Ballast box receiver to tow logs with chain & grapple?

[sideskraft]

I use my carry-all in a similar way. I welded a hook on the upper part of the carry-all frame and use log tongs with a short piece of chain to adjust the height. These are some red oak logs I recently skidded, the biggest was 21" at the butt. That was about all that tractor wanted to handle.View attachment 535310View attachment 535309View attachment 535308

Thanks for the post and sharing your pics of your Boomer at work -- very nice!! My 2540 Mahindra is a bit larger than your NH, and 90% of my logs will be in the 6-12" range, so if you're able to safely haul much larger ones with yours, I think I'll be OK. I only need to haul them up to 50ft and I can go slow, so I should be OK. I just need to figure out if the receiver on the ballast box will be high enough to skid with the grapple tongs. I haven't bought the ballast box yet, so maybe doing what you did with the carry all makes more sense.

 

[sideskraft]

Look on C.L., we picked up our boom pole for $75 used but in pretty much new condition, given the lack of moving parts.
In fact, when I looked at the ones sitting outside at TSC, ours actually had less rust on it.

Thanks for the valuable tip -- I'll keep my eyes open for those on CL. I've been watching CL for implements I can use for a couple of weeks, but there's not much, and what's out there is overpriced junk. I'll try posted a wanted ad to see what comes up.

 

[PhysAssist]

Thanks for the valuable tip -- I'll keep my eyes open for those on CL. I've been watching CL for implements I can use for a couple of weeks, but there's not much, and what's out there is overpriced junk. I'll try posted a wanted ad to see what comes up.

You're completely welcome, and thank you for your display of open-mindedness, and graciousness even to those posts that don't necessarily apply to your particular situation, given that pretty much folks here are [for the most part anyway] trying to help, rather than purposefully winding other posters up [again there are evident exceptions].

I looked around and used search-tempest religiously at least weekly while we were looking for our boom pole, before finally seeing one pop up.

At present SWMBO has [correctly] put a moratorium on big-gish ticket purchases, otherwise I'd still be looking at least weekly and end up buying implements I want, but don't necessarily need pretty continuously.

Welcome to TBN [sorry I forgot in my first post], and happy logging and tractoring.

PA.

PS: I thought I remembered some tongs with about the same capacity for less elsewhere:
Try:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612327_200612327

and:

Timber Tuff 16 in. Lifting/Skidding Tongs at Tractor Supply Co.

 

[4570Man]

If the chain is short it should lift up on the log. If you find the height inadequate you could toss the Dring in favour of an upside down drop hitch with a clevis.

 

[4570Man]

I think its anything being drug ABOVE the level of the rear axle can flip you over backwards. That's why the drawbar (for pulling) is located under the rear axle.

As for those forks/carryall, he's got the load chained to the top of the them. Easier to pull over backwards. And the forks are on a 3pt hitch, which floats up, won't act like wheelie bars. Think about backing a brush hog on a 3pt up to a hill. The brush cutter comes right on up without touching the 3pt lift control. 3pt hitches use gravity for down pressure, not force.

Of course, he does have them all the way up in the photo, so it may help a bit, but his nose will be high in the air before the rear of those forks stops the backwards rotation.

It’s impossible for a tractor to flip over backwards under its own power with most implements on the 3 point. Something wide like a box blade is obviously more effective than something narrow. It’s a completely over hyped issue on modern tractors with a loader anyway.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Has anyone tried to use the receiver that's integrated at the bottom of the Titan Ballast Box to skid logs? I plan to pick up my first tractor this Saturday, and I'm researching the various implements and accessories that I'll need to do many of the projects I have in mind.

The Titan Ballast Box has a built-in 2" receiver tube at the bottom. In order to drag some trees that I need to move, I'm thinking about inserting this D-Ring D-Ring Receiver Hitch into the receiver tube, attaching a clevis with a short length of 5/16" chain, and a manual grapple like this Amazon.com : Timber Tuff TMW-14 Lifting/Skidding Tongs, 16" : Garden & Outdoor on the other end of the chain. My question is, will the 3-point hitch raise the ballast box high enough so that the chain and grapple are lifting a good section of the log off the ground for skidding?

If the answer is no, I came across some bolt-on receivers such as this one Polaris RZR 1 Razor Trailer Receiver Hitch 2" Bolt On Mod XP 1-12 3lbs | eBay that could possibly be bolted to the upper half of the back of the ballast box (then insert the D-ring). I'm not sure what the steel thickness is of the ballast box, but an extra 12" x 12" 3/8" steel plate could be bolted between the receiver mount and the ballast box, or the plate could be installed on the inside of the box.

I hope that I can use the existing receiver tube at the bottom of the ballast box to skid the logs, but if the 3-point vertical movement isn't enough, I'll need to go a different route.

I have that ballast box, and I normally run a chain over top of it (it's full of concrete and cast iron) and around my quick hitch in order to get the front of the log off the ground. Otherwise, it really doesn't raise high enough.

 

[RSKY]

I think its anything being drug ABOVE the level of the rear axle can flip you over backwards. That's why the drawbar (for pulling) is located under the rear axle.

As for those forks/carryall, he's got the load chained to the top of the them. Easier to pull over backwards. And the forks are on a 3pt hitch, which floats up, won't act like wheelie bars. Think about backing a brush hog on a 3pt up to a hill. The brush cutter comes right on up without touching the 3pt lift control. 3pt hitches use gravity for down pressure, not force.

Of course, he does have them all the way up in the photo, so it may help a bit, but his nose will be high in the air before the rear of those forks stops the backwards rotation.

I stand corrected. What I typed was not what I was thinking. And you are correct that the 3-pt will ride up. On our old Ford the 3-pt will put downforce on an implement if it is set correctly. It actually has two control levers side by side, one for draft control and the other for position control. I had it in mind when I typed that. My little Kioti puts no downforce on an implement.

This is what happens when you stop to eat a snack and answer a post without considering everything.

RSKY

 

[melmark]

It’s impossible for a tractor to flip over backwards under its own power with most implements on the 3 point. Something wide like a box blade is obviously more effective than something narrow. It’s a completely over hyped issue on modern tractors with a loader anyway.

Thanks for that reply, I would tend to agree with you based on that dragging experience. I'll admit that I don't have a lot of experience dragging logs so I took it very slowly and carefully. Having said that......I drug those logs about 1/2 mile through the woods, up and down some hills and never once did the front end begin to lift. Guess I'm just lucky I survived!

 

[sideskraft]

I have that ballast box, and I normally run a chain over top of it (it's full of concrete and cast iron) and around my quick hitch in order to get the front of the log off the ground. Otherwise, it really doesn't raise high enough.

Thanks for the suggestion Cincy. I see that you're a fellow 2540 owner! I don't want to hijack this thread, but I'd like to have communications with you to learn about your experiences with that machine and get your suggestions. I'll try sending a PM to you and we'll go from there.

 

[sideskraft]

You're completely welcome, and thank you for your display of open-mindedness, and graciousness even to those posts that don't necessarily apply to your particular situation, given that pretty much folks here are [for the most part anyway] trying to help, rather than purposefully winding other posters up [again there are evident exceptions].

I looked around and used search-tempest religiously at least weekly while we were looking for our boom pole, before finally seeing one pop up.

At present SWMBO has [correctly] put a moratorium on big-gish ticket purchases, otherwise I'd still be looking at least weekly and end up buying implements I want, but don't necessarily need pretty continuously.

Welcome to TBN [sorry I forgot in my first post], and happy logging and tractoring.

PA.

PS: I thought I remembered some tongs with about the same capacity for less elsewhere:
Try:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612327_200612327

and:

Timber Tuff 16 in. Lifting/Skidding Tongs at Tractor Supply Co.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I was just at Tractor Supply this afternoon picking up some anti-gel additive so I'll be ready when I fill up the tank. I was also at Harbor Freight, and while looking at their Quick Hitch, I think that top hook would work perfectly to skid logs. If I get that HF hitch, I can hook onto the back blade or 6ft bush hog that are part of the tractor deal and use one or the other as a ballast when I'm doing some serious loader work. That will save me from buying the ballast box, at least for awhile. I don't have a need for the bush hog, so I'll likely sell it and use the proceeds to buy other stuff. I'm sure that my better half will be keeping a close eye on any implement or attachment purchases I'm proposing. I just bought our first log splitter, a nice little 5 ton electric unit, and I can't wait to try it.