Log Skidding Tongs?

[RonMar]

Any pull force applied to an object that might become immoveable(log hangs up on stump/root/rock) should always be from below the rear axle.

I have not had good luck with tongs and dragging. They like to pull straight. my pulls usually involve turns and negotiating other trees on trails. Using tongs, the log rolls around and the tongs frequently work loose.

I use a boom like mentioned to lift the log a bit to get chains on and off, and also to lift the front end over obstacles when dragging(see attached pic shown in lift position), but the pull force comes from well down below the axle on the drawbar assembly, and the boom is normally lowered to allow slack for turns without putting any side load on the boom. I also very rarely have a chain come loose from the log when dragging. The tongs might be handy for lifting, and I havn't tried that, but I don't think they would stay on very well during the drag if left slack.

Rinsing the log with hose or bucket also helps a lot with chain/bar wear. I use a "peevey"(log roler bar that has 1/2 of a log tong on it) to roll the log up on something to get it clear of the ground. I am usually harder on the chains from accidently hitting the ground then from debris left in the bark from dragging.

 

[RonMar]

I was hoping to skid out some firewood logs using tongs and short chain to lift arm mounted drawbar so I could lift front end of log enough to clear obstacles on ground and help keep it cleaner for bucking.

The problem with using the lift arms is that the actual vector of forces back thru the hitch if the log hangs up, is somewere between the lift arm attach points and the toplink attach point, well above the axle. This can be dangerous.

They put that drawbar hitch way down below the rear axle for a reason...

As mentioned, The lift arms are not going to be very tollerant of side loads, such as when turning while dragging. They were just not designed for that.

 

[wolc123]

First attach a 3pt lift boom to your tractor, then hang the tongs from the end of the boom. To hook up a log, you just back up to it and lower the boom. The tongs will spread around the end of the log and when you lift, they will grab it. Now you can drag it with one end raised so it won't hang up on anything or get coated with blade-dulling dirt. Usually you can unhook the log by lowering the boom and shaking it a bit until the tongs swing clear. Again, there is no need to leave the tractor seat. This is the most efficient way I have found to use log tongs. This method might not work well with a small tractor or one that is light on the front, but with a fairly heavy one with a front loader for ballast, it works great.

 

[RonMar]

Logs don't always hang up at the end where you are pulling from. If it does, and you are pulling with the boom, you will be applying the pull force thru the boom to the toplink attachpoint, well above the axle. This can wheelie the tractor... If you search back thru the safety section here in general forums, you will see a post a year or two ago about a kid killed on a tractor. He shouldn't have been there, but what caused the incident was trying to pull a stump with the chain attached to the toplink bracket on the tractor. Tractor went up and over and the boy was crushed.

The boom/3PH is also not real tollerant of side loads, so 3PH damage can occur in a turn. Since the force is applied from the boom so high up on the tractor, even rollover can result if you are trying to turn and get hung up.

Same reason why it is not a good idea to lift and drag logs with the front end loader. Many tractors have been rolled over this way with a pull force above the tractor CG. I have had a tractor on 2 wheels doing this back before I
knew better and I do NOT reccomend it as it can happen real fast.

 

[Georgia Boy]

Tongs are for lifting up. I always use a choker cable for pulling, it never comes lose and is easier to stick under the log.

 

[dknarnd]

One of the tasks I have planned for my new grapple is to assist in gathering firewood. Usually I don't have much trouble getting a chain around a log to drag but on ocassion I have used the bucket to lift the end of the log enough to get a chain under. Even with the grapple I will still skid from the drawbar until I get out of the woods and into a stable field area.

If I were to use tongs I would want them on a cart hitched to the drawbar and not onto the 3ph; sort of how they skid wood with horses. When I know that I may have problems with a log hanging up I try to cut the end of the log at an angle so that it slides over obtacles better.

I can feel your pain with the dirt and your saw chain, the past couple of years I have been skidding logs about 100 yards up a dirt road and cutting them after that is brutal on the chain.

 

[flINTLOCK]

It's almost enough of a safety concern to look for a 3-pt log skidding winch. I've seen some real nice ones, but I don't expect to do enough of that kind of work to be cost effective. Incidentally, my NH dealer says he simply chains the log to the lift arms.

 

[ToadHill]

flIntlock; you can build something like this, It lifts the log off the ground just a bit and still keeps the center of gravity at drawbar level. The downside of the log will still drag on the ground, but it can still be cut without getting a lot of dirt on the sawblade.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Looks interesting, thanks. This link looks like just the ticket. Portable sawmills, forestry equipment and ATV attachments

 

[flINTLOCK]

Pretty neat piece of equipment. Not sure that it addresses the center of gravity issue and risk of rollover, though.