Loader Lifting Logs

[Xfaxman]

Know anything about this tractor? 4600 hours seems kind of high (to me anyway), but it is MFWD and has a loader rated at 2500.

It would handle the logs :thumbsup:.

Here are the pictures from the ad.

 

[JGL]

Friend of mine logs a lot with a ATV. He's been doing this for the past 20 or so years. Recently he bought a mill, the problem was to get the logs on without damaging anything. Enter the log arch, this is the easiest attachement for a tractor or ATV to get logs out of the woods without touching the ground . When your at the mill, just back and unload. Google the word log arch, and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

You could make a ramp out of 2 timbers, each with 1 end leaning against the side of the trailer and the other end on the ground, set wide enough to drive between. Then you can skid the logs to the ramp, then push them up the timbers onto the trailer. Something like this: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/owning-operating/394297-lifting-logs-log-ramp-jpg"/> Unloading would involve pulling them off, from the back. If you have a winch you can parbuckle the logs into the trailer.

I worked a ton of hours in the woods with a tractor. I have an l4740 kubota and I loaded many 16 foot logs that was over a ton like this. I was wondering if somebody was going to mention this tactic.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

I worked a ton of hours in the woods with a tractor. I have an l4740 kubota and I loaded many 16 foot logs that was over a ton like this. I was wondering if somebody was going to mention this tactic.

And I had a deck over so I pulled the stakes and rolled them off the side with a pevy.

 

[Deleted member 216442]

The JD 4500 is similar to my JD 1070, although mine has a JD 440 loader. So some of my experience might be pertinent. First, lifting heavy stuff should be done with a heavy counterweight on the 3PH or the backhoe mounted. The counterweight I made for mine is about 1200 pounds with the suitcase weight rack filled on it. Without the weights it is about 800 pounds. It makes a huge difference in balance, stability and traction. Otherwise you are overloading the front axle and you will ruin it in the long run. Also, you will lose rear wheel traction. You want to try to use it in 2WD mostly with heavy loads as 4WD tends to get bound up and makes turning hard and puts tremendous stress on the gear train and front axle parts. Forks are the way to go; using a bucket you will bend it as its top edge is not stiff enough and the dangling log will serve to sway, bash the front end, etc. Plus you are always having to be on and off the seat with chain setting. One lifts the heaviest stuff by getting it as close as possible to the faceplate for a shorter lift radius. It is easy to buy too small a tractor and end up struggling with tasks for which it is really too small. It is hard to buy too big a tractor. I doubt if you will lift a 36" by 8' white oak log other than getting under it and scooting it along with it dragging some. I've done it and lifted it some on the bounces but the weight is too heavy for the machine's rating, and you probably want to keep the log cleaner than this method generally generates if it is for a sawmill. Ramp methods for loading a trailer are a hassle but it depends on how frequently you are going to be doing such chores - one or two no big deal, but routinely I'd avoid it. I have a homemade set of forks for the 3PH that can lift quite a bit heavier log. Problem then becomes trying to control the fork angle to unload; it slants back into the tractor when elevated and doesn't want to roll off, but it is good and safe for moving heavy stuff then unloading by lowering to the ground and driving away. Consider putting a winch on the trailer and just drag logs up the back ramps with the winch instead of using the FEL. I've found that most logs I handle are not overloading my FEL, just the occasional big tree is too heavy for its rating. I have bent (bowed) the steel rods that hold the forks allowing fork width adjustment over the years so that gives you some idea of one consequence of going beyond the machine's rating. I also ended up having the front tires filled with polyurethane because I got too many flats lifting heavy stuff and trying to turn. Despite proper air pressure, the tires just weren't enough to handle the weight on the front axle when turning. I helped a neighbor install an outdoor boiler and my machine was unable to lift it to get it off his trailer - we ended up using 2 machines to lift and drove the trailer out from under them lifting it. Finally, lifting logs real high is dangerous for a couple reasons - the stability of the tractor is jeapordized on slopes and the log could roll back off the faceplate and drop on you if you angle it back too far. I've lifted logs real high to get through a gate that is narrower than their length sometimes, and the curl has to be reduced as you go up otherwise it'll tilt back too much. If I am going pretty far with a log load I chain them onto the faceplate just so bouncing doesn't lose any.

 

[Creamer]

Arrow has it right. Buy a set of pallet forks for the 3 pt and lift your heavy logs with that. For $250 you can save yourself a lot of potential damage on the loader and front end of your tractor. Why do you want to plan on pushing it to the limits?

The smaller 4wd tractors are very handy for lots of things. Although a 4020 is one tremendous tractor and there are lots out there that run great with lots of hours on them. My brother (farmer) still has my Dad's 1967 4020 that has probably 15,000 hours (meter broken) and uses it regularly. He also has a Deere 4450 that has 22,500 hours on it and just got overhauled last year for the first time. These older Deere's will run forever and are great tractors - I really doubt the new ones will hold as well. My brother also has a 7800 that after 6000 hours nobody really wanted - he uses it sometimes but the other two I mentioned are both a lot more reliable and used more. His newest tractor is Orange because he is frustrated that green paint does not mean what it used to.

 

[newbury]

Math, be my friend.

A 36" diameter log is 1 cubic foot of wood for every 1.7 inches. Put another way, 7 cubic feet per foot. I come up with weights much higher, depending on density. Most hardwoods are around 40-45 lbs cu ft, but some like Live Oak are higher (60 lbs cu ft, yay USS Constitution). So @ 40 lbs cu ft an 8', 36" diameter hardwood log would weigh at least 2,248 lbs.

24" log is just about 7" per cubic foot (or about 12 cu ft for an 8' log), way lighter, about 480 lbs.

The fun comes in because of course the logs are usually smaller at top, may not be round, etc.

Calculator be my friend:
Woodweb estimated log weight calculator

8' white oak average 24" = 1,648 lbs
8' white oak average 36" = 3,710 lbs

for milling my own lumber, I just like 8 footers for what I do. 8ft isn't a hard number I have done longer logs but was just stating what I mostly use.

Unless you mill immediately you should REALLY plan on 8.5' or 9' so you can trim the ends for splitting. I usually do up to 10' because that's what my LT10 handles easily.

Arrow has it right. Buy a set of pallet forks for the 3 pt and lift your heavy logs with that. For $250 you can save yourself a lot of potential damage on the loader and front end of your tractor. Why do you want to plan on pushing it to the limits?
<snip>.

He's got it right PARTIALLY. I use rear pallet forks but FEL forks are much more adaptable. That's why I bought my M4700, lifts a ton on the front, 2 ton on the rear.

 

[Baby Grand]

Rear pallet fork + TnT = very adjustable & strong load handling - much more capable than FEL on the same tractor.
Limitations are lift height & visibility and having to turn around to watch the load.
Weld some chain grab hooks to the roll-back guard/faceplate and you can secure tippy things reasonably well.

 

[NWOH_Grizz]

Two years ago my neighbor needed to do some logging in his back woods. His little Kubota 23hp tractor wasn't up to the task, so he enlisted my help and my NH2310. No problem with most stuff, but he had a 16' white oak that was 32" diameter at the fat end, and that thing was HEAVY. I chained it, picked up one end about 4-6", and pulled it out of the woods. He needed to get it into his 16' flat bed trailer, so I came at the fat end of the log at a right angle and was able to lift it with forks just enough to be a little higher than his trailer. I had about 800 pounds of counterweight on the back, and wished I had more, it was getting a little light back there. He backed up his trailer under the lifted end, I let it down, and then went to the other end, which was about 24-26". Lifted that up quite easy, a little higher than the trailer, and he backed up the trailer until about 70% of the log was on it. Then used the forks to push it onto the trailer the rest of the way. I was glad he reinforced his trailer frame the year previous, not sure if that trailer would have held all that weight on the back edge. Probably the heaviest thing I've lifted with that tractor and loader, which is rated at about 2300 pounds at the pins.