex in it, if you want to be alone on it (it's quite a popular thing to visit), you just have to jump for a little while... soon enough all the others will have left
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.png "Love :heart:")
chipper's jokes!!! 
I'll take maintenance over repairs, every day of the week. But really? I'm not selling you one either..... BUT. Its not about maintenance or repairs, its strictly about buying the machine for the tasks, and I'm telling you I've seen enough of your scrounging wood pics to know you're going to bash your head against the ROP cage enough with a tracked machine, that when I tell you the Wheeled machine would be ten times more often, Im not exagerating. You just aren't going to be happy with a wheeled machine in those Off road conditions you have. Heck- you could go cheaper and buy a tractor/FEL and do better in the offroad scrounging, than with a wheeled skiddybopper, but you'd have a lot of mud on your wood, constantly.You really think it that bad of decision hu? What's your opinion on CTL under carriage and track assembly maintenance and maintenance costs vs rubber track over tire?
You have all the skills you need to maintain an undercarriage- you dont need to get scared about it, its not that tough. People that complain about it, are probably beating on their equipment, not maintaining it, and are beyotching about REPAIRS.
I run my ASV on half throtttle. You know how many experts have told me its not good for hydraulic pumps? SO many. Yet here it sits, with ZERO pump issues after 17 years. My Bobcat went almost 20 years, 10k hours, and never once opened up the motor or the hydro pumps, never. 8 sets of tires at 2k per set. My ASV just got new tracks at 15 years with ZERO tightening, and had tons of tread- and they were not loose in the slightest, which is why I recommend ASV. The molded lugs sheared off due to dry rot in one weekend all on one side. (the Rubber lugs are 90 durometer and integrated into the 70 durometer track at the molding process) I didn;t complain, I had the new tracks in two days from one state away at $2k OEM.
I'm a bit of a "expert" on equipment, because ( I am lazy) I have a background of using all kinds for many different construction experiences. Marine construction, residential and commercial construction, land clearing, environmental construction and remediation, road and bridge construction. Lots of specialized iron have passed my hands. I've never done anything by hand I can find a piece of machinery to do for me. I've bid and taken jobs solely to pay for the piece of equipment I wanted to use on the job, paying for labor from another business or out of my own pocket- thats how lazy I am (and creative at business financing).
You will not be happy with a wheeled unit off road, it will simply beat your ass to death. Another thing to consider- the cost to ship being what it is, you'll be paying for it twice when you have to buy a CTL after buying a wheeled unit. PLUS, when you go to sell the wheeled unit, the market is going to be tough to find the buyer IMO.
i can't comment, as i have only sat in a skidder... but... imo
SR's pix say a lot, he seems to know how to use his equipment well! i like his pix!
clean cab! hope it makes good for you!Very low hour tight clean pre imisions machine. Heated cab too!
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Having ran wheels and tracks in the woods I wouldn’t even consider wheels if tracks (rubber) were an option.
hey - u got a point! can't see u up there pulling a bailer....Tractors are definitely nice and a three point hitch and PTO are a nice addition.
In a perfect world it would be nice to have both!To each his own right!
you might have trouble shredding 10,000 ac like SR does!!!! lol... no s kidding around!Oh I'd just love to go head to head, each of us logging an acer of downed timber bucked into saw logs! A high track skid steer with a skidding grapple vs your tractor! Both the same horse power. Logged, "OVERLOADED" on a trailer, hauled on down the line and back fir another "OVERLOAD!" Until the acer's done been Logged! It be nice to see just witch is a faster, better, and more efficient machine fir logging. Bets could be made until the books were closed! Even money!
if i had to, i'd put my
on a proven shredder in that dept, well... pasture!
With a Schwinn high performance tricycle! Duh!!! Probably have to fab a hitch receiver, but who cares?
u mite not like the shipping costs!That's bad a**! That skidding grapple is a game changer if one is going to log with a skid steer! Unfortunately a machine like that is out of my price range. At least fir now! Id rather have a set of log tongs on the front though I don't think that feller head is big enough fir the wood Im dealing with.
i think he said he just needed it for some small stix....
keep us updated!It should be just fine fir a starter steer. My only concern is if a track over wheel kit will perform well in wet mud. Not really horribly soft and deep mud just slick sloppy mud. One thing about the Island. implements, track kit, dependable truck to tow the trailer, insurance and probably a few more things that will pop up when I least expect it. Putting a lot on the line here, but I wouldn't do it if I thought I'd fail. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!
Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!
oic....
We'll have to agree to disagree.
This. I agree. Only thing better then a tracked skid loader is a tracked cat loader, or possibly a wheel loader with chains.both too big and out of most people's price range.
One thing we need to remember is we all have different needs in equipment, and different conditions we need to deal with. I recently made a similar choice to KK, i could have gotten a little wheeled skid loader, or the tracor i ended up getting. The tractor made more sence for my needs. I need a 3 point hitch and rear pto. And well the tractor doesnt tear up the yard as bad as a skid loader. I'd still get a smaller tracked machine if I could afford it and take the loader off the tractor. Heck even the tractor has a ssqa on the loader. Just another point to how skid loaders dominate that market segment.
can a modder be far behind...?
i admit, sometimes having to back up... fwd, angle... back up etc.... the shredder for tight corners is a pita!No asfalt or concrete I can tell you that much! Woods logging 95% of the time d. Flat ground fir the most part. What about a rubber track over wheel kit?
I have but I didn't use it in the woods. Just around my property for demolition of old barn and shed. It was a wheel skid. Way faster and more maneuverable than a tractor without a question. Thats for sure!
but then a skidder seems to me maybe bit like a zero-turn around a tree! would hate to tear up the turf around base of tree!!!!
