Log skidding cone

[forgeblast]

those 55 gallon blue drums are used by some people to make cheap armor for the mock battles (sca). Its pretty impressive watching people get wacked by it and it hold up. I would imagine you might be able to heat it up and make a cone like shape, it would have flutes in it if you did not want to cut it.

 

[Hermio]

I thought of the plastic barrel approach, but their bottoms are rather flat. Heating them to change the shape is an iffy proposition. But I found out that used olive and pickle barrels have a more rounded bottom, so I plan to try one of those. They look like this:

 

[GLyford]

You could cut out the bottom, and maybe some of the side up a bit to get rid of the thickest part of that bottom corner. Then cut a "wedge" out of the side to allow you to pull the sides together into a tighter (if lopsided) cone. Drill and bolt as you pull it together so you aren't fighting to get a bunch of predrilled holes lined up.

If something closer to the size of the one the OP made is what you want, you could use the barrel side to cut out a more traditional cone pattern.



As drawn, that could be made as follows: At a point where the straight side meets the bottom curve, drill a small hole and put in a nail. On a piece of string, mark 2-1/2" and 22", and pivot on the string to transfer those onto the barrel. Measure down an inch on both sides of the semicircles and connect them with straight lines, this would give you enough for a 2" overlap. Cut out, leave in the sun to get warm and bendy, then start pulling it together, drilling and bolting. I would likely start at the big end.

For that matter, if you had access to an old aluminum road sign or two, you could cut out the same pattern and drill and bolt it the same way after making a series of bends over a sawhorse or some such...some towns give their old signs away, others guard them jealously, so it would depend on what you could find.

 

[Hermio]

I think the bottom of the olive barrel is rounded enough so that I will not need to alter it. We will see.

 

[GLyford]

It's certainly more round than the stump end of a log, so you may be right. At the very least it won't make it any worse, and will keep the wood out of the dirt.

 

[Hermio]

I finally tried it. It seemed to help a bit, but it was hard to keep the log in the barrel. Also, knobs on the tree still tore up the ground.

 

[Peter Stoffregen]

Hi Folks;
I'm trying to find a quick cheap solution for a homemade logging cone; What about cutting up a 20lb BBQ propane tank? I will fill it with water before I start cutting the bottom off!!

 

[SpringHollow]

That sounds pretty small to me. We have some heavy duty plastic barrels that are around 20 gallon in size. One of those might work for smaller logs since these have very curved sides.

Ken

 

[Hermio]

That sounds small to me also. I tried an olive barrel. It works OK, but does not always orient itself properly. BTW, I cannot use "BBQ" and "propane" together. To me, making BBQ requires slowly smoking the meat with indirect heat and a wood fire. Propane-cooked meat is not BBQ!

 

[KiwiBro]

That sounds pretty small to me. We have some heavy duty plastic barrels that are around 20 gallon in size. One of those might work for smaller logs since these have very curved sides.

Ken

They work, surprisingly well. Especially the ones with a taper to the top or bottom. Back in the pre-tractorlithic period, I spent a Summer and one clutch pulling pines off a steep hillside. The plastic drum helped plenty.

 

[Peter Stoffregen]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the feedback;
I am encouraged to hear that the only objection (so far) to using a 20 lb propane tank as a cone, is the size. My tractor is a Kubota BX 2370, I think there is a limit to my skidding capabilities, anyway.
I have not tried skidding before and would appreciate some further advice or opinions. I am on top of a hill, which I have been clearing for 15 years, carrying logs uphill by hand in summer, toboggan, in winter. It's my exercise routine, but at 54 years old, I'm slowly loosing the battle to open up the view on my property. The hill is too steep to drive on with the tractor. I do not want to invest in a winch. I thought I could just pull the 'coned' logs up the hill with a long steel cable, tractor on level ground at the top. There is a lot of brush and small stumps from clearing over the years.
In my case, the cylinder would fit over almost everything I would skid, but I would appreciate any further tips. Once at the top of the hill, I could leave the logs piled for a season, so dirt washes off and I can avoid dulling my chains,
Thanks, again from Peter, a 'wanna be' lumber-jack' in Hillsdale, Ontario, Canada

 

[Hermio]

With a BX2370, you may be able to pull up to 2000lb logs up your hill with some kind of cone. I would also suggest investing in a snatch block and a tree strap, so you can change the angle of pull. That may help you get around some obstacles.

 

[SpringHollow]

I would recommend a good non-stretch rope instead of the cable especially if you are doing pulls of 50' or more. The Portable Winch is very nice for that application but if you can not afford one, a few pulleys and a good rope and you are all set to pull them out with your tractor or an atv if they are not too large.

Ken

 

[Coyote machine]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the feedback;
I am encouraged to hear that the only objection (so far) to using a 20 lb propane tank as a cone, is the size. My tractor is a Kubota BX 2370, I think there is a limit to my skidding capabilities, anyway.
I have not tried skidding before and would appreciate some further advice or opinions. I am on top of a hill, which I have been clearing for 15 years, carrying logs uphill by hand in summer, toboggan, in winter. It's my exercise routine, but at 54 years old, I'm slowly loosing the battle to open up the view on my property. The hill is too steep to drive on with the tractor. I do not want to invest in a winch. I thought I could just pull the 'coned' logs up the hill with a long steel cable, tractor on level ground at the top. There is a lot of brush and small stumps from clearing over the years.
In my case, the cylinder would fit over almost everything I would skid, but I would appreciate any further tips. Once at the top of the hill, I could leave the logs piled for a season, so dirt washes off and I can avoid dulling my chains,
Thanks, again from Peter, a 'wanna be' lumber-jack' in Hillsdale, Ontario, Canada

A pic or two of your hill would help give us an idea of what would work best for your particular situation.

A clamshell type snatch block is probably one of the most useful tools to move logs in any direction, including up a hill. Coupled with a tree strap and a logging winch cable they're virtually unbeatable. Not saying you have to have or get a logging winch, or any type winch, BUT having one definately ups your game.

For those stressing wire rope, nylon rope, or any other similar under tension type puller line, placing a jacket, or blanket or something similar over the line while under tension will allow the tension to be released when/if the line breaks. This can prevent serious injury.

Also, cutting off all branches close to the tree's trunk will allow the log to skid without tearing up the ground.

 

[pinetree10]

Tried out my new skidding cone today. Ordered it online about a week ago and received a nice discount with an online coupon. It was well worth what I paid for it already. It slid right around trees and stumps and made the job easy. As we've all said on here one time or another, I run out of traction long before I run out of power. I tried pulling a log without the cone once just to see the difference and it was obvious right away. A skidding plate would be nice but I'm out of storage room so I went for a chain and a cone.

 

[Chilly807]

Wow.. It's been a while! I still use the cone on occasion, it's held up really well.
The rope and snatch block have been replaced by a 7000 lb Norse logging winch.
I've got to say, if you're moving any amount of wood spend the money and buy the winch. The difference it makes is incredible.
I'll probably lose money when I sell it years from now, I'm not one of those magical people that sell things "for more than I paid for it", but I'm happy with that if need be considering how much easier it makes my life.