Tractor Sizing What do you use for logging? Prevent my divorce.

[MossflowerWoods]

I'll try not to hi-jack the thread, but here goes...

Sean

THANK YOU!

I assume you do NOT treat them? I was advised to dip the ends in RV Roof Tar, let it dry, and stick them in a hole.

Thank You VERY Much!

We now return this thread to Surgeon's impending divorce because he has not yet picked a tractor for logging...


Be well,
David

 

[Chilly807]

Creosote is still the best I've seen, although availability is, shall we say, limited..

We don't dip ours at all, any rot is normally right at the ground level.

Sean

 

[eray1066]

A four wheel drive 50 HP +- tractor with a loader and a Farmi winch. The winch really is great to haul in trees or logs to the tractor. I have six 10' choker chains. Three sliders on the cable allow three logs at a time to be hauled up to the winch (size allowing). You can hook the chokers right to the slots on the winch, get three more logs on the cable and lock the cable so the logs end only drags in the dirt. lift the winch and you get lots of extra pulling power from the weight. The winch is also handy for helping to fell tricky or leaning trees.
The tractor I have used for many years is a 1990 Kubota L4150 However I now prefer our 2005 Challenger MT285B (same as Massey Ferguson 1547) as it is much smoother , more comfortable, better engineered and much much more quiet. Ag tires are a must for hard pulling.

 

[Martian]

Here's what I would consider.

JD 5075E vs Kubota M7040

JD 4720 (4520 would be better comparison but Kubota doesn't have larger HP on frame) vs Kubota L5740

Kubota M59 vs JCB MIDI (If your using a PTO at all M59 is clear winner) - These are TLBs but I think you would appreciate the BH for logging and you can easily remove it and have a very powerful tractor

I'd use this to compare specs
TractorData.com - Tractor Compare

For me I'd prefer the Deere in the first two. More HP in both. Kubota really doesn't offer the 66HP range HST transmission option. The M59 and MIDI are very capable machines and you would love the BH and both can be easily taken on and off and have 3PH arms put on. If you want to use the PTO though between those two you'd have to go with the M59 because the MIDI only has 25 PTO HP. Which is a real shame.

Times running out if you wanna stay married!

 

[jdonovan]

Metal fenders only or will a fiberglass tolerate the loose chain thwack.

Every time I've had a solid hit on plastic/fiberglass parts in the woods, they've cracked.

Exposed drive shafts, hydraulic lines and diesel tanks need to be up-armored?

Oh he** yes. Most tractors have low hanging lines, filters, shafts etc... which will all get hit by limbs, stumps, and other debris.

I have too small a tractor but can I get too big a tractor?

If it won't fit on your trails, or you have to substantially widen them to fit the machine, then that can be quite a bit of work.

I need the input from those of you in the know.
If there is something I am completely forgetting please tell me.
If some of these are idiotic concerns feel free to call me on it.

First and foremost, mid sized farm tractors ARE NOT logging equipment. Asking them to do anything more than light, occasional woods work is going to tear them up. Quickly.

Several folks mentioned cabs. IMO tractor cabs in the woods get beat up and broken windows. Look at professional use logging equipment... its all got metal screens over all the windows... it ain't there for show.

I am logging about 60 acres in my spare time.

Whats this work out to? 1 day a week? or are you retired and going to be doing this 5 days a week 8 hours a day?


I'd look for an older skidder with a winch. The deere 440 suggeted above is a good example of that class of machine. Use the skidder for the deep woods work. Its built for it, and already appropriately heavy, armored, and equipped to do the job.

Once you get things to the mill site, a farm tractor or skid steer makes a fine material handling machine.

 

[deereman75]

I cant recomend enough that you get a skidder, and not a tractor for forest work. Not only are they the best machine for skidding logs, the blade on the front will also be good for clearing trees and brush. The ones in the $15-$20000 skidders wont be too beat up, its the $10000 or less skidders you want to be taking a close look at before buying.

 

[Chilly807]

First and foremost, mid sized farm tractors ARE NOT logging equipment. Asking them to do anything more than light, occasional woods work is going to tear them up. Quickly.

And that is really the situation neatly in a nutshell. All the attachments that you can get for a farm tractor are based on you using it as form of tractive power, or for PTO power.

I've seen tractors for sale that were used primarily in the woods. Like their owners, they're worn out before their time.

If you use them carefully, take a little bite at a time and don't get greedy, you'll do fine. Probably 25% of the time I spend in the woods is on road preparation and planning out how I'm going to get within reach of the trees I want. Driving over and through a foot of slashed brush and limbs from the last tree you cut is a recipe for expensive repairs.

Cleaning brush out of the road means I won't get it wrapped up in the chains and beat the hydraulic filter, wiring, and small linkages off the bottom of my tractor.

Taking one tree at a time means I'm less likely to get stuck, as does waiting until the ground is either dry or frozen hard. The wood stays cleaner, less wear and tear on saw chains too.

Tractors in general really aren't ideal for woods work, they're meant for open fields. I use mine for some light woods work, mainly firewood and clearing deadfalls, but I'm not in a hurry either. If it takes me a weekend to get a cord of wood out, that's fine. The winch does the hard work of getting the wood out or up to where I can park easily on the edge of a field or established hauling road, beating through brush and over stumps to get to a choice tree isn't an option as far as I'm concerned. The ATV with an arch is much more nimble and easier to maneuver around tight spots, but the wood is hard to handle without a winch attached.

Someone mentioned horse logging early on. If you can cut a batch of trees then get someone to come in and skid them out with horses, there's little to no impact on the ground, and it's interesting as hel* to watch them work. No skidder repairs, no tractor to buy, you might be on the hook for few days worth of horse work though.

Sean

 

[wolc123]

Generally, in New England, you will do better with oxen than horses for woods work. Forget about them down South however as they dont sweat and have a real tough time in the heat. Oxen are considerably safer than horses for logging since they always know where to put their hoofs.

 

[D7E]

I've seen tractors for sale that were used primarily in the woods. Like their owners, they're worn out before their time

Beaten and abused cosmetically but not wore out . pulling timber is rough work but not hard compared to pulling a cultivator 16 hrs a day or shunting back and forth hundreds of times a day on a loader .
Wore out maybe from lack of maintenance but you are'nt going to get tractors doing 3000 hrs a year in the woods like you are on farms .
Wore out tractors get bought cheap to put on logging to end their days !

 

[Mike476]

Doesn't take a lot of log to get a few thousand BDFT. I usually beat the Doyle scale by 10% on a portable mill, so it doesn't take long and the work is gratifying.

Logging 60 acres to provide yourself with the lumber you need for reparations and cord wood isn't the same as what some may interpret "logging 60 acres" to mean. A skidder might be the best way to go if clearcutting, but for what it sounds like you plan to do a tractor will easily do the job.

I don't consider logging too hard on a tractor, done safely and in the hands of a capable operator this type of work is less demanding than a lot of work we use our tractors for. What's important is that you respect the limitations of your machine, whatever it is, and you'll find logs will start piling up pretty quickly.