Machinery for Woods

[spuddog0507]

How much do you want to spend ? this is from some one with 40 + yrs experience in the timber game, you can spend very little on machinery and do the job, you could all so spend tens of thousands and get no where with the job, a lot is all down to the ability of the driver on the machine ?, you may disagree or agree, one lad who works with us would bury our tractor and trailer with in half a day and it could be a site where i have been extracting for 2 or 3 wks with no problems at all, quads are ok but very limited with what they can pull out, gator style 4x4 again i would think limited, Avant i would say forget it as the load in the grab would be twice as wide as the machine, when we are tidying up on a job and the timber but ends and bent stuff we have left behind, we just ring up in situ and use a 1 tonne high lift 4WD dumper and its supprising what you can move with one in a day, Our main out fit for extracting timber does its job very well and it dont make a big mess,, 

Edited September 24, 2022 by spuddog0507
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[MattyF]

Pto winch and tractor… timber trailer/crane would be good .. avant would be a waste of time. 

[NJA]

30 minutes ago, spuddog0507 said:

How much do you want to spend ? this is from some one with 40 + yrs experience in the timber game, you can spend very little on machinery and do the job, you could all so spend tens of thousands and get no where with the job, a lot is all down to the ability of the driver on the machine ?, you may disagree or agree, one lad who works with us would bury our tractor and trailer with in half a day and it could be a site where i have been extracting for 2 or 3 wks with no problems at all, quads are ok but very limited with what they can pull out, gator style 4x4 again i would think limited, Avant i would say forget it as the load in the grab would be twice as wide as the machine, when we are tidying up on a job and the timber but ends and bent stuff we have left behind, we just ring up in situ and use a 1 tonne high lift 4WD dumper and its supprising what you can move with one in a day, Our main out fit for extracting timber does its job very well and it dont make a big mess,, 

Nice set up, and good idea the 1t dumper v maneuverable those things.

[Stere]

If  its birch that has being down since that Feb storm  it will all need to be moved before this winter if its to be of of any use as firewood etc - or  it will all rot.  Also as the ground is still firm atm better now ....

Edited September 25, 2022 by Stere

[doobin]

Storm damaged birch, already rotting (possibly not as summer so dry but still…). Small machine access only. Sounds like they just want a sucker to tidy it up. I’d think very carefully about getting involved, even if you bag it up you have to keep it properly undercover (barn) and even then it’s pretty crap. 

[Svts]

I'd echo those above as regards the viability of the windblown Birch. Get it quick and try and get it under cover if you're not going to use it immediately. 

That said there's a mad panic buy on at the moment, If you've a few wagon loads of processer friendly stuff that's been down a year you'll be holding a trump card. A lad I know paid an eye-watering sum for a load of rubbish from a well known player recently, out of desperation. 

And you don't mention if the landowner wants paying at all? 

Free is a different ball game to paying for it. 

 

[Sutton]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

If  its birch that has being down since that Feb storm  it will all need to be moved before this winter if its to be of of any use as firewood etc - or  it will all rot.  Also as the ground is still firm atm better now ....

To add to this "Winter is coming!", the long term forecasts can be useful in deciding how, with what and when:

 

 

[drinksloe]

Plenty good advice here already.

 

How wet is the ground? Often see big stands of birch on wetter/peaty ground and if all wind blown possibly a good chance it is a wet site. Usually a lot of blow is a good sign of wet ground or ad drainage.

 

Ur tractor and skidder winch are ur classic tool followed by a tractor and timber trailer.

The size would depend on how much the ground can stand and the extraction distance.

 

Depending on the set up do u need to extract it as u go?

Or just either get a contractor in to extract in 1 go when everything is already cut and wait till the summer/drier weather conditions.

2-300T a contractor could knock it out in a week possibly less, depending on the site and how well laid out and stacked it is.

Hell on decent sized soft woods and a short haul many larger forwarders will knock that out in 1 day, not that u'd do that in birch thou

 

 

I would be tempted to just get stuck into it cutting extraction tracks ( and also quads tracks to get u and ur gear in/out) and stack ur birch raised off the deck in neat piles along tracks u have cut along the drier areas with nice very low stumps.

If u stacked it even uncovered it shouldnae take that much hurt if off the deck, ideally stacked facing the wind if possible.

 

In wetter areas u could use a capstan winch to skid out some timber to drier areas?

Or a quad and logging arch

 

With birch ur probably dealing with smaller timber even at 3-4m most will be hand ballable so hand loading it onto a quad trailer could be an option it time is not a factor to extract ( and u can be bothered )

 

Must admit if its only the 1 job and cutting a few hundred T of firewood isn't going to justify buying much off a machine to do it unless u have other work for it.

A quad is a handy tool for all sorts as is a capstan winch and not too much money. 

 

I think i would be tempted if doing it to have a right good walk throu the site, find the drier areas that also go near enough most of ur wind blown timber and mark trees where extraction routes will be, then cut ur routes out stacking timber beside them and then work at getting all the timber felled and stacked and get a contractor in in 1 go to lift the lot.

Be handier for the timber hauliers too if a big heap of timber at roadside, they don't want to be coming in for a load and only a 1/2 load there.

Plus more chance of it being nicked if constantly wee loads sat at roadisde fr months and months