Loading Wood

[Lumberjack]

I am the newest member of this website right now and are also probably the youngest tree cutter here. I started cutting trees around three weeks ago and have stayed busy ever since. I am familiar with the aspects of advanced rigging, saftey, ect, but I have a question. I run a crew of myself and 4 other guys that do the ground work. I was wondering if anyone has a good method for loading logs on to a trailer without the use of a grapple, skidsteer tractor ect. I have a 18 ft utility trailer on order that I am going to use to haul the heavy stuff. I was thinking about making a large arch towards the back of the trailer. The arch would be able to move parallel to the trailer. One cable would control the arch's possition, the other would lift the log. After liffting the log you would then just swing the arch back until it was loaded. Anybody ever seen anything like this? I have a tractor that I could load with but I think that this would be a good alturnative, and would save my guys alot of time and me money. Another possibility would be a cable loader like on a pulpwood truck with a hydralic boom on the front of the trailer.


Any ideas?


Thanks
Carl

 

[tshanefreeman]

A 12-volt or gas powered winch located at the front of a trailer or box can be very beneficial for one's back. As long as you have a ramp or strong gate that acts as a ramp, you can easily skid large sections of wood. The only downfall to such a system is that you still have to unload.....................and if you system doesn't have a hoist, you'll have your work cut out. You would also have to be careful about ruining the sod of your customers.

 

[ORclimber]

Have you seen the thread on "Log Haulers"? They're the bomb

 

[Ax-man]

Wood loading

Yes, I've seen something very similar to what your describing.

Instead of being trailor mounted it was on a 2 ton truck. Large hydraulic cylinders controlled the arch, with a winch on the front, cable ran through a block in the center of the arch. It was custom designed for moving and setting large diameter pipe. I would assume the same type of set up would work on your trailor.

Our first log loader truck was also similar to your idea. Arch configuration, A frame design , double drum winch. Loading large wood with winch equipment is ok, if you can back right up to the wood to get in a good position. It can also be very slow and cumbersome work and most times it is down right frustrating. There is a definate knack to loading and unloading wood with winch equipment.

Have you thought about an implement truck, with a tilt bed and winch?? One of my competetors uses one for spars.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

A parbuckle setup pulled by a truck allowed to slide in center instead of being tied, so that it can self adjust/ equalize the pressure on all 4 legs. At least it might get ya by for a while. Left in place, can even help unload. This 2/1 setup can also be used with wench, and doesn't always need ramps, as it rolls the logs up in the formed basket.

 

[Lumberjack]

Log Arches don't haul enough and being 17 I don't feel inclined to buy a truck just to haul logs. Skidding the log on the trailer would put an enormous stress on the last crossmembers if you were pulling a 3 foot green pine log that was 24' long.

Here is what I have come up with.


The arch would piviot between the axles on a subframe that would spread the weight of the loaded arch out. When towing the trailer the arch would lay flat on the sides of the trailer. The arch would be mounted on a rigid post that was around 2' tall. There would be a hydraulic cylinder on each side of the arch to move it. A winch would be mounted on the front of the trailer and the cable would go through a block on the arch. When the arch is straight up it would be around 18' off the ground.

To pick up a log the arch would swing past the end of the trailer. The winchline would pick up the till it almost touches the arch. The arch would then be pulled back by the cylinders bringing the log with it.


How about that?

 

[TREETX]

Loading -

A forester friend was helping me with his winch yesterday. Saved my back. We did 3 this size and a few smaller sniglets.

By the time we skid the pieces out (sand playground) and loaded them, it was not a huge time saver with the smaller pieces but I am ready to go prune today when school lets out.

Live oaks are VERY strong.

the wood is cedar elm. U. crassifolia

 

[TREETX]

Here is a pic loading smaller pieces.

It is a gooseneck dump trailer so unloading is a breeze

Spidy and others. Check out this horrid cut on this chunk. Crooked, poor face cut, cut through most of hinge..... Whut wuz I tinkin?? The saw snatcher there took my rebuilt ($300) 020T on a 20ft joy ride to the sand below..........of course it landed still idling

 

[Ryan Willock]

Nice Ranch Hand bumper! For stuff in the 20'' and under range you could have some arms mounted on the trailers sides that fold down to form ramps, then take cant hooks and roll the logs in. If you go that route then you need to have some roll stops welded on the arms to allow the logs to roll on faily easily but to help prevent the log from rolling down while you are replacing your cant hook. Another way would be to have the ramps but instead of cant hooks have one or two boat winches mounted on the opposite side of the trailer, take the cable and pass it under each end of your log and then attach it back to the trailer. As you crank on it the log will roll up the ramp and then drop into the trailer.

 

[Lumberjack]

The only problem with the side ramps is you still have to get the log off the trailer.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Wow, the hinge is the machine for all this power and works!

i think that picking the logs up nearer the center of balance by hoist makes easier to place around butterfly lightly and ya don't have to pick them up as far, in fact can back trailer up under them while in air. As trailer hits butt of log, the pressure to move it is very light, seeing as the light end acts as a ballast and helps the trailer tilt the log into place.

Here is a pic of a working 2/1 x 1ton (or whatever power source); that also uses that power to tourque the spar around and cause it to walk up the trailer side. Unloading gravity helps, but leaving this laced can too, along with pry bars. Usually, using pry bars on first few on layer, then pulling last few with rig, maybe jostling logs from side rear carefully. Softer landing with one end down first or on to brush/tires etc.

 

[treeman82]

Just curious... what are you going to tow this trailer with? I have pulled a 16' landscape trailer with the regular sides loaded with wood before. You are going to need at least a 250 with a big engine to do that. Do you have any contractors near you that have logging trucks? At 3 weeks into the business I would be investing in things other than trailers to haul logs around in. I would be looking more at proper gear, a chip truck, and a chipper. But that's just me.

 

[mikecross23]

I sub out almost all my hauling. New to tree care, working on saving for my own large equipment so for now I only haul very light loads myself. I found a few loaders and hardly ever run into problems getting loads picked up. We simply put everything were loader can get to it and go to the next job. Sometimes I do 2 or 3 small jobs and just have the loader pick them all up at once. Works well for now, but I dream of the day I can have my own loader truck!!!!

 

[preach it]

Loader

This is what you need. I am sure it is worth the cost. Weld this loader on to your trailer and load logs the easy way. More done in less time equals more money. http://www.baileysonline.com/jms/jms-loaders.htm

 

[Lumberjack]

I will pull it with a 4wd 3/4 ton Chevy with a 454, I t hink that'l do. In reply to Tree Man 82 I don't want to buy my on chipper and truck, that would be more insurance and more hassle. I have a friend who is a forman at Asplund and he does all my chipping. I have a place to dump anything for free on the south side of the town curtesy of APAC so I normally haul the brush there and dump it. Also I have all the "proper gear" for getting it to the ground, I just want to be able to load heavy setions of limbs and trunks in larger heavier pieces with less labor cost.

The loader arm would be ideal but it would require major modification to the trailer, plus it would be mighty exspensive. I also use the trailer to move a Ford 3930 4wd tractor. I will be getting a loader for it pretty soon and I am going to make a good boom pole for it and that will lift a pretty good bit with just the 3 pt hitch. (I was working on my 4wd and I slid the box blade under the front of the truck and cleared the front wheels off the ground) With a loader it should pickup around 3000#, but you can't load a log and then put the tractor on top of it, besides being unsafe it would flatten the trailer, the tractor without any implements weights over 7000 pounds.

On most jobs the ground is hard enough to prevent damage to the ground.


On a side note my father and I have a stump grinding service, and we have 2 machines. The big one is an RG 85 by Rayco. It has 83 hp and is completely hydraulic. Could you remove the cutterboom and make an adapter to mount an hydraulic chipper on the back of it. Being selve propelled and 83hp it could power a decent chipper cheaper than having to buy a chipper and a box truck to haul the chips.

Has anyone used a PTO driven chipper in the 45-60 hp range? I used a smaller one on a 25 hp gas tractor and it did fairly good for what we used it for.

What do yall think about all this?

Thanks
Carl

 

[TREETX]

Forrest

 

[treeman82]

Originally posted by Lumberjack
. In reply to Tree Man 82 I don't want to buy my on chipper and truck, that would be more insurance and more hassle. I have a friend who is a forman at Asplund and he does all my chipping.
[/QUOT]

Just a quick heads up. If any Asplundh employee gets caught doing a job on their own with company equipment (ie; chipping for you) it is grounds for immediate termination. I know that as fact.

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by Lumberjack
I have a friend who is a forman at Asplund and he does all my chipping

Okay, so your friend is violating company rules to chip your brush. What we used to call a "Buzzy".

"I don't want to buy my on chipper and truck, that would be more insurance and more hassle."

More insurance equals more hassle? I take it you don't have liability insurance? That's a severe no-no. Get the insurance. It would pay for itself the first time you ever needed it. I don't know about you, but I'm not rich enough to pay $200,000 out-of-pocket if something happened.

More equipment is NEVER a hassle. It gets the job done quicker, safer, and makes it all more profitable. Obviously, you have to start somewhere though, and the bucket trucks and grapple trucks would be down the road for you yet.

I also hope you aren't low-balling to get jobs.


An alternative to all that investment in a trailer to haul logs might be to talk to a local logger. I have one here that takes all the softwood logs off my hands for me for what he can get at the mill for 'em.

The hardwood I cut to 16's, and split the biggest rounds on-site to put in the truck if they're too hard to handle in one piece.

I've yet to see a PTO chipper as good as a tow-behind. Make a good investment in a decent used chipper. Keep your eyes open- some can be had for a song. I don't usually like chuck-n-ducks, but I recently picked up a '97 12" Whisper-Chipper for $2400 with only a 1,000 hrs on it.

Sounds like your truck would be an alright chassis to throw a chip-box on. I've seen one-ton dumps with less motor. I'd beef up the suspension a little tho.

You already have access to the stump cutter, so you're all set there.

Remember, there's a lot of guys here who started out with less than you, and learned the hard way what should have been acquired first. (Myself included).

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by treeman82

Just a quick heads up. If any Asplundh employee gets caught doing a job on their own with company equipment (ie; chipping for you) it is grounds for immediate termination. I know that as fact. [/B]

Yeah, Asplundh frowns on side jobs.

Glad I never got caught!