I'm no expert, it all depends I suppose. More weight would help when you're winching a load but a heavier machine in general means more impact to the forest floor. A lighter machine sometimes fairs better in soft ground. I suppose there are trade offs to each but the extra weight might be negligible in your case.
Trencher converted to mini skidder?
- Thread starter bigblue12v
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bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
True, as wide as the tires are on this and no more than it weighs I wouldn't be too worried about impact. 31x15.50 tires and it's no more than 3,000# right now.
i am always wishing i had more weight. new holland tc40. 4wd tractor, FEL, 2 sets of rear weights. she weighs in at around 4000lb and so far i have never found a time when i wished it weighed less. when the tires were loaded which added another 1000lbs to it i thought it pulled pretty good but still thought it needed more weight. i unloaded the tires because i was always making a trip to the tire shop to have them patched and since getting rid of the washer fluid i havent had a single flat tire on the rear.
when i hook onto a big log or a couple smaller logs i will go get a scoop of dirt in the bucket to add another 1000lb to the front end to help it pull better. 4000lb isnt enough weight to pull even a decent sized tree up hill. i never have trouble with the front end getting light. it doesnt get enough traction to lift it even without the bucket full. i have all the parts rounded up to make a log winch for the 3 point. 10000 lb hydraulic winch. hopefully getting the logs right up against the back will help. right now i pull logs with the grader blade on so i can chain them up tight to it and get a little lift on them to keep the ends from digging into the ground.
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Thanks f150, good to hear from someone with a machine somewhat comparable to mine. I'm using it for firewood work so cutting the logs to a shorter length is a given, that'll make weight of timber a bit more manageable.
i will try to get a couple pictures of one of my normal hitches of logs. i need to get in the woods and drag a couple out for the sawmill this weekend. probably going to be smaller than my normal loads since it is so wet but will still give you an idea of what a 4000lb 4wd tractor can pull on a flat to to very mild grades.
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Thanks! I still need to mount the blade and sort out some hydraulic stuff, haven't had time to mess with this thing. I am whittling away at it a little bit but too many irons in the fire. Need to get it done though I have a project for it. Between the blade, loading tires, building a cage, saw holder, small toolbox, winch and chains, etc., I'm sure I can get it to around 4,000 easily. But your tractor still has the advantage of the loader and wheel base being longer, where you can add more weight up front. I think if my winch is mounted higher I can get more leverage on the back from the log weight. At 57hp I don't think power is going to be an issue for me even if I got it close to 5,000# somehow. Tire chains would be awesome although I'd have to build my own and that'd be a pretty good project lol. Budget is tight on this thing right now so it's going to be minimal mods for now. That's OK gives me a chance to use it as it is so this winter I can get it in the shop and know exactly what I want to do differently on it!
http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/003/1/0/3100-new-holland-tc40.html there is the specs on my tractor to make a comparison to it. i have 40hp. 16.9x24 rear and 10x16.5 front tires. rears are ag tires and the front are skid steer tires because the factory 7x16 ag tires provided better traction but with the FEL those narrow aggressive tires dug in and sunk to easily so i switched it out to the skid steer tires.
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Those boomers are really nice looking tractors! Your narrow tires surely get better bite than my flotation tires. They're 15" 8 lug rims and the axles look like narrow Dana 60 truck axles so I potentially have a lot of options, clearance against the machine is my only obstacle. I could easily run a 33x12.50 truck tire or equivalent ag tire. A 35" would be even better. Super Swamper makes a 34x10.50 LTB that I've had a set of before with no complaints. But I prefer to stick with Ag tread, they're made for low speed traction. Truck tires need to spin fast to clean out. AGS naturally clean and dig at a slow speed. But I have no idea what my options are with Ag tire sizes. I'm sure something is out there if I ever resize.
there is a small load. rained all night here so i kept it small. I could pull that up hill through the woods in 4wd and once i made it to the skid trail I've been using for the last year i switched to 2wd and only had to lock the diff on the uphill sections. 
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Shoot that's not a bad lookin load. My diff's are locked full time. Which is great until you get it stuck because then you have no plan B lol!
06switchback
ArboristSite Operative
I'm liking your mini skid idea my tractor is far lighter than either in this at about 2000# plus the loader and have no problem pulling firewood
If I can't hook the log close enough to lift the end I put on another 800# ballast box
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
If I can't hook the log close enough to lift the end I put on another 800# ballast box
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Dang that's a good load for such a light machine! I used that lawn boy 4wd garden tractor I posted pic of earlier in thread and it impressed me a lot what it would drag with open diff's and only around 1100# with me on it. It'd pull a 12-16" diameter log about 6-8' long through mud and a steep rough creek crossing easily. And I couldn't really pick up the end more than a couple inches.I'm liking your mini skid idea my tractor is far lighter than either in this at about 2000# plus the loader and have no problem pulling firewood
If I can't hook the log close enough to lift the end I put on another 800# ballast box
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
dieselfitter
ArboristSite Guru
FWIW, I had some Dana 70 axles from a Ditchwitch. They had 6.17 ratio gears and Powr Loc(limited slip) Differentials. I suspect your Dana 60's are about the same.
Hard to say from the pictures but that looks like a Perkins Model 4.108 engine.
Hard to say from the pictures but that looks like a Perkins Model 4.108 engine.
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Not sure that these are 60 or 70 but that's what they look like anyway lol. Open knuckle front. Never saw a 70 front that wasn't closed knuckle in a truck anyway. I'm sure that's about what gears this has. Don't know exactly how they're locked just that they are. Haven't found data tag on engine yet but haven't looked yet either. At least now I know what the number should look like lol that'll help when looking. Thanks!
It will surprise you what a 4000lb machine can pull but like the load i had on today going up through the leaf litter and over the debris of other tree tops i couldnt go any bigger or it would have been spinning and digging ruts. i usually go double what was on there but the wet ground really hurts pulling capability.
Get the front of those loads off the ground and you will be surprised how much your little tractors can pull. Ron
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Making me itch to get this thing done!!!! Here's today's load, my brother got a brand new 3046R and we had to break it in proper! Lol took down a handful of small trees next to a shed he is tearing down and man it's nice having a loader tractor around. Even better our friend loaned us his dump trailer to use. Easiest load I've had yet lol.
Yes there's a pile of debris that was a shed under those branches. All going to get burnt then some fill dirt going in, this will be a turn out pasture for his hay burners.
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Yea with my garden tractor my (Cat 0) 3 point didn't have enough travel to tighten the chain and lift the log much because since it's a small machine, even raised halfway up is still not very high so it was hard to get the chain tight enough to lift it much. Sometimes I hooked it and got it up enough to throw a piece of wood under the log then tighten the chain up again. Before I got the mini skidder I was thinking of making a small 3 point skidding attachment for the garden tractor with an ATV winch or something but I won't need to use that anymore for skidding. I do use it if I need to cross a soft lawn I'll hook the 4 wheel wagon behind it and throw rounds in wagon. Hate doing it that way but when the ground is that soft some people don't want ruts. Can't blame them much.
bigblue12v
ArboristSite Operative
Dumped some cash into the tank, new oil and filter, new hydraulic hose, fluid and filter. The hose was collapsed and had an t that had an extra line on it for the backhoe I no longer need. I finally have hydraulic power but have a stuck check valve I think, I have to hold a blade valve to get power steering. The hydraulics are fairly complex on this thing. Trying to line up a hydraulic or at least PTO winch for cheap. I have an electric one but I think that'll require an alternator upgrade because supposedly this one is only 37 amp or so. Not nearly enough to run a winch. I need to really gut the wiring on this thing. The push button starter is the only thing that works. It doesn't charge, no gauges work, no glow plug button, and it seems to have a power draw. Time to rip it all out and start from scratch. Appears to have a gm style internally regulated alternator. I may upgrade to a higher amp one since I need to rewire the whole mess anyway. All in time.....
