3-Point Hitch Log/tree skidding with your quick-hitch

[JB4310]

I've taken to using my Harbor Freight quick-hitch as a poor man's skidding arch.

I use a snatch hook that you can get from either Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply and hang it from the top hook on the hitch. I think that the attached photos speak for themselves.

Yes, you do have to be careful to prevent the butt of the tree from smashing into your PTO shield or the like. I just try to keep the chain close to the end and lower the butt if it starts to get too "intimate" for my liking.

Lifting the butt of the tree makes it a lot easier to move by reducing the drag and adding rear weight for traction. The first tree was a toothpick by weight compared to the second one. You really can move a lot with a SCUT as long as you have traction!

I have done it similar to you, with pulling with the QH. I even welded a receiver tube under the top hook. That hook is the perfect fit for that purpose.
The only problem is pulling from there puts much more stress directly to the top link IMO, compared to most other 3 pt use applications.

I only thought about it after I put the receiver tube on mine and realized I better not go trying to jerk a stump out with it.

JB

 

[Hermio]

If I were to pull logs with my Massey, I would do the same as I did with my F250 when I logged my property..........

I used an old F150 pickup hood(that I borrowed from the local junkyard), chained that to the bumper of my pickup.....then put the butt end of the log on the hood...........chained both low...........the 70's style hood acted as a skid, and pulled the logs out just fine.

Be careful with your quick hitch, you seem to be hooking high ...........which could cause a rollover.

I have thought about getting a quick hitch for this purpose, too. Yes, you would be hitching high, but the drawbar pull would be a fraction as high as it would be with the butt of the log plowing a furrow. That might cancel out the danger of pulling a bit high. I note that the Norwood and QuickAttach skidders do hicth high. The QuicAttach skidder has a lower plate which I think would prevent rollover. Note that the Farmi and similar hitches hitch high while wincing, though you can secure the chain to a lower point once the log gets to the tractor. Also, the attachment will hit the ground if the front of the tractor lifts up, which will cause a loss of traction and probably just make the tires dig. I uded to pull logs with a rear blade, and the tires always dug in if the pulling got too hard. Now I have a FEL, which is a rather heavy counterweight. I also have an HST drive, which lets me stop quickly just by letting up on the pedal.

 

[Hermio]

After hurricane Gustav I was moving a large green oak log, and got the bright idea of picking the front of the log up enough with my quick hitch to skid it to where I wanted it. I passed the chain around the end of the log and attached it around the lower hooks on my quick hitch. The 3 point hitch lifted the front of the log and I was able to move it slowly but when I unhooked the chain I realized that the weight had bent the lower hooks on the quick hitch in towards each other! Not the hitch's fault, it simply was not designed for that type of load.

When you attach it to both lower links, you create tremendous leverage to pull the lower links towards each other. The tighter the chain is between them, the worse it will be. If you want to pull low, I suggest placing a standard swiveling drawbar in the lower links, and use the holes to attach your hooks. This will keep the hitch from bending inwards. You need the right length of drawbar, of course. I think this will work: Tractor Drawbar-Drawbars | Agri Supply #28272

 

[Hermio]

I've taken to using my Harbor Freight quick-hitch as a poor man's skidding arch.

I use a snatch hook that you can get from either Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply and hang it from the top hook on the hitch. I think that the attached photos speak for themselves.

Yes, you do have to be careful to prevent the butt of the tree from smashing into your PTO shield or the like. I just try to keep the chain close to the end and lower the butt if it starts to get too "intimate" for my liking.

Lifting the butt of the tree makes it a lot easier to move by reducing the drag and adding rear weight for traction. The first tree was a toothpick by weight compared to the second one. You really can move a lot with a SCUT as long as you have traction!

I think putting a drawbar in your lower link would also keep the log away from the PTO shield. I think this might work: Tractor Drawbar-Drawbars | Agri Supply #28272

 

[LD1]

Do you realize the thread is 4 years old?

Although I do it, I would never suggest someone using the 3ph in this manner. Especially someone with not much experience. Easy way to flip over.

The butt end digging in creating more drawbar pull means nothing. You aren't gonna flip it attached to a FACTORY LOCATED drawbar. Regardless of how big the log or how much it digs. But you very easily can hitching like this thread shows.

 

[Hermio]

You seem to be following this 4-year old thread anyway. I understand the danger of hitching high, yet logging winches do exactly that. Flipover chance is reduced by the plate at the bottom. Also, as long as the towing device contacts the ground when the tractor rears up, it will stop the flipover because the 3-point hitch now pushes against the tractor top ling, breaking traction. As an additional safety measure, an HST transmission allows one to stop the tractor immediately. I have found this very useful, for example, when driving below tree branches or vines and having them hook on the ROPS. The front end of the tractor has lifted up, but I could stop immediately and simply back up. If one has a gear drive tractor, I recommend a full logger's cage be built if the tractor is to be used in the woods.

 

[Hermio]

"The butt end digging in creating more drawbar pull means nothing. You aren't gonna flip it attached to a FACTORY LOCATED drawbar. Regardless of how big the log or how much it digs. But you very easily can hitching like this thread shows."
This is not entirely true. Only if the length of the drawbar attachment point from the centerline of the axle to where the pull is applied is greater than the tire radius can you be 100% certain that the tractor cannot roll over backwards. This is not just because it blocks the roll. It is because of physics. The counter torque created by placing the drawbar below the axle is less than the raising torque as long as the radius is less than the tire radius, once the tractor front gets off the ground. The only thing really keeping the front of the tractor on the ground is the center of gravity being in front of the rear axle, so that the tires will slip before the tractor raises up. But once the tractor starts to raise, it will keep going up until something hits the ground or the counter torque matches the overturning torque, which will not happen if the radius of the load point is less than the tire radius.
In any case, the whole rollover question is one of the reasons I prefer a hydrostatic drive in the woods. You just cannot be sure you will find the clutch fast enough. You have at most a second to do so if a rollover begins, and it is hard to do when you are being tossed around by the tractor.

 

[budepps3760]

What size is your tractor HP and weight. I have a old Mahindra 2810 and I need to do something similar as I plan on building a log cabin on my land. Have 80 acres of trees to use and one concern I have been thinking about is the transportation and lifting them into place.

 

[Hermio]

It is a 2013 Mahindra 5035, branded as a 2015. As equipped with a 4-way FEL, it is about 9000 lb with no rear attachment. The 4-way bucket weighs 600# more than the OEM bucket, so I have plenty of weight on the front.

 

[Kioti Lee]

That is awesome.. Would greatly improve my log moving /splitting program

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