It's Logging Season-Northeast

[MadJack]

What have you guys built to skid logs out?
I have heard of more problems with Farmi-style rigs, and I'm looking for simple rigs that just plain work for a part time logger.
Bonus for photos...

 

[Rustyiron]

What problems are you hearing about?
Other than the opportunity to do something really stupid and have it go very wrong very fast all I hear is they're a very effective and a relatively inexpensive tool that seems to keep their value for a long time.
As with all equipment, it needs to match your needs and conditions. Pulling out 50' - 100' or 200' of cable to sneak a log out of the woods is a lot easier than building a trail for the tractor to get to it.
I don't have one myself for various reasons, but I haven't "heard" anything but happy ownership stories.

 

[MadJack]

1) $3500 is a lot for a pretty piece of steel. (I'm land rich-cash poor)
2) I already have logging trails
3) temperamental controls (on two I have worked with)
4) PITA sheet metal hiding a (normally) quick fix issue.

Sure it would be nice to have a new, or near new Farmi. No argument there!
I was merely looking for other options and ideas from those who actually LOG timber with their tractor.

(BTW... I'm "really" not stupid)

 

[Rustyiron]

I didn't mean you Jack, you know how the safety police get on here and I surely wasn't trying to be flaming you at all.
I just didn't understand your first comment about problems, still don't.
I'm here in rocky Maine also and besides rocks I've got stumps and I was concerned about the blazing fast winch speed of these winches (for my conditions).
My contraption started out as basically an "arch" that would allow the butt end to be 3-4' off the ground. One thing led to another a I added a hydraulic winch and finally a grapple. I've got about the same money in it as a store bought winch but it suits me better. I'm only thinning for boiler wood, the big wood was removed years ago.

This was a big old standing dead pine that I wanted to see if there's anything left on the inside for the sawmill.

 

[MadJack]

That photo is exactly what I was looking for! Thinking outside the box, looking at other peoples designs, then building/modifying for my personal use.

Please pardon my snappy response earlier. Bad Lyme morning and I get cranky when I hurt.

Thanks for the ideas RI. I'm over near Gardiner, but they still let me wander...

 

[Gordon Gould]

I agree with Eric. I have heard nothing but good words about Farmi style winches. Have been using one myself for 20 years. They are built to last and no nagging little problems like you mentioned.

You said " I'm looking for simple rigs that just plain work for a part time logger." If that's the case then you can't go wrong with a winch.

gg

 

[Gordon Gould]

I actually log with a tractor (I think) and have an extensive trail system and can honestly say that I could not get very far on my woodlot w/o a winch.

gg

 

[nyone]

Needing any attachment is solely dependant on the person useing it, way it's used and land it's used on.

I log mostly for firewood and it would take many many years of personal firewood burning to make up even a $4k winch. I also dont have huge hills nor closely spaced trees. A chain and grapple bucket works well for me.

 

[Chevyguy0819]

I have a wallenstein fx90 winch that is probably over 20 years old. use it all the time and never had a problem.

My grandfather always used something similar to this

 

[davedj1]

I just posted a build thread of an old wrecker winch I put on the 3 point and run it off the PTO, it works very well, cheap and easy to build into what I wanted/needed

 

[fruitcakesa]

I have a well used Norse 450 ;probably 15-20 y.o.
It has paid for itself many times over with the saw timber and pulp I have pulled out in the 3 years that I have owned it.
Other than operator error [tangled cable insanity] it has not had any mechanical issues and it has been worked hard.

 

[Jstpssng]

I just posted a build thread of an old wrecker winch I put on the 3 point and run it off the PTO, it works very well, cheap and easy to build into what I wanted/needed

My father started to build one when he bought his first Kubota about 45 years ago... the winch is still down in the garage where he put it after buying a Farmi that same year. The drawback is that they are s-l-o-w compared to a 3pth winch. (It's the same with electric, or the multi mile hydraulic units.) If you aren't cutting a lot of wood, or have a big enough machine to bring out a cord at a time that's fine. Or if it's all that you have... one fall I brought out 8 cords of fir studwood with just a chain and drawbar. It was slow but did work... I made enough money to buy a used Farmi. But for working wood up with a tractor on a regular basis, a 3 pth is the way to go.

 

[harrydarwen]

What have you guys built to skid logs out?
I have heard of more problems with Farmi-style rigs, and I'm looking for simple rigs that just plain work for a part time logger. 192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1
Bonus for photos...

Other than the opportunity to do something really stupid and have it go very wrong very fast all I hear is they're a very effective and a relatively inexpensive tool that seems to keep their value for a long time.

 

[spruce Deere]

For non production just skidding some firewood, I have done good with a draw bar and chain also.

Somewhere on here, someone built a skid apparatus from a 3 PT mounted receiver hitch thing, used chains and hooks simple effective thing.

I am very careful with tractors in the woods skidding, tractors just lack the guarding for themselves or operators like rusty irons sweeps and extra bars around the operators station on the kubota, those are not factory options, Which translates to slow, head on a swivel going. But still manage to skid enough wood to make it worth while.

 

[WranglerX]

I use chains and tractor draw bar also.. Not much of a problem if you are paying attention..... Most dangerous thing about logging and firewood is log splitter.....

 

[nyone]

Most dangerous thing about logging and firewood is log splitter....

The slowest and dullest tool is the most dangerous? I think it's more than likely the chainsaw..because when things go wrong with one of them you can die. Not many people dieing from a standard log splitter.

 

[Jstpssng]

I think it's more than likely the chainsaw.

I have to agree with this. I cringe when I see people out cutting with shorts and tee shirt. Then again I go to the other extreme... when I'm cutting it's kevlar boots with safety toes, hard hat with hearing and eye protection, and chaps. I won't even start a saw without the last three... sometimes it takes longer to get geared up than to cut a tree out of the road. If I'm going to be running the saw all day I also wear ear plugs under the muffs.

 

[Rustyiron]

I have to agree with this. I cringe when I see people out cutting with shorts and tee shirt.

Let me know before you stop by in the summer.
I'll put the saw down but I'm dam sure not putting more clothes on.

 

[Piston]

I built a log arch many years ago, and used it behind a small Case tractor to move a lot of wood. I put a hand winch on the front of it with a pulley directly over the axles in order to winch and lift the logs off the ground. It had a chain to secure the log for transit to take the load off the winch itself.
The winch was a cheap harbor freight version which broke after a fair bit of use.

I no longer use the arch. It worked well for what it was, but there are much better ways.

Since then I bought a used logging grapple for less than I could possibly build one for.
I think a good alternative to a full blown logging grapple, would be a simple 3 point frame similar to mine, with just a set of logging tongs hanging from a chain.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have a wallenstein fx90 winch that is probably over 20 years old. use it all the time and never had a problem.

I also have an FX90, and before getting it, I skid for years with just a chain,

BUT, once you spring for a skidding winch, you wonder why it wasn't bought long before... I even skid my deer out with mine,

I don't even take it off my tractor, it's just that useful...

SR