Best Log Skidding solution

[missesalot]

26” width the right cross bar length?

 

[atsah]

26 width the right cross bar length?

I would say no, it should be longer than that, 26 is for a SCUT.

On edit: 26 will work..

 

[WranglerX]

26 inch is category 1....

Dale

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If you can get right up to them, then a logging winch doesn't really do you any good. Those winches are great for getting logs to your tractor, but if there is no need for that, save your money..

This just isn't true...

What about when you are trying to pull a log up a hill when the ground is wet and the tractor is spinning and doesn't have enough traction?

You can let the winch line out while driving up that hill, and then winch the log up the hill to the tractor after you drive up there! Same for going through a bad spot in the woods.

I've winched cars out with mine, I used it to pull over stuck tree's AND hooked to a tree while cutting it, to make sure it goes where I want.

There's waaaaaay too many uses for a skidding winch to recount them all here!

SR

 

[atsah]

Dropping the hitch and pulling forward to get to better ground is a common occurrence for a skidder operator and works the same for a tractor winch. A lot of people have no idea what you’re talking about SR..

 

[arrow]

This just isn't true...

What about when you are trying to pull a log up a hill when the ground is wet and the tractor is spinning and doesn't have enough traction?

You can let the winch line out while driving up that hill, and then winch the log up the hill to the tractor after you drive up there! Same for going through a bad spot in the woods.

I've winched cars out with mine, I used it to pull over stuck tree's AND hooked to a tree while cutting it, to make sure it goes where I want.

There's waaaaaay too many uses for a skidding winch to recount them all here!

SR

I was out of professional logging by the time my company went to grapple skidders. I only used cable skidders and I agree, they were the handiest things when you lost forward traction. Release em out, get a foothold, reel back in.
We also used these winches to pull trees in a directive fall, pulling out another skidder and gathering and bunching crowns. We even used them to pull down sheds customers no longer wanted.

Never cottoned to grapple skidders and glad I never had to.
Now it seems to be all feller/buncher machines with entire trees going through a shredder.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^^
It's all in the operator. The problem with cable skidders was that we would take the biggest, best trees and leave the crap for the next time. A harvester can take small, poor quality trees and leave the best to grow; or it can reach in pick one tree out of a bunch lift it and lay it in the trail, just like plucking a flower.
I have a job going right now where it's dense, small birch and poplar, except that the latter is already starting to die off. I told the operator to go down the old trails
and pick out the poplar where it's big enough, and stay out of the smaller trees. That will release the birch, and by next fall there will be new poplar sprouting from the roots. It should be good bird hunting in a few years. :thumbsup:

Chipping everything is a big waste; we sell for the highest product, whether it's sawlogs or pulpwood. Chips are for biomass boilers and is only the tops or really junk wood that otherwise would be left to take up growing space. Right now nobody here is even running a chipper, because there's no place to sell the chips.

 

[missesalot]

^^^^^
It's all in the operator. The problem with cable skidders was that we would take the biggest, best trees and leave the crap for the next time. A harvester can take small, poor quality trees and leave the best to grow; or it can reach in pick one tree out of a bunch lift it and lay it in the trail, just like plucking a flower.
I have a job going right now where it's dense, small birch and poplar, except that the latter is already starting to die off. I told the operator to go down the old trails
and pick out the poplar where it's big enough, and stay out of the smaller trees. That will release the birch, and by next fall there will be new poplar sprouting from the roots. It should be good bird hunting in a few years. :thumbsup:

Chipping everything is a big waste; we sell for the highest product, whether it's sawlogs or pulpwood. Chips are for biomass boilers and is only the tops or really junk wood that otherwise would be left to take up growing space. Right now nobody here is even running a chipper, because there's no place to sell the chips.

What kind of poplar?

 

[Jstpssng]

Mostly quaking aspen, (populus tremuloides).

 

[John_Mc]

This just isn't true...

What about when you are trying to pull a log up a hill when the ground is wet and the tractor is spinning and doesn't have enough traction?

You can let the winch line out while driving up that hill, and then winch the log up the hill to the tractor after you drive up there! Same for going through a bad spot in the woods.

I've winched cars out with mine, I used it to pull over stuck tree's AND hooked to a tree while cutting it, to make sure it goes where I want.

There's waaaaaay too many uses for a skidding winch to recount them all here!

SR

I own a winch, and love it. I use it in much the same way you do. After doing without for years, thinking I just could not justify it, now I wouldn稚 be without it.

However, I stand by the opinion I originally expressed. If he can drive right up to his logs, it is just not needed for the few logs he needs to move. If it痴 too wet, just wait for things to dry out or throw some poles or brush in the area.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I own a winch, and love it. I use it in much the same way you do. After doing without for years, thinking I just couldn稚 justify it, now I wouldn稚 be without it.

However, I値l stand by the opinion I originally expressed. If he can drive right up to his logs, it痴 just not needed for the few logs he needs to move. If it痴 too wet, just wait for things to dry out or throw some poles or brush in the area.

And what about hooking to tree's to get them to fell in the desired direction??

Winching out cars and other stuck "things"?

LOT'S of other uses for a skid winch, and then there's it's an "investment", you do get most of your money back, when the fun is over. lol

SR

 

[atsah]

It's also pretty useful if you're felling trees and one hangs up on surrounding trees.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

No question about it, for getting tree's/logs out, a skidding winch turns a smaller tractor into a bigger tractor...

SR

 

[arrow]

^^^^^
It's all in the operator. The problem with cable skidders was that we would take the biggest, best trees and leave the crap for the next time. A harvester can take small, poor quality trees and leave the best to grow; or it can reach in pick one tree out of a bunch lift it and lay it in the trail, just like plucking a flower.
I have a job going right now where it's dense, small birch and poplar, except that the latter is already starting to die off. I told the operator to go down the old trails
and pick out the poplar where it's big enough, and stay out of the smaller trees. That will release the birch, and by next fall there will be new poplar sprouting from the roots. It should be good bird hunting in a few years. :thumbsup:

Chipping everything is a big waste; we sell for the highest product, whether it's sawlogs or pulpwood. Chips are for biomass boilers and is only the tops or really junk wood that otherwise would be left to take up growing space. Right now nobody here is even running a chipper, because there's no place to sell the chips.

I was just at a job a month ago. Lots of "solar fields" going up in RI. This was a 15 acre parcel. Not a single guy out there with a chainsaw. 3 feller/bunchers, two large grapples and one clam bunk skidder. This was a clear cut. The entire tree was taken to the shredder which was the size of about two freight trains. Chips being blown into hydraulic push dump trailers bringing them to I don't know where.
I'm wondering if the chips are being processed into a mash for pellet extrusion.

its simply a different world now. My world was 4 guys with chainsaws cutting a 50 acre parcel for a shopping mall.

 

[Jstpssng]

I was just at a job a month ago. Lots of "solar fields" going up in RI. This was a 15 acre parcel. Not a single guy out there with a chainsaw. 3 feller/bunchers, two large grapples and one clam bunk skidder. This was a clear cut. The entire tree was taken to the shredder which was the size of about two freight trains. Chips being blown into hydraulic push dump trailers bringing them to I don't know where.
I'm wondering if the chips are being processed into a mash for pellet extrusion.

its simply a different world now. My world was 4 guys with chainsaws cutting a 50 acre parcel for a shopping mall.

I saw that years ago while helping put in a golf course; it made me sick to see some of what they were putting through the chipper. Also during that time period the CU I belonged to had a nice grove of sawlog quality white pine trees, about 1/10th acre in the center of their parking lot; they wanted to enlarge it so those trees became fill.

Our clients own land for the purpose of growing and selling wood; several are families which my employer has represented for 100+ years. it's a little bit different ball game than what you are accustomed to.

 

[Jstpssng]

And what about hooking to tree's to get them to fell in the desired direction??

Winching out cars and other stuck "things"?

LOT'S of other uses for a skid winch, and then there's it's an "investment", you do get most of your money back, when the fun is over. lol

SR

It's also pretty useful if you're felling trees and one hangs up on surrounding trees.

You can do all of those things with a chain, 125' length of cable and a snatch block. I've had 2 old winches before I bought my Uniforest and won't go without again; but if it's only to be used for a few occasions some of the other suggestions are more economical and valid. Besides, not everybody is a firewood addict like at least one of the members I quoted here.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

You can do all of those things with a chain, 125' length of cable and a snatch block. I've had 2 old winches before I bought my Uniforest and won't go without again; but if it's only to be used for a few occasions some of the other suggestions are more economical and valid. Besides, not everybody is a firewood addict like at least one of the members I quoted here.

You could also do it with a crane a bulldozer and a helicopter, even an army of people, but you don't need any of those things, because you have a GREAT investment, it's called a "skidding winch"... lol

You can winch out a lot more than you can pull out, and that's how a skidding winch turns a smaller tractor into a bigger tractor!

The OP asked for the BEST and a skidding winch IS the best!

SR

 

[Jstpssng]

You could also do it with a crane a bulldozer and a helicopter, even an army of people, but you don't need any of those things, because you have a GREAT investment, it's called a "skidding winch"... lol

You can winch out a lot more than you can pull out, and that's how a skidding winch turns a smaller tractor into a bigger tractor!

The OP asked for the BEST and a skidding winch IS the best!

SR

Close, but no cigar. He said

"best" way to do this with a machine of this size and relatively low volume of work to do.

Now we're both being pigheaded and stubborn so I have to point out that he also said

Is there any consensus of...

.

To that we can safely say "NO!!!"

 

[atsah]

You can do all of those things with a chain, 125' length of cable and a snatch block. I've had 2 old winches before I bought my Uniforest and won't go without again; but if it's only to be used for a few occasions some of the other suggestions are more economical and valid. Besides, not everybody is a firewood addict like at least one of the members I quoted here.

Sure you can use other things, lord knows I have. For the OP's use and probably for most people there are cheap options that will work. If you want to pull a little firewood you can do with things you have hanging in you're barn or you can buy a $35 draw bar, a clevis and some chain and get it done..

 

[Oldpath05]

You could also do it with a crane a bulldozer and a helicopter, even an army of people, but you don't need any of those things, because you have a GREAT investment, it's called a "skidding winch"... lol

You can winch out a lot more than you can pull out, and that's how a skidding winch turns a smaller tractor into a bigger tractor!

The OP asked for the BEST and a skidding winch IS the best!

SR

That's funny and I agree...... Who the heck is going to carry 125' cable, chain, rope or bailing twine in the woods unspooled. Tractor and pto winch is the best great combination, I know some who use to harvest wood with skidders have caned that and gone to full size tractor with pto winch. So I'll join the stubborn tractor and pto winch club on this.