Using Tractors for Cutting/Handling Firewood

[Colonel Monk]

If money puts a grapple out of the question front forks do wonders for woods work. I have a 3pt skidding winch but I started out with a home made log hitch for the 3pt that would lift the but ends of logs off the ground so I could skid them to the landing. I've spent a lot of time with a tractor in the woods....it's probably my favorite hobby.

Thanks! Yeah, many years ago when working as a caretaker I made a "tongbar" for the tongs. it rode up and down on the flatbar.... I wonder, the owner of the prop might have that laying around.... He's got a Deere now with all the stuff. Might have to give him a call.

Grapple might be possible in the future, just not for this season.

 

[Colonel Monk]

We purchased a used L3000DT to do just what you are doing.The previous owner had used it for exactly this purpose.It already had hooks welded to the bucket,we fabricated a skid device for the three point with chain attachments and a ball for the trailer.I have a bucket grapple on my large tractor but it is cabbed and tough to get in the woods.If we had the "Green's Machine" thumb on the small tractor it would be perfect.

Wow, that looks great and is cheaper than I thought. Yes, our bucket has a few chain hooks welded, very very useful.

 

[Colonel Monk]

Here's my present method (until I get a winch):
View attachment 348885
Notice the shorty logs set under the one hanging from the boom pole - this gets my bar out of the dirt enough to cut to splitting length (22").
No where near ideal and still rough on my old back.
The boom pole is not an ideal way to skid logs, either, as the attachment is high and the pulling load is transfered to the tractor high; thru the top link. This presents a real "oportunity" for doing a back flip, with me getting crushed under the tractor, as well as creating roll instability when turning.
For this reason, I only lift with the tongs and always pull with a separate chain or rope attached to the frame mounted drawbar:
View attachment 348888
View attachment 348889

Thanks for that tip!! Yeah, it can be pretty dangerous to pull something heavy from higher up... Your chain/rope trick to the drawbar is a really nice tip for those using a 3pt mount. When I think back 20 years to the one I made for the fordson, one of the design errors was that it picked up too close to the tractor, so you couldn't turn to sharp without rubbing the tires....

I wonder if I can make one that attaches to the backblade..... Could just remove it but we use the blade quite often, and my old man is going to want it on there - and I'll be the one hauling wood....

CM

 

[Colonel Monk]

I find the toothbar handy for lifting logs. Just drive under it, curl and lift. It is possible to lift and balance medium-sized, 70' fir and pines across the teeth and then cut from both ends so it stays balanced across the bucket. This works particularly well if cutting with a neighbour. We mark the entire log and each cut on opposite ends, maintaining the balance. It takes just a few minutes to cut up the entire log.

If the tree is too large I just raise the butt using a tooth or two.

How long are the teeth on your toothbar?

I've seen the clamp styles, in our part of Michigan the soil is sandy or muddy, so we don't really need them for digging, but I've been thinking that some brush forks would be very handy... Preferably a design that can grab a log or brush without tearing up the ground. A little looking, I like the design of the BXpanded forks. But not sure if they are only made for the Kubota BX line or not..

My timberjack just wasn't big enough to do the whole log. Yours with the steel handle is really what you want, thought the wood handled ones will work for most wood.... Need a can't hook...

I'm liking the design of the smart holder, instead of making another sawbuck - what I like about it is that crooked timber doesn't fit well in a sawbuck, and this thing looks like it's pretty easy to avoid hitting with the saw.

 

[Jgraves0000]

Grapple, you won't be disappointed, and you'll be supprised at all the stuff you'll find yourself picking up with it.


Cheers.

 

[JGL]

Depending on what type of woodland you have, and mine is quite thick, I find that for me the Farmi winch gives more ,for less effort. As long as I can see the tree from the tractor, it's days are numbered. And also the branches, smaller than 2'' stay in the brush.

 

[Bocephous]

I have hooks welded to my bucket, one on each side and one in the middle. I hook a chain on each corner so that the ends are dangling down, and attach one of these to each end of that chain.

 

[cartod]

I live in a very wooded neighborhood and skidding on the roads is not an option. I also don't skid unless I have to because all of the dirt caught in the tree bark dulls the saw blade. I cut the trees into 8-10' sections and use my forks to move. I also use the forks to hold the tree up, while I cut pieces from each end until I have to cut it on the ground. A thumb on the fork would be nice, as I could set the forks narrow and hold the tree off the ground until the very end.

 

[Colonel Monk]

Thanks for the tips. I think you all are right, that some short brush forks and a grapple would really be helpful. I agree with skidding..... it's kind of a pain if you can avoid it.

It's winter now, and I have quite a bit of standing dead to work on for filling the shed for next year - we live on a swamp so it's easier to get the wood out when it's frozen.... I think that I will end up pulling out most of the logs in 8 foot length to make it easier to negotiate obstacles. A friend lent me 130 feet of cable and two pulleys - can't get the tractor to the wood, have to use the driveway.....

Should be fun.

We do have to chain grabs on the bucket already. I have used the bucket to lift logs for sawing, but I think a grapple would be quite nice.

CM

 

[Obed]

Colonel Monk,
I've been fine tuning my firewood cutting/moving process. Forks on the bucket are indespensible.

I put chicken wire around some pallets and can easily move cut and split firewood around.


For moving logs, I cut them up about 8 feet long and carry them on the forks. No dirt on the logs this way, unlike skidding.


Get a good chainsaw.


This cant-hook can lift logs for cutting. However, I normally just cut the log 3/4 through, roll the log over, then finish the cuts.


5x8 trailer I pull behind the tractor (paid $300 off of Craigslist)


Make friends with a big strong guy who likes to eat. Feed him lunch so he will move the big stuff so you don't have to.


Lifting logs with the forks


European round firewood stack - so you can throw tough to stack odd shaped firewood pieces in the middle.


Obed