Winch, log trailer with grapple or both ??

Citydude · Oct 24, 2016

Good question. You can load a trailer with your tractor. Is the unloading the reason you would want the trailer mounted grapple? Buy a dump trailer. Save yourself some money.

andy1981 · Oct 24, 2016

the grapple trailer is basically making your tractor a log forwarder. You would use a 3 pt skidding winch to get the log from the stump to a landing in your woods. You would use the grapple trailer to get the logs form your landing or many landings to the road were a log truck would pick them up or if you had to get the logs down a public highway. Now if it's a small parcel of land it would be easier to just skid the logs from the stump to the road.
A grapple trailer would be good for keeping logs out of the dirt if your not working when snow is on the ground. It would also be good for fire wood logs , because you can hold the log at waiste hieght with the grapple and block the wood to be split with out bending over to cut on the ground, and running your saw in the dirt

Sawyer Rob · Oct 24, 2016

A grapple on the pallet forks works great for loading and unloading logs, it also works perfectly to hold firewood logs at any height you need and is MUCH cheaper than a grapple on a trailer.

Me, I much prefer to hold them over my wagon,

so I don't have to lift them later when splitting.

SR

CobyRupert · Oct 25, 2016

It's all about reducing the number of steps.

Sawyer Rob · Oct 25, 2016

You don't have to spend a fortune to have a good log hauler, an old hay wagon will do,

Even an old "running gear" makes a good log hauler, it doesn't even need a hay wagon body on it!

IF you have LOTS of logs to move, pull doubles!

Anyway, the point is, you just don't have to spend a bundle to move logs!

SR

CobyRupert · Oct 25, 2016

Your picture illustrates how tricky it would be to try and pick off just one log using just forks without a grapple.
Even trickier if you use bolster* stakes on each corner of the wagon to hold the logs on.

(*: It took me a long time to figure out what they were called, so that I could order the bolster bracket that bolts to the bolster of my old running gear.)

eyi · Oct 25, 2016

I'll for sure will keep you posted guys, lot of information to think about here. Obviously not a lot of "grapple-log-trailer" here which confuses me a bit since i thought it was "the machine" i needed at the beginning. Need time to chew that.

Thanks

Citydude · Oct 25, 2016

I can't speak for other posters here however a grappled trailer is way out of my logging budget. However, I don't log for money as it sounds like you are contemplating. Only you know your circumstances and if you feel your needing one, go for it.

pat32rf · Oct 26, 2016

Sounds like what I have been doing for the past twenty years.
When I was young and agile I used an electric 8000lb winch on the 3pth to bring them out to where a 20' chain would grab them, then forked them onto an old trailer (with bolsters)..a lot of climbing around.
Now I have a set of tire chains (4) on " John" and a helper with a chain saw and energy. We skid a lot more logs out to a landing than I ever did when I could walk....Ours is hilly hardwood bush.
Each year we burn 12 bush cord plus sell about two truck loads of basswood/poplar pulp....

eyi · Oct 26, 2016

pat32rf said:
Sounds like what I have been doing for the past twenty years.
When I was young and agile I used an electric 8000lb winch on the 3pth to bring them out to where a 20' chain would grab them, then forked them onto an old trailer (with bolsters)..a lot of climbing around.
Now I have a set of tire chains (4) on " John" and a helper with a chain saw and energy. We skid a lot more logs out to a landing than I ever did when I could walk....Ours is hilly hardwood bush.
Each year we burn 12 bush cord plus sell about two truck loads of basswood/poplar pulp....

What is your average skidding distance ? How many good size logs do you think a faily small kubota L3800 could safely skid at a time ?

Thanks