# self loader or grapple truck



## treeist

Thinking of purchasing a self loader log truck or a dump truck with peterson type log grapple. Does anyone have experience with these machines? prices for good used on west coast? etc. I am also shopping for a portable sawmill I have pretty much decided to get a mobile dimension sawmill but I have not seen one run yet. 

Thank you
John Kakouris certified since 88


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## treeclimber165

I've used Prentice loaders, Lightning Loaders and knuckleboom crane trucks. 

The knucklebooms have a longer reach and cable with winch for lifting or even dragging logs that are too far away from the truck. The one I used had about 35'-40' height/reach and about 100' of cable. They have different sizes and capacities but this one could lift about 2000#. Skidding tongs are tempting to use but can be dangerous for lifting. Safer but slower is choking each log with a strap, then unhooking it in the truck. I was working with a man who dropped a log on himself using skidding tongs, broke his arm.

Lightning Loaders or Prentice loaders are faster for loading stuff right beside the truck since they have a 'clamshell' type bucket on them. Just grab and lift. Again, they are built with different capacities and reach. If you go this route, make sure the upper boom has the telescoping feature for that extra 8' of reach. The ones I used had about 1200-1500# lifting capacity and could reach out 15' or so from the side of the truck. Real handy if you can park right beside the load, dragging stuff any distance is time consuming.


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## treeist

Sounds like knuckleboom is the way to go. Do you know where I can find some photos on the subject?


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## StIhL MaGnUm

Here's a good place to deal with but it's over here on the East Coast..

http://www.ironmart.com/used.htm


later Rob..


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## ORclimber

You might check out the lucas mills at Baileys. If you don't already have their catalog their website is www.baileys-online.com. I saw 2 guys in their 70's using one of these and they had stacks of lumber. They were clearing the white oak off a lot making lumber out of the logs and cutting up the limbs and waste to sell as firewood. I was there to clear the powerlines for them and asked about the mill and they showed me and said it worked great. They were planning on drying the lumber and trying to sell it to cabinetmakers. You might also check out www.sawmillexchange.com. If you want to spend an arm and a leg on a bandmill, mighty might is built up in Portland on Columbia or Lombard.


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## John Paul Sanborn

If you are using the loader for brush a bypass type vs the clam is best, the bypass will crush the load for a tighter fit.

Dump box is always better if you can afford the extra cost, this way you dont have to take the time to unload. It'll save to a 30-60 min a load. Though even with dumping sometimes you have to uses the grapple to work a tightly packed load out.

I guess it depends on what you you will be using it for the most.


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## treeist

I have been looking at a mobile dimension circular saw mill. The costs of equipt. is not all that important. I am applying for grants from the feds. for fire prevention and hazardous fuel reduction national fire plan money.

John Kakouris
certified 15 yrs


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## ORclimber

Just curious, why aren't the existing loggers, self loaders, and mills all over this?


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## treeist

Because loggers, mills, dont normally mix with the forest service, BLM, state etc. they are not used to asking for grants or working in conjuntion with different agencys. These moneys are fairly new. Check out National fire plan on the internet.


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## JimL

Our state contracts local loggers to do alot of their work for them, i am pretty sure. We did one job on a nasty holar. Not sure if no one wanted to do it or everyone was busy


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## earache

treeist, the type of truck you are talking about is about the greatest setup for a truck I have worked on. The ones popular here are dump trucks with a Serco 8500 extend-a-boom grapple loader mounted right behind the cab. The one tree company that comes to mind has two of them. We just installed another pusher axle on the one, to make it a quad. We also installed a center mount upright hydraulic tank to fit the new axle. Another company that does landscaping and excavating has a quad axle dump flatbed with a center mount Serco 8500 extend-a-boom. The flatbed allows them to haul pulp, timber, lumber, or put on sides or stakes and haul anything else they want. Awesome versatility, and that type of truck would be my recommendation. 
Prentice, Serco, or Hood loaders are all good. Extend-a-boom and continuous rotation are big pluses. Good luck.


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## treewhisperer

we have a hood loader, with sides and a dump body. i think its one of the fastest easiest machines to operate. the controls are almost like a backhoe, only two levers to do everything and foot pedals to rotate. i worked for a company who had barkos and there were at least six levers on those.i would have to agree with jps and say get a bypass rather than the clam if you are dealing strictly with logs.we use ours for alot of brush so the clam works great, but logs are sometimes hard to load.


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## LightningLoader

*Petersen clamshell grapple*

For lots of pictures of grapple trucks go to www.PetersenInd.com. I would usually reccomend looking at a Petersen or a Prentice. Just depends on what you're looking for. Prentice are more for logging, where Petersen's are more for using in town on tree care jobs. I think that the Prentices only come with top mounted controls, but the Petersens have alot of different control options and dump body sizes.


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## preach it

I purchased a loader from Bailey's a year ago and mounted it to a trailer. It works fine for me. It was cheaper than buying a truck mounted one with the truck. A lot depends on what you want and how much you want to spend. You can buy one from Bailey's and mount it on a truck if you want. I have the mid-size one that they sell and it has a 16ft reach, which is enough but you will always wish you had a couple more feet.


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## Pacific

I don't know how much wood you are planning to haul or the lengths of wood you are planning to haul if you are running a mobile you must be planning on cutting big wood (large diam).

Are you planning on getting your class A CDL or hire a driver if so I personally would get a truck that will do double duty something that will haul logs and haul your finished product. I would find a good truck tractor that you can mount a 12-14 ton Pitman/Stinger hydraulic crane behind the cab. Then you can have a hayrack trailer or a regular flatdeck trailer with some removable bunks. If you have a flatdeck trailer you can haul the milled wood to who ever buys your product.

Most of the guys here with small mills (wood mizers) have the local contractors with Hiab trucks deliver wood to them. Most of the trucks in this area are 5 ton flatdecks with a hiab (knuckle boom).

Unless you plan on hauling long lengths of wood and alot of wood then go for a self loading logging truck with a scissor reach trailer with a heal boom loader. 

The guys that haul with hiabs either they use log tongs or lifting straps. With a pitman/stinger crane you have alot more reach you can lift higher and have more power you will also have a more usefull truck. You will probably want to invest in a used 15-20 ton excavator with a standard bucket and thumb for bailing wood scraps and digging out the sawdust. When the my dad had a mobile dimensional he had tons of sawdust and slabs. The slabs when cutting cants builds up and hard to get rid of you will need a machine to pile them up. 

A EX-200 Hitachi or 690 John Deere is a good sized excavator you probably could get away with a EX-150 or a 590. A excavator with a thumb can hoechuck wood pretty quick or you can get a quick change healboom grapple if you are chucking alot of wood.

Your other option is buy a excavator and a modified dump truck along with a tag along equipment trailer to pull behind the truck to carry the excavator. What you do is pack the machine to the jobsite you are working on process the wood load it on the truck with the excavator. You take your truck to your mill site dump the wood off go back and get another load.


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## Greg

I have a dumping loader with a peterson grappel, but would probably get a prentice on my next truck. The clam grappel on my truck is 4ft long, and it will take a 6ft tall pile about 5ft wide and pick it up in one grab. It is great with brush, and pretty good at not scalping the grass as long an I am paying attention. On big jobs where the bobcat has a pile of logs stacked together the peterson clam is a pain in the a$$. I've watched a prentice pick up a pile of logs in about half the time it would take me. I can pick up about 2500#'s and have a 20ft (from center) reach. The loader is very versatile and much easier than feeding a chipper.
Greg


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## LightningLoader

*picking up logs with Petersen*

If you think that your trouble with picking up logs may be the bucket on the Petersen, you may want to get their new style bucket. It's tapered on the inner edge like the Prentice buckets, so that it'll be easier to grab logs. I'll try to attach a picture of the new style bucket for you to look at.


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## LightningLoader

*grapple truck manufacturer*

(sorry to bump this up again guys, but it's ranking so high on my google search that I have to drop a link in here) 

To see official Petersen grapple truck forum follow this link 
http://www.arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81


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## mblack

*Boom Dump Truck: repair or replace boom?*

I searched the internet on the subject of grapple boom trucks, and it seems this discussion really fits where I'm at right now.

I have a mid-size dump truck with a Tico knuckle boom. The boom does not have a grapple, and, recently, some gears broke inside so that it does not move side to side (it did move 360 degrees - full circle). Anyway, I use the boom to load logs with tongs onto the truck, and want to somehow either set up a grapple on the boom with a quick connect/disconnect, so I can put away the boom behind the cab, or get another boom. I'm debating, whether it's worth fixing the boom I presently have, and buying and figuring out how to set up a grapple on it, etc., or if another used boom with a grapple would be a better choice. I also want to use the grapple to load brush, and especially larger rocks.

Just today I came across an old truck that runs with a smaller boom/loader/grapple set up on the back of it. Might be able to get it for $2500/$3000. The boom hydraulics are powered by a John Deere motor (I think...) that's supposedly in pretty good shape. Anyway, any input would be appreciated.


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## LightningLoader

Does the used setup that you're looking at include a grapple? 

Have you gotten any quotes on how much a new grapple would cost you?


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## diltree

We just built a bran new log loader, made by "Log Lift" it pics more weight then our two prentice loaders do and has 10 more feet of reach, and to top it all it folds right up on the back; major space saver! I will post pics when I get the chance, its WICKED cool......


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## KeppleServices

So where are those pics?? I am interested in seeing this loader...


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## Industry

Have you looked at timber harvester mills? My father has one and It has helped him make some coin for sure. It's got a 30 horse diesel. nice rig. Maybe you are looking for something bigger.


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## palakaky

treeist said:


> Thinking of purchasing a self loader log truck or a dump truck with peterson type log grapple. Does anyone have experience with these machines? prices for good used on west coast? etc. I am also shopping for a portable sawmill I have pretty much decided to get a mobile dimension sawmill but I have not seen one run yet.
> 
> Thank you
> John Kakouris certified since 88



Good day John..

I have a 1998 GMC grapple (self-loader) for sale. I live in Southwest Florida. It is in good condition. We have owned it for one year and used it in New Orleans last year. Let me know if you are interested..


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## loaderc

*Loader Crane*

Hi,
Cranes used in the construction industry are mostly temporary structures either mounted on a vehicle which is built for the specific purpose of carrying the crane, or fixed to the ground. You can get more information from www.hmf-crane.co.uk.


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## lotzy13881

*grapple loader*

anyone have a grapple or small crane that could be mounted on a trailer for sale. Looking for good price and can pick up at least 48" dia. X 2ft. chunks of wood.


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