# Jonsered Iron Horse



## MacLaren (Nov 5, 2010)

Can someone please educate me on these things? Id sure appreciate any assistance. Thank you.


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## MacLaren (Nov 6, 2010)

its a really neat lookin piece of equipment. i guess not a lot of people have heard of em.......


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## England14 (Nov 6, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpCFE5UjCw0

Like a lot of other things, I want one!


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## Ductape (Nov 6, 2010)

I recall these being discussed here quite a ways back. Very neat, and no doubt very expensive. I don't think many people have ever seen one in person.


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## MacLaren (Nov 6, 2010)

Thanks for the replies men. I wander what one costs?


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## fiasco (Nov 6, 2010)

Very cool machine. Man, if I could rent something like that for a day a year, I could harvest so much wood out of my back two acres... 

http://www.tiltonequipment.com/assets/pdfs/iron horse_brochure_web version.pdf

No pricing info...if you have to ask, you can't afford it.


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## MacLaren (Nov 6, 2010)

fiasco said:


> Very cool machine. Man, if I could rent something like that for a day a year, I could harvest so much wood out of my back two acres...
> 
> http://www.tiltonequipment.com/assets/pdfs/iron horse_brochure_web version.pdf
> 
> No pricing info...if you have to ask, you can't afford it.



Lol! thats right....... But thank you so much for the link. thats great! Man, wouldnt it be awesome to have one of these with all the bells and whistles that come with one!!


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## boatman (Nov 24, 2010)

$12000-$15000 base price plus bells and whistles. Looks like a great machine but rather pricey for what it is.


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## Grace Tree (Nov 24, 2010)

I go to church with a guy who used to be a factory rep for the distributor. He used to demo them to the line clearance guys. He thought they were great. Low ground impact. I bought a mini skid instead. If you're serious about buying email me and I'll give you his number. He switched jobs so he doesn't have anything to gain and he'll give you an honest opinion.
Phil


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## MacLaren (Nov 24, 2010)

***update***

Darned if there wasnt one of these Iron Horse's right under my nose and I didnt even know it! Was talkin to my brother in law and he said that a feller that lives between him and my dad has one. Said he liked to use it because it wouldnt tear peoples yard's up. My family will be going up there for Thanksgiving and im gonna see if I cant go over there and get some pics and maybee some vids of it in action! The guy that owns it has a tree care business/Christmas tree farmer. I dont know if yall know it or not but the county Im from (Avery County,NC) is the largest producer of Christmas trees in the world. So, i guess that prolly justifies his havin one. No matter anyway, just hope I can get in there and take a look or two at it.:camera:


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## MacLaren (Nov 24, 2010)

boatman said:


> $12000-$15000 base price plus bells and whistles. Looks like a great machine but rather pricey for what it is.



Thanks so much for the price info! Rep sent!


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## boatman (Nov 24, 2010)

I called Tilton eqpt and they sent a price list. I got it last week and If you want more detail I can send it. Not all Jonsered dealers have the price's, mine had to call their distributor and it took a couple of days.

The you tube videos show this to be a very useful machine.


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## MacLaren (Nov 24, 2010)

boatman said:


> I called Tilton eqpt and they sent a price list. I got it last week and If you want more detail I can send it. Not all Jonsered dealers have the price's, mine had to call their distributor and it took a couple of days.
> 
> The you tube videos show this to be a very useful machine.



Thanks that would be great! Id really appreciate it.


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## s13rymos (Nov 24, 2010)

Ive thought about building sorta the same thing with a david bradley two wheel tractor.. You can buy them for pennies and fab a mini log cart to go behind them..


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## rangergord (Nov 24, 2010)

This machine is on my wish list too. It is a lot of money. But if it does as it is made out to be...Wow! Low impact eco-logging or suburban and acreage logging. Great machine for woodlot silviculture. Also compare the cost of the alternatives. Horse logging team, skidder/forwarder, skid steer loader. Those things aren't cheap and the impact would be higher. Hope you find out a lot more.


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## MacLaren (Nov 24, 2010)

rangergord said:


> This machine is on my wish list too. It is a lot of money. But if it does as it is made out to be...Wow! Low impact eco-logging or suburban and acreage logging. Great machine for woodlot silviculture. Also compare the cost of the alternatives. Horse logging team, skidder/forwarder, skid steer loader. Those things aren't cheap and the impact would be higher. Hope you find out a lot more.



Thanks man, Im gonna find out all i can. Im gonna get some pics and hopefully be filmed while operating it. You know this is the coolest machine Ive saw in a long time. Heck, its like having a pair of draft horses. Someone made a good point about what a bobcat,skid steer etc would cost. thats a good point to consider when evaluating the price of the iron horse.


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## boatman (Nov 24, 2010)

standard iron horse 5.5hp/red/combibox $10,695

pro 5.5hp /tipping flat bed/winch $12,895

Pro 9hp/log bunk/winch $13,995

Shipping quote to SW Michigan @$1250

Loader Crane $595

Trailer/pulp and log $1495



There are other options, these are the major ones.


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## MacLaren (Nov 24, 2010)

Excellent 411. I would opt for the 9hp.
Thanks again!


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## MacLaren (Nov 26, 2010)

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Got up to my dads house Day before Thanksgiving and my brotherinlaw couldnt get in touch with Tony to check out the Iron Horse. But, I will be back up there and when I do get up with him i will take some pics and hopefully vids of it in action and post to this thread. Thanks to all of those whom replied.


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## pinesawyer (Dec 3, 2010)

*Iron Horse*

I use one all the time in the winter for pine stand management. For pulp trees its great. For hardwood loads and logs on any terrain that is hilly, forget about it. 

A great tool for the landowner harvesting firewood. But at the cost of the machine you could buy enough firewood for a friggin' lifetime. 

I use a Kubota RTV for forestry work until the snow won't allow. Then the Iron Horse. Don't get me wrong. Its quite a rig. But it can also be quite a contraption, sometimes more of a hassle than its worth. 

Be great for moose and caribou outfitters in the north. Handles wet, boggy, terrain well, and with the log bunk trailer it will hold quite a load of hind quarters. It will go anywhere you can walk basically. Can winch it up and down hills. And pull trees (pine mostly) down to the ground with it when they hang up.



Pretty simple design, but needs some refined engineering in my opinion.


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## Guido Salvage (Dec 3, 2010)

You might want to check these out:

http://www.canycomsales.com/menu/products.php

Personally, I would get a rubber tracked carrier like a Morooka, Yanmar, Mitsubishi or IHI.


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## thewalnutguy (Feb 5, 2012)

*Ironhorse on hilly terrain*

Don't agree with the admonition against using it for hardwood and/or hilly terrain. I've used mine for skidding hardwood logs of considerable size up slopes that are difficult to walk up. Mine has only the 5.5 hp Honda engine, but I've never encountered issues with power, even on steep slopes. If I need to go down a steep slope when carrying a load in the cargo box rather than skidding a log I'll sometimes back it down rather than depend on the brake when walking down the slope in front of it. Truly impressive the places this thing can go. 
Wish the optional accessories weren't so expensive, I'd love to have one of their trailers for it. One option which I wish were available would be to have a heated handle for winter use, as I've got on a couple of my chainsaws. I've built accessories for carrying tools on the home-built rack. 


pinesawyer said:


> I use one all the time in the winter for pine stand management. For pulp trees its great. For hardwood loads and logs on any terrain that is hilly, forget about it.
> 
> A great tool for the landowner harvesting firewood. But at the cost of the machine you could buy enough firewood for a friggin' lifetime.
> 
> ...


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## dancan (Feb 5, 2012)

thewalnutguy said:


> Don't agree with the admonition against using it for hardwood and/or hilly terrain. I've used mine for skidding hardwood logs of considerable size up slopes that are difficult to walk up. Mine has only the 5.5 hp Honda engine, but I've never encountered issues with power, even on steep slopes. If I need to go down a steep slope when carrying a load in the cargo box rather than skidding a log I'll sometimes back it down rather than depend on the brake when walking down the slope in front of it. Truly impressive the places this thing can go.
> Wish the optional accessories weren't so expensive, I'd love to have one of their trailers for it. One option which I wish were available would be to have a heated handle for winter use, as I've got on a couple of my chainsaws. I've built accessories for carrying tools on the home-built rack.



You best be postin' some pics of that rig !


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## thewalnutguy (Feb 6, 2012)

dancan said:


> You best be postin' some pics of that rig !




The birch log shown on the Jonsered is about 15" in diameter at the base and close to 20 feet long. To get it out of the woods had to maneuver between some fairly close together (five feet?)trees, over fallen branches, and up a snow-covered grade. 
I've found that items such as plastic felling wedges and small chain binders can hide in the snow very easily when dropped or if they fall off the Jonsered. To make them a lot easier to locate, I've added about 30" of yellow poly 1/4" rope to such items.


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## boatman (Feb 6, 2012)

What's the heaviest log you have pulled with it? I pulled a 20" 16' Oak log with a lewis winch a couple of days ago. It was heavy.


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## vinced (Feb 7, 2012)

Those Iron Horses are cool, but I have a couple questions. How does it steer? When you turn the handle does it just apply a brake to one track, aka skidsteer? What kind of drive system does it have? Hydraulic? belt drive? Does it have reverse?


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## thewalnutguy (Feb 13, 2012)

*steering/reverse*



vinced said:


> Those Iron Horses are cool, but I have a couple questions. How does it steer? When you turn the handle does it just apply a brake to one track, aka skidsteer? What kind of drive system does it have? Hydraulic? belt drive? Does it have reverse?



The steering is accomplished first by releasing the drive to one track and then if the handle is moved further by applying the brake to that side. The drive is basically that of a snowmobile, with variable-diameter pulleys on the engine and transmission. It's essentially a two-speed variable drive, rather than continuously variable. When the engine reaches a high enough rpm the engine pulley will bring its two halves closer together, thereby shifting into "high gear" and it will remain in that position until the engine speed drops considerably. If the engine starts to labor under a load, I'll simply release pressure on the throttle paddle to drop the engine speed down to idle, the pulley will drop down to "low gear", and then continue. The transmission is a forward-neutral-reverse gearbox. If one encounters a situation where one track tends to spin (loose soil or debris such as branches on the surface or going up a steep grade, a locking yoke can be dropped in place which will lock the handle in the center position and drive both tracks together, rather like posi-traction. This locking yoke needs to be raised before the unit may be steered. Overall a very simple drive train, but it's quite effective.


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## vinced (Feb 13, 2012)

Ok thanks, It didn't look like alot of room for anything complicted.


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## MacLaren (Feb 13, 2012)

Ive still got to get up to Tony's and take some pics of his to share on here. I'll try and do that this week if at all possible......


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## thewalnutguy (Apr 15, 2012)

*large log skidded with Iron Horse*



boatman said:


> What's the heaviest log you have pulled with it? I pulled a 20" 16' Oak log with a lewis winch a couple of days ago. It was heavy.



Probably the largest I've hauled with it is this 24" X 16' log maple log which had to be hauled up a couple of grades to get to the yard. Don't think I'd want to try anything larger.


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## dancan (Apr 16, 2012)

Plenty big for a little machine !


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