firewood tractors

[cantoo]

Nice looking ride Jim. I put a tooth bar on my bucket and it's night and day difference when digging or moving dirt. What type of grapple are you going to build? I bought a 6' long Versatech and I hate it. It's too big for my tractor and my use and the throat only opens 30" so it's not much good for brush. I also have another front grapple and like it for lifting logs but it's just way too heavy for my little tractor. That's a 16" x 20' wet poplar log on it. I use my forklift forks the most for logs and plan to build a 1 arm grapple for it some day. I use a manure tine style bucket for loading split wood. One can never have too many buckets.

 

[Jim Timber]

Thanks!

I was thinking a 6' grapple bucket, but I haven't started building it yet. The tire width is about 6' so that's why I'd go with that dimension.

I'm going to add some teeth to my bucket for sure! I didn't take any measurements this time (it was 5F outside when I headed home), but will be getting going on that before the ground thaws. The front edge is drilled for a replaceable cutting edge, so I might add one with teeth or may just add teeth to the holes.

 

[stihlfanboy]

It was -3 when i went down to the barn today. hauled a few loads of wood up to the house. Had to get her to start frist... about 20 minutes of this and she started right up.

 

[cantoo]

My tire width is also 6'and that's why I went that wide even though guys told me not to. It's just too wide to maneuver in the bush. Picking stuff up was a pain because you have to be parallel with the log to get the tines under it, end up having to push against something to grab it. Even unloading off my trailer was a hassle. There are some guys with single tine grapples on 2 lifting prongs and they look to work good. Might be worth it for you to rent or borrow one before you commit to building one. I also have a stone fork with a grapple and it doesn't work worth a crap either. Might be fine on concrete with something to push against but not on open dirt.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'll have to look into rental options. That's a good suggestion!

 

[Old Goat]

It was -3 when i went down to the barn today. hauled a few loads of wood up to the house. Had to get her to start frist... about 20 minutes of this and she started right up.View attachment 404543 View attachment 404544

In my mind,s eye I see a black Allis-Chalmers instead of an Orange one. One that wont ever start again. How far do you park your AC from a 110 volt outlet? A block heater would be a cheap investment. Even one of the oil dipstick type heaters would be an improvement.

I spent one cold winter working in Butte, Montana 26 years ago. At one point it got down to -40 F for 5 nights in a row. I was driving a VW diesel rabbit, or I should say I wanted to drive it at the time. We had big rigs gelled up from Deer Lodge to Bozeman. instead of an open flame to warm the oil pan the locals would use charcoal briquettes. Light the briquettes on a garbage can lid and then slide them under the engine about the time they are ready for the burgers.

 

[tla100]

My tire width is also 6'and that's why I went that wide even though guys told me not to. It's just too wide to maneuver in the bush. Picking stuff up was a pain because you have to be parallel with the log to get the tines under it, end up having to push against something to grab it. Even unloading off my trailer was a hassle. There are some guys with single tine grapples on 2 lifting prongs and they look to work good. Might be worth it for you to rent or borrow one before you commit to building one. I also have a stone fork with a grapple and it doesn't work worth a crap either. Might be fine on concrete with something to push against but not on open dirt.
View attachment 404587

When I had grapple on my homemade rock bucket on little Lahman skidloader, I never tried "scooping" branches. Went up to brush pile and opened grapple and tilted bucket like I was dumping, boom down and close grapple. If I get a grapple again it will be a smooth bucket with no sides and grapple. like this

Some of the rock buckets with grapple get so heavy it not worth having it on.

 

[stihlfanboy]

In my mind,s eye I see a black Allis-Chalmers instead of an Orange one. One that wont ever start again. How far do you park your AC from a 110 volt outlet? A block heater would be a cheap investment. Even one of the oil dipstick type heaters would be an improvement.

I spent one cold winter working in Butte, Montana 26 years ago. At one point it got down to -40 F for 5 nights in a row. I was driving a VW diesel rabbit, or I should say I wanted to drive it at the time. We had big rigs gelled up from Deer Lodge to Bozeman. instead of an open flame to warm the oil pan the locals would use charcoal briquettes. Light the briquettes on a garbage can lid and then slide them under the engine about the time they are ready for the burgers.

I was on hand with the fire extinguisher the whole time. I looked into heaters for it but I starts all the time for the most part. Just rebult the carb, new mag, generator, and starter and battery. Just never had to in the negatives. If I didnt have to pull my 83 grandpre out of the spot its been sitting in all winter I wouldnt have tryed to start it when it was so cold.

 

[OhioGregg]

I gotta agree with Old Goat on this one.. An open fire under a old gasoline tractor gives me the willies. LOL
I have used a freeze plug style block heater on my two bigger Fords. Have worked exceedingly well over the years.
I will admit, I don't have one on the 8n though. I just don't need to use it when it gets down below zero.

Gregg,

 

[zogger]

I gotta agree with Old Goat on this one.. An open fire under a old gasoline tractor gives me the willies. LOL
I have used a freeze plug style block heater on my two bigger Fords. Have worked exceedingly well over the years.
I will admit, I don't have one on the 8n though. I just don't need to use it when it gets down below zero.

Gregg,

I lived in a no utilities cabin in Vermont before, and had an '80 full size Cherokee. That's the only way it would start near zero or below, coals from the stove under the oil pan, plus bring the battery in to keep it warm at night.

 

[D2082]

About 15 years ago I bought a 1988 JD 2355 (55hp) 4x4 with loader and at about 15 grand it seemed high but I wanted it and now 15 years later I could probably get my money back and have all that use for the price of fuel and oil. Well maybe a couple of batteries too but not much else.

You're right. A 2355 is a highly-sought after tractor. I've got one and love it. Heavy enough to handle big work but small enough to be versatile. And an excellent firewood tractor!

 

[farmer steve]

here's a pic of my tractor at the splitter with my helper sitting on the rol l bar.

 

[rwoods]

farmer steve, it looks like you get about as much help as I do. Nice tractor. Ron

 

[D2082]

Finally took a picture of my firewood tractor today.

 

[Jetterbug]

Here's my little guy. With of course my favorite helper in the back!

 

[SPDRMNKY]

dappled sunlight & hauling big ash butts makes the little mitsu look good today

 

[Jere39]

It was -3 when i went down to the barn today. hauled a few loads of wood up to the house. Had to get her to start frist... about 20 minutes of this and she started right up.View attachment 404543

Used to pour about half a gallon of kerosene into a grain shovel, light it, and slide it under the tractor in similar conditions. Do a couple other chores, drink a cup of coffee, then about the time the kero burned out, the tractor would start. Left a kind of smeary soot on the underside of the tractor, but it worked, and we didn't wax our tractors back then.

 

[Jere39]

I have enjoyed watching this thread, and seeing the big range of tractors and other tools we use. I probably already have a picture of this tractor on here, but yesterday I finally got back to a White Oak I cut down in January, then lost under the snow for a couple months. It was laying in some briars, and on some very rocky woods floor. So, I hitched my home made log arch to my JD x728 and pulled this tree out of the briars:

and up over some of the branch rounds to get it off the ground so I could buck it in straight shots without dirt diving, or rolling the log every dozen cuts:

My assistant stays tied to a tree when I am sawing. He seems to instinctively know a loud saw is nothing to mess with, but then he also seems to think there is nothing more important than chasing a squirrel anywhere, anytime, ...

Once I had the log bucked for splitting, I took a lunch break and snapped a glamour photo in case some TimberSports Magazine needed a cover shot:

 

[dancan]

Not enough snow in your guy's pics ....

 

[farmer steve]

Not enough snow in your guy's pics ....

and it can stay that way till next Dec.