Who makes the best Log Lifter?

[jodebg]

Have a lot of wood to cut up and thinking of buying a log lifter in hopes that it will make cutting a bit easier and faster.
Let me know if you have used one and if you advise buying one.
And, who makes a good quality lifter.
Thanks

 

[WranglerX]

I just use a chain and FEL, but its a small operation for my personal use for cutting firewood.... It's about as simple and cheap as it gets....



Dale

 

[i7win7]

depends on your idea of log lifter

log tongs - Bing
Plus a boom pole and chain - cheapest option

Or a grapple for the FEL - expensive but great to have

Or a backhoe with a thumb - most expensive

 

[Gordon Gould]

Have a lot of wood to cut up and thinking of buying a log lifter in hopes that it will make cutting a bit easier and faster.
Let me know if you have used one and if you advise buying one.
And, who makes a good quality lifter.
Thanks

A little more info would help. How big are the logs you work with? And how high do you want to lift them - just off the ground or waist high so you don't have to bend over to cut them ?

gg

 

[4570Man]

Pallet forks work pretty good.

 

[CobyRupert]

A log jack like this is all I’ve ever used to keep the saw out of the dirt.
Most times a log has natural curves that gives space from ground. If there’s 4 lengths of firewood before you get to the gap, I’ll just cut those 4 lengths that touch the ground 85% of the way through, do my 100% cut at the gap, then give the log I’ve cut off a half roll and finish the incomplete cuts which are now on the top.
I can’t imagine lifting every log separately or repeatedly starting and stopping the tractor and saw for every log. Seems like it would take all day to cut a cord.
I know everybody thinks their way is the best, so do it your way. To each their own.

 

[MF243RedTop]

 

[Citydude]

I use this. It’s heavy duty and fairly light. It’s a Woodchuck Timberjack from Chainsaws Direct. $99.99.

 

[Gordon Gould]

If you want to do it for free and you don't need a lot of height stick your bucket edge under one end of the log and pick it up enough to place a round underneath a few feet down the log. Set the log down on the round, dump your bucket, and push down on the end of the log with the cutting edge levering up the other end off the ground.

gg

 

[Gordon Gould]

I should add to the above - using that method depends on the size log and how out of balance or crooked logs may be. Some will try to roll so some judgment is required. A tooth bar gives you better control.

gg

 

[ericm979]

I cut most of the way through and roll the log. No lifting required. I have the convertible peavey/cant hook dual hook version of the Woodchuck which I use to roll large logs. It's 100 times better than the log jack version of the cant hook that I got from Northern.

 

[deezler]

I've been wanting a peavy for a while myself. Father-in-law got me a log-jack from tractor supply that could only open to 13".... I took it back to the store, still looking.

But the reason I probably still don't have one after 6+ years making firewood is that I simply don't need one. I use forks on my tractor to dump logs into a big pile before I summon the motivation to saw it all up into rounds. The rains wash most of the dirt off the logs (and they aren't even dirty to begin with, since I don't drag them on the ground). And I can't say I've ever experienced any "kick-back" from nosing down into lower logs while cutting the ones on top.

But if a big log is on the ground.... I just do what Eric said above - cut most of the way through (do all the cuts 16" apart down the full log length first) then roll it over and finish them off. Easy.

That woodchuck from chainsaws direct does look nice for $100 though. Someday I would like to own a sawmill, for which one of these would be crucial.

 

[4570Man]

A log jack like this is all I’ve ever used to keep the saw out of the dirt.
Most times a log has natural curves that gives space from ground. If there’s 4 lengths of firewood before you get to the gap, I’ll just cut those 4 lengths that touch the ground 85% of the way through, do my 100% cut at the gap, then give the log I’ve cut off a half roll and finish the incomplete cuts which are now on the top.
I can’t imagine lifting every log separately or repeatedly starting and stopping the tractor and saw for every log. Seems like it would take all day to cut a cord.
I know everybody thinks their way is the best, so do it your way. To each their own.
View attachment 682103

If you’re cutting 4” logs yea it would take forever. If you’re cutting 1/3 cord logs you can move along pretty rapid.

 

[oosik]

When I cut/burned firewood. Mark & cut the log a tad more than half way thru. Roll the log with a cant hook - finish all the cuts. Even big, long pine logs, being so straight, would roll fairly easily. Then LIFT onto splitter - Lift onto firewood trailer - Lift and stack in wood shed. All that lifting wasn't so bad 40 years ago - - NOT today.

 

[shooterdon]

Before renting a processor, I thought about building something like this (too cheap to buy it):

Firewood Cutting Table - Our Products - Log Splitters & Firewood Conveyors - Wolfe Ridge MFG - Eau Claire WI - 715-598-779

I have a grapple to load the table, forks would work, or even a log tong would do the job. Keeping logs at waist height make things so much easier. I ideally, have the splitter close by so you can lift the rounds off the table to the splitter to reduced work even more. If you have a splitter that pushes the log into the wedge, set up an outfeed table to push splits directly into trailer or a work surface so the splits do not fall on the ground for stacking.

But I wound up renting a processor and it makes things simple and fast. 12 cords in 15 hours cut, and split by a 69 YO man and 56 YO lady.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I like the idea in the picture in post #2.... I will use that next summer..

I have used about a 16" section of log with a V notch in the end.. Also use the peavey with the log lifting foot on it..

LIKE, LIKE the idea of the log cutting table.. Going to put that in my "good idea" note book as both a cutting table and adapted to a sled, skid to pull behind the tractor..

 

[crazyal]

I usually do one tree at a time and use most of the methods others have suggested. If close to where I can get my backhoe I'll use it to grapple the tree and lift it off the ground to make cutting even easier. Just understand that the more length of log you get off the ground without good support the more likely it'll move as you cut rounds off it and the weight shifts. For a number of logs at once I'll clear off a spot, lay down several logs perpendicular to how I will drag them to it, and then roll logs on top the the ones I placed on the ground. I put the ends even on the side I start cutting at so I can use the saw to mark the next log to match the one I'm cutting. I'll stack a bunch there and cut them all up.

 

[4570Man]

I like the idea in the picture in post #2.... I will use that next summer..

I have used about a 16" section of log with a V notch in the end.. Also use the peavey with the log lifting foot on it..

LIKE, LIKE the idea of the log cutting table.. Going to put that in my "good idea" note book as both a cutting table and adapted to a sled, skid to pull behind the tractor..

My log cutting table is more already cut logs.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

MY log cutting table saves a few steps in firewood making,

SR

 

[oosik]

Just an added note. I cut/split my big pine trees for firewood the first 10-15 years we lived here. I had a brand new tractor - 1982 Ford 1700 4WD. I NEVER used the tractor/FEL to move any of these humongous trunks. They were too big for the tractor AND it would take more time to get the tractor positioned correctly. And in a whole lot of situations - there was simply no place where the tractor could get at the trunk.

I would cut the trunk into 10-12 foot lengths - lay two small chucks of trunk horizontal to the big trunk - use a cant hook/peavey to roll the big trunk up onto the smaller trunks. Or, as in previous post, cut half way thru - roll the trunk - complete the cuts.

Heck - I would cut the tree trunks into 14" pieces. Even those pieces could be really difficult to roll over to my splitter.