skidding logs with tractor?

[Ryan]

Thats good advice guys. I think I will use a long length of box section say 100x50 havy wall and maybe 8-10ft long. This will attach directly to the tractor in place of a top link. I will then drop an a frame down to meet the lift arms. This means I can lift the butt of the logs well off the ground. If I kept the last few feet of branches on the top of the trees this would help keep the logs clean. How many do you think I could pull at a time given a butt diameter of 8-10 inches and dry conditions?

 

Slack ma girdle any pictures would be a help im sure. My only source of information is the internet as I dont know any loggers. Im just a firewood cutter all be in on a large scale.

[openspaceman]

 

Like I said, tried multicut chain but didn't make that much difference; you just have to accept you'll be sharpening a few times in a day. A decent brash mat in the skid-road makes a significant difference. Picking up wet sod and stones is undesirable; friable loose earth is bearable.

 

You can see in the pics that really the wood is pretty clean. Any missed pegs (naughty naughty - smooth snedding please) tend to collect dirt.

 

 

This is also my recollection, we used to skid onto cross bearers at the stacking area, which then filled up with sawdust. Yes we did have to resharpen frequently but the chap doing the conversion woulkd often use a larger saw ( Stihl 044 or Husky 288) with a short bar and semi chisel chain, which stands a bit more damage as it doesn't depend on a single sharp point.

 

The main reason for changing to shortwood was more to do with manual handling at the landing.

[Daniël Bos]

Thats good advice guys. I think I will use a long length of box section say 100x50 havy wall and maybe 8-10ft long. This will attach directly to the tractor in place of a top link. I will then drop an a frame down to meet the lift arms. This means I can lift the butt of the logs well off the ground. If I kept the last few feet of branches on the top of the trees this would help keep the logs clean. How many do you think I could pull at a time given a butt diameter of 8-10 inches and dry conditions?

 

Slack ma girdle any pictures would be a help im sure. My only source of information is the internet as I dont know any loggers. Im just a firewood cutter all be in on a large scale.

 

I'd make the attachment point on that top arm so you can move it. Even if only temporarily. That way you can fiddle with it and get the right balance between lift height and weight, to suit your tractor and trees. (More height=less weight and vice versa)

[Chris Sheppard]

How many do you think I could pull at a time given a butt diameter of 8-10 inches and dry conditions?

.

 

Depends on the tractor, but say 70-100hp tractor should pull 10 or so of that sort of size at a time I'd say. Usually the limiting factor would be the winch but you're taking that out of the equation.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

This is also my recollection, we used to skid onto cross bearers at the stacking area, which then filled up with sawdust. Yes we did have to resharpen frequently but the chap doing the conversion woulkd often use a larger saw ( Stihl 044 or Husky 288) with a short bar and semi chisel chain, which stands a bit more damage as it doesn't depend on a single sharp point.

 

The main reason for changing to shortwood was more to do with manual handling at the landing.

 

Very good point re using a bigger saw; I have not been, infact changed from a 60cc on an 18" to a 50cc on a 16" and my back is paying for it! Will try a bigger saw with 18" bar and semi-chisel...

Yeah we were skidding to the stacking area and put 6" of woodchip down to try and save the chain from major stone damage; stacking area on forest track is horrendous for cross-cutting on

[Chris Sheppard]

Very good point re using a bigger saw; I have not been, infact changed from a 60cc on an 18" to a 50cc on a 16" and my back is paying for it! Will try a bigger saw with 18" bar and semi-chisel...

Yeah we were skidding to the stacking area and put 6" of woodchip down to try and save the chain from major stone damage; stacking area on forest track is horrendous for cross-cutting on

 

You just want to use the Dolly for everything don't you really, Jon?

 

We did have some success with the multicut on skidded stuff but with it still being full chisel it still doesn't like stones - OK on sandy stuff though, just lacking in bite compared to non MC full chisel chain

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

You just want to use the Dolly for everything don't you really, Jon?

 

We did have some success with the multicut on skidded stuff but with it still being full chisel it still doesn't like stones - OK on sandy stuff though, just lacking in bite compared to non MC full chisel chain

 

Yeah it goes better with a 16 than 10cc more does with an 18! And of course it's lighter. But the extra reaching around is bad for said back. Harvesting head for the 8 tonner is in the cross-hairs...

 

So do you reckon semi-chisel will be better in this instance; I've traditionally hated the stuff but for weeks and weeks of converting this lot might be the way to go?

Edited April 21, 2013 by TimberCutterDartmoor

[Chris Sheppard]

Yeah it goes better with a 16 than 10cc more does with an 18! And of course it's lighter. But the extra reaching around is bad for said back. Harvesting head for the 8 tonner is in the cross-hairs...

 

So do you reckon semi-chisel will be better in this instance; I've traditionally hated the stuff but for weeks and weeks of converting this lot might be the way to go?

 

I think the key is the bigger saw to go for longer when it dulls off. Hitting a stone is never good on any chain but semi's always going to suffer less damage if it hits something hard so should go a bit longer I reckon.

 

Openspaceman's idea with the bearers sounds a good one. Remember it being mentioned before but never tried it myself.

[slack ma girdle]

Very good point re using a bigger saw; I have not been, infact changed from a 60cc on an 18" to a 50cc on a 16" and my back is paying for it! Will try a bigger saw with 18" bar and semi-chisel...

Yeah we were skidding to the stacking area and put 6" of woodchip down to try and save the chain from major stone damage; stacking area on forest track is horrendous for cross-cutting on

 

If the ground is soft half bury 3 or 4 logs that the tractor can drive over pulling the skidded trees onto the half buried logs. You can then cross cut without burying the chain.

P.S. it does not always work, but when it does its marvolus

[slack ma girdle]

Thats good advice guys. I think I will use a long length of box section say 100x50 havy wall and maybe 8-10ft long. This will attach directly to the tractor in place of a top link. I will then drop an a frame down to meet the lift arms. This means I can lift the butt of the logs well off the ground. If I kept the last few feet of branches on the top of the trees this would help keep the logs clean. How many do you think I could pull at a time given a butt diameter of 8-10 inches and dry conditions?

 

Slack ma girdle any pictures would be a help im sure. My only source of information is the internet as I dont know any loggers. Im just a firewood cutter all be in on a large scale.

 

Ere you go: