Best method for a tractor to move/haul/process downed logs?

[DieselBound]

Have someone dozer it into a pile(s?) and then pick at it as you have time?

Chainsaw into manageable pieces. Grapple it away: though where "away" is matters a lot- that would dictate whether you'd have to load on to a trailer.

Xfaxman, quit posting pictures! It's not like I'm already going broke as it is, but... :laughing: (I'll keep putting it on my Christmas Wish List; maybe in another life? )

 

[motownbrowne]

If you buy a tractor, GET A WINCH. Not a 12 volt winch, not a hydraulic winch, a Farmi, Norse, Island, Wallenstein, Uniforms, etc three point skidding winch.

I can't imagine going back to trying to cut firewood without mine. Anytime you deal with a tangled mess of logs or any other dangerous hung up trees etc, you can deal with it while you and your machine are 150' away.

Makes everything safer and easier.

Also, for this task, forget the L series. I suppose a bigger grand L would do it, but them's spendy machines. Look at the MX at a minimum.

Here's a picture of my MX and my Farmi 351.


I don't know the exact length or weight of this red oak log, but those are 13.6x28 rear tires...

 

[DieselBound]

[switch to Monty Python scene] Ha! That is but a twig!



Of course, NO WAY I'm moving That! (and especially not with the B7800, or with any other tractor!)

 

[oosik]

My M6040 Kubota has loaded rear tires, Land Pride grapple(SGC1560) and I usually have the Land Pride RB3596(rear blade) on the 3-point. Total weight of this unit is 9600+ pounds. My Ponderosa pine will get up to 38" on the butt and there is NO WAY I would even attempt to handle that size tree whole. That's where my trusty Stihl chain saws come into play. I will cut these big trees(depending upon size) into either 5' or 10' lengths. I have printed out a handy log weight table so I know fairly closely how much each log will weigh. No sweat, no strain, no pain - just good 'ol seat time.

My property has about 2" to 4" of volcanic ash(Mt St Helens,1980 eruption) so I really don't like dragging the pines before cutting them to length. Even though the ash is mostly buried - dragging large trees will grind ash into the bark and quickly dull a chain saw. Cut to length - grab & relocate with the grapple.

 

[LD1]

The M6060 has both a power position and a height position for loader lift. I would venture a real world guess that it could pick a 3500# to 4000# log to a comfortable work height, or load them on a trailer.

But its hard to guess log weights. They are odd diameters, tapered, different species and different moisture contents.

An average downed tree of a hardwood species is likely gonna be in the 45-50 # per cubic foot range.

And a 24" diameter log at the butt, is gonna taper down over 26'. Probably down in the 16-18" range over that distance.

So we are talking about a ~60 cubic foot chunk of wood. And in the 45-50 PCF range......likely those 2' diameter logs weigh somewhere in the range of 2700-3000#. And I'd sure be surprised if the LA1154 loader couldnt lift that at least high enough to place on a trailer.

And I'd be real surprised if my smaller MX5100 loader couldnt either lift or curl it enough to get the whole log off the ground to buck up with a chainsaw for firewood.

But at this point, we dont know what the intent is with the logs (firewood, load on a trailer, just drag around?), nor what species the logs are, how long they have been down. We dont know what a budget is, nor any other uses other than mowing 20 acres.

IMO, the M6060 with a grapple and a 8' or 10' bushhog is a good combo for 88 acres, 20 to be mowed, and what we know thus far.

 

[oosik]

There are MANY sites that will give good results for log weights. Start by trying these:

woodweb.com

burleyboys.com

I know my M6040 with the rear blade will lift 3000 pounds. I think it might be a strain to go above that and I would have to put something heavier - land plane grading scraper - on the 3-point. I've operated on the ragged edge with my previous tractor and it takes all the pleasure out of seat time.

 

[Xfaxman]

----------------------------------------

Xfaxman, quit posting pictures! It's not like I'm already going broke as it is, but... :laughing: (I'll keep putting it on my Christmas Wish List; maybe in another life? )

But if I don't post pictures, people won't know what this little V417 can do. Here is the thread on the biggest dead tree that it has pushed over: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/land-clearing-equipment/367480-biggest-dead-tree-i-have.html

 

[LD1]

There are MANY sites that will give good results for log weights. Start by trying these:

woodweb.com

burleyboys.com

I know my M6040 with the rear blade will lift 3000 pounds. I think it might be a strain to go above that and I would have to put something heavier - land plane grading scraper - on the 3-point. I've operated on the ragged edge with my previous tractor and it takes all the pleasure out of seat time.

I know how to calculate log weights. But there are still several aspects that are a guess for the average person with nothing more than tape measure.

Those online calculators are only as good as the information you put in.

There is a HUGE difference between green/wet wood and dry wood. MOST anything we find in the woods, is gonna fall somewhere in between.

Same with diameter. Most trees arent perfectly round, and dont have a perfect taper. Heck, there could be sections of the log mid length that are a larger diameter than the base due to a fork or branch that grew off that side. Or it could maintain 2' diameter for most of the length. Or it could be 2' and then quickly taper down within the first few feet.

The only way to know what it weighs is to put it on a scale. But thats pointless in the realm of this thread. The logs, as described, are probably in the 3000# range assuming a hardwood species. Which is right near the limits of a M6060 loader. 100# either way might be the difference in lifting vs not lifting. But again, irrelevant in this discussion. Whats relevant, is the M6060 has a pretty good chance at lifting them. So if thats the tractor of choice, try it. It will either lift or it wont. If it wont, cut it smaller.

 

[plowhog]

That Bobcat ROCKS!! I want one!

Sounds like for moving and handling logs something like a Kubota M6060 with a grapple would be good. Maybe just a little smaller on tractor size and horsepower, not sure. And it sounds like a skidding winch solves the other issue of dragging the stuff out of a pile. To drag them out, I don't envision wrapping chains much, as my back isn't in good shape, but maybe tongs would work, at least sometimes. Cutting the logs into manageable lengths sounds good. I also may have access to a CAT TD-9 which could also do the dragging part. That's unclear right now, and if so, I would have to put some $$$ in it to make it reliable.

What to do with the wood is a mixed bag. YES, it is a huge mess with logs, snags, and tangles crossing over each other with debris in all directions. There are also some stacked logs-- these were not commercially viable so I would split those into firewood. These are the ones 2' in diameter, over 20 feet long. It's pine, so not real desirable wood, but at least for the logs it is worth bucking them up and then splitting as I have time. The rest of it will be deposited into one or more piles in a large clearing, and then burned over the winter.

 

[LD1]

I think you are on the right track with tractor size. I think next step is to visit a dealer and get some butt-in-seat time to see just what you like.