LOG DRAGGING
- Thread starter flINTLOCK
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Adiredneck
Gold Member
They can be skidded that way, but... There is a good possibility of the forward facing end of the log to catch on roots, rocks, etc. Not to mention that you'll have dirt along the entire bottom of the log. That will dull a chainsaw or portable sawmill in a hurry. I lift mine with the 3ph to get a little weight to the rear wheels for traction & keep the log out of the dirt as much as possible.
Deerlope
Veteran Member
Lifting the log with the 3ph is best. That added rear weight increases the pulling power.
SFish
Silver Member
I have hauled logs out of the woods, cars out of the ditch, and even dragged dead cars with all four wheels locked, all with a little NH 1320. As above, loading the rear wheels with the 3PH is the only way to go. I hung everything on my BB to increase the leverage for loading the rear tires and never lifted the front under load. In any case, the BB would have hit the ground and stopped any backward rotation.
What Adiredneck said about dirt in a log can't be emphasized enough. For firewood I have had to chop the bark off for each cut to prevent having to resharpen the chainsaw every cut. I don't haul in dirty logs for cutting anymore.
On my new place logging is one of my primary jobs, so I have a JD3320 with a Farmi logging winch. This style of winch makes it easy to yard a log to the tractor and lift the front for skidding. It is also faster and a whole lot safer than a typical electric winch made for mounting on a truck.
Steve
What Adiredneck said about dirt in a log can't be emphasized enough. For firewood I have had to chop the bark off for each cut to prevent having to resharpen the chainsaw every cut. I don't haul in dirty logs for cutting anymore.
On my new place logging is one of my primary jobs, so I have a JD3320 with a Farmi logging winch. This style of winch makes it easy to yard a log to the tractor and lift the front for skidding. It is also faster and a whole lot safer than a typical electric winch made for mounting on a truck.
Steve
montejw
Gold Member
flINTLOCK said:
If the log is big and heavy enough and you have the drawbar up high enough, you could flip the tractor if the log did get caught on something, or if it had too much weight for the tractor.
Monte
michigander II
Member
Here is a picture of the implement I made. I took a shortcut by starting with a regular drawbar and welding 1/4 inch thick 2" tubing. I only have about $45 into it and it works pretty good. I have to get off tractor all the time, but I need some excercise. I pull it with a NH TC 40D with a loader, so really dont have to worry about front coming up. Besides I'm going slow in the woods. Just be careful if your starting with a light front end tractor and pulling something heavy!
Farwell
Veteran Member
Flintlock,
I sometimes put something under the front end of the log I am skidding to help prevent the log from digging in. It is much better if you can get the log front end up off of the ground using your 3pt. Skidding can be dangerous so it is very important to stay alert, go slow and watch the log as it moves.
David B
I sometimes put something under the front end of the log I am skidding to help prevent the log from digging in. It is much better if you can get the log front end up off of the ground using your 3pt. Skidding can be dangerous so it is very important to stay alert, go slow and watch the log as it moves.
David B
SFish
Silver Member
Michigander II:
Nicely done. If you are going to regularly drag big logs I would recommend a second shorter boom that is lower and more in line with the rear axle. If the pull is more in line with the tractor center of gravity a hard pull or hangup won't rotate the tractor sideways on corners or back on a straight pull. Otherwise you can loose traction on one rear tire on a corner pull or unload the front tires in a straight pull. Also, with the front end light you can end up having to steer with the brakes, and this can be dicey in the woods. Otherwise for occasional heavy loads you can always scoop up a load in the front bucket, but keep it low, almost touching the ground.
A few days ago I thought I could get away with leaving a small log hooked to the high pully on my winch instead of taking the time to hook up to the low skidding hooks. Going around a corner it hung up and I had the right side rear almost 2 ft off the ground before I could stop. I won't do this again.
Steve
Nicely done. If you are going to regularly drag big logs I would recommend a second shorter boom that is lower and more in line with the rear axle. If the pull is more in line with the tractor center of gravity a hard pull or hangup won't rotate the tractor sideways on corners or back on a straight pull. Otherwise you can loose traction on one rear tire on a corner pull or unload the front tires in a straight pull. Also, with the front end light you can end up having to steer with the brakes, and this can be dicey in the woods. Otherwise for occasional heavy loads you can always scoop up a load in the front bucket, but keep it low, almost touching the ground.
A few days ago I thought I could get away with leaving a small log hooked to the high pully on my winch instead of taking the time to hook up to the low skidding hooks. Going around a corner it hung up and I had the right side rear almost 2 ft off the ground before I could stop. I won't do this again.
Steve
SFish
Silver Member
Flintlock:
It is always best to distribute the force of the pull as much as possible (e.g. include the top link with the lower links). If I were starting from scratch I would purchase a 3 pt trailer hitch and hook the chain to the hitch with a hook. With this arrangement you can lift the front of the log and keep the center of pull in line with the tractor center of gravity. Also, you only need to worry about traction, not tipping the tractor side to side or lifting the front. With large logs you would have to have a connection point a little higher so that you could lift the front of the log.
steve
It is always best to distribute the force of the pull as much as possible (e.g. include the top link with the lower links). If I were starting from scratch I would purchase a 3 pt trailer hitch and hook the chain to the hitch with a hook. With this arrangement you can lift the front of the log and keep the center of pull in line with the tractor center of gravity. Also, you only need to worry about traction, not tipping the tractor side to side or lifting the front. With large logs you would have to have a connection point a little higher so that you could lift the front of the log.
steve
daTeacha
Veteran Member
Or uphill with the log lifted but hitched too high on the tractor. When I drag a log, I lift it with the three point, but only use the bottom two points -- the lift arms set with spacers and/or a drawbar. Run the chain around the log, preferably with a timber hitch as if it was a rope, and snug it up to the lift arms, then lift the front end about 3 or 4 inches off the ground.
If you use the top link and the chains somehow come off the lift arms it could get interesting. The tool Michigander made is really nice and undoubtedly works well being a rigid frame and all, but I think I would have made it shorter to ensure the weight is as low as possible.
Then again, the flattest part of my ground is about a 4/12 pitch and I'm usually operating on some amount of sidehill, over lumpy stuff like rocks and groundhog holes, in among the puckerbushes, and generally am pretty paranoid about keeping the shiney side up.
If you use the top link and the chains somehow come off the lift arms it could get interesting. The tool Michigander made is really nice and undoubtedly works well being a rigid frame and all, but I think I would have made it shorter to ensure the weight is as low as possible.
Then again, the flattest part of my ground is about a 4/12 pitch and I'm usually operating on some amount of sidehill, over lumpy stuff like rocks and groundhog holes, in among the puckerbushes, and generally am pretty paranoid about keeping the shiney side up.
I already have the quick hitch advertised on this site. That gives me a 2" receiver at the level of the lower links. Bar and clevis or bar and hook should be well supported that way by lower arms and top link.
I was thinking that I could have welded up a short log boom based on triangle of 2" square stock, with the long side of the triangle extending beyond rear vertical leg. Could weld a hook or attach a clevis at end of the long leg. That would give me a little more working height an still have weight supported by lower links that are well below tractor center line.
SFish
Silver Member
Flintlock:
A modified ball mount in a receiver would work well. I can't quite picture your welded up log boom.
Steve
A modified ball mount in a receiver would work well. I can't quite picture your welded up log boom.
Steve
daTeacha
Veteran Member
fLINTLOCK -- Do you have logging tongs or are you just using chains? If you have many logs to move, the tongs are really a handy item to use.
When I had some logging done, the Amish guys had a 3 wheel yoke that straddled the log. The log was grabbed by tongs connected to a chain that rode up a sloping piece of round stock mounted under the frame. The round stock had a lowered section at the top so the chain dropped and locked in place when the log was lifted. This picked up the log as the horses moved forward. Grabbing a log was a simple matter of backing the rig over it, setting the tongs, and then pulling forward. Unhooking meant backing the yoke until there was enough slack to slip the chain back down the round stock and then pulling the tongs out of the log.
When I had some logging done, the Amish guys had a 3 wheel yoke that straddled the log. The log was grabbed by tongs connected to a chain that rode up a sloping piece of round stock mounted under the frame. The round stock had a lowered section at the top so the chain dropped and locked in place when the log was lifted. This picked up the log as the horses moved forward. Grabbing a log was a simple matter of backing the rig over it, setting the tongs, and then pulling forward. Unhooking meant backing the yoke until there was enough slack to slip the chain back down the round stock and then pulling the tongs out of the log.
Union Farm Equipment - Weekly Specials
At the botttom of the page is the log arch that I was using. I now have a Norse winch but the arch worked well.
To bad you weren't near by. I'd give you a good deal on my used arch.
At the botttom of the page is the log arch that I was using. I now have a Norse winch but the arch worked well.
To bad you weren't near by. I'd give you a good deal on my used arch.
