Chilly807
Elite Member
I have a log arch I use with an ATV, I built it that size because I didn't have the tractor at the time.
The tree deflectors in front of the wheels are a real time saver, before I added those I spent a lot of time swearing and trying to shift loads sideways. Remember, the arch won't back up easily (at all) with a log loaded on it. With them added, you can hit a tree with the arch while cornering and the whole arch simply shifts a few feet sideways and you keep going.
If there's one drawback to it, it's the problem of handling big wood without a winch or hydraulics. If you wanted to add a hydraulic winch to an arch and power it from the tractor hydraulics, that would definitely help.
One thing to consider is this, however: By the time you build or buy an arch (mine cost me about $200), add a winch, cable, chain etc, you can buy a good used logging winch for not a lot more money.
I bought a new-to-me Norse 290 (6500 lb pull) that the previous owner had bought new but never used. For less than $3K I have machinery I can use for 20 years and sell for almost what I paid for it if I keep some paint on it and look after it. They are also good in that you can haul from up to 200 feet away (further with extension chains or cable) from where the tree is without cutting roads or trails which makes selective cutting easier. A lot depends on the type of forest you have. Open woods with a hard bottom is easier to get by without a winch.
It sounds like you're in the same boat a lot of us are, you have a small scale wood harvesting job to do, and the easy way to do it (tractor and winch) is fairly expensive. The flip side is that the cheaper way to do it is harder on you labour wise, and may tear up the woods more.
Sean
The tree deflectors in front of the wheels are a real time saver, before I added those I spent a lot of time swearing and trying to shift loads sideways. Remember, the arch won't back up easily (at all) with a log loaded on it. With them added, you can hit a tree with the arch while cornering and the whole arch simply shifts a few feet sideways and you keep going.
If there's one drawback to it, it's the problem of handling big wood without a winch or hydraulics. If you wanted to add a hydraulic winch to an arch and power it from the tractor hydraulics, that would definitely help.
One thing to consider is this, however: By the time you build or buy an arch (mine cost me about $200), add a winch, cable, chain etc, you can buy a good used logging winch for not a lot more money.
I bought a new-to-me Norse 290 (6500 lb pull) that the previous owner had bought new but never used. For less than $3K I have machinery I can use for 20 years and sell for almost what I paid for it if I keep some paint on it and look after it. They are also good in that you can haul from up to 200 feet away (further with extension chains or cable) from where the tree is without cutting roads or trails which makes selective cutting easier. A lot depends on the type of forest you have. Open woods with a hard bottom is easier to get by without a winch.
It sounds like you're in the same boat a lot of us are, you have a small scale wood harvesting job to do, and the easy way to do it (tractor and winch) is fairly expensive. The flip side is that the cheaper way to do it is harder on you labour wise, and may tear up the woods more.
Sean
