Log Skidding Tongs?

[VT365]

What's the proper way to attach a log tong to tractor's lift arms for lifting and dragging logs?

 

[Youare]

I guess you could chain the tongs to the draw bar that attaches to the lower 3PH arms, but I would not want to put too much side pull stress on those arms.

I would think the better way would be to use a chain connected to the tractors rear end equipment hitch.

Or, use a log arch to move logs with. I made one years ago.

Randy

 

[bjcsc]

Log tongs will only keep a good grip when the force is horizontal. Hook them to a chain and then to your drawbar. You may also have to use a mini sledge to set the points unless you plan on hitting the load hard like a horse...

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I skidded quite a few logs when I cut logs for a log cabin I built a few years ago. I have skidded quite a few logs as well since then. I have used tongs as well as just wrapping and hooking a chain around the end of a log and hooking the other end of the chain to a drawbar on the tractor. My experience has been that the chain wrapping method has worked best for me. Too many times I assumed that the tongs well well secured in the log and pulled the tractor away only to realize that the tongs had come undone from the log. Bear in mind that I hooked up with a length of chain on the ground between the tractor and the log. Maybe I should have put the tongs directly on the drawbar (drawbar that mounts in the lower arms) and lifted one end of the log straight up with the arms, but I haven't tried that.

The chain to the log and back to the drawbar has never come loose in the dragging process. The only problem is that it is sometimes difficult to get the chain under and around the log on a heavy log. There have been a few occasions I had to use tongs for this reason.

 

[JerryK]

I skid logs/stumps with my boom attached. I use the boom to lift the log with a strap or small chain to get the main chain around it, then drag with the drawbar. The boom is handy to horse the log/stump around to get that main chain on, and sometimes to help get the chain off the log at the end of the skid. When I built my boom, I put several spots to lift from along the entire lenght of the boom. You could use a FEL to get the main chain on, too.

 

[flINTLOCK]

How do you keep the debris off the log during the skidding run. My chainsaw doesn't like dirt.

 

[ToadHill]

Flintlock, if your chainsaw is very sensitive to dirt the only answer is buck it where it falls.

 

[JerryK]

I never buck up logs that I skid, I buck them in place [like the above post] if I am making firewood. I only skid 'junk' logs/stumps, or ones that are destined for a sawmill. They usually remove the bark before processing.

 

[flINTLOCK]

That clears it up. Thanks.

 

[flINTLOCK]

I was hoping to skid out some firewood logs using tongs and short chain to lift arm mounted drawbar so I could lift front end of log enough to clear obstacles on ground and help keep it cleaner for bucking.

 

[RonMar]

Any pull force applied to an object that might become immoveable(log hangs up on stump/root/rock) should always be from below the rear axle.

I have not had good luck with tongs and dragging. They like to pull straight. my pulls usually involve turns and negotiating other trees on trails. Using tongs, the log rolls around and the tongs frequently work loose.

I use a boom like mentioned to lift the log a bit to get chains on and off, and also to lift the front end over obstacles when dragging(see attached pic shown in lift position), but the pull force comes from well down below the axle on the drawbar assembly, and the boom is normally lowered to allow slack for turns without putting any side load on the boom. I also very rarely have a chain come loose from the log when dragging. The tongs might be handy for lifting, and I havn't tried that, but I don't think they would stay on very well during the drag if left slack.

Rinsing the log with hose or bucket also helps a lot with chain/bar wear. I use a "peevey"(log roler bar that has 1/2 of a log tong on it) to roll the log up on something to get it clear of the ground. I am usually harder on the chains from accidently hitting the ground then from debris left in the bark from dragging.

 

[RonMar]

I was hoping to skid out some firewood logs using tongs and short chain to lift arm mounted drawbar so I could lift front end of log enough to clear obstacles on ground and help keep it cleaner for bucking.

The problem with using the lift arms is that the actual vector of forces back thru the hitch if the log hangs up, is somewere between the lift arm attach points and the toplink attach point, well above the axle. This can be dangerous.

They put that drawbar hitch way down below the rear axle for a reason...

As mentioned, The lift arms are not going to be very tollerant of side loads, such as when turning while dragging. They were just not designed for that.

 

[wolc123]

First attach a 3pt lift boom to your tractor, then hang the tongs from the end of the boom. To hook up a log, you just back up to it and lower the boom. The tongs will spread around the end of the log and when you lift, they will grab it. Now you can drag it with one end raised so it won't hang up on anything or get coated with blade-dulling dirt. Usually you can unhook the log by lowering the boom and shaking it a bit until the tongs swing clear. Again, there is no need to leave the tractor seat. This is the most efficient way I have found to use log tongs. This method might not work well with a small tractor or one that is light on the front, but with a fairly heavy one with a front loader for ballast, it works great.

 

[Georgia Boy]

Tongs are for lifting up. I always use a choker cable for pulling, it never comes lose and is easier to stick under the log.

 

[dknarnd]

One of the tasks I have planned for my new grapple is to assist in gathering firewood. Usually I don't have much trouble getting a chain around a log to drag but on ocassion I have used the bucket to lift the end of the log enough to get a chain under. Even with the grapple I will still skid from the drawbar until I get out of the woods and into a stable field area.

If I were to use tongs I would want them on a cart hitched to the drawbar and not onto the 3ph; sort of how they skid wood with horses. When I know that I may have problems with a log hanging up I try to cut the end of the log at an angle so that it slides over obtacles better.

I can feel your pain with the dirt and your saw chain, the past couple of years I have been skidding logs about 100 yards up a dirt road and cutting them after that is brutal on the chain.

 

[flINTLOCK]

It's almost enough of a safety concern to look for a 3-pt log skidding winch. I've seen some real nice ones, but I don't expect to do enough of that kind of work to be cost effective. Incidentally, my NH dealer says he simply chains the log to the lift arms.

 

[ToadHill]

flIntlock; you can build something like this, It lifts the log off the ground just a bit and still keeps the center of gravity at drawbar level. The downside of the log will still drag on the ground, but it can still be cut without getting a lot of dirt on the sawblade.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Looks interesting, thanks. This link looks like just the ticket. Portable sawmills, forestry equipment and ATV attachments

 

[flINTLOCK]

Pretty neat piece of equipment. Not sure that it addresses the center of gravity issue and risk of rollover, though.