Best pickaroon / log dragger

[MattyF]

Looks like a well designed pick Matty, like the stop end which is a good safety feature and notches for frozen wood, probably a bit short for rolling big stuff but looks like a good general purpose pick which could be used one handed. 

They do a short and long handled version , it’s not an Oregon design but rebadged..
It is though with out a doubt the best for handling timber I’ve used as it’s light and not harsh on your wrists so you can be accurate and fast and neither does it come out easily , unless you twist it and want it too unlike most the other makes out there that fall out with any weight on them ... I’ve moved big logs for the processor or big rings all day on many occasions and it would be my go too , in fact if you had to test four or five models any one who has had a play would choose it, even if they have dismissed log picks in the past I’m that confident In it.

[Acerforestry]

23 hours ago, Vedhoggar said:

That Bison looks like the Stihl hookaroon, it will not grip frozen wood/probably bounce out, hook of same design of one that snapped on mine on contact with frozen wood. That Fiskars is designed to grip frozen wood and the stop end is a good feature but shaft looks a bit straight.

The Oregon ones are not good, design looks promising but do not tend to dig in well - that was the odd thing with the Woodchuck, it didn't look particularly like it would penetrate well but actually was really good. I think the Fiskars

[Stubby]

3 minutes ago, Acerforestry said:

The Oregon ones are not good, design looks promising but do not tend to dig in well - that was the odd thing with the Woodchuck, it didn't look particularly like it would penetrate well but actually was really good. I think the Fiskars

I thought that with the " Woodchuck " Thought the hook was not long enough but as you say its a goodun .

[neiln]

The bison is, I think, the same as th oschenkopf.  It's head is good, it's haft is sh**.  Fat, heavy, softwood, horrible to use and will break after a few months anyway.  Replacing it with a nice thin hickory handle transforms the usability of the tool making it a joy to use.

Edited October 9, 2020 by neiln

[MattyF]

The Oregon ones are not good, design looks promising but do not tend to dig in well - that was the odd thing with the Woodchuck, it didn't look particularly like it would penetrate well but actually was really good. I think the Fiskars

Are not my findings with it ... even in beech cord or rings.

[Acerforestry]

Uh, which??

[Vedhoggar]

On 09/10/2020 at 21:20, neiln said:

The bison is, I think, the same as th oschenkopf.  It's head is good, it's haft is sh**.  Fat, heavy, softwood, horrible to use and will break after a few months anyway.  Replacing it with a nice thin hickory handle transforms the usability of the tool making it a joy to use.

Oschenkopf shafts are mostly ash but some hickory. The 110cm Tirol sappie we have has an ash shaft, it is designed for rolling/dragging not lifting unlike the shorter ones which can be used for lifting as well. Bought the one we have specifically for a job where we wanted roll large logs to a splitter and it did the job - had it 2 yrs and shaft still sound, we use smaller sappies/pickaroons for lifting/moving smaller logs. Ochenkopf also do a 70cm sappie with a plastic/aluminium shaft which is exactly the same design as the Oregon one MattyF referred to.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Vedhoggar

[neiln]

My experience is with the bison.  The original haft was horrid and it turned out a good thing when it broke so quickly (a month or 2, maybe less.... I'd probably not moved more then a couple of cube of logs about).  The fitting of a much thinner haft, which actually now I think about it may have been ash, made a useful but unpleasant tool become a joy.  I've since split that haft and need to rehang the head again but the last handle did 2+ years and 20-30 cube.

I tend to use it to pick up rings or logs already bucked to stove length, to set them on the chopping block or shifting and stacking them after I've scrounged up a car load.  I don't find it good for picking up the splits, here I use a short one, actually a motar pick. I'm tempted to try a pulp hook out for that though after watching buckin' on the 'tube.

[Toad]

I've got the little stihl branded one, I use it for everything from picking up and moving large rings that are too be split to loading and emptying ibcs. The handle feels good, but the head is beginning to come loose and I would like to put a bit of string or something on the handle to hang it off the log splitter rather than leave it in a log.

[Vedhoggar]

12 minutes ago, neiln said:

My experience is with the bison.  The original haft was horrid and it turned out a good thing when it broke so quickly (a month or 2, maybe less.... I'd probably not moved more then a couple of cube of logs about).  The fitting of a much thinner haft, which actually now I think about it may have been ash, made a useful but unpleasant tool become a joy.  I've since split that haft and need to rehang the head again but the last handle did 2+ years and 20-30 cube.

I tend to use it to pick up rings or logs already bucked to stove length, to set them on the chopping block or shifting and stacking them after I've scrounged up a car load.  I don't find it good for picking up the splits, here I use a short one, actually a motar pick. I'm tempted to try a pulp hook out for that though after watching buckin' on the 'tube.

I find a small pickaroon or log tongs best for moving split logs if I don’t want to bend down, use log tongs a lot when moving 50cm split billets, have pulp hooks but would never use them for lifting split logs. Bahco 200mm max jaw opening hand log tongs we use as well as the next size up depending on what we are lifting.