I heat my house with wood heat 24/7 all winter and it's all wood I dropped and dragged out with my 2615hst. My tractor has taken a good beating in the 3 years I have been processing firewood with it. Side effects so far: Put a big stick right betwen the tire and rim last year, somehow it sealed back up and I haven't had to repair it and most of it has ground away. I put a bigger battery in it when I first bought it and apparently didn't tie it down well enough..while yanking a full tree after I dropped it, the battery hit the grill and broke the grill mounts and I now have bungees holding it in place. I was pushing over a stuck tree and had another tree break and come down on my hood which I hammered back out but you can still tell. Once when I pushed over a full tree (not for firewood), the root system came up under the tractor and pinched a gas line and it stalled out on me but caused no lasting effects. I had a stuck brake issue for awhile which the dealer thought was a transmission issue, but it was probably from limbs bending the brake arms in the back. I removed both plastic headlight lenses, they just kept breaking and actually the lights are brighter without them. I use to drop full trees that I had to round with my chainsaw (20" bar) and limb it and drag the whole thing at once. Now I have been cutting them in half using middle gear to prevent the yanking and tire spinning. This thing is a beast and I'm pretty sure a lesser tractor would have given up by now. I'm trying to be nicer to it. I have the Industrial tires that are filled. I think it's the perfect size for logging and moving firewood.
2816 for logging
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Thanks Matt for your input. I'm sending some pics of my terrain in hopes of comparing tractor use in this regard. I have many ground obstructions. This JD has been doing this for 25 years. I broke a steering gear housing once and stripped my differential bolts another time by using the track lock incorrectly. (used to engage with tires spinning). Other than the same bends you experienced on your brake rods, the tractor has been an excellent tool for this endeavor. I also had to slam a 1 1/8" pipe over my steering tie rod which is behind my front axle to beef it up as this was getting bent unmercifully.
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I'll try to get some pictures tonight of the tractor and hopefully one of the piles of logs I took out for next season. I say hopefully because it's been snowing (lake effect) most of last night and today and I've already plowed about a foot this morning. I can't think of anything more hard on a tractor than driving it through the woods and logging, almost makes you feel guilty..for a few seconds.
Ok, took some pics, they aren't very good. I see my little bungees broke off the grill. I'm running a 72' blower, i blow in high gear when there's 6" or less if you were looking to run a blower also. The trees are all cut in half and you can see how long they are, the bigger ones are on the bottom and completely buried.
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jpm1
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2008
- Messages
- 568
- Location
- Panther Lake, Oswego County New York
- Tractor
- Mahindra 2810 HST, Kioti DK35SE HST
Hi there Arrow!
I have a Mahindra 2810HST with a 108H FEL and it is really good in the woods. But remember its NO SKIDDER! I also equip my tractor with a farmi 3pt hitch winch if my cutting is in a bad place, then drag logs to a central point. I average 150 or so cords a year and also haul for my uncle from time to time to help him out. I had 2 bigger tractor years ago and wondered how this smaller tractor would work out. Actually much better because its somewhat lighter, tighter turning radius and don't knock down as much. I would say my tractor weighs in around 3500 lbs, without loaded tires and I run R4's which i'm well pleased with. The way I feel, is if you spin a bit your not putting undue strain on your drive train. I've worked wheel tractors in the woods for over 40 years with really good results and very little damage to my machines. Damage means money out of my profit and just plain carelessness and some stupidity added. Anything to do with working in the woods is dangerous , run careful, plan out your move and "think" before you act. This get the job done and you and your tractor hame at night! As for my
Mahindra, Wish I got it years earlier. They discontinued the 2810 which is I guess quite a bit heavier than the new 28 series model now. Still a great machine!
I have a Mahindra 2810HST with a 108H FEL and it is really good in the woods. But remember its NO SKIDDER! I also equip my tractor with a farmi 3pt hitch winch if my cutting is in a bad place, then drag logs to a central point. I average 150 or so cords a year and also haul for my uncle from time to time to help him out. I had 2 bigger tractor years ago and wondered how this smaller tractor would work out. Actually much better because its somewhat lighter, tighter turning radius and don't knock down as much. I would say my tractor weighs in around 3500 lbs, without loaded tires and I run R4's which i'm well pleased with. The way I feel, is if you spin a bit your not putting undue strain on your drive train. I've worked wheel tractors in the woods for over 40 years with really good results and very little damage to my machines. Damage means money out of my profit and just plain carelessness and some stupidity added. Anything to do with working in the woods is dangerous , run careful, plan out your move and "think" before you act. This get the job done and you and your tractor hame at night! As for my
Mahindra, Wish I got it years earlier. They discontinued the 2810 which is I guess quite a bit heavier than the new 28 series model now. Still a great machine!
150 cords with the Mahindra!!!!. I do 4 or 5 per year for personal use and would not consider anyrhing less than a skidder for that amount if I read that correctly. I can't see too well but by your avatar, it seems they built your tractor on what once was the 3510 frame only with less hp. Whole nuther animal in comparison to todays 28 series. I wish these companies would just leave their stuff alone and stop with the corporate premise of having to come out with new models like auto companies do. I don't care if tractors looked like they did 25 years ago, if they worked hard and stayed together, that's all the criteria I'd need. Plus parts would never be an issue. Have you seen some of the new designs? They're making tractors look like insects for gosh sakes. I'm having to consider trading in a perfectly good tractor because John Deere no longer has a parts stock pile for my model. You can get parts for a 60 year old Ford 8N, but try and do the same for a 25 year old c.u.t. (In less its a Kubota)
Thanks Matt for the pics. Are you having to skid in comparable terrain as in my pics?
Matt
I used to leave mine long like that as well. That's how we would land them when I was a logger. It only took 24 years but i finally wised up and cut them down to no longer than my fel would handle. Sometimes that is less than 6 feet if its a 22 incher or the like. (more like 4' for a big white oak) After I pile them, the next splitting season I scoop them back out of the pile and bring the entire stem to the splitter. While elevated with the fel, I'll buck them so as to not cut on the ground. I then come around and scoop up the rounds with the forked fel and park right next to the splitter. A simple lift and body turn gets them on the splitter. If its a big round like 200-300 Lbs, I'll use the fel as a log lift and roll the sucker right onto the splitter. Those forks bolted to my bucket, are one of the handiest implements I have
Sergei
Gold Member
A good investment is to make sure you get a brush guard for the tractor because it just might save the hood and grille. Otherwise you might end up with a dent like Matt701 has in his hood or worse and it possible a guard might have help prevent it.
I'm just glad my hood is all metal whereas some of the other makes have plastic hoods. I don't mind cosmetic issues, its a tractor I use a lot and things will happen. I liked the forks on your JD, it looks like they would help a lot moving wood. I am skidding through about the same terrain as yours, sometimes I have to make my own path before I can pull them because of the dense trees. I have only buried it once in deep deep silt while pulling a whole tree. My friend brought his 2910 kubota over and couldn't even budge me with a chain in 4 wheel drive, he had to dig a path down to the clay and then I was able to drive out. Wish I had pics of that, silt does not wash off, its like grease. I need to look into a grill guard for sure. Cant really see how bad the dent was on top, but when I banged it back out some of the paint chipped off. I love the idea of cutting them up with a chainsaw while on the fell, seems like that would also be a back saver. I do the same thing, cut and drag out in the fall, split in the spring and season.
