pulling logs out of the woods.....

[Mudfarmer]

A refinement I didn't mention is to bolt the two inch receiver to a three point crane and attach the winch there. The crane adds another $150 to the cost, but I do use that configuration for serious winching days.
Mf

 

[Jstpssng]

Here's my cheap technique: put a sturdy two inch receiver (like you would use for a trailer ball) on your three point hitch (such giszmos available on Ebay under "three point hitch" items). Watch for a Harbor Freight sale and pick up 1) a 9000 lb rescue winch for around $300, 2) a 2 inch receiver winch plate rated at 5000 lb for under $100, and 3) a set of heavy duty jumper cables for around $20 dollars. You get the picture. The winch attaches to the three point via the two inch receiver (also can be used on your pickup - I put a front-end two inch receiver on my Chev Silverado). Extend the winch cables with the jumper cables to reach the battery and you are in business. Attach the winch with the alligator clips. Pick up a couple of snatch blocks and short lengths of chain so you can direct your cable around standing tree and over bumps by strategic placement of the pullies. I wrap the chains I use to attach pullies to standing trees in old feed bags so as not to bang up the bark. It also helps to let the wood dry over the summer to reduce its weight. You may note that the winch has more capacity than the weight of most CUTs so you may want to chain the tractor FEL to a tree in order not to pull it down the hill! Usually though brakes, wheel blocks and a dug in loader will do the trick.

Either that or have the wife pack it out.

Forty cords in the woodshed.

Mf

That also sounds like a good setup for dragging a moose out this fall. :thumbsup:

 

[charlz]

You will burn up an electric winch pretty fast with near continuous use. Used to see firewood haulers with old military trucks that had a A frame boom on the back and a hydraulic winch specifically used for bringing wood up from below logging roads. I have done the snatch block hooked to a truck trick before as well. Walking up and down the hill to connect the choker on the logs is whats gets real old real fast.

The easiest thing to do in this situation is find wood that is uphill or you can drive the truck right up to

 

[forgeblast]

I cut to length ie 16'' and then threw them down the hill to my tractor or truck. Then split when I got to the wood pile. It was work but I would do 2-3 trees a day. Cut in the morning, throw down hill, break for lunch and then split until dinner time.

 

[charlz]

I cut to length ie 16'' and then threw them down the hill to my tractor or truck. Then split when I got to the wood pile. It was work but I would do 2-3 trees a day. Cut in the morning, throw down hill, break for lunch and then split until dinner time.

Working downhill is certainly the easiest. We used to cut trees into 8' lengths and then end-over them downhill to the road/truck. In the early winter we would work a little higher up from the road and use a short piece of rope as a choker to hand skid them down through the snow. This was mostly Lodge Pole which is generally very straight and no big limbs or knots to get hung up and diameters 10"-12" or less at the butt.

The grass is always greener though and always lots of good wood just below the roads to tempt you.

 

[Jstpssng]

Working downhill is certainly the easiest. We used to cut trees into 8' lengths and then end-over them downhill to the road/truck. In the early winter we would work a little higher up from the road and use a short piece of rope as a choker to hand skid them down through the snow. This was mostly Lodge Pole which is generally very straight and no big limbs or knots to get hung up and diameters 10"-12" or less at the butt.

The grass is always greener though and always lots of good wood just below the roads to tempt you.

You needed an old fashioned log flume. History of Flumes for transporting redwoods

I came across the remnants of one down in NH about 12 years ago... all that was left was the metal trough laying on the ground. It looked like a long concrete mixer chute.

To the OP; if you do decide to drag them up the hill you might consider running your chain through an old car hood before hooking onto the log. This will slide over rocks and stumps easier, plus keep the wood a little cleaner for when you buck it up. (Nothing worse than cutting dirty wood.)

 

[forgeblast]

Dragging them up hill cut a blue barrel in half and put eye bolts though it, that way you can chain up to it and it will keep the log from digging in.

 

[turnkey4099]

Sky line would be sweet.....but a little more involved than I wanted to get. Yes it will be firewood. And the log skid is a good idea too.

I've yarded out a lot of firewood over the years using nothing but my F150 and pulley hung up in a tree. Use multiple snatchblocks to get mechanical advantage - usually a 2x1 gets the job done but I have been down to 4x1 a few times - that is rather extreme and time consuming as it required pulling 40' of cable to move the load 10' . I carry about 300 ft of 3/16 and 1/4' cable in various lengths, couple log chains, some tow straps, 4 or 5 snatch blocks. My 1989 F150, 6 cyl, 2x 4spd was used, cherry, right out of the paintsehed when I bought it. It is now beat to pieces, dents and dings but mechanically solid.

Harry K

 

[Mudfarmer]

You will burn up an electric winch pretty fast with near continuous use. Used to see firewood haulers with old military trucks that had a A frame boom on the back and a hydraulic winch specifically used for bringing wood up from below logging roads. I have done the snatch block hooked to a truck trick before as well. Walking up and down the hill to connect the choker on the logs is whats gets real old real fast.

The easiest thing to do in this situation is find wood that is uphill or you can drive the truck right up to

Doesn't turn out to be a problem. A little hard on the battery though - keep the engine running.
Mf