You guys are working much larger operations than my little one man firewood operation. But, I've been amazed what a home made log arch can do to assist moving logs with a 4WD garden tractor.
skidding logs with a tractor? or?
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$26k with loader, 3rd function, mower deck, rear remote, and back hoe. 6-7 month wait when I priced one out at messicks. Glad I found my b7510...
I can already haul logs bigger than my M5 Logosol mill capacity.
Sawyer Rob
Addicted to ArboristSite
I skid quite a few logs, here's one of them,
Some big, some small, all depends on IF they are going to my BSM or my woodstove.
SR
Some big, some small, all depends on IF they are going to my BSM or my woodstove.
SR
I took quotes from the 3 closest dealers and they came in within $100 of one another. We went with the the nearest dealer and they delivered the day after I accepted the bid.
I spent almost 2 years looking for a decent used L-series Kubota and finally gave up. My TYM was $31,000 with loader and bucket, 3rd function kit, a grapple and 1 set of rear remotes.
"The manly rifle is not a requirement in the woods out here."
Nothing manly about that rifle. My wife owns one as do I. Just wait. I think you might be needing one before it's all said and done. In the woods out there. jmho
OT
And now, we know the rest of the story. I have a JD 5303 2 wheel drive with 800# weight box on the back and it's not quite enough. The big problem is that it's only 2 wheel drive. I can handle the small stuff but big logs cause loss of traction. I'll add more rear weight eventually.
OTI live near Brazil, IN, and work in Spencer (in Owen Co). The grade on some of the terrain in Owen Co will rival anything in Tennessee.
I think a lot of it depends on how big the logs are, and how far you need to drag them. I use an old Ford 1710, but I'm working on mainly flat ground. Using a tractor to haul wood out of a ravine is tricky business. Something to keep in mind is that Ag tires don't have much traction, and you can get stuck trying to back up a hill to the point that your bucket can't pull you out (ask me how I know).
While I wouldn't dream of dealing with logs and trees without a loader, I'm not sure that I'd be brave enough to use it on unlevel ground. I normally skid stuff. I think going up hill, skidding will be safer because the log is pulling straight back on you rather than potentially trying to tip you sideways if the log isn't well balanced in your loader or if you're not going straight up hill. I'll take some pics of what I made for the back of my tractor to skid with. Again, not sure it would work for you or not, but it works fine for me (on mostly flat ground). As far as what tractor to use, get the biggest thing you can afford. Weight is your friend. FWIW, between Terre Haute and Brazil, there's a tracked skid steer that's been for sale for at least a few months. No idea what they want for it, but it would be a much better option for dealing with hills than a tractor would be (and you could sell it when you're done). I think it just has a bucket on it, so you'd probably want to add a grapple.
Depending on how far you need to move them to get on level ground, I've skidded trees out of ravines using 5/16" G70 log chains (from HF) and my truck. Basically limb the tree, drag out MOST of what I can reach with the chains, put them in the truck bed for weight, then tie off to what's left and pull it up in 4 low (this was with a '93 F250 diesel with a 5spd manual). Some times it would take a few yanks to free it up and get it moving, but I was able to get some 24" trees out of some pretty nasty ravines doing this.
I think a lot of it depends on how big the logs are, and how far you need to drag them. I use an old Ford 1710, but I'm working on mainly flat ground. Using a tractor to haul wood out of a ravine is tricky business. Something to keep in mind is that Ag tires don't have much traction, and you can get stuck trying to back up a hill to the point that your bucket can't pull you out (ask me how I know).
While I wouldn't dream of dealing with logs and trees without a loader, I'm not sure that I'd be brave enough to use it on unlevel ground. I normally skid stuff. I think going up hill, skidding will be safer because the log is pulling straight back on you rather than potentially trying to tip you sideways if the log isn't well balanced in your loader or if you're not going straight up hill. I'll take some pics of what I made for the back of my tractor to skid with. Again, not sure it would work for you or not, but it works fine for me (on mostly flat ground). As far as what tractor to use, get the biggest thing you can afford. Weight is your friend. FWIW, between Terre Haute and Brazil, there's a tracked skid steer that's been for sale for at least a few months. No idea what they want for it, but it would be a much better option for dealing with hills than a tractor would be (and you could sell it when you're done). I think it just has a bucket on it, so you'd probably want to add a grapple.
Depending on how far you need to move them to get on level ground, I've skidded trees out of ravines using 5/16" G70 log chains (from HF) and my truck. Basically limb the tree, drag out MOST of what I can reach with the chains, put them in the truck bed for weight, then tie off to what's left and pull it up in 4 low (this was with a '93 F250 diesel with a 5spd manual). Some times it would take a few yanks to free it up and get it moving, but I was able to get some 24" trees out of some pretty nasty ravines doing this.
The interesting part of using a skid steer on uneven terrain is that it would actually be really easy to roll it over to one side.
I have done some fun wheelies going forwards with too much weight on the forks. It would be fairly easy (but insane) to do a back flip that you could not stop... (yikes!)
The skid steer has the ability off road that is way past common sense.
One thought, years ago, was to build a "mini skidder". Same basic concept of like a John Deere 540, but about 1/2 the size.
The reality is that I really don't do enough to justify the time and expense of creating it. Still was a thought tho!
I have done some fun wheelies going forwards with too much weight on the forks. It would be fairly easy (but insane) to do a back flip that you could not stop... (yikes!)
The skid steer has the ability off road that is way past common sense.
One thought, years ago, was to build a "mini skidder". Same basic concept of like a John Deere 540, but about 1/2 the size.
The reality is that I really don't do enough to justify the time and expense of creating it. Still was a thought tho!
Totally agree. That said, when you got to the bottom of the hill and came to a stop, so long as you're not in water and were strapped in, YOU will be able to walk away. The machine.... that might be another story.
I volunteer some on a disaster relieve crew. A few years ago when the big tornado went through Mayfield KY, we were doing clean up on the banks of Kentucky lake. A tractor and loader would have been utterly useless there. We had 3 minis with thumbs that were able to pass logs about 100 ft up the bank in a daisy chain. Of course they had to cut a semi-level path down there first, which they did with their blades in about 45 minutes. Once the log made it up that far, the skid steers were able to take them the rest of the way. Way more stable and way more capable than a tractor, but you're right. The added capability also means that the operator can get themselves in a lot more trouble if they aren't careful. I think that's the case with EVERYTHING related to dealing with timber in pretty much any situation. To heck with a pound of cure, give me a pound of prevention!
the rear remote and 3rd function meant I needed to wait for a tractor to get delivered. (Neither I would be without on a new tractor.) I was looking at larger B through smaller L series and whatever other brands that I could find used. I just couldn't justify paying 3/4 the cost of a new machine for what a used one cost. My B was just dumb luck and good timing. I'll never get a deal like that again.
Tym and mahindra were pretty high on the list when I was looking at new tractors. Still more then I wanted to spend, but both brands seemed well liked by people that owned them.
I am located in the East Tennessee hills. Take my opinion for what you paid for it. What is your principal use - skidding or loading?
In my opinion, a tractor is not suited for skidding on hilly/uneven terrain unless you have a winch like Sawyer Rob's where you can keep the tractor on safe ground and winch the logs to you. One of those winches will take a 1/3 of your budget.
Tractors are great for loading, provided you have enough lift capacity and proper ballast. If you are patient, you can find used large 4wd compact tractors with a loader on Facebook for $15K to 20K. They won't be pretty at that price, but neither will any tractor that is actually used in the brush. Just yesterday, I saw a Deere 4500 or 4600 in Indiana with less than 2000 hours in that price range - the little sheet metal that is on a compact Deere was eat up on the tractor as it was used to load salt. Compact tractors below that size will not lift much. Some full-size tractors can be found cheaper than a large compact, but if you anticipate transporting your tractor, the size and cost of the trailer and tow rig can be considerably more.
Ron
Below is my set up on a Deere 4710 (same size tractor and loader as a 4500 and 4600, just more horsepower). I would recommend the 00 series over the 10 series as the 00 has more mechanical controls than the 10 series which utilizes several electrical/hydraulic controls (no practical benefit just more to break). It has two hydraulic winches on the back, but they are too slow and cables too short for long pulls. It also has tongs on a short detachable boom with a hydraulic top link which allows you to tilt the boom. I also have tall boom when greater lift is required (shown in the back of the pickup truck).
The tractor as outfitted weights around 5500#. I can haul it with a heavy 1/2 ton.
The tractor loaded this load though some were at its limits:
A more typical load:
The little crawler is much more suited to skidding on hilly terrain. It weighs 6000# and has a similar hydraulic winch. It will handle a fairly heavy log on level ground and considerably less on steep ground. You can pick these up for $5000 to $10,000; but you need to have some mechanic skills as they are 65 to 70 years old. Also, a large log can take a crawler this small anywhere gravity chooses. Short of a real log skidder, a good size tractor on safe ground with a true skidding winch is a better choice on uneven ground in my opinion. You can pick up a worn out skidder within your budget if you are willing to do some wrenching, but you won't be loading much with it.
We use a John Deere 3320 (about 30 hp ) with loader and grapple. Bought the tractor used several years back, no regen on it. The grapple is by far the most useful for dealing with logs & brush. Also have a weight bucket on the 3 pt in back, about 1000 lb. Transmission is hydrostatic and that makes it easy to use. If I was doing it over, I would insist on hydrostatic drive, and also have a grapple.
Hermio
Addicted to ArboristSite
I bought a 4-way bucket, thinking it would serve as both a material bucket and a grapple. Well, it works as a bucket and can carry large rounds for firewood. But it does not work that well as a grapple, as logs are tapered, so it tends to grip only on one side in many cases, so the log just tears out. However, I have found it useful to prune trees. The hydraulics are strong enough to sever 2-3" branches. I agree wholeheartedly that a hydrostatic drive is best in the woods. It could save your life.
Sawyer Rob
Addicted to ArboristSite
Maybe it could save YOUR life, but not mine, personally I HATE that whiner transmission!!
Make mine gear drive pleasee!
SR
The 540's baby brother, JD 440 would be my first choice, there's a few still around, but not many. Even smaller (and older) the Garrett model 10 and model 15 Tree Farmer
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Yeah, I did that too. They aren't too good for logs, but they are still better than a plain bucket. Given the expense of a plain bucket or a really excellent brush grapple, they are a good compromise. The regular buckets with the grapple forks on top are only a bit better for grabbing brush than the 4 in 1 buckets.
Awesome for brush and logs:
Pretty decent for brush, not quite so good for logs:
Damned good at tree removal cleanup, though.Sort of ok, but not good with longer logs:
Bucket is stronger, and grades well and can carry dirt, gravel, etc.Kinda poor for loading logs, and only decent with brush piles:
They are outstanding for grading, and nothing is better for pulling fenceposts.
I use my little Bx it works well above its pay grade 
But sometimes I just hand load
But sometimes I just hand load
So many different styles available for the compact tractor market it can make your head spin. My dealer recommended this one. I've used it for logs, rounds, brush, rocks and it really shines digging out Russian Olive. Heck, it even worked well digging the quack grass out of my garden.
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