It's Logging Season-Northeast

[John_Mc]

It may be that it's a "planetary" vs. Worm gear. All I did was plumb it and the tractor is stock in that department.
I also run it at an idle unless I'm hauling in something with a lot of resistance. (Pushing around rocks or stumps in the path, digging into the dirt, etc)

That must be it. I just found the page with Planetary Ramsey winches. They are showing 50 FPM on the first layer at a 15 GPM flow rate. Running at low RPMs might slow the line speed, but if you are not running all the way down on the first layer, the layer build up would act to counter the low engine RPMs (5th layer speed is 84 FPM for the model I looked at).

 

[Jstpssng]

Let me know before you stop by in the summer.
I'll put the saw down but I'm dam sure not putting more clothes on.

Thanks for the warning!!!
I haven't cut much in a few years, but in summer used to do my saw work in the morning, then bring the wood out in the afternoon.

 

[Rustyiron]

I bought some saw chaps once, don't have the azz to hardly hold my pants up let alone with the chaps hanging off of them.
I'm certainly not in a high production chituation and am careful first not to mention running saws of all kinds for over 40 years. I do wear safety glasses and boots but the rest is, shall we say "seasonal" including cut off shorts and generally a tee shirt. Hot weather cutting might be a little firewood but mostly just camp wood for me.

 

[tractorcrazy]

What have you guys built to skid logs out?
I have heard of more problems with Farmi-style rigs, and I'm looking for simple rigs that just plain work for a part time logger.
Bonus for photos...

I have a tajfun winch I use on a 43 hp Kubota L4310 I have skidded thousands of logs without any problems

 

[check]

Speaking of logging... Have been following this show:

Big Timber - watch tv show streaming online

Is Netflix, Amazon, Fandor, etc. streaming Big Timber? Find out where to watch seasons online now!

www.justwatch.com

 

[Jstpssng]

I bought some saw chaps once, don't have the azz to hardly hold my pants up let alone with the chaps hanging off of them.
I'm certainly not in a high production chituation and am careful first not to mention running saws of all kinds for over 40 years. I do wear safety glasses and boots but the rest is, shall we say "seasonal" including cut off shorts and generally a tee shirt. Hot weather cutting might be a little firewood but mostly just camp wood for me.

My father was like that, except that he never wore shorts. Ever. When we were kids I do remember hm drop starting the XL12 and it twisted as it started, giving him a nice gash in the knee but he kept on working. He also ripped the guts out of the brake on his first Jonsereds as he didn't like it. As he got older he was more accomodating to the safety features, but he never was in a hurry to do anything.

I've always said the most critical safety device is right on top of your shoulders.

 

[arrow]

My father was like that, except that he never wore shorts. Ever. When we were kids I do remember hm drop starting the XL12 and it twisted as it started, giving him a nice gash in the knee but he kept on working. He also ripped the guts out of the brake on his first Jonsereds as he didn't like it. As he got older he was more accomodating to the safety features, but he never was in a hurry to do anything.

I've always said the most critical safety device is right on top of your shoulders.

I worked (logging) with a guy many years ago about 20 years my junior.
This fellow is now dead. He wore shorts even into December and of course would be in shorts in the summer.
He died at 58 yrs of age of a tick- born disease that took too long to diagnose.
Woods and ticks go together here in the North east.

I had one on me from this past Nov. for two weeks. (and no, never wore shorts). Didn't even know it was there as it was in my belly button and was just itchy for that period of time.
When my wife spotted this "red lump" in there, it was the necrotic tick that had died while feeding off me.
This led to some unkind but humorous remarks from her regarding my ability to kill ticks that bite me.

 

[John_Mc]

I fully agree with @Jstpssng that "the most critical safety device is right on top of your shoulders". However, one of the most important things that most critical safety device can do is make the decision to take advantage of appropriate safety equipment, rather than counting on your brain to be firing on all cylinders 100% of the time and hoping that nothing unexpected happens.

No one plans to have an accident, and the ERs have seen plenty of people who thought "I'm always careful" or "it won't happen to me." There is a reason that logging has one of the highest workers comp insurance rates of any profession in the US. I decided early on in my chainsawing career that I wanted to be around to see my kids grow up and have full use of all my limbs while doing so, so I always wear chaps or chainsaw pants and a helmet with hearing and eye protection when felling. I'll sometimes lose the helmet while working out in the open with no overhead hazards bucking logs already on the ground, but I still wear hearing and eye protection along with chaps.

 

[spruce Deere]

Some people I have seen operate saws and equipment makes me wonder, 'How did they make it this far....'

 

[Jframe]

A question that can be important to the hobby logger or the farmer in his woodlot is whether to tree-length skid (or yard, or twitch, whatever) or log-length skid. If you're clear-cutting then falling so that all butts point toward the landing (or yard, or brough, whatever) is fine and dandy for tree-length skidding. If you're thinning and want the remainder reproduction and leave trees not smashed or barked up then log-length does a much better job. What I always called a scoot - a sled somewhat like Mr. Gould's trailer, will bring out logs in 8 to 16 foot lengths very well and a careful operator won't destroy or damage any trees left for the next entry. You might be surprised how easily a small crawler can bring in a scoot full of logs. If any of the logs are to be sawn at a mill that doesn't have a debarker then logs that have never been pulled through dirt and mud can be a tremendous advantage, and a scoot allows that. A good faller that is handy with a cant-dog can leave the logs in a corridor only a couple feet wider than the tractor or crawler such that the majority of logs don't need to be pulled in by the winch. The faller can make the corridor placement such that keeping the crawler or tractor upright, and keeping the tracks on the crawler is accomplished. It can take a couple years for a faller to learn how to envision just how best to put a corridor through the trees that are to be taken while avoiding the trees that are to be left. The scoot cross-ties should have cast iron teeth to keep the logs from sliding forward or backward. The scoot uprights should be removable on both sides. If you leave very low stumps it can look like the place wasn't even logged. On the other hand it's pretty difficult to tree-length yard and not leave a mess of any standing trees and second growth left for the next entry.