I like the boom pole idea, that's what I was thinking on the tractor end with tongs to pick up the log there. I didn't see the hook Plumbstraight..... that looks like a versatile way to go. What I've scrounged to build this out of is some type of ladder material..... I think it was an old scaffold. I'm going out of town, but I'll try to post a picture after I get back in a few days. But attached is a crude drawing. I was going to weld a piece of C channel across the bottom of that, then weld the spring tabs onto the channel. I forgot about the twist of the wheels, though after I cut the axle out. So I'd need a plate on the end of the cut axle tube welded to the channel along with a gusset, or something to that effect. Which renders the spring useless anyway. So I guess I can get rid of the springs. 
