# The Farm Tractor in the Woodlot



## Gypo Logger

I'm almost thinking of selling my skidder. This little tractor has worked some pretty tough ground. It's very versatile and I like the idea of being able to pile logs in postage stamp size landings and having the use of a material bucket as well. This Rock Maple weighs over a ton at 200 board feet.
maybe I should have started this on the logging forum but it so much more quaint over here.  
John


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## Rotax Robert

Better get your spencer tape off there before you lose it.

Rotax


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## Gypo Logger

Steeper slopes offer a different challenge for tractor and operator. No room for any serious mistakes.
John


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## NeTree

I like them setups, John. Nice for the lil stuff.


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## Gypo Logger

Rotax Robert said:


> Better get your spencer tape off there before you lose it.
> 
> Rotax


 It was just for a size comparison so you wouldn't think I was cutting pecker poles!  
John


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## Gypo Logger

NeTree said:


> I like them setups, John. Nice for the lil stuff.


 Hi Erik, the tractor is like a deer in the woods while a skidder is like a moose.
It works really well and is great for a playboy logger like myself. lol
It doesn't offer the safety features that the skidder does nor the load capacity, but if you like making trails and the skid distance is short it works out well.
John


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## Dennis Cahoon

You'd be plantin corn if you were out west, you glorified wood cutter! Farmer Gypo John.

Hahaha!
FMC


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## Gypo Logger

Dennis Cahoon said:


> You'd be plantin corn if you were out west, you glorified wood cutter! Farmer Gypo John.
> 
> Hahaha!
> FMC


 Dennis, you're right there is something about sitting on a 50 horse Kubuta that makes you feel more like a farmer than a logger, but all the farmers like that and that's who has all the timber so I'm in like Flint.
Maybe I can do some custom combining if times get tough. The bucket is great for doing firewood and snowplowing.
Hahaha
Now We're Farming


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## keith c raymond

Ive found that just my little Massey -Furguson at 22.5horses has been a big help in processing my wood for home use.How is your machine set up?are your wheels weighted?are there options for widening your wheelbase for more stability?


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## Gypo Logger

Hi Dennis, like I said earlier, I'd make a good abhorist and with the winch on that tractor I won't have to waste my time climbing, I can just winch the branches right off the trunk banana peel style and then just dump the trunk with a huge undercut and make some summerwood.
John


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## Gypo Logger

keith c raymond said:


> Ive found that just my little Massey -Furguson at 22.5horses has been a big help in processing my wood for home use.How is your machine set up?are your wheels weighted?are there options for widening your wheelbase for more stability?


 Hi Kieth, I have neither wheel weights nor calcium in the tires, however a bit of added balist in the material bucket like dirt, snow or firewood gives all the stability required in most situations. However, I don't really think it would pull this tree, but it looks like she charmed the Oak right off of that stump.
John


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## Sizzle-Chest

If your looking for a used one, I'll give you a smokin good deal on mine


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## Rotax Robert

Now your Loggin


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## 066 stihl

John

What brand winch do you have? I have been looking at the JL601 Farmi winch.

Ricky


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## Gypo Logger

Sizzle-Chest said:


> If your looking for a used one, I'll give you a smokin good deal on mine


 I like that picture, it says it all.
Ricky, I have the Norse 4500. I like it because it has a hinged dozer blade, so if you get hung up on a high stump or rock it will hinge back unlike the Farmi or Fransgard. The Norse is around 4000 U.S. I believe. It's made in Norway or someplace like that.
John


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## Marco

Looks like a handy rig, I use a Ferguson to35 quite a bit myself. I would make sure that your tractor has enough bracing between the front and back halves. Some of these Asian tractors are weak at the rear of the engine. They take a universal engine, attach a plate to it and fasten the plate to the bellhousing. I have worked on a Massey Ferguson made by Iseki that was run hard by a landscaper. All that was holding it together was the bolts that hold the flywheel to the crankshaft. And with 4wd you can really turn up the stress.


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## Gypo Logger

It's too bad the tractors weren't articulated. They made one I think in Germany called a Holder if I'm not mistaken that was specificly for harvesting timber.
I used to have a Swedish translation of "The Farm Tractor in the Woodlot", that had alot of great ideas. I used a Ford 5610 4WD in the woods for 5 years befor I bought the skidder, but I also seem to need a tractor too.

Green green valley or a rocky road, I say buddy can you spare me some Pine?
It's green green, it's green they say! LOL
John


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## Gypo Logger

Trimmed, Darin DDM...... the treehosers are disrupting things again.... do something!
:blob1:
John


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## woodfarmer

*tractor & winck*

i use a caseih 90 hp with a farmi 501 winch, excellent set-up. even with the larger tractor you have to be very carefull with the angle of pull, i got too tight once and the rear tire almost come off the ground, i do not have any ballast in the tires. since then i bought a snatch block to winch 90 degrees to the trail and then reattach for a straight pull. sorry no picture from rear.


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## woodfarmer

oops, tractor and winch, fingers not working today.


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## NeTree

John... 'specially those landings that are like 8 feet wide, 10 feet deep, and have a cliff on either side.


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## keith c raymond

Gypo ,where do you find those ''Wood wenches''?Is there something about a woodtick like you that you could reveal to us barkbiters?Ive got a molasses solution in my tires and it does the trick for stability.


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## keith c raymond

She looks like just the ticket for cold Canadian evenings......


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## SWE#Kipp

*Volvo T-24*

This is what me and my brother use for skidding, not so fancy maybe but it does the trick for us ,,,,,,













/ Kristoffer


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## Gypo Logger

Moving right along here, it's payday in the forest, so I'll show everyone what that little tractor can actually do with some more pictures.
WHY I didn't stay with tractors I don't know, but a skidder makes you feel more the part, but I must have been suffering from affectatiousness too!  
John


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## Newfie

Gypo Logger said:


> WHY I didn't stay with tractors I don't know, but a skidder makes you feel more the part, but I must have been suffering from affectatiousness too!




I often think about a skidder and how it would make me more "real" and efficient on bigger cuts, but the Kubota gets me into some tight lots and tight spots that the big boys have to pass on because there is no room for their million dollar set-ups. 

I'm working a lot right now with a ten foot flat area on top of a ridge that drops off at 30 - 40 degree slopes. Wide enough to move the Kubota along with a hitch back to the 20' x 30' landing.

Letting things dry out today, try and remember to take some pictures of my set-up tomorrow.


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## PTS

I saw a skidder type attachment that has a grapple that mounts on a three point hitch of a tractor. The grapple works with hydraulics. It really looked like a nice little unit. It would really allow for you to get in those tight areas with a utility tractor and skid the logs out and never have to get off the tractor to chain the log. Has anyone used one of these.


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## Newfie

TreeCo said:


> Hey Mike,
> 
> Are you sawing what you cut? I thought you mentioned you were.
> 
> What saw do you use? I've been interested in one of the swing blade models and I'd enjoy the sawing but the drying and selling of the finished product worries me.
> 
> Dan




I've sawn white pine and hemlock so far. The hardwood goes to the firewood business. I have been sawing w/ a woodmizer LT40 (non hydraulic version). Most of what I have sawn has been for my own use but I've done several MBF for customers that want green roughsawn, that way all of the headaches are their's and not mine. I enjoy it, just wish I had more time to do it. Too much time spent clearing lots.


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## tawilson

Depending on work situations and such, I get into a little bit of tractor logging, and I've noticed that Gypo's pictures have gone from skidder to tractor. Almost asked why a couple of times. Now I know. Didn't figure somebody heavily into logging would go that direction. Probably also depends on terrain and how far you have to drag. My woodlot is rough and I'm still working on opening it up with roads, and have pounded the snot of of my 2120. And I also almost made a post similar to HJ's but don't want to get dragged into the crap that goes on around here. I too enjoy threads like this. Keep um coming.


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## django

I too use a tractor ( Ford 4000) in the woods when I can, ( I am just a firewood cutter) However I find a skid steer ( Hydro-Mac , Bobcat etc..)
much easier to use. A decent size one with forks really gets the job done. 
John, is there a reason you went with a tractor instead of a skid steer?


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## Husky288XP

Thats the first time I saw John wear a hard hat.


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## Thor's Hammer

I have an 1184 ford county equal wheel tractor with an 8 tonne doubledrum igland winch for skidding. I run it on North american skidder tyres for grip. Trouble is, our timber has such little value over here, skidder extraction is almost dead. 
Holder tractors were very cool, as are Riko Alpine tractors and Ferrari tractors.
I would like a TJ 460 with double arch grapple just to play with though


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## Gypo Logger

The tractor really spells versatility as Thor has pointed out. With timber being worth more and firewood going up in price, you can't lose out with the proper tractor, especially with a loader, however, such a setup in the Western Rockies would be a joke in most situations.
Tractors work in small operations where the owner is the operator.
Learning to skid with a tractor will make you a very good skidder operator.
If I had the $$ to throw away a new JD 540 with a swing boom grapple would be a riot.
The first picture shows the "coffin grade", and the next one shows the veneer.
John


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## Gypo Logger

tawilson said:


> Depending on work situations and such, I get into a little bit of tractor logging, and I've noticed that Gypo's pictures have gone from skidder to tractor. Almost asked why a couple of times. Now I know. Didn't figure somebody heavily into logging would go that direction. Probably also depends on terrain and how far you have to drag. My woodlot is rough and I'm still working on opening it up with roads, and have pounded the snot of of my 2120. And I also almost made a post similar to HJ's but don't want to get dragged into the crap that goes on around here. I too enjoy threads like this. Keep um coming.


 Tom in most situation such a commercial logging, a tractor simply won't cut it, however with the small oneman gypo outfit I run it works out very well.
4WD is a must however, as is the 3ph winch along with a loader with quik detach bucket and fork/grapple.
John


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## Husky288XP

Thats a nice timberland, has it been managed before?


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## Sizzle-Chest

hey gypo, where'd you get that picture of me?


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## Stihl Crazy

Hi John, nice setup you have there. The John Deere 5210 is popular around here for woods work. The dealer does a woods package with nice stump pans and screens for the engine compartment. I am working a 900 acre lot that has been managed since 1982. I cut veneer two days per week and spruce the rest. The hardwood makes up around 400 acres of the property. I will post pics of the wood if I can get the camera away from my daughter. No snow here yet, it has been 15 degrees here all week. Art


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## Gypo Logger

Husky288XP said:


> Thats a nice timberland, has it been managed before?


 Steve, I took out 40 trees in 1999 and 35 trees this time on 15 acres. I should remove more low grade, but there are still lots of crop trees, so I'm a high grader on a low grade scale.
Sizzle, I knew that pic was photoshoped even before I opened it. Too funny!
Art, it would be nice to see your pictures. NB loggers log trucker had a tractor like you described with the bush attachment, but it was a Case I think.
It had a dozer blade off a skidder attached to the loader. Quebec and the Maritimes seem to use alot of tractors in the woods on a commercial level.
John


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## Thor's Hammer

The other thing about a tractor is the ability to put all sorts of implements on the 3pl. These equal wheel county tractors seem to be a good compromise for the woods. Heres mine with a 12" bandit chipper on the back


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## Kleek

I use a JD 5320 with front grapple and Nokka 3pt grapple with good results for firewood and clear cuttting.


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## Gypo Logger

Wow, that's a great setup. The bigger tires on the front are a real plus too. That looks like 100hp tractor.
I thought about a cab, but most cabs are too wide and in the bush if you slide sideways agasinst a tree the cab is the first thing to get damaged.
Someone mentioned a 3ph grapple. This would be good if used in conjunction with a winch because it is not always practical to back up to every stump.
John


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## Gypo Logger

Anyway, it's getting cold out so I'm moving into my winter wardrobe.
John


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## Thor's Hammer

Heres a few more pics I found. The big Ford is about 140hp, the smaller 4cyl is about 70hp. The small one is working on some big Knarly spruce and cedar clearcut.


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## Marky Mark

Yo Hammer TIme is that last skidder articulated??


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## Thor's Hammer

no articulation, you tend to use the bias brakes a bit though.
Dan, Haha, nice try. Wildthing probably sell more chainsaws than anyone else,would you buy one?
Bandits are a pile of ????e compared to a dynamic...


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## Thor's Hammer

Dan, dont be childish. are you trying to bait me or do you want a serious discussion?

I'm only a dealer in the UK, I'm not going to benifit by US sales. I went out to see the dynamics for myself, and accepted a dealer offer because I was that impressed. I could have been a dealer for Woodsman, or a sub dealer for Morbark, Bandit or Farmi.
But I'm a contractor first, salesman second.

Stop Spamming this thread and post your (questions?) bollocks elsewhere.


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## Thor's Hammer

I like these little tractors. They seem to be very popular over here now.
http://www.alpinetractors.com/alp_for.htm


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## Buzzlightyear

My tractors....


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## Gypo Logger

Buzz, I like that fowarder. It would be great for delivering 10' firewood logs as well sawlogs to a dry landing. What kind of truck is that/
John


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## Whiteindustries

*Nice Unimog!*



Buzzlightyear said:


> My tractors....



Is that a forestry package?


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## Whiteindustries

*John looks like a Unimog.*



Gypo Logger said:


> Buzz, I like that fowarder. It would be great for delivering 10' firewood logs as well sawlogs to a dry landing. What kind of truck is that/
> John



Do a search online, you'll be amazed what they can do.


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## Gypo Logger

I think I will. If I sell the skidder I can put the $ into accessories for the tractor. Such as FOPS , limb risers and belly pan and maybe a front end winch and a trailer.
John


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## Gypo Logger

Of the 52 veneer logs I sold today, here is the best of the bunch. It had a 20" tip and scaled 160 board feet @ 10' long. That one log will make this month's tractor payment. 
John


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## Gypo Logger

Although the fork is great for forwarding and neatly piling logs, extra precaution needs to be taken, especially with the snow. On a side slope the log can slide off the fork throwing a wrench into things. This is why it is best to skid them from the bush then handle them on the landing and main trail only.
John


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## Whiteindustries

*A buddy has a Kubota*



Gypo Logger said:


> Of the 52 veneer logs I sold today, here is the best of the bunch. It had a 20" tip and scaled 160 board feet @ 10' long. That one log will make this month's tractor payment.
> John



A buddy of mine has a Kubota I think somewhere around 50hp with a loader and backhoe,he loves the machine.
Try checking on the unimogs I think you'll be impressed,They are like the swiss army knife of trucks.
Back in the 70's they offered what they called their forestry edition,front and rear ptos,3 way dump bed ,diesel,21 spd trans top speed around 45 mph.You could attach almost anything to them and run them.from farm to forest they are great rigs.
The National Gaurd runs some with a backhoe and frontend loader setup,I would love to get my hands on one.


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## Al Smith

Surprisingly those small tractors do pretty good at packing out logs.I've got 2 of these Fergys,one with a loader,one without.The loader has liquid filled tires,wheel weights and a barrel full of concrete on the rear.It will lift over a ton,but you can't steer it with that heavy of a load.It will handle about 1000 lbs pretty easily.
The one without a loader will pull most likely a ton and a half but the front end will be in the air.A moot point because you can't steer it that way.  
What small amount of actual logging I did,some years back,we used my D4 to drag out the logs.It was slow but you could pull a lot at one time.
I would think those little all wheel drives would be the cats meow for smaller type operations.Just think,now they have power steering,no more "armstrong" method,ha.


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## Gypo Logger

That's a nice Oak log Al. Did you get it milled up? The weight distribution on a tractor I think is 60/40 with the rear being the heaviest while a skidder is 40/60 with the front being heavier. The Kubota is ok with 2200# on reasonaly good ground. The winch on the back keeps the tractor from "crabing", moving sideways from loss of stearing.
John


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## Gypo Logger

Whiteindustries said:


> A buddy of mine has a Kubota I think somewhere around 50hp with a loader and backhoe,he loves the machine.
> Try checking on the unimogs I think you'll be impressed,They are like the swiss army knife of trucks.
> Back in the 70's they offered what they called their forestry edition,front and rear ptos,3 way dump bed ,diesel,21 spd trans top speed around 45 mph.You could attach almost anything to them and run them.from farm to forest they are great rigs.
> The National Gaurd runs some with a backhoe and frontend loader setup,I would love to get my hands on one.


 When I was exploring the Yukon's abandoned mining trails I would come across mysterious vehicle tracks through some of the most ungodliest terrain.
I bet they were Unimog tracks.
John


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## JamesTX

Gypo - when you sell a log, does the mill buy it based on what they can see or do they mill it and pay based on what the final product is? Just wondering who takes the risk of there being an internal flaw.

Also, what are the marks on the end of the logs?


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## chainsawworld

this set up is good for the smaller stuff. i just back up to the stick, drop the boom and the grapple opens around the end of the log or tree. i have it worked out with the ballist so if the hydro's can pick it up the front end is still on the ground to steer. i have had times i needed to steer with the brakes. 
the wood box on the right fender holds the chainsaw and a piggy-back gas/oil can is mounted on the weights in front. the push fan from the engine keeps warm air flowing around the can to keep the bar oil warm in the winter. 
marty


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## rahtreelimbs

John, my brother-in-law has an Agco-Allis ( think that is how it is spelled ). He is on the commitee for a cemetary near his home. He is the only one who has permission to work the property for fidewood. It is pretty neat to see the bucket uproot a 40 ft. cherry!!!


That tractor is a real workhorse!


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## Gypo Logger

James, it generally only the logger that will buy timber based on it's ultimate grade and yield.
The logs pictured are for export. The Americans get the first pick as they pay the most, then the Asians, but they aren't as fussy and will buy 3 clearsided logs which is what the 3 dots mean. All the export logs are tagged to keep track of them.
The Americans pay roughly double what others pay because they slice them and require the highest grade logs, while the Asians unwrap them like a toilet role and can utilize a lower grade.
John


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## Gypo Logger

rahtreelimbs said:


> John, my brother-in-law has an Agco-Allis ( think that is how it is spelled ). He is on the commitee for a cemetary near his home. He is the only one who has permission to work the property for fidewood. It is pretty neat to see the bucket uproot a 40 ft. cherry!!!
> 
> 
> That tractor is a real workhorse!


 Get some pics Rich, sounds interesting.
John


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## rahtreelimbs

rahtreelimbs said:


> John, my brother-in-law has an Agco-Allis ( think that is how it is spelled ). He is on the commitee for a cemetary near his home. He is the only one who has permission to work the property for fidewood. It is pretty neat to see the bucket uproot a 40 ft. cherry!!!
> 
> 
> That tractor is a real workhorse!






Gypo Logger said:


> Get some pics Rich, sounds interesting.
> John




I can try. I only see him a few times a year!


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## JamesTX

Gypo Logger said:


> James, it generally only the logger that will buy timber based on it's ultimate grade and yield.
> The logs pictured are for export. The Americans get the first pick as they pay the most, then the Asians, but they aren't as fussy and will buy 3 clearsided logs which is what the 3 dots mean. All the export logs are tagged to keep track of them.
> The Americans pay roughly double what others pay because they slice them and require the highest grade logs, while the Asians unwrap them like a toilet role and can utilize a lower grade.
> John



I didn't know they exported timber to Asia. I bet that transportation adds a bit to the retail price of wood.


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## Gypo Logger

JamesTX said:


> I didn't know they exported timber to Asia. I bet that transportation adds a bit to the retail price of wood.


 Not really, those slow boats to China are pretty big!
John


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## Locoweed

They might be going back pretty empty considering our trade imbalance


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## Al Smith

On that export situation,there is a man,locally that sells a majority of his stuff for export.The buyers come from all over the world.I have said before that the mid west,more generally the lake states or provinces[our friends to the north] are not the highest in timber production,but the most sought after,world wide.
His yard is filling up,I will try and get some pictures tomorrow.[ha,old Gyp will drool when he sees some 24" cherry peelers]


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## Buzzlightyear

Gypo Logger said:


> Buzz, I like that fowarder. It would be great for delivering 10' firewood logs as well sawlogs to a dry landing. What kind of truck is that/
> John



John it's a U1000 Unimog, primarily it's used for domestic tree surgery. The advantages are i can do 45mph on the road, stick whatever i want on the rear 3 point linkage and chip into the purpose built chip box.

They are a bit ungainly and top heavy in the woods but can be and is really useful for any number of forestry / logging tasks.

Have a look at www.unimogs.co.uk or www.unimogs-acprice.co.uk/


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## StIhL MaGnUm

Hey John ,

If you sell the 540 , get yourself some nice new ice chains for the Bota !! Nothing like new chains in the winter . Nice looking stems , you are the Rock Maple king of Canada .. When you gonna come back to NH , we need to go out for drinks and talk timber

Rob


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## Gypo Logger

StIhL MaGnUm said:


> Hey John ,
> 
> If you sell the 540 , get yourself some nice new ice chains for the Bota !! Nothing like new chains in the winter . Nice looking stems , you are the Rock Maple king of Canada .. When you gonna come back to NH , we need to go out for drinks and talk timber
> 
> Rob


 I was thinking that as well.
The logs went out today. Here's a few pictures.
John


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## Gypo Logger

Truck.


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## jokers

Hi John,

In this picture I see logs yarded by the road waiting to be picked up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/WS.jpg

Around here they would have already been bucked and stacked in sombody`s wood shed.   About all you have to do is leave them for one day with no sign of activity, they`ll be gone by morning.

Russ


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## SWE#Kipp

John !!

On one of the logs there is an "S" in end of it, what is it ?
is it something to keep the log from cracking up more ??

/Kristoffer


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## JamesTX

SWE#Kipp said:


> John !!
> 
> On one of the logs there is an "S" in end of it, what is it ?
> is it something to keep the log from cracking up more ??
> 
> /Kristoffer



I saw that too. Was the defect there before the tree was felled, or did it occur due to the impact with the ground?

Does it affect the value at all?


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## Lakeside53

JamesTX said:


> I didn't know they exported timber to Asia. I bet that transportation adds a bit to the retail price of wood.



Out here in Seattle, the "Export" logs are the best grade (Doug Fir)... and get the top $$. Then there are the varous "domestic" grades. Very few large clear fir logs end up on the local market. We end up paying more for the fine wood 'cos the Japanese will pay more...


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## keith c raymond

Those Unimog based machines that the U.S. National Guard run are called Seeflu 419s.It stands for small emplacement excavator.There are two versions that I am familiar with .One is a maintainance model with front forks and a crane in the rear.Its aux.hydraulic power ran a Impact wrench I think.The one that I am most familiar with because I was a trainer on had a 3/4yard toothed bucket on the front,and a Case 580style backhoe on the rear, less Extendahoe,with a 24''bucket .It had a hydraulic twin hose with twin quik connects for a Stanley 70# jackhammer and also a chainsaw ,also by Stanley.It also had a hydraulic drill.They had a four speed trans with high and low range button on the shifter,plus twin range lever with reverse,They had some downfalls,as it having a clutch,Inexperienced operators would dig in a bank or pile and beat the clutch up bad.Also the backhoe operated with a throttle button that was prone to fail,as it was in a exposed position.You would have to use the throttle in the cab.As I understand It ,the military is not ordering them any more they are going with a 580 Case backhoe.The Unimog core of the machine was exceptional,though,and they really attract attention wherever they go.


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## DDM

John, Sell the Skidder and get a cab for the Kubota.


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## Thor's Hammer

keith c raymond said:


> the military is not ordering them any more they are going with a 580 Case backhoe.The Unimog core of the machine was exceptional,though,and they really attract attention wherever they go.



Actually, it seems the US military are going with the British JCB super digger...
Now this is what I call a backhoe!  

super digger


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## Gypo Logger

SWE#Kipp said:


> John !!
> 
> On one of the logs there is an "S" in end of it, what is it ?
> is it something to keep the log from cracking up more ??
> 
> /Kristoffer



That was an S iron that I drove into the butt and tip of that Maple. Rarely does Maple jump open like that. Ash and Hickory are very bad for spliting right before your eyes. Some S irons are made of plastic in case valiable slicer knives hit them.
John


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## Gypo Logger

DDM said:


> John, Sell the Skidder and get a cab for the Kubota.


 Hi Dave, a canopy would be nice, but a traditional tractor cab would get torn off the first time you slide sideways into a tree.
John


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## Gypo Logger

JamesTX said:


> I saw that too. Was the defect there before the tree was felled, or did it occur due to the impact with the ground?
> 
> Does it affect the value at all?



Hard to say James, but when I cut the log out above the cracked one, there was no crack, it just popped open. It must have been an extremely straight grained tree to do that. Impact would help as well, but Maple cracks mostly in subzero weather. Unless the log jumps in half, it can still be utilized.
John


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## keith c raymond

I know that the 580 has been approved for purchase.That JCB will probably be used for more combat related missions.Its definetly impressive though.


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## Gypo Logger

Well that 40 yard bin was set off at noon yesterday and I have it filled today! That's with blocks though as in no spitting. That's 6 full cords of Maple, Cherry and Ash. That's 15 tons of wood. Not bad for an old phooker like me!
The tractor is great for doing firewood too!
John


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## Whiteindustries

*We had a bunch of Ex Nato Unimogs..*



keith c raymond said:


> Those Unimog based machines that the U.S. National Guard run are called Seeflu 419s.It stands for small emplacement excavator.There are two versions that I am familiar with .One is a maintainance model with front forks and a crane in the rear.Its aux.hydraulic power ran a Impact wrench I think.The one that I am most familiar with because I was a trainer on had a 3/4yard toothed bucket on the front,and a Case 580style backhoe on the rear, less Extendahoe,with a 24''bucket .It had a hydraulic twin hose with twin quik connects for a Stanley 70# jackhammer and also a chainsaw ,also by Stanley.It also had a hydraulic drill.They had a four speed trans with high and low range button on the shifter,plus twin range lever with reverse,They had some downfalls,as it having a clutch,Inexperienced operators would dig in a bank or pile and beat the clutch up bad.Also the backhoe operated with a throttle button that was prone to fail,as it was in a exposed position.You would have to use the throttle in the cab.As I understand It ,the military is not ordering them any more they are going with a 580 Case backhoe.The Unimog core of the machine was exceptional,though,and they really attract attention wherever they go.



At a shop that I worked at we had six Ex Nato Unimogs that came out of Canada(We where getting them ready for resale,fluids filters tuneups etc).They where all 1966 gas engines with a longer wheelbase and either five or six speeds hi and low, I cannot remember.Our shop was at a gravel pit and we tested each one out, boy would those things climb!!!!!
I've owned Jeeps,Landcruisers,big trucks etc and those Unimogs would climb just about anything you put your front wheels against,Very Impressive.
I've been told the backhoe makes them very top heavy buy one of the operators.I guess one of the reasons they(Army) are doing away with them.


----------



## Gypo Logger

The ground clearance is high on those unimogs making them a high class ATV.
It's definately the machine for the ultimate off road experience.

Anyway, with 1000 lbs in the bucket it's no problem skidding 2000 lbs. behind even on uneven ground and in some pretty hairy technical situations.
John


----------



## Whiteindustries

*Looks pretty handy*



Gypo Logger said:


> The ground clearance is high on those unimogs making them a high class ATV.
> It's definately the machine for the ultimate off road experience.
> 
> Anyway, with 1000 lbs in the bucket it's no problem skidding 2000 lbs. behind even on uneven ground and in some pretty hairy technical situations.
> John



I sent along some of your photos to my buddy down Maine.He wasnt sure his Kubota would be good for small scale logging.I think you proved him wrong.


----------



## Gypo Logger

I hope your friend enjoys using his tractor in the woods because it really alot of fun.
However, I must point out a few safety issues here.
A tractor is designed for the feild and not the forest, making it very vulnerable to damage and injury to the operator.
The tractor, unless properly equipted is not a skidder.
Take a look at the picture below. There are two dead Hemlock just waiting to fall on the tractor and/or the operator if that hitch is pulled against them.
Either cut them down before driving into the area or winch the hitch to you with lots of distance between the tractor and thedead trees which is what I did.
Safety first.
John


----------



## Whiteindustries

*I'll pass that along*



Gypo Logger said:


> I hope your friend enjoys using his tractor in the woods because it really alot of fun.
> However, I must point out a few safety issues here.
> A tractor is designed for the feild and not the forest, making it very vulnerable to damage and injury to the operator.
> The tractor, unless properly equipted is not a skidder.
> Take a look at the picture below. There are two dead Hemlock just waiting to fall on the tractor and/or the operator if that hitch is pulled against them.
> Either cut them down before driving into the area or winch the hitch to you with lots of distance between the tractor and thedead trees which is what I did.
> Safety first.
> John



My buddy(Pete) was more worried about pulling the backhoe on and off everytime he wanted to go into the woods.I think his tractor is a 50hp+- model, I forget the model number.He has a good head for safety but I will remind him again.He is in the process of buying a 145 acre woodlot just down the street from his home.


----------



## asb151

Whiteindustries said:


> My buddy(Pete) was more worried about pulling the backhoe on and off everytime he wanted to go into the woods.I think his tractor is a 50hp+- model, I forget the model number.He has a good head for safety but I will remind him again.He is in the process of buying a 145 acre woodlot just down the street from his home.



*Whiteindustries*, just curious if you ever decided on which new saw to get? Were you thinking about a Dolmar?


----------



## Whiteindustries

*Trying to shake some cash free...*



asb151 said:


> *Whiteindustries*, just curious if you ever decided on which new saw to get? Were you thinking about a Dolmar?



I am still going with the Dolmar 7900 unless I work a trade.I am waiting for some cash to free up as I am in the middle of moving north.
I was offered a Husky 575xp as a trade, The reviews where not that great here on the site and I would have been taking a beating in the trade$$.


----------



## asb151

Whiteindustries said:


> I am still going with the Dolmar 7900 unless I work a trade.I am waiting for some cash to free up as I am in the middle of moving north.
> I was offered a Husky 575xp as a trade, The reviews where not that great here on the site and I would have been taking a beating in the trade$$.



I think the 7900 is a good move. Let us know when you get it and how you like it. I may get one as well....after the holidays.


----------



## Whiteindustries

*I will*



asb151 said:


> I think the 7900 is a good move. Let us know when you get it and how you like it. I may get one as well....after the holidays.



I will maybe santa will bring me one.lol I dont know how good a judge I will be?? After all I still love my 630super.


----------



## JimL

Need to get something like this for your kubota, 

The cages on these are nice, tractors are junk tho, bigass belly pan on them only gives around 10" of ground clearance, get hung up on them all the time. 
we have several at work, brokedown more than they are running. 
www.woodsboss.com


----------



## ehp

Myself I think Gypo is doing a better job with his tractor than the skidder would do , doesnot tear the bush up as bad and with that blade on the back he can grade the trail anytime he wants, it looks like it is working out great for him and all that green gold, I walked 1 of my friends grounds the other day cause he was suppose to have all this green gold, I never seen 1 tree that would make copper let alone gold, lots of firewood


----------



## tawilson

Gypo, 
It looks like your winch doesn't have the chain hookup notches across the back like the Farmi. I can see with most of what you pull one log is plenty, but I often fill mine up when I'm pulling out firewood logs, plus one or two hooked to the cable. I also don't see any of the slides on your cable. If I have to direct a log while dragging, I'll wrap a strap around a tree and use them to pull which ever way I need. Last year however, I got lazy/smart and cut down on dragging the cable out. Now that I've opened things up some, I cut the trees and drag them with the tongs on my bucket to one location for hooking to the winch. As I said, I'm dealing mostly with small stuff. 
Snows coming this week here, so I'm taking the tractor to my woodlot. Been way to wet around here. I'm looing forward to it, sitting on my butt running the backhoe doesn't tune me up like working in the woods.


----------



## jokers

JimL said:


> Need to get something like this for your kubota,
> 
> The cages on these are nice, tractors are junk tho, bigass belly pan on them only gives around 10" of ground clearance, get hung up on them all the time.
> we have several at work, brokedown more than they are running.
> www.woodsboss.com



Hi Jim,

It`s hard to get a clear look at the tractor and the specs don`t seem to say who makes it but it looks like a New Holland. Is that right?

Les Payeur has a nice forestry package for farm tractors, too bad that their machine is built on a Kioti.

Russ


----------



## JimL

New Holland tractors. They always run but driveshafts, pto's transfer cases, winch screwups, front end problems. 


we run them on ruff ground but I thought thats what they was made for.


----------



## jokers

JimL said:


> we run them on ruff ground but I thought thats what they was made for.



Agreed. I`ve heard from several industry sources that the new style New Hollands aren`t what the Fords were.

Russ


----------



## Buzzlightyear

New Holland tractors are absoloute rubbish *alledgedly!* in this industry. I know of a local conservation organistaion that run one and have had nothing but problems with it from day one ! They had a MF previousley than ran for 8 years before it was nicked !


----------



## tawilson

I think one problem is they keep making the engines more powerful and the frames lighter. My 40hp 1996 NH 2120 has the same frame that they put on the 45 and 55 hp boomers now. That doesn't explain the $900 I just had to put into a new clutch. Or maybe it does. The clutch didn't wear out, I somehow stripped the splines out of it. The clutch looked in good shape. Throwout bearing too.


----------



## bwalker

> Agreed. I`ve heard from several industry sources that the new style New Hollands aren`t what the Fords were.
> [/QUOTE
> Get a kubota and be done with it. NH are made in japan anyway, as are the smaller deere's.


----------



## Buzzlightyear

Or get a proper tractor lol http://www.valtra.co.uk/


----------



## Whiteindustries

*Heres a site that talks about tractor/skidders*



Buzzlightyear said:


> Or get a proper tractor lol http://www.valtra.co.uk/




Here is a site that I tripped across talking about farm tractor skidders.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/forestry/420-090/420-090.html#L3


----------



## tawilson

However, in defense of my tractor, I spend a lot of time at Tractorbynet, and I don't see where the NH has anymore problems and complaints than the orange and green tractors. That is mainly a compact tractor site, tho. And my clutch problem may have been self-inflicted through overuse of the shuttleshift, though the dealer didn't think so.


----------



## Gypo Logger

tawilson said:


> Gypo,
> It looks like your winch doesn't have the chain hookup notches across the back like the Farmi. I can see with most of what you pull one log is plenty, but I often fill mine up when I'm pulling out firewood logs, plus one or two hooked to the cable. I also don't see any of the slides on your cable. If I have to direct a log while dragging, I'll wrap a strap around a tree and use them to pull which ever way I need. Last year however, I got lazy/smart and cut down on dragging the cable out. Now that I've opened things up some, I cut the trees and drag them with the tongs on my bucket to one location for hooking to the winch. As I said, I'm dealing mostly with small stuff.
> Snows coming this week here, so I'm taking the tractor to my woodlot. Been way to wet around here. I'm looing forward to it, sitting on my butt running the backhoe doesn't tune me up like working in the woods.



Hi Tom, I don't have the mainline slides on mine, but plan to install them when I find a suitable supplier in my area.. I also have the slotted drawbar on the winch frame that allows skidding multiple stems, however, they don't ride high enough and this is where the chains break when we choke them too close.
Anyway, with the firewood being in great demand the tractor sure makes things alot easier.
John


----------



## jokers

tawilson said:


> However, in defense of my tractor, I spend a lot of time at Tractorbynet, and I don't see where the NH has anymore problems and complaints than the orange and green tractors. That is mainly a compact tractor site, tho. And my clutch problem may have been self-inflicted through overuse of the shuttleshift, though the dealer didn't think so.



The New Hollands that I heard were having problems with weak front axles, trannies, and frames are the new compacts, not the rebadged Fords like you have. Bern from yesterdaystractors was the first to mention the weakness. He has been a Ford/New Holland mechanic for many years and usually has the answers for problems that stump everyone else.

I don`t think that I know anyone who actually has a Boomer, everyone switched to Long Farmtracs or Kubota when New Holland went the way of the yuppie tractor.

BTW Ben, where are Kubotas made?  My Japanese made Shibaura/Ford 1720 has been an excellent tractor for all of the abuse that I have given it.

Russ


----------



## bwalker

> BTW Ben, where are Kubotas made? My Japanese made Shibaura/Ford 1720 has been an excellent tractor for all of the abuse that I have given it.


My point was why pay ford price for a Shibaura?


----------



## a_lopa

nothing wrong with what johns got but personally for the work he's doing i would have got a SAME imo http://www.samedeutz-fahr.com/same/ranges/


----------



## jokers

bwalker said:


> My point was why pay ford price for a Shibaura?



Just like so many other things, Shibaura wouldn`t have been here in the US if it weren`t for the distribution network of Ford. Ford did the same thing as all the other big tractor manufacturers did at that time, they went out and found the best small tractor being manufactured by someone else and rebranded them for sale in the US. John Deere used Yanmar which is also an excellent tractor and Case used someone else, was it Mitsubishi?

At any rate, I have no qualms about having a Ford blue Shibaura, it`s an excellent small tractor and would recommend it to anyone. I can also work circles around my neighbor with his giant Belarus and run 9-10 hours at PTO speed on 8 gallons of fuel. This tractor is probably the best product that I have ever owned or operated, it`s been that reliable.

Russ


----------



## jokers

a_lopa said:


> nothing wrong with what johns got but personally for the work he's doing i would have got a SAME imo http://www.samedeutz-fahr.com/same/ranges/



SAME parts are apparently hard to get and high priced in the US. I had a few friends who bought them "gray market" and lived to regret it.

The Duetz farm tractors are very rugged.

Russ


----------



## ehp

for what John is doing that tractor does a great job, he is making millions of dollars with it so why change. If he was going to buy a new one why not buy a new 548 grapple skidder, this way he doesnot have to get out of his nice warm cab to hook his tree up and on the weekends he can drive it to the movies, maybe a little hard to take through the drive through at Buger King


----------



## jokers

ehp said:


> maybe a little hard to take through the drive through at Buger King



Only the first time!


----------



## Gypo Logger

Although pulling whole tops is not an accepted practice it can be done if care is taken not to damage the residual trees. It's an art and the trees that you leave undamaged will be the high grade stems you can harvest on the next cut. Low grade stems can be used as pivot trees if need be.
Note how I have the saw out of harms way so it doesn't get run over.  
John


----------



## Locoweed

And they say that you can't teach a old dog new tricks.


----------



## scottr

*Old Dog*

I wonder if he remembered where he left his saw or maybe it was to remind him to cut that tree next . That old dog might surprise you .


----------



## SWE#Kipp

keep this thread going ,,, i like all the photos of different tractor setups 

/Kristoffer


----------



## Gypo Logger

Thanks for keeping the tread going. I sold my first load of blocks this year.
It's a common sight here in Canada to have a woodpile larger than your house.
In fact some shack owners pile the wood around the house in such a fashion as to create a higher R value against inclement weather.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

It's always easier to find the choker hole when the grounds not frozen.
John


----------



## Thor's Hammer

Well this is'nt a skidder, but it is an old tractor running my firewood processor. 1954 Nuffield with a BMC diesel conversion. Runs the processor nicely. I think I've a long way to go before I cover my my house with firewood though....


----------



## jokers

Thor's Hammer said:


> Well this is'nt a skidder, but it is an old tractor running my firewood processor. 1954 Nuffield with a BMC diesel conversion. Runs the processor nicely. I think I've a long way to go before I cover my my house with firewood though....



That`s an interesting processor for small wood TH, did you build it?

Russ


----------



## Gypo Logger

Is that the Sycamore you were speaking of Thor?
John


----------



## trimmmed

John, I think Ed named that sycamore as *acer platanus* but I think he meant *acer psuedoplatanus*, In either case, not a sycamore. The acer psuedoplatanus, is considered _invasive_ here. Fast grower and prolific reseeder. Might be perfect for pulp and firewood though. Not sure what it's value is as lumber. A real sycamore does have a niche market, in quartersawn and spalted quartersawn that gets good dollars, but probably the mill makes out more so than the logger on that.

Ed, please correct me if I got that wrong


----------



## Thor's Hammer

Dead right Dave, my bad. Yeah a lot of that stuff was the smaller diameter ash and sycamore in the 26acre wood. Most of it was harvested with a ponsse, so its all in neat 2meter lengths. Ideal firewood. I do know that fiddleback or ripple sycamore is worth a lot, but not every butt is rippled, probably 1 in 50. The firewood processor is a little palax semi automatic. that stack took me about an easy day to do.


----------



## SWE#Kipp

Thank's for shareing all of you chainsaw/tractor/wood/forest's nerds  


/Kristoffer


----------



## belgian

*Nuffield*

_Well this is'nt a skidder, but it is an old tractor running my firewood processor. 1954 Nuffield with a BMC diesel conversion. Runs the processor nicely. I think I've a long way to go before I cover my my house with firewood though...._

TM, that picture of your Nuffield made my heard bleed. My folks owned a 1966 Nuffield like yours (Type 10/60, 4 cyl. 60 HP). Pretty strong tractor, who gave me lots of pleasure working with. I sold it in 1994 because I had no real use for it any longer, but still regret it today.  

Just had to dig up some pics of me and this nice tractor some 20 years ago. (one working in the field, one while pulling a parade trailer)


----------



## woodfarmer

*blocks*

gypo, how many cord to the load and if you don't mind me asking, how much do you sell it that way for?


----------



## tawilson

John,
I've been mainly using cable chokers, mainly cause I can poke them under the log. But chains are definitely handier for the adjustment value. I've seen some choker chains with a rod on the end to get under the log. Ever use them? I might make up a couple to give it a whirl.


----------



## Gypo Logger

Hi Woodfarmer. That pile was 6 cords. I filled a 40 yard bin and delivered it for 1200$
The tipping fee was 200$. It's a great way to do firewood. Instead of delivering and on the phone with customers you can be in the woods filling the bin. All costs are cut drasticly handling the wood this way I find.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

tawilson said:


> John,
> I've been mainly using cable chokers, mainly cause I can poke them under the log. But chains are definitely handier for the adjustment value. I've seen some choker chains with a rod on the end to get under the log. Ever use them? I might make up a couple to give it a whirl.


 Tom, I've seen them but never used the metal one, however a curved stick works as well.
The only trouble with the metal one is that you run the risk of either loosing them or driving over them, causing a flat tire.
I like the chains as well as the cable chokers. Each has their advantages and disadvantages.
John


----------



## Newfie

I don't care for the chain chokers w/ the pin on the end for pushing under the log. Instead I use a thing called a grab rod. Has a nice D handle on one end and a small hook on the other end. Shove it under the log and hook the last link on the chain and pull it back under. The only downfall I can see to the grab rod is that it is one more thing to carry or lose in the bush.


----------



## Gypo Logger

I might be a few fries short of a Happy Meal yet, but I'm getting the trailer full.
John


----------



## tawilson

I wish my woodlot was level enough to pull a trailer around. I'm working on putting trails in but it's gonna take a while. Very rocky ground I probably shouldn't be even driving my tractor on.


----------



## SWE#Kipp

which i had some pictures to add here ,, but hey, you guys are doing great work with it soooo keep up the good picturing work 

/Kinky swede (though i want post any kinky stuff)


----------



## Gypo Logger

Here's as far as I got the trailer. I have to get the skidder now.
John


----------



## SWE#Kipp

was it a road there or did you just drive in to the forest ??
if so, its looks like very forgiving terrain ,,

/Kristoffer


----------



## SWE#Kipp

Hey were are my TRACTORS !?!?!?!!??
Need them now ,,*gahhh :bang:

Gypo i know you got the pictures give them to me ,,,,,,,,


----------



## weimedog

All this nice stuff....I just have to use what we have for now...here is
a farm tractor after a trip to the wood lot>


----------



## Gypo Logger

Nice picture of the old saw and white ash log. Here's a 3500# Maple log with 250 brd ft., I took out today.
John


----------



## Toneman

Nice work John!


----------



## deadtrees

Tell us about the trailer. Is it something you just got? Why did you have to get the skidder? Looks like it was a dry trail that the tractor should be OK on. Do you then transfer the firewood to the rolloff? How would you pull the trailer with the skidder? Do you take the winch off the tractor to pull the trailer?


----------



## tawilson

I don't know about John, but I built a hitch bracket that pins onto the winch.


----------



## ehp

That is a nice log Gypo, your tractor must be able to pull more than I thought cause that is a pretty fair log.

How much wood does your trailer hold?


----------



## woodfarmer

ta, what is the capacity of the hitch on the winch, great idea!! that looks like a farmi 501 correct?


----------



## Marky Mark

Leave John alone He's a nice guy. John did you get the info for the airfare to Cahoons? Call me when you get a chance. Been just a little busy it's cold and snow is on the ground. .


----------



## tawilson

Yep, it's the 501. As I made the ball mount I would be guessing as to the capacity. I wouldn't pull loaded trailers through the woods with it, but for just moving around the yard it does fine.


----------



## Gypo Logger

I'm in another bushand the firewood is on the back burner, but I got the trailer up the hill eventually inch by inch. The problem was the wood and trailer were 8 tons and the tractor is ony what? 4 tons maybe. No biggy though, alot easier then packing a piano over the Chilkoot Pass. The tractor works great. It's all downhill coming out of the woods. Conditions are A1.
John


----------



## twistedtree

John, what model tractor is that? I can tell it's an M series, but that's about all. Maybe an M6800?


----------



## Rotax Robert

Hey Gypo, did you lose another spencer tape? How many do you go thru in a season anyway? I know this is about the 4th time I've caught you.

Rotax


----------



## Gypo Logger

twistedtree said:


> John, what model tractor is that? I can tell it's an M series, but that's about all. Maybe an M6800?


 It's a 5700 and I'm really happy with it.
Robert, those Spencer tapes grow on trees. lol
John

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/Trees/Ferndale2.jpg


----------



## Gypo Logger

L-Enterprises said:


> Gypo....that little tractor does real well ! I bet she would do even better with some chains !....How does the snow affect the operation when it really lands ? Looks like you have been lucky so far !
> 
> Ontario........the flat land of the wild cheque writing government ! I keep sending them their share......and I get nothing back.....not even a hug or a thank you!
> 
> I could come and help you Gyppo....I'd have her clear cut in about .....3 hrs or so !


 The tractors good, however the conditions are A1 and should be until the new year. You're right, ice chains on the front and a bucket of snow will make this tractor seem like a skidder.  
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

tawilson said:


> I don't know about John, but I built a hitch bracket that pins onto the winch.


 That's a good setup you made. It means you don't have to remove the winch to hook up the trailer.
John
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/Trees/log2.jpg


----------



## Whiteindustries

*I saw this ad for a woods tractor...*

I saw this ad sounded interesting,See what you guys have done with your tractors???Making me look for one.lol

Tractor/Skidder-Ford 1164 ,4WD, 116HP, w/6cyl diesel, 80% 18.4x26 forestry tires, & Hyster winch, good cond.
$6500


----------



## Marky Mark

:welcome: Seems like you don't use the skidder NO MOOOORE.
All the best Putzer.


----------



## Waldj?ger

Here you can see some pictures from Germany: http://www.waldarbeit-und-forsttechnik.de/bilder.html

I use an old Case with 38 HP. For my few logs I need every year it is OK


----------



## Thor's Hammer

Whiteindustries said:


> I saw this ad sounded interesting,See what you guys have done with your tractors???Making me look for one.lol
> 
> Tractor/Skidder-Ford 1164 ,4WD, 116HP, w/6cyl diesel, 80% 18.4x26 forestry tires, & Hyster winch, good cond.
> $6500



Id snap that up. its a county conversion, a slightly older model than mine (posted previously). the are about the best compromise between skidder and tractor.


----------



## Gypo Logger

I've never used a Hyster winch before, but I hear they are good. The tractors sounds like a good deal if it's in good shape.
John
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/Trees/chr.jpg


----------



## Gypo Logger

It doesn't get any better than this! 
John
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/Trees/stump.jpg


----------



## HELSEL

Gypo Logger said:


> It doesn't get any better than this!
> John
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/Trees/stump.jpg





John, That is a dandy.If I can get my echo running i will post some pics.


WEBSTER BOUND


----------



## Saw Monkey

Whiteindustries said:


> I saw this ad sounded interesting,See what you guys have done with your tractors???Making me look for one.lol
> 
> Tractor/Skidder-Ford 1164 ,4WD, 116HP, w/6cyl diesel, 80% 18.4x26 forestry tires, & Hyster winch, good cond.
> $6500




Here's a write up on the Ford County tractor. Looks like it was a hit with the loggers.

http://www.applecountry.org/Member Of The Year 2003.html


----------



## JamesTX

Gypo Logger said:


> The tractors good, however the conditions are A1 and should be until the new year. You're right, ice chains on the front and a bucket of snow will make this tractor seem like a skidder.
> John



Gypo:

In this pic, do the inclusions (not sure if that's the right word) where the bark has kind of folded in on itself affect the value of the log?


----------



## JamesTX

Gypo Logger said:


> It doesn't get any better than this!
> John
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/sunlover3/Special pictures/Trees/stump.jpg



What do the red and blue paint marks signify?


----------



## Gypo Logger

JamesTX said:


> Gypo:
> 
> In this pic, do the inclusions (not sure if that's the right word) where the bark has kind of folded in on itself affect the value of the log?


 It depends on who's buying it. The reason for the ingrown bark was because I cut the tree as low to the ground as I dare. If it's an A++++ veneer log then the buyer would want me to cut at least a 6" portion off, however this log may be only an A++. Sometimes they just call it a 9 footer when it actually measures 10'.
The yellow dots were my original color indicating which trees were to come down. The red dots were from a competition sawmill. The blue dots were mine to clear up the confusion after I was the successful bidder.
John


----------



## woodfarmer

*paint*

generally red dots mark property boundaries and blue dots are to mark crop trees that are to be left untouched


----------



## JamesTX

Gypo Logger said:


> It depends on who's buying it. The reason for the ingrown bark was because I cut the tree as low to the ground as I dare. If it's an A++++ veneer log then the buyer would want me to cut at least a 6" portion off, however this log may be only an A++. Sometimes they just call it a 9 footer when it actually measures 10'.
> The yellow dots were my original color indicating which trees were to come down. The red dots were from a competition sawmill. The blue dots were mine to clear up the confusion after I was the successful bidder.
> John



Can you tell us more about the bidding process? Does the landowner specify the trees they want harvested, or does the logger pick the trees they want? Or is everything up for negotiation?

And if there are competing sawmills, how does the landowner evaluate the offers? THe one that will take the least and pay the most wins?

Very interesting stuff.
James


----------



## Marky Mark

JamesTX said:


> Can you tell us more about the bidding process? Does the landowner specify the trees they want harvested, or does the logger pick the trees they want? Or is everything up for negotiation?
> 
> And if there are competing sawmills, how does the landowner evaluate the offers? THe one that will take the least and pay the most wins?
> 
> Very interesting stuff.
> James



You would need 6 hours on the phone to get the real story. See here *John's a nice guy* and he donates all that wood. That's why he had his heart attack last winter cuase he didn't give enough away. He has a broken heart I tell YA.


----------



## WoodTick007

*Under the Bus*

"See here John's a nice guy and he donates all that wood. That's why he had his heart attack last winter cause he didn't give enough away. He has a broken heart I tell YA." 

I thought he had his heart attack because he smoked like fein, drank like a fish, and chased Splittail like an 18 year old(without hair). WOW!! and to learn that John had his heart attack hauling free cords of firewood in the basket of his bicycle to heat the old folks home, orphanage, and homeless shelter......That John Lambert never siezes to amaize people here at the ArboristSite.

GODBLESS YOU JOHN LAMBERT.


----------



## Marky Mark

Gypo's such a nice guy he called this morning to tell me "I'm a nice guy" but most new people here don't realize that*"KEN DUNN IS THE ORIGINAL NICE GUY"*


Kenny hope all is well and your getting around now. Be safe and say hello to Linda for me.


----------



## bwalker

Ken called me the other night and sounded really good.


----------



## woodfarmer

has the kubota been resurrected?


----------



## Sawyer Rob

I use my AGCO loader tractor for skidding all the time, it's been a great tractor and does all i ask of it. Of course, i'm not a full time loger either..

Rob


----------



## skwerl

Cool pictures, Rob. Welcome to A'Site.


----------



## woodfarmer

a farmi 501 winch would look awful nice behind your tractor, has 150' of cable so you don't need to back up to the log to hook the chain on the hitch.


----------



## Sawyer Rob

I really don't need a skidding winch for my purpose, but i do have a 25,000 pound line pull Braden winch mounted "on an axle" i could use. It runs off the PTO and is ready to use as is. It would be better if it was mounted on a tractor, and i actually "did" buy it for that purpose. But like i said, it would be so rare that i'd use it, i never finished the project.

In most cases i don't skid all that much, i lift the logs and carry them to the trailor where i load them, and pull them to the mill yard. Like this 32" x 10' red oak... This loader will pick up more than other loaders this size, as it's rated for 3,650 pounds and that's one reason why i bought it.

Rob


----------



## SWE#Kipp

Good the thread is up and running again


----------



## woodfarmer

is that an alo grapple, when you get a chance can you post a pic. of it . what is the model #


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Yes, it's an ALO loader, grabble and pallet forks. The loader is a 310 model but i forget the model of the grabble or pallet forks.. The pallet forks are there HD ones.

As you can see, i have hydraulic remotes out on the loader frame to run what ever i put on the tool bar. It's all controlled from the joy stick. I can change from bucket to pallet forks in about 15 seconds. (snapping in the hydraulic hoses takes a bit longer  ) The loader comes off in about 3 or 4 minutes.

This tractor get's used a LOT around here, even for boulder picking in the hay fields! I took tons and tons of them out this last summer.

Rob


----------



## chainsawworld

rob,
those pics brought back some memories. i used a running gear like that to run logs to the mill behind a pick-up. easy on and off. holds a bunch of weight and no need for a registration. the sawyer would stack the lumber back on the running gear and home we go. marty


----------



## woodfarmer

*alo*

my loader is an older 1993 670, without aux. hydraulics, i will be shopping a newer one someday. i run a '93 case ih 5230 90 hp mfa


----------



## Sawyer Rob

> my loader is an older 1993 670, without aux. hydraulics, i will be shopping a newer one someday. i run a '93 case ih 5230 90 hp mfa



The ALO 310 model is no longer made, and when i was at the Louisville farm & machinery show talking to an ALO factory guy, he said "don't ever sell it"! According to him, the 310 was made to be an extra strong, compact loader, and probably won't be produced that way again. It out lifts all the other loaders in it's class and is a simple design. I just don't need self leveling ect. so the 310 is perfect for me.

The only other ALO option i may get some day will be "soft ride". It's a lot easier on the front end of the tractor when driveing a distance with a load on the forks or in the bucket, when you have soft ride installed. I do carry heavy loads long distances on the tool bar quite often.

Rob


----------



## belgian

Hi Reddog,

welcome to the forum. Nice pic. 
One question : that trailer looks quite big and heavy for that pick up truck. I don't think this would be allowed on this side of the pond. What's the maximum load you are allowed to pull with such a truck ?


----------



## Freakingstang

Reddog, what does that tractor weigh? The truck can probably pull it fine, but the trailer looks a little weak. The axles look like they are only good for 10-12K and that loader has gotta be in 13-15K range....


----------



## tawilson

I've got a 10K trailer and my tractor with the heaviest implement (backhoe) probably is around 6500, yet I've had to do some beefing up on it. The metal on the insides of the wheel wells started breaking where it is spot welded. The trailer flex's there and I was told it is actually part of the support of the trailer. I added a length of angle iron on the inside of each wheel well, rewelded the sheet metal, and also put a jack on each back corner. I was just wondering if anyone else had run onto this. It's a lowboy also, but a beavertail.


----------



## Freakingstang

Reddog said:


> The tractor is 7K. The tires are not loaded. I try to keep it as light as i can, so it will float better. The trailer has 6K axles under it. Plus with the pintle I tend to put more weight on the truck.
> 
> The truck is rated for 15 or 16K. Its a 3500 with the CTD.
> 
> Thanks for the welcome. I have enjoyed reading this forum for a while.
> 
> I was using it that day to put in skid trails before it froze up on that job.
> I will try and take some pics of the logging job also. Right now I need it to freeze over the hill from that picture to start skidding.




Gotcha, wasn't knocking your trailer. Just thought the axles looked like the same on my car trailer (5500 each). I honestly thought that tractor was heavier than that. I work on big cummin's daily...I know it will handle the load. Nice looking setup you got there. And welcome to AS


----------



## Sawyer Rob

That is a nice tractor Reddog, Massey is comeing back with some pretty nice tractors these days...

I bought the AGCO because of it's simplicity, i figured i'd keep it for a long time, and wanted something i could work on myself if needed...

Rob


----------



## twistedtree

Sawyer Rob said:


> That is a nice tractor Reddog, Massey is comeing back with some pretty nice tractors these days...
> 
> I bought the AGCO because of it's simplicity, i figured i'd keep it for a long time, and wanted something i could work on myself if needed...
> 
> Rob



Except it's a Kubota, not a Massey.


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Not that i "didn't" believe you, but i had to look at the pict again.... my mistake, still a nice tractor, Kubota or not!!  

To be honest, i like most brands of tractors, you just have to pick through the brands and sizes to get the one that will fill your needs...

What model is yours again???

Rob


----------



## Gypo Logger

*Old Bugger*

Well the tractors back on the job again and a nice compliment to the JD540A log skidder since I can stack logs again and do firewood as well.
The first tree I cut after getting it back, I made sure the tractor was parked 4 tree lengths away just for good measure.
Nothing you can't buff out!
Anyway, here's a young feller with an 8" pecker pole.
Hahaha
John


----------



## SWE#Kipp

*Looks nice*

Seems like a nice day out in the peckerpole country with a working tractor !!!!


----------



## Gypo Logger

Sawyer Rob said:


> Yes, it's an ALO loader, grabble and pallet forks. The loader is a 310 model but i forget the model of the grabble or pallet forks.. The pallet forks are there HD ones.
> 
> As you can see, i have hydraulic remotes out on the loader frame to run what ever i put on the tool bar. It's all controlled from the joy stick. I can change from bucket to pallet forks in about 15 seconds. (snapping in the hydraulic hoses takes a bit longer  ) The loader comes off in about 3 or 4 minutes.
> 
> This tractor get's used a LOT around here, even for boulder picking in the hay fields! I took tons and tons of them out this last summer.
> 
> Rob



I just noticed the rock grapple. That looks real handy.
John


----------



## Toneman

John,

Were you out cutting today? 

It was -18C(-1F) at my house this morning.


----------



## Ryan Willock

I have the same pallet forks/log grab, just on a much bigger loader, the Quike Q750 (same brand) mine has a 5,000lbs lift capacity! You'd be amazed what you can pick up with it but boy do you pay for that log grab!


----------



## tawilson

Toneman said:


> John,
> 
> Were you out cutting today?
> 
> It was -18C(-1F) at my house this morning.


I"m glad it cooled off a little. Been too wet and muddy around here. I decided to quit whining about the lack of access to my woodlot, so I've been working on some roads and trails. My ancestors left me piles of rocks all over that I'm putting to use building roads. Here's a small one that went towards this road.


----------



## buck futter

Very nice firewood john. Glad you got the tractor back. When I was a teenager I worked at a farm up the road that had a 36hp 4wd diesel kubota with winch on the back and it had a bucket but most of the time we had a spear on it for round bales. Blah, Blah, Blah, anyway I am very impressed with kubotas for the relentless beating they put on that thing and it still keeped ticking like it was brand new. Any way nice setup it will probably retire you before you ever think of retiring it. In all of your pictures you only have a single log, I would think it would have more capacity that or do you do that for maeuverability?


Lucky 

AKA Buck


----------



## Sawyer Rob

I do like my tractor and loader. It's been very handy and i use it year around! Yes the grabble was spendy, but it's so darn "well designed" and usefull, i think it was worth the money...

Rob


----------



## Gypo Logger

lucky001 said:


> Very nice firewood john. Glad you got the tractor back. When I was a teenager I worked at a farm up the road that had a 36hp 4wd diesel kubota with winch on the back and it had a bucket but most of the time we had a spear on it for round bales. Blah, Blah, Blah, anyway I am very impressed with kubotas for the relentless beating they put on that thing and it still keeped ticking like it was brand new. Any way nice setup it will probably retire you before you ever think of retiring it. In all of your pictures you only have a single log, I would think it would have more capacity that or do you do that for maeuverability?
> 
> 
> Lucky
> 
> AKA Buck


 Hi Buck, most of the pictures show only the butt log after the upper logs have b
een bucked off, usually for the sake of the picture.
Generaly I fall and skid just one tree per hitch minus the crown.
This is for several reasons. One is that the tractor performs best when skidding about 300 board feet which is around 3500 lbs.
Also, I always havest in a select cut situation ansd i may only have 3 trees per acre, so it is much faster to skid one tree length to the landing instead of haphazzardly going from stump to stump with a tree length already on.
Less damage is also incurred when skidding a single tree unless the trees are very small polewood.
Also, defects can be readily seen when skidding a single stem, making it easier when cutting for grade as in the picture below.
Tony, it was only -12 here Thurs.morning and I drove the tractor 5 miles to the bush so the air conditioning was on.

John


----------



## woodfarmer

gypo, i'm glad to see the kubota working again
sawyer rob, did you ever find the model number for the grapple?


----------



## Gypo Logger

woodfarmer said:


> gypo, I'm glad to see the kubota working again
> sawyer rob, did you ever find the model number for the grapple?


 Hey Woodfarmer, nobody seemed to notice I was under the log in the previous picture  
Nothing I do phases anyone anymore!:bang: 
 
John


----------



## Reddog

I am just glad to see some can skid right now. All I have is mud.


----------



## Newfie

Gypo Logger said:


> Nothing I do phases anyone any
> John



And whay would it? 

Some nice logs ,eh.


----------



## Gypo Logger

Newfie said:


> And whay would it?
> 
> Some nice logs ,eh.



Mike, have you heard this one yet?
John
http://www.youtube.com/w/?v=BASWnLl8kj8


----------



## woodfarmer

i thought that was a conk on the side of the log, hahaha


----------



## Newfie

Gypo Logger said:


> Mike, have you heard this one yet?
> John




"mooselaneous" parts, that's a good one.


----------



## Sawyer Rob

> sawyer rob, did you ever find the model number for the grapple?



I'd be happy to give you the model number, but i don't have an ALO brochure right by me to get it from. BUT, ALO only has ONE grabble like it, so once you go to your ALO dealer there won't be any mistake about which model it is.

I think you will be impressed at how well it's designed and works with the pallet forks they also have. It's made to work on the same tool bar they use.

Rob


----------



## Gypo Logger

Maybe I should have called this thread,"The Woodlot In the Farm Tractor." 
Anyway, here's a pretty nice Rock Maple I stump jumped with an 064 I built.
Not as fast as the 385, but lots of torque.
John


----------



## woodfarmer

*"Gypo in the Woodlot"*

it looks like you were cutting on casual friday, should be some good bf in that tree.


----------



## Gypo Logger

Ah yes, there is nothing quite like working close to home. 
Simply roll out of bed and straight into the bush.:greenchainsaw: 
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

Every once in a while you get lucky and find some green gold.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

And sometimes the logs walk right out of the woods on their own.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

21" tip x 10'.
John


----------



## buck futter

Gypo Logger said:


> Ah yes, there is nothing quite like working close to home.
> Simply roll out of bed and straight into the bush.:greenchainsaw:
> John



a


----------



## Gypo Logger

So anyway. 
It's great to have good neighbours. They don't seem to object to me congesting their driveways with logs and stuff. In fact the sawdust acts as a deterent to getting stuck, especialy on welfare Wednesdays.
John


----------



## vharrison2

Gip, you got your tractor working again?


----------



## woodfarmer

you'd better hope none of the locals has a wood stove, those logs would make some great heat.


----------



## Marky Mark

Gypo good to see you back, I enjoy looking at you 36" logs. Can you explain to me why you don't have a cab on your tractor. Isn't it cold when it's 40 below, I would think you would want a cab just for the heat factor.


----------



## Dennis Cahoon

Marky Mark said:


> Gypo good to see you back, I enjoy looking at you 36" logs. Can you explain to me why you don't have a cab on your tractor. Isn't it cold when it's 40 below, I would think you would want a cab just for the heat factor.



Ditto Marky!

Gypo....looks like you got some work done while you were banned! 

I did too!....Hahahahaha!


----------



## tawilson

Hey, the Monster Garage logsplitter show is on Discovery HD in 2 minutes.


----------



## Gypo Logger

vharrison2 said:


> Gip, you got your tractor working again?


 Hi Gigi, I got the tractor back at the beginning of Feb. Will park a bit farther away from flying objects. lol
Woodfarmer, I am burning some of the fresh cutoffs and they burn great if the tree was felled at 10 below or colder.
Barky, a canopy is good but a cab is a liability if you slide sideways against a tree. Also with a cab you can't jump free. I like the cold, we haven't had much though this winter.
Dennis, the banning is a good thing to get work done, but my 9 lives are over so no more fighting till HK opens again I guess. 
John


----------



## Husky372

Gypo you always seem to be cutting the nicest wood. Always enjoy your pics.


----------



## Gypo Logger

Hi David, glad you like the pictures, thanks.
Anyway, Robyn the Cleaning Wench says hi.
John


----------



## 04ultra

Hey John those logs are lookin better all the time..


----------



## kkesler

I've been doing some research to help a fabricator friend of mine build some guards for a tractor used in the woods, and came across this "slight damage on a Kubota" and thought it might be of interest.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...441040/page/0/view/sb/sb/5/fpart/1/vc/1/o/all

or 

http://tinyurl.com/e5xhs

If it's already been posted, my apologies.

Kurt


----------



## Mouse trap Engineer

*Hello John ole boy*

Wouldn't you know it, Took a picture of my Canadian Sweetheart Robyn to get me out of Hibernation.



Johnny Scales


----------



## Gypo Logger

Mouse trap Engineer said:


> Wouldn't you know it, Took a picture of my Canadian Sweetheart Robyn to get me out of Hibernation.
> 
> 
> 
> Johnny Scales


 Hi Johnny, great to see you on AS again. It's been awhile. What have you been up to? I will tell Robyn you said hello.
Thanks for the links Kurt, I will check them out.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

The sap was running today. 
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

The Kubota can handle a two ton payload with ease. In this pictures I was forwarding logs from a secondary landing to a primary landing.
John


----------



## 04ultra

John what model Kubota is that?


----------



## Gypo Logger

It's a 5700. Not as tough as a skidder by any mean, but if you plan things out it works well.
John


----------



## buck futter

John,
In the last picture what are all the red paint "tags" for to point out blemishes or inclusions?

Buck


----------



## Gypo Logger

buck futter said:


> John,
> In the last picture what are all the red paint "tags" for to point out blemishes or inclusions?
> 
> Buck



Buck, the log pile that you are refering to is the second and third grade veneer destined for Asia. The three dots indicate a three clearsided log sold at a slightly lesser price than the ones with a single dot which indicates them as a rotary log. The highest grade as pictured above with "L" on them are bound for the USA as slicer logs.
John


----------



## belgian

Nice pics John. Keep 'em coming


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Well, i see lots of skidding going on in here, anyone "adding value" to there logs once they get them to the landing????






Here's what i do with them after i get them to the mill site....











Here's what i got from that one 20' 6" log.






Sawyer Rob


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Thanks Tree Co.

Here's another pict. of the tally i got out of that 20' cherry log...

Rob


----------



## Gypo Logger

Nice stack of lumber.
John


----------



## Grease monkey

*Here's a tractor in the wood lot for ya'*

A little big for on the trail but the skid steer handles the movin' of the wood and that's 120+ Horses behind that 1486 IH there


----------



## hydro2

That is cool dude! I have a JD 240.


----------



## StIhL MaGnUm

Here is what we use , hey John it's a lil bigger than the Bota 

Later Rob


----------



## woodfarmer

*caseih in the woodlot*

my 90 hp makes some of the trees look a little smaller than they are, the big beech 24" by 20', gyp, here's a few of the maple, the bush had been logged before i bought it, most maple are in the 16 to 20" range, a few closer to 24".


----------



## Sawyer Rob

You guys sure have some nice equipment. Thanks for posting picts of it here for all of us to see.

I also use my tractor to pull my 450 to jobs, when i need a dozer on site.

Rob


----------



## hydro2

Sawyer Rob said:


> You guys sure have some nice equipment. Thanks for posting picts of it here for all of us to see.
> 
> I also use my tractor to pull my 450 to jobs, when i need a dozer on site.
> 
> Rob


That is way cool also!!!!!!


----------



## Gypo Logger

The farm tractor, although versatile and productive in small logging operations can be very dangerous as well.

INVESTIGATION

On Wednesday, August 14, 2002, the contractor came to the farm location at approximately 9:00AM. The elderly farm owner could hear the contractor’s tractor dragging logs from the wooded portion of the farm to the loading area near the roadway. The elderly farmer last heard the tractor running at approximately 1:30PM as she fell asleep in the farmhouse. The farmer woke up around 3:15PM and did not hear the tractor running at that time. She thought that this was unusual since the contractor usually worked until 5:00PM each day. The elderly farmer took a walk at approximately 4:00PM along the back farm lane in order to check on the contractor and to see why she did not hear the tractor running.

As the farmer was walking down the farm lane she discovered the tractor overturned to the rear on top of the victim. She called to the victim, got no response, and surmised that he was no longer alive. She returned to the farmhouse and called 911 to report the incident. The local fire rescue squad along with the county sheriff responded to the incident location. Emergency responders could find no signs of life. Equipment was brought in to remove the tractor from on top of the victim. The coroner was also called to the scene and pronounced the victim dead at the scene at 5:03PM.

Prior to the incident, the victim had been dragging an 88-foot hemlock log with a butt diameter of 20 inches behind his 1969 vintage David Brown 990 tractor, an agricultural style tractor weighing approximately 4,600 pounds (see Photo 1). He utilized a logging chain that was wrapped around the butt end of the log and was connected to the back end of the tractor at the upper link of the three-point hitch. This location is well above the axis of the rear axle of the tractor and is not a hitching location. The drawbar hitch is approximately 3 feet below the location of the upper link. Normally, hitching points on this style tractor would be the drawbar or connections to the lower three-point hitch arms. Additionally, the tractor was travelling up a 20-degree incline at the time of the rearward overturn. In addition to the improper hitching technique and the effects of the incline, the mass of the 88-foot log significantly impacted the drag on the tractor. This log was skidding along the ground and it is very likely that the butt end of the log dug into the soil, which anchored the log, and resulted in stopping the tractor. Since the tractor drive wheels were turning with the tractor being anchored from behind, the rotational movement through the axles and wheels resulted in the tractor rotating backwards around the rear axle, coming to a rest upside down on the victim. Rearward overturns such as this occur in less than one seconds’ time thus not allowing the operator sufficient reaction time to avoid the overturn. The victim remained in the operator location during the overturn being pinned underneath the tractor with his knees crushed up against his chest. It is believed that the overturn may have occurred up to one hour before being discovered by the elderly farmer, although it is believed that he died immediately following the overturn.


----------



## Gypo Logger

Here's another equally crazy thing that got an operator killed.
Although alot of accidents cannot be predicted, ones like these can.
It really makes me want to get a FOPS though for my tractor.
This reminds me of the story Spacemule told us awhile back.
John

Part-time Logger Pinned by Tractor Wheel after Being Knocked from Operator's Seat by Falling Tree


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:

A 56-year-old male part-time logger (the victim) died while trying to push over a dead tree with a tractor when he was knocked off the tractor and pinned under the rear tire. The incident occurred on an 80-acre plot of partially wooded land owned by the victim, along a logging road. Three volunteer co-workers were assisting the victim in clearing dead and fallen trees from the road. The victim was operating a Ford 4000 farm tractor with a front bucket attachment to knock down and remove trees, with a co-worker standing by for assistance. Another co-worker was cutting a tree nearby, while the fourth worker was moving a truck to avoid having it be struck by falling trees. The victim elevated the bucket till it was about ten feet high, then struck the trunk of a decayed tree with the bucket. The tree did not fall, so he struck it again with the bucket. This time, the top half of the tree cracked off and fell toward the victim sitting in the tractor seat. He leaned to the right to avoid the falling tree, but was knocked from the seat and fell in front of the right rear tractor tire. The tractor came to rest with the tire on his chest. The standby co-worker yelled for help, and the other two co-workers ran immediately to the scene. They pulled a large log in front of the tractor tire where the victim was pinned, then one co-worker drove the tractor forward onto the log while the other two pulled the victim out from behind the tire. One co-worker drove to a cabin to phone for help, while the others initiated CPR. EMS responders were at the scene in eleven minutes, and the victim was transported to a hospital. Advanced cardiac life support protocols were initiated in the ambulance and continued at the emergency room, where the victim expired.


----------



## musher

> Rearward overturns such as this occur in less than one seconds’ time thus not allowing the operator sufficient reaction time to avoid the overturn.


talk about kickback!


----------



## Gypo Logger

Another very unfortunate set of circumstances.
John

Farmer Killed on Tractor During Logging Operations


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY

A 21-year-old male was killed when he and his 19-year-old brother were engaged in logging activities their grandparents' farmland. They both had grown up helping with the family farm and for the last two years their primary source of income was cutting trees on the land to sell for firewood. After cutting down the trees, the normal routine was for the younger brother to operate the tractor to pull the trees to a clearing where they would be cut into pieces. Although the victim had experience operating tractors, he had never performed that particular task. Because there was no drawbar on the 1950 Massey Ferguson (model 30) tractor they used to pull the trees, they hitched a chain at a higher point than is recommended. After working for about 30 minutes, the two brothers got into a small argument. The victim stated that he also wanted to perform the task of hauling the trees to the clearing and got onto the tractor to pull a log which had been secured with the tow chain. Nearly immediately the tractor reared backwards and flipped over onto its side, trapping the victim underneath the steering wheel and fender. The tractor was not equipped with a rollover protective structure (ROPS). The younger brother witnessed the incident and ran to the grandparents' house and called 911 then drove another tractor back to the site and pulled the tractor off his brother's body. By this time rescue squads arrived but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.


----------



## Gypo Logger

TreeCo said:


> Tragic stories John.
> 
> Even my 50's IH Super C has the power to lift it's front wheels off the ground. I've had it happen several times but have been quick on the clutch and lucky.
> 
> Dan



It seems that every year at least one person is killed on a tractor doing tree work.
They tell the farmers, when pulling logs to,"hitch them low and pull them slow", but even that method has it's dangers since the butt end can get hung up on logs and rocks etc. This is why a 3PH logging winch is so important to have.
The main drawback with a tractor in the woods is it's weight distribution.
A log skidder is 40% rear 60% front, while a tractor is opposite.
4WD and a loader on the tractor will offset this.
The advantage to the winch is that you can easily drop the load when in a technical situation and winch it back to you.
Using a drawbar obligates you to drive to every stump.
John


----------



## geofore

*wheelstand*

Hey John, you'd think they would know enough to push in the clutch and the front drops back to the ground. Once she starts up, short of breaking both axles she's going over if you hit the brakes by mistake. The brakes won't stop the tractor from going over. You have to disengage the drivetrain because it's unlikely you'll break both or even one axle. The only way to stop the power to the wheels is a foot applied hard on the clutch. 
Puts me in mind of the time Harold tried to pull out a pine and darn near upset the JD. He was going to move it to the other side of the driveway. Ran water on the roots all day. Next morning, water still running. Chain around the trunk and he let the JD fly. It was pointing to the clouds before he found the clutch. I took a chainsaw to the pine and told him we'd plant a new pine before he killed himself. We had a good laugh about it but he scared himself good.
I'd be willing to bet these guys went for the brakes and not the clutch.


----------



## geofore

*Off the topic*

John you know how nothing ever goes wrong on the job? Jeff got a new Bobcat last November, he drove overtop his 044 today with it. Missed my 7900.


----------



## Gypo Logger

geofore said:


> Hey John, you'd think they would know enough to push in the clutch and the front drops back to the ground. Once she starts up, short of breaking both axles she's going over if you hit the brakes by mistake. The brakes won't stop the tractor from going over. You have to disengage the drivetrain because it's unlikely you'll break both or even one axle. The only way to stop the power to the wheels is a foot applied hard on the clutch.
> Puts me in mind of the time Harold tried to pull out a pine and darn near upset the JD. He was going to move it to the other side of the driveway. Ran water on the roots all day. Next morning, water still running. Chain around the trunk and he let the JD fly. It was pointing to the clouds before he found the clutch. I took a chainsaw to the pine and told him we'd plant a new pine before he killed himself. We had a good laugh about it but he scared himself good.
> I'd be willing to bet these guys went for the brakes and not the clutch.



Ya, it makes you wonder why a person would hit the binders as opposed to the clutch when something reals up.
A good size log can boss around a tractor quite easy in some situations.
I think what happens alot of times is that the operator doesn't think far enough in advance and makes decisions as he goes.
It's dangerous enough as it is and he need to think ahead and think fast when things go wrong.
Here's another senseless fatality.
John

SUBJECT: Farmer dies when a tree falls on him from a front end loader-- Iowa.

Summary

A 61-year-old male farmer working alone in his timber was killed while using a tractor equipped with a front end loader and a backhoe. He was using the machine to move logs and downed trees into position for cutting into firewood. He had cut down a large tree with multiple limbs and was carrying it with the loader when it apparently rolled off the bucket and a branch struck him in the face and neck area pinning him to the tractor. The tractor had no ROPS, nor was the man wearing any head protection. His wife found him in the tractor seat, with head and neck injuries and bluish complexion. The tractor was tilted to the side with the right rear wheel raised and the engine still running. His wife tried to rescue him by using the backhoe and bucket hydraulics, but in the process tipped the tractor over, throwing both of them clear of the machine. CPR was attempted by the wife and later by emergency personnel when they arrived, but it was unsuccessful, and the farmer was pronounced dead at the local hospital.


----------



## geofore

*who's the boss?*

One time, far end of the job, up on the hill I pull a log. Thought I was in one of those roadrunner cartoons. Jim said it's soft over there when it rains but it hasn't rained for two weeks so you'll be alright dragging them down the hill instead of hauling them all the way around, it'll save us a day, day and a half. Chain up and start down, the tractor starts to slide, then spins around still sliding. I got it to stop against the bank, thinking boy it was a good thing I put the tire chains on today. Then the log, still chained slides under the tractor and as soon as it reached the length of the chain, me and the tractor take to following it down the hill. I got the tractor into reverse thinking it would at least slow her down then the tires lose all traction, tire chains quit working. Slid a few hundred feet before the log hit a tree and I got the tractor stopped. The rest of the logs got dragged all the way around the mountian. Took two days extra but I wasn't going to try the hill a second time.
Walked the road, artisian well/spring on that hillside keeping the road wet. Little bit of water a few air bubbles then a little more water. Should have reeled the chain in tight before I moved. Momentary mental lapse aka brainfart. :jawdrop:


----------



## Sawyer Rob

When i hook to the 3 point of my tractor, i have the 3 point lowered. I take off in low gear to get a feel of the load, and raise the 3 point slowely. I keep the motor RPM low, and then once i'm clear of the woods, i then can speed up a bit. There's no way my tractor is going over backwards because of a load on the 3 point the way i handle it. Of course, i don't use an undersized or wimpy tractor to skid with either.

All tractors "aren't" created equil, even though they "all" are called tractors!

I'm the only one that skids with my tractor, and in all the years i've been doing it, i've never even had a hint of the front comeing off the ground.

Rob


----------



## JimL

A few years ago there were 3 different cases of men that got killed one fall.
They were all skidding logs with small 8n-9n ford tractors..


----------



## woodfarmer

i hate to say it rob, but thats why they call them accidents, its when you least expect it something happens. i just hope you have rollover protection on your tractor


----------



## Gypo Logger

Here's a Red Elm. It's pretty tough stuff and hard to break any branches.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

The wood makes real good exterior doors.
John


----------



## Husky288XP

Is there a big market for red elm up there?


----------



## Gypo Logger

20" tip, 12' long, 192 board feet, 2350 pounds.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

Husky288XP said:


> Is there a big market for red elm up there?


 Hi Steve, as veneer it's about 2$/ft, but Red Elm is very uncommon. I find a good one about every 500 acres and I try to leave them alone.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

Here we are at the sawmill. I found a local sawyer, he's an engineer, but is that a good thing?
John


----------



## Dennis Cahoon

Gypo...here's a few pictures of a tree I helped my buddy take this weekend.(I was his groundie) It's Sycamore about 38 to 40 inches on the stump. He had to climb it and top it before we could fall it. There's a bigger one beside it, we'll take out next weekend. I get the logs for helping.


----------



## Dennis Cahoon

After topping it, Ron fell the 60 or 70 foot stub.


----------



## Dennis Cahoon

Here's Ron bucking the butt off....that's a 372 with a 32" bar. We got 5, 10' saw logs. The top and limbs I'll give to Dennis Harvey for carving blocks and the rest I'll use for fire wood. The brush will be burned.


----------



## belgian

_


Gypo Logger said:



Here we are at the sawmill. I found a local sawyer, he's an engineer, but is that a good thing?
John

Click to expand...

_


Gypo Logger said:


> Hey John, I'm sure it is.
> 
> nice pictures, as always. It always amazes me how straight your tree cuts/logs are. I never seem to manage myself, how good I try.
> take care,
> Roland
Click to expand...


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Unless your a "total idiot" there's absolurely NO WAY you can tip my tractor over backwards..... It's far from an old style tractor with no weight in the front.... There's NO WAY a log can roll off my forks onto me either as i "grabble" them....

Anyway, for the most part, i skid logs as little as possible, as i don't want to have those dirty SOB's on my mill.... I hate haveing to wire brush them to get the dirt off the face.

Rob


----------



## woodfarmer

*sawyer*

who peed in your corn flakes, usually your fairly mellow. usually its the pulling that tips a tractor over backwards or lifting too heavy a load too high, i wish i had one of those grapples for my loader.


----------



## Sawyer Rob

> who peed in your corn flakes, usually your fairly mellow.



I don't know, but when i find them i'm going to cut there P'er off with my chainsaw!!  

Rob


----------



## Gypo Logger

Good thread, Lol. Thanks for dragging it back up.
John


----------



## Lakeside53

ok, help me out, What is that in the middle of the log?


----------



## Rotax Robert

Lake, it is called an ESS. What it supposed to do is make the wood esspecialy hard to split should some woodtick swing by and steal your log.
They are very hard to get into the tree so you have to place it early in the trees life near the roots. Hope this helps.

Rotax Robert


----------



## Urbicide

Rotax Robert said:


> Lake, it is called an ESS. What it supposed to do is make the wood esspecialy hard to split should some woodtick swing by and steal your log.
> They are very hard to get into the tree so you have to place it early in the trees life near the roots. Hope this helps.
> 
> Rotax Robert


:hmm3grin2orange:See this thread, posts #8 and #9.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=36729


----------



## SWE#Kipp

Rotax Robert said:


> Lake, it is called an ESS. What it supposed to do is make the wood esspecialy hard to split should some woodtick swing by and steal your log.
> They are very hard to get into the tree so you have to place it early in the trees life near the roots. Hope this helps.
> 
> Rotax Robert




good one


----------



## Gypo Logger

I was just wondering how you fellas were making out and if you got the timber down and out yet?
John


----------



## Lakeside53

Rotax Robert said:


> Lake, it is called an ESS. What it supposed to do is make the wood esspecialy hard to split should some woodtick swing by and steal your log.
> They are very hard to get into the tree so you have to place it early in the trees life near the roots. Hope this helps.
> 
> Rotax Robert



hmmmm:monkey:


----------



## Gypo Logger

This is a whole lot of fun and I hope to have a steady diet of it all winter.
I wish I had someone to help me, but alas, it's hard to find good help over the net. 
John


----------



## sawinredneck

Be out there to help in a heartbeat John, but it's a bit of a drive for me 
Andy


----------



## Gypo Logger

Lakeside53 said:


> hmmmm:monkey:


 Hi Lakeside, the 'S' irons keep the end grain from checking. Sometimes they use plastic as the iron can stain the wood, especialy species like Oak that contain alot of tanin.
John


----------



## Lakeside53

Thanks. Urbicide also linked me to the same answer. Must be a hardwood thing. Make's sense though.


----------



## JimL

you get some new tires on the Kubota?
They look wider than in the other pics.


----------



## Gypo Logger

sawinredneck said:


> Be out there to help in a heartbeat John, but it's a bit of a drive for me
> Andy


 Thanks for the offer Andy, however, I've worked so long alone in the woods we'd probably kill each other.  
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

JimL said:


> you get some new tires on the Kubota?
> They look wider than in the other pics.


 Same tires Jim, it's probably just the fisheye effect of the 12mm lens I used.
I moved to another bush today and will keep the tractor on the landing for sorting and piling and use the 540 JD to pump another 5000 or so stems off 250 acres I just aquired.opcorn: 
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

sawinredneck said:


> Be out there to help in a heartbeat John, but it's a bit of a drive for me
> Andy


 Thanks for the offer Andy, however, I've worked so long alone in the woods we'd probably kill each other.  
John


----------



## woodfarmer

you know i'd be there tomorrow but look up my "gone to the beech" thread and you'll see why i can't get away. that looks like an e-tec? is it a 359?


----------



## Gypo Logger

woodfarmer said:


> you know i'd be there tomorrow but look up my "gone to the beech" thread and you'll see why i can't get away. that looks like an e-tec? is it a 359?


 Yes Woodfarmer, that's a 359 that Daqve Neiger built for me. It really gets up and talks. I use it for bucking on the landind as well as limbing and falling smaller stems to 18" DBH.
John


----------



## Gypo Logger

woodfarmer said:


> you know i'd be there tomorrow but look up my "gone to the beech" thread and you'll see why i can't get away. that looks like an e-tec? is it a 359?


 Yes Woodfarmer, that's a 359 that Dave Neiger built for me. It really gets up and talks. I use it for bucking on the landind as well as limbing and falling smaller stems to 18" DBH.
John


----------



## sawinredneck

Gypo Logger said:


> Thanks for the offer Andy, however, I've worked so long alone in the woods we'd probably kill each other.
> John




Let me rephrase that John, I would be out ther in a heartbeat to LEARN from you!!!(as in work for free) I am of the age now that I figured out that I don't know anywhere as much as I thought I did. Better?
Andy


----------



## Gypo Logger

Lakeside53 said:


> hmmmm:monkey:


 Another use of the S irons were in railroad tie. The men who hewed the ties with scoring and broadaxes were called 'Tie Hackers'.
Maybe one of the toughest jobs in the woods.
John


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Well, i managed to get a few logs in.







and i even sawed up a little firewood.






i also managed to mill some of the logs into lumber,






then get the lumber on stickers,






I even quartersawed some of the oak






Rob


----------



## Woodsrover

With all the talk about tractors I figure I'd join in.

This is a tried and true Kubota L295DT that I rescued from a swimming pool a bunch of years ago. Dried it out, changed the fluids, replaced a few broken parts and all is well. I use it all the time and wouldn't trade it for the world.

The old truck in the background is a tractor itself. An old Land Rover whose winch I was using to fell this crappy poplar. It doesn't show in the photo but it was pretty close to a house and I didn't want to take chances.

jim


----------



## woodfarmer

*jd amt*

this has to be by far the greatest piece of equipment john deere ever made


----------



## tdb

*My Woodlot Tractor*

Allis C Tractor. tedmi


----------



## woodfarmer

*today's exercise*

the tractor-case ih, the crooked wood-beech, third pictures a little closer


----------



## Wismer

Hey Guys, Just joined up today, Just wanted to say i have been reading this site for about a month and really enjoy it. Lots of great tips and pics

Thanks alot, Keep it up.

Gypo you have the best pics! keep em comin


----------



## Rleonard

Here is my logging tractor. Case 580SK with 4-in-one bucket.

Bob


----------



## Sawyer Rob

I'll post one too....

Cleaning up some old slab wood and buzzing it into firewood lengths for the wood stove in the shop...

Rob


----------



## brncreeper

No tractor in town , only a Bobcat 310 skidder.


----------



## stihl 440

*nice pics.*

nice pictures Gypo. I also have a ford 1510 4wd rigged for loggin. Usually if you can walk there I can get the tractor there. Nice for those tight landings. Have you been doing any cutting lately? BTW, nice 385! I need to get mine soon. Did you sell your 540 JD?


----------



## Wismer

Here's my set up, I'm lucky enough to have a couple tractors and a couple trailers to choose from (farm) but this was yesterdays set up:


----------



## R Walter

*Another John Deere AMT 600*



woodfarmer said:


> this has to be by far the greatest piece of equipment john deere ever made



I've had my AMT since 1986 or so. Last year I added a Kubota RTV 900. Still got the Deere.

Here's the pic......


----------



## TooTall999

Too bad it's not a JD design...JD bought out the original manufacturer and put the original dealers(my ex father-in-law was one) out of business.


----------



## Gypo Logger

I think every man should have a tractor and a wife.
John


----------



## RiverRat2

*Thats Funny!!!!*

I am a fan of doin what it takes!!!!!


----------



## Wismer

Some More pics


----------



## Poley4

Here is a pic of my woods tractor.


----------



## stihl 440

*Mm*



Poley4 said:


> Here is a pic of my woods tractor.



Nice lookin' MM!   :rockn:  Them things are torqey SOB's.


----------



## Poley4

stihl 440 said:


> Nice lookin' MM!   :rockn:  Them things are torqey SOB's.



Yeah, that thing pulls hard all the way down to an idle. 4 1/4" bore x 5" stroke, 283 cu.in. max rpm is 1450 no load speed.


----------



## Wismer

Piling some smaller saw logs after skidding them out

2 White Oaks and a White Ash


----------



## SWE#Kipp

This is not a farm tractor but it's the tool me and friend uses to take down trees around power lines and houses ,, very handy to have


----------



## computeruser

Just a bump for the thread, since I've looked at all the pictures a dozen times at least and am ready for someone to post more...


----------



## Wismer

I'd like to see more too, I'll start this show.

Here's some pics of my New Holland TN95F at work in my mill yard, grading/stacking/piling/organizing my collection of sawlogs

Before
















After











More pics






Big Red Oak (closest to the tractor)






The "supersteer" axle exclusive to the New Holland's sure makes life alot easier when you're working in a small area, and need the manouverability.


----------



## Sawyer Rob

*Harvesting And Milling White Pine*

Here's the first tree i chose to harvest...






After cutting all of the lower limbs off the trunk, cleaning out around the tree, and knotching the trunk, i put my "timberjack" in place, and started my cut... Once i was in a bit, i pounded a wedge in, and sawed to the "hindge".






Then i pulled the saw out, and cranked the handle on the timberjack... and over it went..






once it was over i started "limbing" the trunk,






and then sawing the logs out,






Here's how i go to the woods, i'd rather use my ATV and then go back for the tractor after i have all the logs sawn out, and now it's time to go get the tractor!






Next it was time to skid the logs out where i could get to them with the forks on the loader,






and start loading them on my running gear..


----------



## Sawyer Rob

As you can see, a couple of the logs were pretty decent..






With the logs loaded, i headed to the mill yard..






here's one last look as i left the woodlot..


----------



## Sawyer Rob

The next project is to start milling these white pine logs, to the "materials list" my customer gave to me...

Now it's time to mill those logs! Once i had one on the mill, i took a slab off it,






after takeing the first slab off, i turned the log useing the Lumbermates "winch log turner" and saw another slab off and turned it again.











now, one last turn to get that "last" slab off!






with that done, i made a 6" cut that will become some very nice 5/4 boards...






i set that piece aside, and whittled down the cant takeing more 5/4 boards. I needed to get it down so i could make a couple 6"x10" beams... 






Here's a shot of the slab pile, the closest ones are from this pine. I need to start sawing these into "firewood length" and putting them out by the road forsale...






Anyway, here's the tally... Lots of 5/4 boards and two 6"x10" beams, ready to be delivered!! Ohhh, i managed to get a bit of a sunburn too...






Hope you liked the picts...

Rob


----------



## Podaltura

Used forestry tractors in Europe:


----------



## Podaltura

http://www.europe-machinery.com/used/picture/2/used-forestry-tractor.html

I like specialy these:


----------



## woodfarmer

thats some nice work sawyer, how many hours do you figure you put in start to finish?


----------



## Sawyer Rob

> thats some nice work sawyer, how many hours do you figure you put in start to finish?



I'm not sure, as i didn't do it all on the same day... These days i'm kinda busy in the summer with other things, so i log and mill them as time permits. Also, i'm no ball of fire anymore, and i work alone, at my own speed.

I'd say a couple hours to cut the tree down and get it home, and 2 or 3 more to mill it all up and take care of the slabs...

Glad you liked the picts...

Rob


----------



## Ekka

*Here's an oldie but still goes hard.*

Here's an oldie but still goes hard.


----------



## 2dogs

Ekka I think you're a bit late on painting that old girl. I think I see some rust. Glad to hear she runs good.


----------



## stihl 440

*bump*

Thread bump......newbee's look through the pics in this thread, they're pretty good. If anybody else has pictures to post post em'!:greenchainsaw:


----------



## HUSKYMAN

Sorry I dont have any picas of my tractor doing any actual skidding, but I sold these logs last summer. I cleared a couple acres to build my house and barn on, plus dig a pond. 

One of three stacks, white oak, red oak, and soft maple




another




My "skidder" a late 70's Case 580C, I either chained the logs or just picked them up with the backhoe and carried them if I could




Its a tuff old motha


----------



## deerlakejens

Sawyer,
Really enjoyed the pics you posted, thanks for taking the time! First time I've seen a timberjack, looks pretty handy! Nice looking country, what state? I grew up in WI and often miss the hardwoods.


----------



## taplinhill

Here's my John Deere 2940 sitting at the landing. This was last winter when we didn't have much snow. This year the snow has shut me down.


----------



## stihl 440

*tractor*



taplinhill said:


> Here's my John Deere 2940 sitting at the landing. This was last winter when we didn't have much snow. This year the snow has shut me down.



Nice tractor!!! Looks like it will pull alot!!:greenchainsaw:
Hey, look my 800th post!LOL


----------



## taplinhill

stihl 440 said:


> Nice tractor!!! Looks like it will pull alot!!:greenchainsaw:
> Hey, look my 800th post!LOL



I wish I had some better pictures of it in action, but I am usual too busy at the time to take pictures. Maybe this summer when I get back into the swing of things I can get some.


----------



## stihl 440

*tractor*



taplinhill said:


> I wish I had some better pictures of it in action, but I am usual too busy at the time to take pictures. Maybe this summer when I get back into the swing of things I can get some.



I'm gonna try to get some pics of my tractor when I get it on a loggin' job. I got a side job comming up, a lady wants me to cut trees away so she can put up more fence for her horses. She has a BIG cherry on her property prolly 4 1/2 ft easy. It's so crooked, I don't think even I can buck the bow out of it. So It'll prolly end up as firewood, if she decides she wants me to cut it. Oh and I didn't mention that it is half uprooted and on soft soil. And most of the big cherry's like this have a little center rot, at the base. I might be able to either sell these logs as pulp or firewood.:greenchainsaw:


----------



## ropensaddle

I would put my tractor in a picture but don't want to be embarrassed!
The shroud is missing, have to do some sheet metal work the bush hogging
I done at my property was rough on the old ford 800. It got the work done at least!


----------



## cjk

JD 2640 here. Only 2 wheel drive with a loader. With this snow we have Im thinking about chains. Do they help much?


----------



## sILlogger

Fish said:


> "Let them make bricks without straw......"



WOW!!!! where did that pic come from


----------



## wkpoor

Here is my BoDozer grapple. It works well at logs and brush.








Some guys will get a laugh from this:




I move alot of firewood with that little gem.


----------



## ropensaddle

wkpoor said:


> Here is my BoDozer grapple. It works well at logs and brush.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some guys will get a laugh from this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I move alot of firewood with that little gem.



I likes the deer and the golf cart


----------



## blsnelling

I tell you what, that golf cart will impress you. I've seen it in person. Bill used that crazy thing to drag a tree out of the woods. I have no idea how it has the torque or traction to do that.


----------



## ropensaddle

blsnelling said:


> I tell you what, that golf cart will impress you. I've seen it in person. Bill used that crazy thing to drag a tree out of the woods. I have no idea how it has the torque or traction to do that.



May be the old AMF harley motor is it gas?


----------



## wkpoor

> May be the old AMF harley motor is it gas?



No...Its electric. Thats where the torque comes from. I have been unable to get this thing stuck unless I intentionally high center it. Otherwise no amount of mud can stick it. Must be the batt weight over he drive axle and very little resistance up front.


----------



## chub

That picture is hot!


----------



## scotclayshooter

Fish said:


> "Let them make bricks without straw......"



Shes going to have someones eye out with that!!!!! lol


----------



## user 19670

Fish said:


> "Let them make bricks without straw......"



I'm speechless!.
My wife saw that pic and . . . :Eye::Eye:


----------



## stihl 440

*Wow!!*



scotclayshooter said:


> Shes going to have someones eye out with that!!!!! lol



WOW!!! THAT PIC IS NICE!!! I'll get banned if I say what I wanna say...lol.:greenchainsaw:


----------



## J.Walker

*Bow and arrows?*

I'm so in LOVE!
With all those tractors,
ya right..........


----------



## stihl 440

*Wow!!!*



Fish said:


> "Let them make bricks without straw......"



WOW!!! Nice...........


----------



## RAS323

*My Digger*

Mahindra 3510 (35hp), farmi 351p, 509 bradco hoe, soft & hard maple, in no particular order.


----------



## taplinhill

cjk said:


> JD 2640 here. Only 2 wheel drive with a loader. With this snow we have Im thinking about chains. Do they help much?



Studded chains with the diff lock will go good. Brake steering becomes more difficult, but with a loader you probably don't do much of that anyway. Just make sure you have fender clearance. Some of the larger tire sizes can't be used with chains if it has the flat top fenders.


----------



## sawinredneck

Is it just me, or does a large busted woman and a 30 pack just sound realy good right now?


----------



## stihl 440

*Wow!!*

Mahindra 3510 (35hp), farmi 351p, 509 bradco hoe, soft & hard maple, in no particular order. 



WOW!! NICE pics!!!!!!!:greenchainsaw:


----------



## oneadam12

wkpoor said:


> Here is my BoDozer grapple. It works well at logs and brush.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some guys will get a laugh from this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I move alot of firewood with that little gem.



What model tractor you got there? Looks alot like mine, only the fenders are differt. I have a 5203, no grapple, just a bucket, forks, and a hay spear.


----------



## abohac

tawilson said:


> Yep, it's the 501. As I made the ball mount I would be guessing as to the capacity. I wouldn't pull loaded trailers through the woods with it, but for just moving around the yard it does fine.



I just bought a Farmi 501 (It's not coming until July). I plan on using it on a 5320 JD (about 60 HP with no bucket). Do I have enough tractor?


----------



## RiverRat2

sawinredneck said:


> Is it just me, or does a large busted woman and a 30 pack just sound realy good right now?



Just noticed this post Andy,,,,

Yep!!!!!! LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!

Hey Cahoon send me an email need to talk to you!!!!!


----------



## Sawyer Rob

*A Few More Logging And Milling Picts.*

It's been very nice here with sunny weather and mid 70's temps... I managed to get out into the woodlot today, as i had a customer/friend who needed some 5/4 lumber...

Here's the tree i chose to get the lumber out of... So, i cut all the lower limbs off it,






And fell the tree,






Next, i trimmed the limbs off, and sawed the 8'-6" "butt log" out of the tree,






And used the pallet forks and grabble to carry the log to the mill site...






Here's the log on the mill deck...


----------



## Sawyer Rob

Now it's time to mill it into 5/4 lumber for a customer/friend,






Then after taking a board or two, i keep turning the log and keep sawing boards off it...











Untill i got down to the last cut that gave me the last two boards...






Sooo, here's the "tally" for this log... I got (10) 14" wide boards, and (1) 9" wide board, all 8'-6" long...






With the log all milled, all i have to do is deliver the lumber...

Rob


----------



## woodfarmer

abohac said:


> I just bought a Farmi 501 (It's not coming until July). I plan on using it on a 5320 JD (about 60 HP with no bucket). Do I have enough tractor?



hey i thought you were going to by mine, just kidding, 60 hp should be enough, i used to run mine on a jd 3130 two wheel drive 80hp, what are they worth over there. i was thinking about upsizing to a 601


----------



## tawilson

abohac said:


> I just bought a Farmi 501 (It's not coming until July). I plan on using it on a 5320 JD (about 60 HP with no bucket). Do I have enough tractor?


Mine's on a 43 hp, but it has a front end loader. It's on the small side for that winch, but I figured I may want a bigger tractor someday. You may want to add some weight in front, I dunno, try it and see I guess. Good thing about the winch, once the blade hit's the ground the front end should stop coming up.


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## Kate Butler

*Golf Carts Kick Butt*

Don't laugh, but I've skidded all sorts of stuff out various 5 acre wooded lots in S. Florida with an un-modded golf cart; the biggest being a 40', 14" butt cypress (just the stick after limbing). They are suprisingly powerful, can get into some wicked tight spots, AND get back out again..


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## Urbicide

abohac said:


> I just bought a Farmi 501 (It's not coming until July). I plan on using it on a 5320 JD (about 60 HP with no bucket). Do I have enough tractor?



You have enough horse power. Do you have the front end weighted down with a bunch of suitcase weights? At least with a loader you could fill the bucket with additional material to help anchor the front end down if needed. Can you load the front tires? You could call Northeast Implement @ (607) 589-6160 and confer with them since they are the Farmi distributor for the US.


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## abohac

Urbicide said:


> You have enough horse power. Do you have the front end weighted down with a bunch of suitcase weights? At least with a loader you could fill the bucket with additional material to help anchor the front end down if needed. Can you load the front tires? You could call Northeast Implement @ (607) 589-6160 and confer with them since they are the Farmi distributor for the US.



I have a stone box that I made that probably will hold 500 lbs of weight. I hate to load the tires.


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## abohac

woodfarmer said:


> hey i thought you were going to by mine, just kidding, 60 hp should be enough, i used to run mine on a jd 3130 two wheel drive 80hp, what are they worth over there. i was thinking about upsizing to a 601


I took your advice and bought one. Paid $3900 US with a couple of choker chains and 200 ft of cable. I think I did ok but I don't know. I just hope it does what I want it to do.


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## woodfarmer

sounds like a decent price, it'll do more than you probably need. take the time to read the manual first, theres good info in it. you don't need to run the tractor at 540 rpm all the time, i find it will pull good around 400 rpm. buy yourself a good snatch block( i bought mine at tsc) as you shouldn't pull more than 30 degrees to the side.


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## Wismer

wish i had a winch.. it would make life alot easier...

just got the 3pth... and some grade 70 chain.... alot of grade 70 chain


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## tawilson

This probably has been brought up somewhere in this thread, but here it is again. This is a link to Farmi's tree harvesting method page.
http://www.northeastimplement.com/newpage3.htm


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## abohac

Gypo Logger said:


> I'm almost thinking of selling my skidder. This little tractor has worked some pretty tough ground. It's very versatile and I like the idea of being able to pile logs in postage stamp size landings and having the use of a material bucket as well. This Rock Maple weighs over a ton at 200 board feet.
> maybe I should have started this on the logging forum but it so much more quaint over here.
> John


I just bought a Farmi 501 and use a JD 5320. I used it 3 big days and so far I am very impressed. I also farm so having the tractor was a given. I've very impressed with what I can haul with that winch.


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## TJ-Bill

I'd love to have a tractor.. Nice setup.. 

For now this is my tractor


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## Sweden-Viking

*My volvo boxer*

My VOLVO BM350 boxer

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=80238&stc=1&d=1224327762


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## Jacob J.

That is a great looking old Volvo.


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## tawilson

Pretty beasty looking. What's the middle wheel for?


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## J.Walker

Some of the fall colors in the woods.






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The log landing area out behind the barn




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.


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## Sweden-Viking

:chainsawguy:


tawilson said:


> Pretty beasty looking. What's the middle wheel for?





Jacob J. said:


> That is a great looking old Volvo.



http://www.arboristsite.com/attachme...1224440966http


View attachment 80308


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## tdb

*Allis Chalmers C in the woodlot*

This is what we use Allis Chalmers C


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## Rookie1

J.Walker said:


> Some of the fall colors in the woods.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]
> 
> 
> The log landing area out behind the barn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]
> 
> 
> .



J those are some sweet pics. I like how that orange tractor looks against the fall colors. I also like your barn.:greenchainsaw:


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## hutch3912

*digging up an old forum*

I've read through this pretty much and really feel tractor winches are the cats meow.
Now where do I get one?
Farmi jl351p?


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## tawilson

hutch3912 said:


> I've read through this pretty much and really feel tractor winches are the cats meow.
> Now where do I get one?
> Farmi jl351p?


These guys are distributors. Call them and they can probably steer you to a local dealer.http://www.northeastimplement.com/index.htm


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## dallasm1

*Pics of my little tractor*

Here are some pics of my toy tractor (compared to some of the tractors on this thread!). It sure helps me out. It has 4wheel drive so I can get by pretty well with turf tires. There is no snow to speak of during our winters, only rain. I have homemade pallet forks and it is a bit of a pain to switch from bucket to forks. One day I will cobble up some kind of homebrew quick attach. The tractor is only 25hp and can only lift 1000 lbs at the best of it. I have a boxblade for counterbalance and when I need more I load up a rock box on top of it. However for the most part, if I can lift it I can move it (4wd again).


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## Urbicide

dallasm1 said:


> Here are some pics of my toy tractor (compared to some of the tractors on this thread!). It sure helps me out. It has 4wheel drive so I can get by pretty well with turf tires.



Those front tires look like R-4's to me. I have R-1's all the way around on my Kubota which are great, traction-wise. The front tires really take a beating when the pallet forks are full of wood. I need front tires with the thread of a R-1 with the plies of a R-4.


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## Urbicide

tawilson said:


> These guys are distributors. Call them and they can probably steer you to a local dealer.http://www.northeastimplement.com/index.htm



I bought my Farmi 501 from them. There are no dealers around here so NEI sold one to me directly. They seem to be good folks.


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## Mike Van

I built my own 3 pt winch some 10 years ago. Just didn't want to spend the $$$$$ for something I didn't think I'd use that much. It sat around for so long, I had it for sale the past year. Few lookers at 500.00 but no takers. The way things have worked out, I'm glad it didn't sell as it's been getting a workout lately.



In the pic. is an oak butt, some 35" across & about 7 ft long. For anyone that doesnt read the 'firewood & wood heat' forum here, there's this thread http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=81749 We just got a dig. camcorder, I'm hoping to get a short movie of it in action to post here soon.


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## Drago 100

Hello, I do not know if it's the right topic, I wanted to show you one of my tractors (one of the avatar) I do not think we are loaded in your part like that, already in the regions close to me, they've never seen


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## mtngun

Drago 100 said:


> Ciao, non so se è l'argomento giusto, ho voluto mostrarvi uno dei miei trattori (uno degli avatar) non credo ci siano caricate da parte vostra in questo modo, già nelle regioni vicino a me, si ' ve mai visto: greenchainsaw:


Translation: _Hello, I do not know if it's the right argument, I wanted to show you one of my tractors (one of the avatar) I do not think we are loaded by you in this way, already in the regions close to me, you 've ever seen_


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## Gypo Logger

Drago 100 said:


> Hello, I do not know if it's the right topic, I wanted to show you one of my tractors (one of the avatar) I do not think we are loaded in your part like that, already in the regions close to me, they've never seen



Nice setup, It's great to see how they do things in other countries. Thanks for embedding the pics mtngun.
John


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## Sawyer Rob

I've been keeping my tractor busy in the woodlot too. My nephues and i have been cutting saw and firewood logs, cleaning out out a pasture...






One helper pulled out small limbs and stacked them all in one direction. Then i'd come along with the tractor, grabble and move them to big piles,






I also did all the tree felling, and chainsawed out all the logs. Between the other jobs, i loaded my "log hauling" running gear with the ash, cherry and bass wood logs,






By the end of the day, here's the firewood and logs we had loaded to haul away,






And here's a better look at my huge load of firewood,






As you can see, i pulled "doubles" today,






Here's a before pict.,






Here's how the pasture looks now, we really opened it up!!






There's still plenty of sawlogs/firewood to haul out of there, so we will be back out there again later!

Rob


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## belgian

Don't know if this is the right place, but will give it a try anyway. I recently bought a grey Kubota tractor type Bulltra B1-15 4WD and experienced some serious problems lately with the 3point hitch. This tractor is equipped with the infamous Monroematic automatic hitch control. Was wondering if anyone had some experience with this system ? If so, will glad to post some pics for further discussion. Any help is appreciated.


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## cuttingintime

To all those who shared their pics, thank a lot. Lets keep it going.


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## crabhab

We have been working this large cherry tree it has been a lot of work/fun with my new Husqvarna 365xt and new stihl ms 250. The Kubota bx1500 is new to me but is a 2003 with 460 hrs on it.

With our new house in the woods I have been doing a lot of saw and tractor juggling.







Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4


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## Franny K

Urbicide said:


> Those front tires look like R-4's to me. I have R-1's all the way around on my Kubota which are great, traction-wise. The front tires really take a beating when the pallet forks are full of wood. I need front tires with the thread of a R-1 with the plies of a R-4.



I don't think the r4 tires get a lot of plies until you get to the 12.5x18 which may actually be considered an I3, those are 12 ply. I think you need to be in the M series Kubota to get to those rims and tires. I think what they provide is inferior to the firestone though.


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## Sawyer Rob

More logging picts...

Here's the first white pine of the day and it's a beauty!!






I counted 110 rings, so it's an old tree forsure!






My old 268XP sure has been a good saw!






And with the limbs cut off and the logs sawn out at 16' 6", i started skidding the logs






Eariler i poped out this HUGE boulder out of our skidding road and rolled it aside, as there was no way around it!






And with the log skidded out, i loaded it on my "log hauling" running gear,






So, with two loads loaded, we headed out where i barely made it up "sugar sand hill" without letting out lots of chain! 






But we did make it, clawing our way to the top and headed out to the road, then home,


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## Sawyer Rob

(continued from last page)


Where my helper started washing the logs, getting them ready to be milled,







And once again, we had some VERY nice logs and a bit of firewood!






SR


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## ford4500

my old IH444 and well used farmiView attachment 312254
View attachment 312255


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## shootingarts

*4300*

The little 4300 is pushing it's limit without counterweight other than filled tires but the maneuvering is a bit tight in a natural drain. Finally had to give up and take another cut off of the load, just too tippy. I did get to some shade first though!:msp_thumbsup:

Hu


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## axs

This thread is amazing. It needs to come back to life!


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## cantoo

My rebuilt grapple for brush on my forks.


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## Gypo Logger

Here's my fav pic of a tractor in the woodlot.


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## Sawyer Rob

I'm skidding out entire "limbed" tree's,






then I cut out the saw logs to go to my mill and firewood the rest,






SR


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## captjack

not enough green tractors ! here is the 5400 hay tractor that I now use for bushhoggin and moving logs around - the log on the front is green red oak and a 28 inch bar on the saw. The 7510 is more of a farm tractor - it gets used for everything including holding a duck blind in the air so we can shoot deer out of it hahah Pricey deer stand haha


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## Gypo Logger




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## Ryan'smilling

Sure is fun splitting ash!

I'm glad this thread has been recently resurrected. It's been great looking at the pics you guys have posted. Hopefully I'll get a few of my own up someday.


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## Sawyer Rob

I've been on and off cleaning up some tornado damages tree's out of a ravine,






This woods is full of red oaks, along with some others mixed in. Anyway, after winching numerous logs/tree's out, I had my eye on these two leaners,






So, it was time to get started on getting them out,






These two tree's have some top grade saw logs in them,






but I couldn't get a straight line pull on them, so I put a snatch block up in a tree,






It took a while to get them both on the ground as they were "hangers",






But FINALLY I could winch them up out of the ravine,






and get them loaded, to pull "doubles" on home,






Those 17 footers are about as good as red oak saw logs get around here!

SR


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## Gypo Logger

Nice looking oak and nice job taking them down.
Do you have a veneer buyer in your area or are you gonna saw them up into boards?
John


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## 906

Early 60's Massey Ferguson Super 90. Bucket and a 7' snowblower for the 300 inches of snow we get a year.


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## Sawyer Rob

Gypo Logger said:


> Nice looking oak and nice job taking them down.
> Do you have a veneer buyer in your area or are you gonna saw them up into boards?
> John



I'm going to "grade saw" them myself, then sticker to air dry...

SR


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## ford4500

Couple of ash tops


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## Ferguson system

Ferguson Tea 20 (1954) with forks moving pallets.
I also have a 3T winch for it and a 3T homemade timbertrailer with wheel drive (12.4x28 tyres). 
It does 40 km/h on the road after having installed bigger tyres and a different carburettor. Stock it's only supposed to do 21 km/h.
I'm restoring tractor nr 2 at the moment, a 55 model. The engine has been overhauled, swapped out to 87 mm cylinder liners instead of the stock 80/85mm bore and a upgraded carb. Stock hp: 24/28. After upgrades: 40-50 hp.


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## Nemus Talea

This one here will get yer firewooding done quick. Focus on productivity ladies.


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## dancan

I had a great day


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## ford4500

Cutting some yellow birch with my father and my little choker setter


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## sunfish

Cool thread John!


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## Gypo Logger




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## Gypo Logger

6 pizels! Lol. Read comments.


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## dancan

Here's a few farm tractor in the woods pics .


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## Sawyer Rob

I skidded out a couple white pines yesterday,






I needed three 4" x 5-1/2" - 10' beams, so I cut one saw log out of the tree on the left,






I'll mill them out, soon... The rest is pretty much firewood,

SR


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## Ferguson system

Ferguson Tea 20, 1954 model and 3 Ton timber trailer with wheel drive.


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## Sawyer Rob

Just in case you wanted to see what I got out of 10'-6" of that log on the left above, here it is...

I milled out (4) 4x5-1/2's,






and (3) 4x4's, as you can see in this pile,






and also a few inch boards that I didn't put in the pict.... Not too bad for a log headed to the firewood pile!!

SR


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## Sawyer Rob

I split this wagon load of firewood today, in 45 minutes,






MAN, this thing really kicks azz! One pass through the 4-way and keep pushing them off the end of the table grate!


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## Sawyer Rob

I had a decent sized tornado damaged white pine out back that I've had my eye on... Anyway, I've been wanting to get it to my mill site and mill into some siding for a project I'm doing,






After cutting my way to it, I got started,






Because I have a skidding winch on my tractor, I cut a larger than normal notch in the tree and hooked the cable from the winch as high as I could reach, and tightened it up, then locking it,






With dead standing/damaged tree's, I wanted that cable tension... Anyway, the tree went over as planned and I then winched it out and off I went to my mill site,






Next will be to cut the logs out of it and mill them into that much needed lumber!

SR


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## woodfarmer

The tractor


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## woodfarmer

The haul


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## woodfarmer

And the man I learned it all from


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## woodfarmer

Nice day to be skidding some logs


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## woodfarmer

Hauling some big Ash today


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## weimedog




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## woodfarmer

You need to get yourself a winch, Walt


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## woodfarmer

So I picked up an old hydro pole trailer, I can get five 20-24” x 24’ logs on it


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## woodfarmer

Overnight several inches of snow


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## olyman

where is gypo at??????


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## woodfarmer

olyman said:


> where is gypo at??????



Idk, haven’t heard from him in a while. Pulled this beast today.


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## olyman

woodfarmer said:


> View attachment 882156
> Idk, haven’t heard from him in a while. Pulled this beast today.


hope that Wildman is doing ok....


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## woodfarmer

Big maple and lovin’ the heated handles today, -23 c this morning


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