Mechanical log lift
- Thread starter petersenj20
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BlueRidgeMark
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well, yeah! I said United because he'd never have passed a Delta flight!
There, did I get myself out of trouble?
I can load logs by myself with this.
Loaded a couple maple logs last week, 28"little end , 44" big end( crotch) and 10' long . And another 28"-30" x 12' By myself , you can pretty much just sit on the tailgate and push the button. As long as I can get trailer beside log it rolls up the ramps with ease. And I dont have to drag the log through the mud, can load it where it fell.
Loaded a couple maple logs last week, 28"little end , 44" big end( crotch) and 10' long . And another 28"-30" x 12' By myself , you can pretty much just sit on the tailgate and push the button. As long as I can get trailer beside log it rolls up the ramps with ease. And I dont have to drag the log through the mud, can load it where it fell.
Matildasmate
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Ute crane
Hi Mark Depends on the log , if its a really big bugger , say 3/4 ton log or bigger , it can be hard on your own , but then my crane wasn't designed for logs that heavy and its generally not a good idea to go over limit , next time I will get the 2000lb crane , they are about the same size anyway . If you are lifting a really heavy log , I always try to back up to it , rather than load it on sideways , less swing needed and keeps the center of gravity closer to the middle of the back of ute , Light logs around a 800lb or less , its not that big a deal swinging it around and yes it has a bearing at the bottom to swing on , I also modified mine so the crane stand is flat on the tray and the other bit is under the tray , that's the Black bit under the crane . Cheers MM You can also hang a chain lift off of it .
Hi Mark Depends on the log , if its a really big bugger , say 3/4 ton log or bigger , it can be hard on your own , but then my crane wasn't designed for logs that heavy and its generally not a good idea to go over limit , next time I will get the 2000lb crane , they are about the same size anyway . If you are lifting a really heavy log , I always try to back up to it , rather than load it on sideways , less swing needed and keeps the center of gravity closer to the middle of the back of ute , Light logs around a 800lb or less , its not that big a deal swinging it around and yes it has a bearing at the bottom to swing on , I also modified mine so the crane stand is flat on the tray and the other bit is under the tray , that's the Black bit under the crane . Cheers MM You can also hang a chain lift off of it .
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Sorry picture is not the best but batterys are dead in camera.
Post are 3x3x1/4". winch is a 9000lb electric. Battery is under trailer frame , above axles. After I load the log I put some 36" post in the pockets where the ramps are for travel.
My saw is the same height as trailer. I put trailer beside saw, take the removeable uprights and lay them down flat using them to roll tree on and only have to roll the log a couple feet to get it on the saw.
Post are 3x3x1/4". winch is a 9000lb electric. Battery is under trailer frame , above axles. After I load the log I put some 36" post in the pockets where the ramps are for travel.
My saw is the same height as trailer. I put trailer beside saw, take the removeable uprights and lay them down flat using them to roll tree on and only have to roll the log a couple feet to get it on the saw.
BlueRidgeMark
Addicted to ArboristSite
Leverage may well be your friend, so long as you are aware that at about this point . . . .
. . . one small slip can result in a very expensive trip to the dentist.
A guy I went to school with was demonstrating how he could lift his dads station wagon up with a long lever. Once he had the lever down he decided to hold it down by standing on it. His foot slipped, and a long lever with a half ton on the other end rapidly accelerated into his privates . . . . . . .
. . . one small slip can result in a very expensive trip to the dentist.
A guy I went to school with was demonstrating how he could lift his dads station wagon up with a long lever. Once he had the lever down he decided to hold it down by standing on it. His foot slipped, and a long lever with a half ton on the other end rapidly accelerated into his privates . . . . . . .
aggiewoodbutchr
Addicted to ArboristSite
... His foot slipped, and a long lever with a half ton on the other end rapidly accelerated into his privates . . . . . . .
Makes me cringe thinking about it.....
Backwoods
ArboristSite Operative
That sue makes it handy. I have a 3 stage crain that I am mounting behind the cab on an old 1 1/2 ton chevy which will work for short logs but a set up like you got would work for the 24' flat bed and allow for long logs to be brought in.
aquan8tor
ArboristSite Guru
Makes me cringe thinking about it.....
This reminds me of the goalie on the soccer team I played on in elementary school; due to a very determined save, (and he did block the goal....) he now has a prosthetic implant that only a few people know about. The other one was fine.........technically he can still be a daddy.....
aggiewoodbutchr
Addicted to ArboristSite
One of my college buddys had the same soccer injury with the same result only he didn't get the prosthetic. That happened when he was a kid but didn't get them.. er.. "it" hooked back up until he was a junior on college. Of course that subject was the source of many jokes.
LMAO!!!
petersenj20
ArboristSite Operative
Taxed The Lift today
I posted elsewhere one of those stupid posts "what kind of tree is this?" I thought it was a maple, but it turns out it is a Beech.
Against my better judgment i'm going to proceed with the document of todays activities.
I have converted the lever to a cable puller(come-a-long) bought at Tractor supply. I replaced all the bolts with grade 8 bolts to sup up the weight rating.
There were a few big storms come through the area that have left lots of trees down. I have been looking for White oak and Cedar. I hit paydirt this last week-end when I got 3 white oak logs and a very small cedar. All the wood is shoved into a cul-de-sac awaiting the city to pick-up. I went back today to try to get more white oak and that "Maple" sans Beech.
I loaded a 16" oak 8 foot long and started on the big beech. It is 24" that I shortened to 8 foot. The Lift picked it up noooo problem. This is deceptive to my abilities. I learned if I pick a log about a foot off center, it makes it easier to raise the leading (long) end over the tailgate and into the Chevy.
Good so far. But then the log was too heavy for me to maneuver and wiggle into place toward the front of the bed. Even with the plastic bed liner. Then comes along these two guys doing some construction repair to a house close by from the storm. They were surprised The Lift would even pick up the log which of course I was proud of. One even said, "You were using your noodle when you made that."
Two of us tried to lift the back end while the third sat on the leading edge to counter balance the weight. It wouldn't budge. Next we decided to let the weight of the back end rest on the ground while I drove in reverse to hopefully force the log into place beside the oak. We removed The Lift for this task. This didn't work.
I stepped out of the truck and turned around to watch it drive away from me with my daughter sitting in the passenger seat. Hunh...I forgot to put it in park...Go figure. My daughter starts screaming and I chased it down and hit the brake and threw it in park. The guy sitting on the log about soiled his drawers and the other guy giving me hand signals shook his head and said "You left the log back there" and walked away.
Well don't I look like a brain donor. I taco'ed the tailgate and decided the log wasn't worth the trouble and rammed it with my rear bumper back into the brush pile. My son and I loaded The Lift and got the hell on.
The moral of the story is 1) Don't take kids with you when doing mans work (They are distracting) 2) Don't get too overzealous and 3) Don't involve innocent bystanders lest you kill or maim or even only scare them.
The Lift still works well and didn't let me down even when picking up a 1500 stick.
I posted elsewhere one of those stupid posts "what kind of tree is this?" I thought it was a maple, but it turns out it is a Beech.
Against my better judgment i'm going to proceed with the document of todays activities.
I have converted the lever to a cable puller(come-a-long) bought at Tractor supply. I replaced all the bolts with grade 8 bolts to sup up the weight rating.
There were a few big storms come through the area that have left lots of trees down. I have been looking for White oak and Cedar. I hit paydirt this last week-end when I got 3 white oak logs and a very small cedar. All the wood is shoved into a cul-de-sac awaiting the city to pick-up. I went back today to try to get more white oak and that "Maple" sans Beech.
I loaded a 16" oak 8 foot long and started on the big beech. It is 24" that I shortened to 8 foot. The Lift picked it up noooo problem. This is deceptive to my abilities. I learned if I pick a log about a foot off center, it makes it easier to raise the leading (long) end over the tailgate and into the Chevy.
Good so far. But then the log was too heavy for me to maneuver and wiggle into place toward the front of the bed. Even with the plastic bed liner. Then comes along these two guys doing some construction repair to a house close by from the storm. They were surprised The Lift would even pick up the log which of course I was proud of. One even said, "You were using your noodle when you made that."
Two of us tried to lift the back end while the third sat on the leading edge to counter balance the weight. It wouldn't budge. Next we decided to let the weight of the back end rest on the ground while I drove in reverse to hopefully force the log into place beside the oak. We removed The Lift for this task. This didn't work.
I stepped out of the truck and turned around to watch it drive away from me with my daughter sitting in the passenger seat. Hunh...I forgot to put it in park...Go figure. My daughter starts screaming and I chased it down and hit the brake and threw it in park. The guy sitting on the log about soiled his drawers and the other guy giving me hand signals shook his head and said "You left the log back there" and walked away.
Well don't I look like a brain donor. I taco'ed the tailgate and decided the log wasn't worth the trouble and rammed it with my rear bumper back into the brush pile. My son and I loaded The Lift and got the hell on.
The moral of the story is 1) Don't take kids with you when doing mans work (They are distracting) 2) Don't get too overzealous and 3) Don't involve innocent bystanders lest you kill or maim or even only scare them.
The Lift still works well and didn't let me down even when picking up a 1500 stick.
Runaway trucks and damaged jewels is making the few hundred spent on the winch seem like more of a bargan. Just wish I could carry more weight at a time. 400-500 bf and my 1/2 ton truck has all it wants. Giving thought to buying a 4x4 dually truck and replacing bed with something like the trailer frame. Would be able to bring a lot more each trip. Plus unhook the trailer and could get in tighter places.Could load logs more than 1 layer high too, time I get 1 layer on trailer its weighted down for my truck.
is making the few hundred spent on the winch seem like more of a bargan. Just wish I could carry more weight at a time. 400-500 bf and my 1/2 ton truck has all it wants. Giving thought to buying a 4x4 dually truck and replacing bed with something like the trailer frame. Would be able to bring a lot more each trip. Plus unhook the trailer and could get in tighter places.Could load logs more than 1 layer high too, time I get 1 layer on trailer its weighted down for my truck.petersenj20
ArboristSite Operative
No kidding there. I was already weighing the cost of gas for the truck and saw's to what it would cost to just buy lumber outright. Not even including labor. It is only still worthwhile, because gas money spread over time compared to an up front outlay of cash.
Like John Wayne said...“Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid.” (Or even just do stupid things)
Like John Wayne said...“Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid.” (Or even just do stupid things)
recently modded my little crane, braced the frame and fitted a tow-hitch, lower pressure tyres for lawn work and absorbing shock, winch to speed up lifts. Its bee painted up since these pics were taken, should have some somewhere of it in action.
petersenj20
ArboristSite Operative
I like it, but what no pics of moving logs?
This does much more than just loading. It's an "arch" too!
This does much more than just loading. It's an "arch" too!
Ok just for the sake of it, when I was testing it out for lifting and stability, I picked this Douggie fir log (green) which on estimate weighed in around 600kg. The project has been an ongoing thing to fill in when I'm slack, so thats why there is a lack of working shots. Every time I use it I think of improvements and mods as required, and its back to the drawing board. The idea is to make a simple machine that can multi-task, for as little £££s as possible, currently it stands at around £250.
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