Skidding Logs with tractor.

   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #91  
The would be a great "skidder" or second cousin to log arch....

Dale

+++
Somewhere I saw a series of posts on how someone converted the frame of one of these to a 4 wheel log arch... Very innovative..
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #92  
Lots of really good arguments for using a logging winch and also being sure of draw bar pull is below axle line, but I can build a log arch which fits all the safety needs of a pull for a lot less than I can buy or build a winching system....

Log arches are great tools to have, and dramatically increase the weight of logs you can pull (especially with smaller tractors or ATVs) as well as helping to keep the logs cleaner. If I didn't already own other methods of bringing the logs out of the forest (hooked to my logging winch or loaded on my forwarding trailer), I would certainly build or buy one (the the purchase category, Logrite makes some of the best logging arches.)

However, arches solve a different problem than what the main benefit of a logging winch is. The real utility of the logging winch is in getting the logs to your tractor in the first place. Without some type of winch, you either need a tractor path right up to every log you want to pull out, or you need chains or cables to reach to the logs to pull them out from a distance. (Or, if you are doing firewood, cut into small enough piece to drag by hand, but that gets old really fast.) Yes, I can also skid with my log winch, but for me, that's just a side benefit to being able to reach 230 feet into the woods to twitch a log out.
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #93  
sorry but i have to laugh. a farmall super a, with "big" rear wheels. through deep mud? i've never seen a farmall a go through deep mud not pulling something. they are a cultivator tractor and thats about it.

Seriously? The tires on my 14-hp Super A are a heck of a lot taller than those on my 30 HP diesel CUT. Be design - torque multiplication, obviously. We had them fully chained up, of course. Maybe exaggerated a bit on the "deep" mud label. But it was deep enough to suck your boots off, so. Anyway, I have no incentive to lie about it.
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #94  
Seriously? The tires on my 14-hp Super A are a heck of a lot taller than those on my 30 HP diesel CUT. Be design - torque multiplication, obviously. We had them fully chained up, of course. Maybe exaggerated a bit on the "deep" mud label. But it was deep enough to suck your boots off, so. Anyway, I have no incentive to lie about it.

It's hard for some people to realize that not that many years ago 14 to 20 hp tractors were something to be desired over a team of horse or ox or mules.
I was fortunate enough to not have to work with the last teams of horses on the farm, and can recall the Case VAC getting loaded on the same truck that brought the Farmall 400,
that took the Allis WD from being the "big" tractor to being the small one.
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #95  
sorry but i have to laugh. a farmall super a, with "big" rear wheels. through deep mud? i've never seen a farmall a go through deep mud not pulling something. they are a cultivator tractor and thats about it.
I guess you've never owned an Super A... And I guess you are right, you have never seen one in action... lol

I have an A and also the "update of a Super A", IH140. They will pull a pretty decent load, I've pulled some big loads of hay with them, sometimes through mud.

A Super A, is closer to getting out of the "tinker toy tractor" category than MANY of the cut's bragged about on this site all the time... lol

SR
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #96  
It's hard for some people to realize that not that many years ago 14 to 20 hp tractors were something to be desired over a team of horse or ox or mules.
We farmed a lot of ground with a BN, the cousin to an A, and our BIG tractor was an H...

SR
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #97  
Exactly. While a one-bottom plow went easier... the A could pull a two. Fairly impressive for it's size/weight.
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #98  
Just thinking out loud after reading the back blade comment.

30 years ago, my Brother-In-Law broke his back from a tractor flip while dragging down a widow maker...old tricycle tractor and was not there, so not sure how he was actually doing it...

If the 3PT hitch is really just providing up lift, (no down pressure) - then can it really stop or prevent a back flip?

Understand the sound logic of always carrying a load low, near the ground...to drop the weight quickly...

But the 3PH does not really act like a wheelie bar on a dragster - there is no real mechanical block from the 3PH preventing a back flip? (That's a question, not a statement).

Not asking this to question the poster or cause conflict, but rather to accurately understand the dynamics on whether a blade on the 3PH will actually stop a back flip.

I'm way behind and catching up but the 3PT arms should connect below the axles so while you might 'wheelie' potential it should stop you from going backward I would think.
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #99  
If any of you are fans of the old Top Gear you will remember when they would do an interview with a star. The star would drive a 4 banger around their race track after getting some quick lessons from the Stig (a race car driver). There was 3 classes of stars. Those who listen and followed instructions, those who knew how to drive and what the racing line is, and those who just wanted to get out on the track as soon as possible. The last group almost always was the funnest group because they were always missing corners and shifting at the wrong time. Skidding logs is kind of the same thing. If you just go out and try it without at least thinking about the forces you'll most likely be fine. But not always. The seasoned vets run into the mistake of not paying attention because they've done it so many times.

I have a friend with an old 8N who would get slack in the chain, pop the clutch, and either the log would go or he would be looking at the skyline. When that front end popped up he would stomp on the clutch and it would slam back down. This is how he was taught. 40 years of doing it that way and no problems. He knew what was going to happen and was prepared to act. Not saying I would try his method but I prefer to not treat my equipment that way and my standard for safety is different than his. If you are worried about it happening then you should take the precautions needed to prevent it from happening.
 
   / Skidding Logs with tractor. #100  
 

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