Largest load I'll ever pick up with my Grapple (pics!)

[FTG-05]

I picked up this large hickory trunk a couple days ago. Actually, I picked up two of them but the other one was slightly smaller in diameter and in length (i.e. it was the upper half of the same trunk) so no pics of it.

The tractor could barely lift it off the ground. And once it did, the rear tires were barely making contact with the ground. I could tell it would have been very easy to lift a rear tire completely off the ground. Needless to say, I moved very very slowly!

Enough talk, on to the pics:




So, let's do the math here:

- tractor is about 3500 lbs (don't know if that includes the FEL or not)
- I have two 40 weight blocks in the torque tubes
- the rear tires are filled with 55 gallons each of RV antifreeze and water - 445 lbs each x 2 = 891 lbs
- rear tires have concrete, lead and steel wheel weights = 500 lbs
- on the 3ph is a LMC heavy duty 6' BB at 675 lbs plus 6' of 130 lb RR track plus 510 weight block/Ratchet Rake carrier = 1445 lbs on the 3ph.

Anyone want to guess how much that trunk weighs? BTW: that is a 48" width grapple.

Thanks for looking!

 

[BigBlue1]

That's a lot of weight on the front axle! I have a 11' chunk of maple tree trunk out in my yard like this. About 26" diameter at the wide end. I am under no misconceptions that my 2520 will pick it up but I may try to drag it to the back of my property with it. If that doesn't work I'll use my Ram 1500.

Rob

 

[civilian]

Need diameter of large end and small end, the length of the log. You also need type of hickory. Plug info in to the following link:

Log Weight Calculator at WOODWEB

It should give a close number. Is there any rot in piece? How long has it been sitting cut? ie is it dry or fresh cut.

Good Luck with the math. I'll be interested in the number. Jon

 

[FTG-05]

Need diameter of large end and small end, the length of the log. You also need type of hickory. Plug info in to the following link:

Log Weight Calculator at WOODWEB

It should give a close number. Is there any rot in piece? How long has it been sitting cut? ie is it dry or fresh cut.

Good Luck with the math. I'll be interested in the number. Jon

I'll measure it today. It has been dead for as long as I've owned the place. It's been crapping limbs just about every time the wind picks up or there is a storm that comes through. It's right next to my driveway, so it had to come down before it hurt someone.

Against the advice of the sawyer that took it down, I was able to harvest about a third of the upper wood for my home wood stove 3-5 years from now. Another third for out outdoor recreational wood burning and a third I just left. The trunk pieces are too big and too heavy and full of rotten wood, not worth salvaging. Hence, they became property barriers.

 

[PJSprog]

Wow, that's some serious weight. Your front tires look fairly unhappy about it, too.

Not to get too far off-topic, but what rifle mount are you using there?

 

[FTG-05]

Wow, that's some serious weight. Your front tires look fairly unhappy about it, too.

Not to get too far off-topic, but what rifle mount are you using there?

I believe it's these that I got from the Bargain Cave at Cabelas years ago: http://www.cabelas.com/product/shoo...uts?destination=/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1100216

More pics:

 

[aeblank]

My loader is not strong enough to lift my rear tires.
I think it needs adjusting..........

 

[rekees4300]

Anyone want to guess how much that trunk weighs?

Green (not dried) Hickory weights around 63 lbs. per cubic foot.

How to Calculate Cubic Feet of a Cylinder

 

[PJSprog]

Green (not dried) Hickory weights around 63 lbs. per cubic foot.

How to Calculate Cubic Feet of a Cylinder

Guesstimating 12' length and 1' radius calculates to 37.699 ft² x 63 = 2375.037 lbs.

 

[jeff9366]

When I first bought my aluminum Debris Forks, I experimented a bit with heavy loads.

However, I do not make heavy loads a normal procedure. Repairs are too expensive.