PULLING

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You can safely pull from the draw bar with your size tractor. If I were skidding with a larger tired tractor without a loader, I would not consider pulling from the draw bar.
The reasons are as follows: The smaller tractor spreads the weight of the log all around the chassis because of its shorter wheel base. Tires on the smaller c.u.t.s are not as tall and do not create the leverage of larger tractor tires. Most older tractors did not have 4 wheel drive which weights down the front of a cut. I consider this type of tractor lethal when pulling from the draw bar while in a ground obstructed woodlot. I witnessed such lethality the day I saw a man with an Allis WD 45 flip his tractor over on to himself when he popped the clutch on a 3 oak stem hitch. (they also did not have rops) I have pulled out enormous oak stems with my little JD 750 with nary a front end lift even when picking up the front of the log with the 3 pt. You'll get more comfortable as you pull out more stems.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Do you guys pull logs from the butt end or the tip end? Just wondering, I'm interested in getting a Farmi winch, downloaded the manual for it and it showed pulling logs from the narrow tip end, after limbing the log of course.

Like ShortGame says - Either end.
If you look in some Farmi books they prescribe a "Farmi method" of felling the trees towards the tractor so that the stump is behind the log and not an obstruction when you winch. So you would get the tops at the tractor. This works good but you will find every tree set up is different. There are lots of considerations to make and trying to do it the same way each time will work against you.

 

[Short Game]

There are places where I can only approach trees that are leaning away from my access. I have to fell them away from the tractor. What I usually do is use the FEL to adjust the butt to clear the stump. There is no end to situations you can get into when you are doing these types of things. Stuff frequently happens.

 

[Dead Horse]

I always winch from the butt end. Irrespective of the way the tree fell. On occasions when the stump is in the way I cut a wedge off the stump such that the tree can be winched over / past it. When I cut fire wood I am usually selective cutting in a stand of trees. I cut in February and let em lie until August. In august I winch them to a single spot, all butts pointing in the same direction, and then with the loader push them up in a pile. Come September through November I pull 3 or 4 out of the pile with the winch, one at a time, limb each and line them up for a hitch to the bucking yard. Hook em up and off we go. The bucking yard is immediately in front of the wood shed. I skid to the yard, drop em, giv em a push into a pile and go get another hitch.

Buck em, split em and stack em. It has taken me a while to get this routine down pat, but it is as efficient as I can make it.

I always skid butt first as with very large stems, limbing does not always result in eliminating a crook the can get hung up on something, plus my bucking and splitting yard is a distance from the felling locations and I really don't want to have to take the big limbs off before the skid, anyway. Skidding is dangerous enough without risking a hang up pulling against the grain...

I am trying to handle the wood as little as possible and generally only cut limbs off at the felling location, that are too small the be worth the effort for firewood. The rest of the tree, including big limbs, gets skidded to the bucking / splitting yard, in one piece.

I either then pile up the brush for critter habitat, chip it for landscaping use or leave it lie on the logging road for traction and firmament.

 

[Dead Horse]

Gordon and Machold, here are pictures of the logging bar rig and specifically how it is rigged to the lower links so it will not pivot thus keeping the chain hooks "paws up".

 

[Gordon Gould]

Gordon and Machold, here are pictures of the logging bar rig and specifically how it is rigged to the lower links so it will not pivot thus keeping the chain hooks "paws up".

Ah, now I understand. As they say, worth a thousand words. Thanks for the pics :thumbsup:

 

[slofr8]

I see both twisted and straight clevises in the stores. I've always used straight and can't recall ever having a situation where I needed a twisted.

What are the reasons people use one or the other?

Bruce

Bruce, a twisted link allows me to hook my old two bottom trailer plow to my draw bar. The clevis has to be horizontal as opposed to being vertical for the plows hitch to work. Sorry no pictures but that's as good as I can explain it.
Dan.

 

[ovrszd]

I cut in February and let em lie until August. In august I winch them to a single spot, all butts pointing in the same direction, and then with the loader push them up in a pile. Come September through November I pull 3 or 4 out of the pile with the winch, one at a time, limb each and line them up for a hitch to the bucking yard. Hook em up and off we go. The bucking yard is immediately in front of the wood shed. I skid to the yard, drop em, giv em a push into a pile and go get another hitch.

Buck em, split em and stack em. It has taken me a while to get this routine down pat, but it is as efficient as I can make it.

I always skid butt first as with very large stems, limbing does not always result in eliminating a crook the can get hung up on something, plus my bucking and splitting yard is a distance from the felling locations and I really don't want to have to take the big limbs off before the skid, anyway. Skidding is dangerous enough without risking a hang up pulling against the grain...

I am trying to handle the wood as little as possible and generally only cut limbs off at the felling location, that are too small the be worth the effort for firewood. The rest of the tree, including big limbs, gets skidded to the bucking / splitting yard, in one piece.

I either then pile up the brush for critter habitat, chip it for landscaping use or leave it lie on the logging road for traction and firmament.

I always consider that everyone's situation is different. Reading this wore me out!!

Best I can figure you hitch and unhitch four times before you get the tree cut and on the wood pile.

I don't like skidding logs. Fills the log full of dirt which I then have to cut with my chainsaw, that's not pretty. I prefer to cut where they fall. If I have to skid it's to the first open spot I can find. But again, everyone's situation is different!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Short Game]

I drag them out just far enough to buck them to length for the log forks. I finish my bucking on the forks, bucking most of the way through and finishing the cuts on the deck where I will split them into the cart.

Sometimes I find it worth it to pressure wash the logs to remove moss and dirt. When I do that, I can buck two decks like the one below without sharpening the chain and still be cutting fast and throwing big chips. It's also nice to put clean wood in the shed.

 

[cub]

hi, when ever i pull stuck trucks or cars out I always use a tire in between chains or slings for that extra cushion and its not as hard on your equipment . Go from draw bar through tire with on sling and another from tire to what you are pulling. Works for me, bob