Hauling wood manually

[giXXer]

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Bet ya belive in the Santa Clause too huh???


There ain't no FREE lunch...:greenchainsaw:

He at least put free in quotes. And, I, for one, do believe in Santa Claus! He's currently installing a hitch on his sled to tow my Supersplit to me for Xmas! No one else, including my wife, has come through for me so maybe Santa will. ?????????

 

[MotorSeven]

Mules and horses are dirt cheap right now. I was at a local auction a couple of months ago & a Belgian w/harness & collar went for under $300. In your situation I would seriously think about a mule or a draft horse. I have 2 Clydes that we are currrently riding. I am looking for a harness for the same reason....I have some really steep land & need to get logs out to mill them up for my log house. A horse may sound a little silly, but it is by far the safest method to get these logs out. I think it is one of the coolest things to use for logging.

RD

 

[joecool85]

Mules and horses are dirt cheap right now. I was at a local auction a couple of months ago & a Belgian w/harness & collar went for under $300. In your situation I would seriously think about a mule or a draft horse. I have 2 Clydes that we are currrently riding. I am looking for a harness for the same reason....I have some really steep land & need to get logs out to mill them up for my log house. A horse may sound a little silly, but it is by far the safest method to get these logs out. I think it is one of the coolest things to use for logging.

RD

Gotta feed and take care of a horse, I already have too many animals (thanks to the wife)...

That said, using a horse to get wood out is pretty old school, and I like that. Got any pics of the clydes?

 

[Philbert]

Some thoughts:

Biomechanically, pushing is easier on your back than pulling.

Larger diameter wheels offer less rolling resistance (easier to push) and bridge holes, bumpe, roots, etc., better.

Wider wheels are less likely to sink in soft soil, mud, snow, etc.

A dual wheel wheelbarrow might be more stable when heavily loaded.

Figure out if you want to haul logs out, or split into easier to carry pieces while still in the woods. Make piles in the woods then hire some strong, young, local guys to carry them to the trail for you.


Iron Horse - not cheap, but could be ideal:

http://tiltonequipment.com/html/transporters_40.htm

 

[zopi]

used four wheeler, and a "stone boat."

 

[MotorSeven]

Here ya go Joe........

 

[joecool85]

Nice lookin' horses!

If I were to ever get into horses, they'd be clydes for sure.

 

[Dalmatian90]

That Iron Horse does look cool if you're looking for low impact options!

http://tiltonequipment.com/assets/pdfs/iron horse_brochure_web version.pdf

I do have part of my property that a if I get to working in it a few years down the line I think I'll need an ATV & Trailer (and even then I'll probably put cedar logs & planks down across one small area...I hate tearing up the ground for no reason).

 

[savageactor7]

The trail is too narrow for a 4-wheeler. I'd need a half mile of rope to reach the end of my property.

Well then that's where you start...clearing out some trails to where you want to cut. All the land in the world is no good to you if you can't manage it properly.

I speak from experience when we 1st got here it was like triple canopy jungle you'd have to low crawl to go a 100 yards in any direction...now my son tells me we have have close to 5 miles of improved trails. They all started out as crude logging trails.

No you can't build Rome in a day but you have to start with some kind of trail improvement plan. Once you get a good 6-8 ft main trail established you'll be impressed on how easy wood processing becomes.

 

[Islander]

Wow that Iron Horse looks pretty nice. What's the price for one of those? At almost 1000lb, that's a serious piece of equipment.

I still keep thinking a DR Powerwagon might work well for you. Only needs a 3-4' trail, and can steer around bigger trees or rocks, so all you need to do is plot a rough path by cutting down the saplings in your way. I've been able to leave my lot relatively untouched, while still hauling out enough wood to run my stove all winter. Not the solution if you're looking to pull out 20+ cord a year, but in my case I can get at least 5 cord over a few weekends, and that's enough for me.

About the same time I got my Powerwagon, I also picked up some new chaps and a helmet. Cutting in an untouched woodlot like that there are lots of snags and stuff on the ground that makes for easy accidents, so some PPE is a good idea. I got a set of Labonville chaps that I really like, and they're made right next door in New Hampshire. Next I need a set of 2-way radios just in case, as cell phones don't work out my way. I work alone most of the time...

 

[flyfshrmn]

hauling wood on slopes

If you are going to build trail, then I suggest something like a DR power wagon, which is essentially a big motorized wheeled cart. Trail would need to be fairly wide to make it practical and the cost is high, but you can move a lot of wood, dirt, etc. with one. For moving big stuff by yourself, a capstan type winch is good, but you'll need cones if there is a lot of deadfall. It's not cheap and the proper rope is expensive as well. If you're going to be doing a lot of wood, then you want all the mechanical advantages you can get. And the older you get, the more you will learn to love hydraulics and levers. Wood cutting is tremendously hard work and is hard on the body, but the tangible rewards at the end of a day of splitting and stacking are worth the effort.