Gotta be a better way!!

[kansan]

I am sure that you all have atleast at some point felt like there had to be a better way to get large trunk sections on a trailer than bucking them into rounds and then quatering the rounds into managable pieces. I know some guys are gonna say grapple trucks or skidsteer, but those simply cost to much for us right now.
I plan to try pulling some hugh trunk sections up onto a trailer with snatch blocks and a winch or even just pulling them up tere with a truck. I know that I cant be the only guy to wanna do it this way, so to those of you who have. What works best? Can a 12,500 lb electric winch handle this kind of abuse or should I use something different. Maybe one of you guys can save me from waisting my time and money on dead end ideas.

 

[Goose IBEW]

I wouldn't spend the money for this trailer but it has some really good ideas in it. I would not hesitate to adapt a trailer of mine to do something like this. It may be hokey to some, but its an idea at least.:alien2:

Firewood Log Trailer - YouTube

 

[timberland ts]

You can buy a used gas skidsteer for 2000. It will pay for it self 10x over. Or a small k boom for 1500. If you cant make that much for good equipment. Maybee should change jobs?

 

[ROPECLIMBER]

I put this on my old chipper, worked good but had to run the chipper to keep battery up, am looking for a simmilar one to put on my fuso should have better duty cycle since the fuso has two 1150 cca batteries, wish I had kept the winch but it sold with the chipper, was good for loading big rounds even pulled a few trees that were on a fence line in a lot that enabled me to fell them instead of blocking them down,
Paul

 

[mattfr12]

You can get a pretty good deal on smaller knuckle booms. Timberland refurbishes old hiabs that go for a pretty good price and they will lift over 6k. only problem with skid steers and mini's for me is that its just something else you have to tow. im going to get a mini but i would definitely take a knuckle boom first already have a skid steer and john deere 3720 with loader and rarely use them to load logs the knuckle boom is just 10x more convenient trailers are a PITA.

 

[Youngbuck20]

You can buy a used gas skidsteer for 2000. It will pay for it self 10x over. Or a small k boom for 1500. If you cant make that much for good equipment. Maybee should change jobs?

I dont have enough to buy a new rope, should I change jobs?? I dont have enough money for a bucket truck, should I change jobs? Did you inherit all of your equipment or you were just loaded before you started the company?

 

[timberland ts]

Nope had it bought and paid for before i went in business full time for myself. Oh and pay my liability insurance and workmans comp.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

I used a hand truck and ramps to move big sections before i bought my Dingo. You can get some of the ball carts with a flat carrier that can be put on and taken off that will handle even the biggest rounds.

 

[mattfr12]

I dont have enough to buy a new rope, should I change jobs?? I dont have enough money for a bucket truck, should I change jobs? Did you inherit all of your equipment or you were just loaded before you started the company?

I didn't have 10 grand to my name most people need financial help. If you want some big iron the only way is to get assistance from a bank even if you have 300k for a crane you still cant empty your bank purchasing it , you need operating capital . every company with serious equipment utilizes loans.

 

[mattfr12]

I used a hand truck and ramps to move big sections before i bought my Dingo. You can get some of the ball carts with a flat carrier that can be put on and taken off that will handle even the biggest rounds.

i think someone makes a gas powered one now i have no idea what its called but ive seen it demo'd somewhere.

buying older stuff and not getting a loan a lot of times can end up costing you more. take a knuckleboom for instance or any log loader, what does one employee cost you in workers comp a year? i know for me it saves what i payed in payments on it just in workers comp. 50 guys couldnt move wood as fast as that truck.

5g for a tree company shouldn't be to risky i mean thats like 4 small jobs or 2 decent ones.

 

[CalTreeEquip]

I had a 1965 F600 flatbed with a 10 ton Tulsa winch on it. Build a breakdown A-frame boom for it that fit under the bed. Could move all kinds of wood
with that thing, could even self load but it really wasn't worth while doing that. If I had to move wood I would just bring a dump truck. Bottom line is the right tool for the job has already been invented, work toward getting one. Older trucks and equipment can be very inexpensive. That F600 cost me $800. I bought a 4x4 6,000 lb turret crane one time for $100 bid. Just get to the auctions and start looking.

I found the problem with dragging logs is there is a lot of resistance. You have to be able to lift one end up enough to get it to skid. At one point we use to load small logs with a hand pump little 1000 lb T crane, like an engine hoist. That was for milling but it would have been faster to just buck them up and load them by hand.

 

[mckeetree]

I dont have enough to buy a new rope, should I change jobs??

Yeah. Pretty much. In fact...run.

 

[kansan]

We could probably spring for a skidsteer if i though it would be a smart buy but im not convinced that its worth spending that money when it could be saved and put toward a bucket truck or grapple boom at some point. I am looking for a low cost solution until "some point" arrives. I already own the 20', 12 ton pintle trailer and a big dump truck with a 15 yard rock bed on it. So just finding a way to get logs on the trailer without spending several hours cutting on them and cleaning up saw dust is the goal. I think i could probably save myself alot of time and effort by winching logs onto the trailer or just using a couple snatch blocks and the pickup to pull them up the ramps and onto the trailer. Im open to all low cost ideas, but what i really want to know is anyone else doing it this way and do they have and tips for me? I have seen the motorized log dollys and they are pretty cool but they cost about 1400.00 and i still think that money would be better spent on bigger purchases down the road.

 

[mckeetree]

We could probably spring for a skidsteer if i though it would be a smart buy but im not convinced that its worth spending that money when it could be saved and put toward a bucket truck or grapple boom at some point. I am looking for a low cost solution until "some point" arrives. I already own the 20', 12 ton pintle trailer and a big dump truck with a 15 yard rock bed on it. So just finding a way to get logs on the trailer without spending several hours cutting on them and cleaning up saw dust is the goal. I think i could probably save myself alot of time and effort by winching logs onto the trailer or just using a couple snatch blocks and the pickup to pull them up the ramps and onto the trailer. Im open to all low cost ideas, but what i really want to know is anyone else doing it this way and do they have and tips for me? I have seen the motorized log dollys and they are pretty cool but they cost about 1400.00 and i still think that money would be better spent on bigger purchases down the road.

$1400? Don't troll me bro.

 

[treeman82]

Depending on the type of trailer you have, consider a good hand truck. A cheapie can be had at TS for under $200. Ramps work well on dump trucks in some situations.

Honestly I've found what works best for me as far as investments go is the phone. I'm not about to blow 30K on a logging trailer, or 100K+ on a log truck. A tractor for 40K stilll needs a heavier truck and trailer. For the money and time, I can easily get a small tractor onto a job to move logs, or have a log truck come to pick up bulk.

 

[beastmaster]

Mount a big winch up high in front of your trailer and have something to slide the logs up on and you'ed be good to go. Hook up a strong pulley in the back of the trailer and you could offload with it too. I knew a guy way back when had an A frame on a truck and it was amazing what he could lift with it. wouldn't be hard or expensive to rig on your trailer. Could probably rig a hinged side loading set up pretty easy using a bottle jack. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[Herd8497]

I am a glutton for punishment and roll them up in my pick up on two 2x12's screwed together. I salivate at the set ups I see some guys have on AS., maybe someday I will progress

 

[2treeornot2tree]

We could probably spring for a skidsteer if i though it would be a smart buy but im not convinced that its worth spending that money when it could be saved and put toward a bucket truck or grapple boom at some point. I am looking for a low cost solution until "some point" arrives. I already own the 20', 12 ton pintle trailer and a big dump truck with a 15 yard rock bed on it. So just finding a way to get logs on the trailer without spending several hours cutting on them and cleaning up saw dust is the goal. I think i could probably save myself alot of time and effort by winching logs onto the trailer or just using a couple snatch blocks and the pickup to pull them up the ramps and onto the trailer. Im open to all low cost ideas, but what i really want to know is anyone else doing it this way and do they have and tips for me? I have seen the motorized log dollys and they are pretty cool but they cost about 1400.00 and i still think that money would be better spent on bigger purchases down the road.

I understand, well i kinda dont understand, that you dont want to spend any money on a mini. You have to spend some money to make mroe money. The time and hassle a mini will save you will pay for itself before you know it. If there is a dealer close, demo a new one and you will see what everyone means. Or you could rent one, but i have a feeling your to cheap to spend the money. Its like having 2 more guys on the crew. You will get the job done faster, and be able to do more jobs, which means more money in your pocket. It looks alot more professional also for you to be loading logs with a mini onto your trailer, vs skiding them accross the customers yard, tearing it up and onto your trailer.

 

[deevo]

Timber Carrier | SherrillTree.com you can move the bigger pieces with a hand cart and use this to move em onto the trailer. Use ours all the time when we can't use the bobcat. Gives you a good workout for sure! Had a good laugh yesterday, I drove by a job I did Friday, murphed a few big old sugar maples just dropped em, no cutting up or clean up, 28&30"dbh. The guy had a friend who wanted the wood, they were rolling the rounds they had cut up up a small hill into a few big dodge 2500 pick ups, we still have 2'of snow. They must of been tired after doing that!

 

[kansan]

Im not to cheap to spend money. My company is only two and a half years old. We started with a 2500HD pickup and a 20' gooseneck. Now we own a 2ton chipper dump, a GMC brigadier tandem with a dump bed, another 20' pintle trailer, and of course my trusty bandit 150 with the 100hp JD tractor motor. (great machine) I paid cash for everything and still operate that way becuase our winters get too slow to keep up with any large payments.
The logs i'm wanting to get on the trailer are huge, 3'-4' in dia and 10'-15' long. If I can get them on the trailer, it would save me a half a days time or more. It would also keep me from needing to have a four or five man crew when we normally operate with three. At the end of the year, if the good Lord wills it, I exspect to have the capital to purchase a huge knuckle boom off of a wrecked sheet rock truck and retro fit it with a grapple, then throw it on my tandem and go log pickin. Then we will be saving some time. Until then, I like the winch and block ideas. Highly considering a detatchable Aframe as well. So to those of you who have punished a few electric winches before, do you think a 12,500 lb one would do the work or would we fry it on the first job? If so, what configuration has proven best.