Self Built Logging Equipment

[Beanhead III]

Here are a few pics of some of our self built logging equipment we are using for our 240 Acre logging. The KobelcoTrachoe Thumb had a bit of a problem as the bypass was not fully open. It now has been fixed and works great. The grappler on the Dozer works great for skidding to the load site!

 

[Beefie]

Well a person has to start some wear. looks like design by trial and erroer. How much can you pull in on a turn?


Beefie

 

[Beanhead III]

Yes, starting somewhere is important. It is amazing to see what the power of Hydraulics can do and can mess things up as well!

Currently with only 5 of us, we are bringing average 90-100 8'-8" logs daily and cutting them into rail ties. 1 feller, 1 skidding, and the rest of us 3 at the mill. Mill operator runs to get 3 Log truck loads from yesterday and brings them back to the mill, we then buck them into 8-8 and load them on the bunks and begin milling. About 32-36 (8-8) logs come into a load. Generally we are able to get 75-90 (9"X7" or 8"X6") ties a day depending on how many bad spots show up in the logs, those get turned into pallet lumber or ground cants to separate stacks. We also are generating a huge amount of BF lumber in the process and will be building a solar kiln for it all.

More pics soon to follow.

 

[mdavlee]

Looks interesting. I seen a big ford tractor made into a skidder for sale pretty local to me yesterday on craigslist.

 

[Idahosawyer]

That is neat to see someone do what you are doing . What kind of mill are you running. I have been considering do something similar if I could find a good source of standing timber.

 

[plasticweld]

How does the grapple work? It would seem to lift the dozer front end off of the ground; I started out with home made equipment also after getting out of logging once then getting back into it again on a shoe string. I did pretty much what you did I did the best I had with the equipment I already had on hand. The log trailer I built in a day at the junk yard. Drove in with a truck full of tools and drove out that night with a trailer made up of odds and ends, spent the next day finishing up the welding. The winch came from a junk yard and needed to be rebuilt. I made the carrier for it so that I could just pick it up with the forks and move it to where ever I had to go. If I was in a tough spot I left it on the machine and could winch myself and the trailer out of just about any mess. The back bumper on the skid steer had a 6,000 pound winch and hooks welded to it. I could back the machine up to a log and put the bucket down which would lower the back end of the machine to hook up the trees to and when I raised the bucket it lifted the logs about a foot off the ground. I had to be care of how much weight I had behind the machine it would be come hard to steer. Which why I asked how yours worked.

I made enough with my low budget stuff to eventually get two skidders. I was honestly prouder of my home made stuff which I made work on a budget than any skidder that I just went out and bought. I am sure you are as proud of your stuff as I was mine; there is something to be said for making it yourself and being innovative

 

[Hadley]

Sadly do it yourself and innovation are lost on most people now,if it ain't new people arnt interested, good picks there fellas nothing like making it yourself.

 

[Log Man]

Home Made

I built this with square tubing and I used it to clear 10.5 acres. I have a single rope that y's to pull tongs apart so you not getting up and down from the tractor to hookup or unhook at the log deck. The tongs will pull 4 - 28 inch logs. This saved me a lot of time.

 

[Beanhead III]

That is neat to see someone do what you are doing . What kind of mill are you running. I have been considering do something similar if I could find a good source of standing timber.

Well, the MILL...Since it is the begining of the year, I guess the saying "Out with the old and in with the new," fits in this situation. This past Saturday we just tore down our old mill built in 1997 and installed a very nice newer, upgraded and heavier Mill which we just got fired up at 8pm for it's first test trial tonight. Sadly we found the mandrel was bent, so we are looking for a new shaft or possibly heating up the shaft and bending it back. I guess when this mill was dis-assembled and stored, they lifted the cab by the main mandrel which runs the blade. (I do not have pics yet-I will sneak the wifey's camera out in the morning to get some good pics!-lol) .We have been working extremely hard to get all the track, carriage, cab, skids, log turner, platforms, diesel engine and hydraulics together and get it in place and working. The upgrades we got in the new mill have a live running skid which rolls the logs down towards the carriage. A 'real" log turner at the end of the bunk. The carriage has auto locking air controlled "dogs" top and bottom to lock the log onto the carriage and after that it pulls back the log to the carriage bunks. We have added a few touches here and there such as a floating air system which follows the carriage. I promise I will get some pics in here of it!

As far as the location of the mill, this mill house has had several mills installed in it. One of the begining mills here in Chester, Arkansas at this very same location was actually featured in the 1974 National Geographic magazine.

How does the grapple work? ... I had to be care of how much weight I had behind the machine it would be come hard to steer. Which why I asked how yours worked.

Works great actually and we have grabbed and skidded White Oaks that are 35 feet long by the butt which measures 28" dia. max. It doesn't lift the front end of the dozer off the ground, however the longer (4 log) trunks make it hard to get around the corners at times getting to the load site. Yet the Kobelco Trachoe has no problem grabbing this size and throwing it up on the log trucks!
And yes, everyone should be proud of their inovations and inventions "Pass or Fail", they all lead to great equipment in the end! Hats off to all of you out there with the mechanical appitude to create such great machines and thank you to Arboristsite.com for giving us a place to share them!
And thanks to Hadley for his appreciation for all the pics submitted. If anyone out there has pics of self built logging equipment...PLEASE post them here. I will get more pics here hopefully tomorrow evening. Till then...be safe everyone!