Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Sheriffwood]

I am truly small potatoes compared to most on here - but hey - Its alot of fun and I try to make the best of it !!

 

[bstrom]

Forks work pretty well.

 

[wolc123]

Sorry no pics, Someday I will learn how to do that. Have any of you folks used a trike (narrow) front tractor for dragging logs out of the woods? In 10 pages of pictures, I did not see any. You folks don't know what you are missing. I will admit, that it is significantly easier to roll a trike, causing injury or death to the operator, but if you are coordinated enough, and don't have woodchuck burrows in your woods, there is absolutely no comparison, as to how much better a narrow front works, for this job than a wide front. The ultimate log dragging tractor would have unloaded tires, to minimize weight, and a tricycle (narrow) front, and good breaks. Unfortunately, I think the massive over-abundance of lawyers in this country today, prevents the manufacture of new tricycle-front tractors today, causing most folks to mis-apply wide-front machines. Still, there are lots of antique trikes out there that are in good shape now, or would take little effort to get into good shape. The three big advantages of the trike are: First, far greater visibility in the woods. With a trike, side-front vision is 100% unrestricted, making it easy to see stumps and other hazzards. This is unlike a wide-front tractor, where close-in side-front vision is restricted. Until you experience it, you would not believe, how much better is the forward vision of a trike tractor. Second, much better maneuverability of a trike (with working brakes). These can always, easily turn around on the spot, while any wide-front tractor has some required turning radius. Again, the turning radius of a trike-tractor, with good breaks, is always, zero inches. If you have ever driven a tractor thru the woods, you know that the greater maneuverability, the better. Third and probably the biggest advantage of the trike is less rutting. No one likes ruts in their woods, and the trike, with unloaded tires, will minimize the ruts. I have seen trikes do less ground damage than horses while dragging logs thru, less than ideal, softer ground. Putting the front, steering tire(s), in a different path than the rears, really minimizes rutting. While dragging logs with any tractor the lighter the tire weight the better. Plenty of down-pressure, on the rears, should be exerted by the properly-rigged log(s). The greater the down-pressure, the deeper the ruts. Keeping the calcium out of them rears will help a lot in minimizing the rear down pressure, wether the tractor has a narrow or wide front. Again, I am sorry but it looks like most of you folks are using the wrong tools for the job. If you do wise up and get a trike for logging, it would certainly be a good idea to install a roll bar. This is literally a matter of life or death if you are uncoordinated or have a lot of woodchuck homes around. Goodluck to all you woodcutters out there. I promise to try and learn how to post pictures so I can show you all the Allis Chalmers "C" trike that I use.

 

[Kioti Tom]

I live in town and my woodlot is 50 miles away. I cut and process about 7 to 8 full cords of firewood each year to heat my son's house and my house. My Case 450 crawler tractor lives at the woodlot, the B7800 plows snow in town in the winter and goes to the country in the summer to mow and do other chores and the RTV 500 stays at the woodlot where it is real handy. The last few years (since I retired) I have been bucking and splitting in late winter or early spring when it is still cool, so the Kubota is still in town on snow duty so is not available to help with that.

I ground skid tree length logs to a yard and push them into a compact pile for processing. If the snow is not too deep I collect smaller sticks with the RTV. My son helps with the processing. We use my Stihl 034 and his Stihl MS250 for bucking. We use home made tongs to lift any big sticks and a home made log jack to lift smaller sticks. We try to buck as many sticks as possible in the pile to avoid lifting. We split as we go - buck until it gets cluttered, then split and stack on pallets to cure. The RTV is handy for moving the splitter and hauling pallets. Once the wood is dried in late summer we haul it home. I use my 16 ft. equipment trailer and my 1/2 ton for my 2 to 3 cords, my son borrows a tandem truck from his workplace for his load. Once I get my wood home, I stack it in my basement wood room next to the furnace. Any excess wood (including odds and ends I pick up around town - cleaning up for neighbours, etc.) I stack on pallets and cover with tarps. I can then move the pallets with my homemade rear forks when the wood is needed.

Here are some pictures taken over several years. Hope I didn't bore anybody.

View attachment 362485View attachment 362486View attachment 362487View attachment 362488View attachment 362489View attachment 362490View attachment 362491View attachment 362492View attachment 362493

That Case 450 is a nice unit. I used one back in 1975. That was after I put new brake drums on it.
I got to do that job as I had a 7X rivet gun that could drive the attachment rivets...Did both drums.

 

[beenthere]

Sorry no pics, Someday I will learn how to do that. Have any of you folks used a trike (narrow) front tractor for dragging logs out of the woods? In 10 pages of pictures, I did not see any. You folks don't know what you are missing. I will admit, that it is significantly easier to roll a trike, causing injury or death to the operator, but if you are coordinated enough, and don't have woodchuck burrows in your woods, there is absolutely no comparison, as to how much better a narrow front works, for this job than a wide front. The ultimate log dragging tractor would have unloaded tires, to minimize weight, and a tricycle (narrow) front, and good breaks. Unfortunately, I think the massive over-abundance of lawyers in this country today, prevents the manufacture of new tricycle-front tractors today, causing most folks to mis-apply wide-front machines. Still, there are lots of antique trikes out there that are in good shape now, or would take little effort to get into good shape. The three big advantages of the trike are: First, far greater visibility in the woods. With a trike, side-front vision is 100% unrestricted, making it easy to see stumps and other hazzards. This is unlike a wide-front tractor, where close-in side-front vision is restricted. Until you experience it, you would not believe, how much better is the forward vision of a trike tractor. Second, much better maneuverability of a trike (with working brakes). These can always, easily turn around on the spot, while any wide-front tractor has some required turning radius. Again, the turning radius of a trike-tractor, with good breaks, is always, zero inches. If you have ever driven a tractor thru the woods, you know that the greater maneuverability, the better. Third and probably the biggest advantage of the trike is less rutting. No one likes ruts in their woods, and the trike, with unloaded tires, will minimize the ruts. I have seen trikes do less ground damage than horses while dragging logs thru, less than ideal, softer ground. Putting the front, steering tire(s), in a different path than the rears, really minimizes rutting. While dragging logs with any tractor the lighter the tire weight the better. Plenty of down-pressure, on the rears, should be exerted by the properly-rigged log(s). The greater the down-pressure, the deeper the ruts. Keeping the calcium out of them rears will help a lot in minimizing the rear down pressure, wether the tractor has a narrow or wide front. Again, I am sorry but it looks like most of you folks are using the wrong tools for the job. If you do wise up and get a trike for logging, it would certainly be a good idea to install a roll bar. This is literally a matter of life or death if you are uncoordinated or have a lot of woodchuck homes around. Goodluck to all you woodcutters out there. I promise to try and learn how to post pictures so I can show you all the Allis Chalmers "C" trike that I use.

Glad you like your "trike". But after growing up with "trike" 's, and not having any dangerous problems with them, they are not IMO better in the woods than the wide-front 4wd tractors available today. The trike's are good for their intended purpose, that be row cropping farm fields.

And yes, they can be used somewhat to get the job done in the woods. But I'd never take one through my woods like I can my Deere, nor the Ford 8N or Ferguson TO-30 that I used to have.

Easy to post pics, so look forward to yours.

 

[Gordon Gould]

You two guys with the broken bones - I feel for you. I know what it is like to be out of commition for a long time.
Our wood shed holds a two years supply so I stay a year ahead on wood. That way if someting happens we can still stay warm the next winter.

 

[kevinj]

It is great to see your Farmall M, Kevin. We had a couple of M's and three or four H's on the farm where I grew up in northern California in the late 40's through early 60's. We used them for planting, cultivating, etc. row crops.

From the spring under the seat and the roller on the drawbar, this looks like a late model M. Are the fenders original? I've never seen them on an M before.

Terry

Fenders are standard IH for the time, It is a 1950 and still has flat tops in it.

 

[JRDNORTAX]

Not a single picture yet of anyone using a Farmi winch to get logs out. They are a slick rig, with over 150' of cable you can get logs out of places you can't get close to, or just use it to twitch them all out to a main tractor trail without having to drive all over and get right close to the tree. I'll try to get some pictures of our setup. We feed an outdoor furnace, it takes 4' sticks, minimal handling. Did get a hydraulic splitter this year that splits 4' wood, so it makes it easier to use the bigger logs >24" dia

 

[beenthere]

Not a single picture yet of anyone using a Farmi winch to get logs out.

JRDNORTAX
See post #64

 

[94BULLITT]

I will try this again. Not sure if anyone likes this idea, but I have tried lots of different ways over the years and this is the easiest to me. I take my tractor with a couple of those blue chep? skids. ( they are free and plentiful, as well as sturdy) I go to wherever the dead or doomed tree is. The cutting,splitting and stacking takes place right there in the bush or fencerow. So the mess stays there also. After a reasonable job of stacking the wood approx 4' high, I wrap the wood with shrink wrap. Because I have forks front and rear on my tractor I can bring back 2 completed skids of firewood. I then stack them neatly under a south facing awning (made special for just this purpose ) Once the wood has dried for about a year I bring it into the garage under my house. I have a totally seperate room for the wood furnace. I have installed a roller conveyor that slopes slightly toward the furnace. The first skid rolls al the way to the end of the conveyor , and the next three follow. I am then ready for winter, I cut the plastic off and as I use the wood the empty skids go back outside to be reused next year. This way I only bring in dry seasoned wood and only handle it twice, once when I originally cut stack and then when I unstack right into the firebox. I use this method even if I get wood from by bush property. I simply stack it on a skid on the back of the pick up,wrap and then unload with the tractor once I'm home. Hope someone likes this idea, its pretty simple.

That is similar to what I do. I cut, split and stack it were the tree falls. I left a few pallet in the woods so they are out of the way. When I need wood I can pull up to the garage door in my basement and unload it there. My neighbor gave me some net wrap and I am going to try wrapping skid and see how it works out. Hopefully it will keep leaves out. The skids sure do cut down on the handling and if the wood is in the way it is easy to move.