ground based pull through delimbers

nurseb · March 26, 2005, 06:55:47 PM

is anybody using ground based pull through delimbers? danzco, csi, ctr? are they working for you? I'm currently using a an old Deere 555 cat with a front mounted grapple rake with a butt plate I fabricated for skidding (I just got to old and slow for setting chokers anymore) and I'm wondering about trying to set up for delimbing (I'm also getting to old and tired to limb all day too!) thanks for your help.

Black_Bear · March 26, 2005, 08:53:01 PM

Hey nurseb:

When I was 18 I could limb all day and drink all night. Limb all day, drink all night.

Seriously, hire some young person who is willing to learn or has interest and allow them to do the limbing and hooking for you.

I'm not familiar with a "grapple rake with a butt plate", but a blade mounted rake used to work fairly decent in limbing spruce/fir. It got 80% of the limbs off and minimized the actual manual limbing time.

What are you cutting?

BB

Tom · March 26, 2005, 09:08:16 PM

A limbing gate is used for pulpwood down here. It's made of very heavy metal. It's a retangle with viertical bars every 2 or 2 1/2 feet. Some have a couple of horizontal bars also. It is leaned against two sacrifice trees at the landing and the skidder backs several pine logs through it. The limbs get ripped off. It wouldn't work on hardwoods or valuable sawlogs, I don't think. It's pretty radical surgery.

GregS · March 26, 2005, 10:56:10 PM

Tom, That limbing gate sounds very interesting. Is there any chance you know where a picture is? I would love to see one.

nurseb · March 26, 2005, 11:44:45 PM

Thanx for the replies. What I've been cutting is doug fir dbh 8-16" and pine. The 555 Deere has an implemax log grapple mounted to the front end loader that works like a newer TJ log grapple I can reach 5 feet below the cat and about 8 feet in front of the cat the grapple has an integral brush rake built into the frame. What I do is drive out to my log face foward then back out to my landing, drop the log and then repeat 3 or more times, then I delimb at the landing, grab the logs and heel them with the rake and the grapple and deck them and then rake the landing and then go get my next round. However what I'd like to do is bring them to the landing and pull them through a delimber with the cat and then deck the logs followed by raking the landing

nurseb · March 27, 2005, 12:04:19 AM

Black Bear thanx for the reply. I'd love to hire help but the liability issues and workman's comp here are more than I can handle. I've thought about a contract limber but my volumes are so small (20-30mbf/year) I can't offer enough work to make it interesting for some one hence the notion of using a delimber until my boys get big enough to help

Tom · March 27, 2005, 12:10:23 AM

Greg,
there is a logger friend of mine that I think still has one. If I see him, I'll try to get pictures.

nurseb · March 27, 2005, 12:18:26 AM

Tom thanks for the reply. I've seen photos of the gates and often wondered how they were used. The delimbers out here that I've seen working have knives that slice the limbs pretty clean and adjust to the diameter of the bole as the log passes through the delimber. I haven't a delimbing gate in working - seems like a pretty rough way to handle limbs but it sounds fast

GregS · March 27, 2005, 09:34:20 PM

Quote from: Tom on March 27, 2005, 12:10:23 AM
Greg,
there is a logger friend of mine that I think still has one. If I see him, I'll try to get pictures.

Thanks! I realize this could take some time. Everytime I delimb a balsam Fir I think there must be a better way.

Greg

SwampDonkey · March 28, 2005, 04:28:16 PM

We use stroke delimbers here in the east.

http://www.equipfind.com/logging/stroke-delimber.htm

GregS · March 31, 2005, 05:06:33 AM

I came across this website...
http://www.gentlepaws.com/zambesi/equipment/equippage6.asp?pagename=2001%20Stripper%20Delimber

Pretty neat and simple concept. I wish they had a video or something to see it in action. That would be a thousand words.

ironmule2004 · May 02, 2005, 11:45:00 PM

I have a ground based delimber that I use with my tractor. It was designed to be used with a skidder. It is stationary and all mechanical w/o hydraulics. It is much more heavily built than the delimber on the zambesi web site. It will cut yellow pine limbs bigger than 3 in. dia and cut a fork off of a forked tree.

IronMule

SwampDonkey · May 03, 2005, 05:29:19 PM

Ironmule,

Welcome to the forum.

Would you have a web link to your delimber. Sounds rugged, them pine limbs are harder to slash than fir. ;D

ironmule2004 · May 03, 2005, 07:36:13 PM

This delimber is out of production. I might could take a picture of it for you. It will do smaller hardwoods and 2-3 smaller pines at a time. It is heavy-heavy-heavy made. I would say it weighs 4,000 to 6,000 lbs. If a tree is too crooked it will literally just cut through the trunk.

IronMule

Furby · May 03, 2005, 07:48:23 PM

I would love to see a couple of pics of it if you don't mind.

Tillaway · May 03, 2005, 11:36:34 PM

Very few CTR type delimbers are used in Oregon, with a harvest of only 30mbf or so a year a delimber would be quite an extravagance.

I have a contractor that is using a new Waratah dangle head with a crew of only three, including himself, he is having a hard time justifying the payments. He is producing only about 9mbf to 12mbf average a day.

With the way your machine is set up, you might spend more time trying to jockey the logs through the delimber than to just limb and buck. Also the pull through delimbers produce kinda ugly logs and the accuracy of measurements are not real good if they are able to measure at all. These units will kill any export value your logs will have.

I have another contractor that brought a CTR to the job. It is not being used although it is available. He might make you a heck of a deal.

ironmule2004 · May 14, 2005, 11:32:42 PM

I have been trying to post my pictures of the delimber that I use but I've been unable to post them. Can I email the photos to those who are interested.

IronMule

Furby · May 14, 2005, 11:39:15 PM

How about we find the problem. ;)
Look at the top of the page for "messages, I'm sending you one in a minute.

ironmule2004 · February 01, 2006, 10:38:15 PM

I know this discussion is old, but I wanted to post these pics of my ground based delimber. I finally have a link for them.

bcraw98 · February 01, 2006, 11:00:47 PM

GregS,

delimbing gate

bcraw98 · February 01, 2006, 11:14:38 PM

couple of pull through delimbers I have links to

delimber 1

delimber 2

ironmule2004 · February 01, 2006, 11:55:39 PM

I have looked at the barda before-I just don't think that it is heavy enough for the wood we have down here. This one that I have weighs around 4-5,000 lbs and sometimes it doesn't stay in place. It is made for a skidder and it has a skid that it sits on w/ a fifth wheel hitch. I have to take it off the skid if I want to use it with a tractor because it is a little to high for me. It just isn't that fast for me so I don't use it all that often. If the wood is just the right size then it works great! If the wood starts running crooked it will slice the trunk at 6" in half. The tractor may get stopped but this thing is almost unbreakable. I'm not that far from you bcraw98 btw- 50 mi. east of T-kana.
Like the gooseneck photos in you gallery-I'm building me a shorter one w/ 12k axles I bought in Mt. Pleasant.

bcraw98 · February 02, 2006, 07:41:06 AM

thanks for the info on your delimber. I have thought about getting one for my pine plantation thinning, but have concerns about how it would work on very crooked and multiple stem trees, which are a bunch of what I take out. I think I'll quit thinking about it.

SwampDonkey · February 02, 2006, 11:48:35 AM

Sounds almost as bad as tamarack growing in open fields, grows like cork skrews. Just as bad is open grown jack pine. :D :D :D

ironmule2004 · February 02, 2006, 08:17:09 PM

If there isn't any way to get out of cutting it yourself, I would build a delimbing gate. It would not have to be as big as one for a skidder of course. That Riley gate that was posted uses 6x6 tubing I believe.
Some guys 'round here use 1x6 flat for their breaker bars. This will bend and bow each way but they say being flexable makes it work even better. We have also used an oak or two laying across in front of some trees. Just keep trimming on the top until you get it to drop down to the height you want it.

IronMule