Hello, I’m currently looking at building out a self loader log truck. Currently considering the Serco 1050 XR, Barko 80 XL, and the Rotobec Elite 915. Is there other brands that have a loader in this class that I should be looking at? Leaning towards the Barko as it appears to have the most lift capacity, any advise or information on this would be appreciated. Thank you
I ran a 10,000 lb rated Husky in the '90's and early 2000's, and liked it. Around that time Olympic was considered a top notch brand. I have no idea how things may have changed since then though. A local tree service has outfitted a number of their dump trucks with Sercos, but I haven't seen them run.
I put a Ramsey hydraulic, planetary geared winch on it so I could do an entire small scale, low impact timber harvest with the one rig, by myself if need be. It was a lot more fun if I had a choker setter, though. I wish I knew HumBurner back then. Although he was probably just in junior high.
That log became the two 14', full dimension 6x10's that hold up the second story of the house. Note Junior's first trike on the building pad on the right. Photo taken from the 40', 1950's travel trailer we lived in for five and a half years before the house was ready to move into.
We milled about 20,000 board feet of mostly Douglas fir with a Woodmizer, mostly from blowdown from three separate 100 mph windstorms within 14 months of buying the place. I bartered other logs to the guy with the mill for the service. Those were the days!
We framed the entire house from that, and only ran short of 20 rafters. I traded for 12 of them from some friends who I did a clearing/decking job for.