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Favorit brand of skidder

Started by logman81, April 16, 2011, 09:42:42 AM

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logman81

Mine is the older Timberjacks.
Precision Firewood & Logging

Maineloggerkid

Mine is anything that will skid wood 10 hours a day every day. haha
JD 540D cable skidder, and 2 huskies- just right.   

Loggers- Saving the world from the wrath of trees!

treefarmer87

1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

lumberjack48

Anything i don't have to ride side saddle on, because of visibility and safety.   
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

Autocar

Iam with Maineloggerkid and Lumberjack48 when I get on the job she fires up and runs all day without a problem,but then again if you didn't have to work on them now and then you wouldn't be a logger  ;D
Bill

chucker

john deere 440b easiest machine ive ever worked with and maintained.....
respect nature ! and she will produce for you !!  jonsered 625 670  2159 2171/28"  efco 147 husky 390xp/28" .375... 455r/auto tune 18" .58 gauge

Mark K

Timberjack, simple to work on and easy to get parts for.
Husky 372's-385's,576, 2100
Treefarmer C7D
Franklin 405
Belsaw m-14 sawmill

logman81

Precision Firewood & Logging

smwwoody

Cable machine...... 2 series Timberjack all the way

Grapple  any new big horse that gets the job done

Woody
Full time Mill Manager
Cleereman head rig
Cooper Scragg
McDonugh gang saw
McDonugh edger
McDonugh resaw
TS end trim
Pendu slab recovery system
KJ4WXC

Ken

Gotta love the old jacks but to be fair they are what I have worked around the most.





I am going to sell the 450 to raise a little capital to put towards my new toys but the 225 is here to stay.  It has got to be the toughest machine made.  I had the motor rebuilt in October of 97 and it only now has some blowby after pulling many thousands of cords.  Not sure of the hours but safe to say over 20 000. We are going to pull it out this week and freshen it up.

Cheers
Ken
Lots of toys for working in the bush

a old timberjack

gee..... i dont know.... mabe a old timberjack!!!!!! ;D ;D 8) 225 to be exact ( or any 200 series )
H.T. LOGGING and Trucking, llc, GREENE, Rhode Island

Bobus2003

John Deere.. Love my little 440

Just now working with Timberjack (450c), Havent had any real time in it yet too tell, but it seems nice.. but waitin for the JD 748 too arrive..

CAT isn't horrible, but haven't ran one or been around one that didn't have Brake issues

ga jones

cant afford to put fuel in a cat! timberjack. detroit power.
380c timberjack c4 treefarmer international trucks jonsered saws. Sugi hara bars d31 komatsu 350 tj grapple

logman81

Good stuff guys looks like the old jacks are in the lead. :D Gotta love the Detroit sound.
Precision Firewood & Logging

northwoods1

I've run timberjacks, treefarmers and john deere cable machines and the john deere 440 and 540 are easily my favorite. I started out with a c-4 and I can remember very well the 1st time I got on a 440 D john deere,  :o big upgrade to say the least! Timberjacks are built tough and stable cable skidders. For forwarders it is an easy choice for me too, the older Franklins with Cummins power. The roof mount loaders once you use them you can't do without and they are built tough!

treefarmer87

northwoods the roof mount loaders are better than the ones behind the cab?
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

PAFaller

Favorite skidder is like a favorite pickup, every one has ups and downs. I love my Cummins diesel, it happens to come in a Dodge truck. I like International motors like the old 7.3 liter Ford diesel, but would not buy Fords new one. The GM 350 is one of the easiest to work on and find parts for gas motors around, and they work. I have run almost every brand of skidder in my travels and like things about each one. In the steep ground the 200 series timberjacks are probably the most stable machine going, which is why I chose a 240 when I bought my first machine. I also work for a mill on weekends with a 540D Deere cable machine. Its a great skidder, well maintained, and pulls great. Visibility is much better than in my 240, but it lacks the stability I am accustomed to in my 'jack. I also spent 2 years falling on a 3 man crew, and that operator had a 515 Cat. It was a monster of a machine, but on long skids you could pull half a load of hardwood logs. It sucked the fuel and was expensive to move, but still ran like a top with 11,000 hrs. They can be expensive to fix though, and even the small breakdowns we had with that were sometimes troublesome. The big operators here seem to be using the newer 648 GIIIs and 648H. Friends of mine have one of each, and they are awesome. I would never want one because it does not fit my business, but when you are doing clearing and big pulp jobs they are great. The choice there goes more to dealer support too than just the name on the side. Cat dealer here is not really in to forestry equipment, Tigercat is just starting to move in, so that sort of leaves you with John Deere.
It ain't easy...

northwoods1

Quote from: PAFaller on April 17, 2011, 12:49:40 PM
Favorite skidder is like a favorite pickup, every one has ups and downs. I love my Cummins diesel, it happens to come in a Dodge truck.

My Dodge truck has the same engine as this Franklin skidder 6bt cummins industrial engine. These things are like the energizer bunny, they take a licking a keep on ticking  :) or something like that?? You would not believe how much you could load on a single bunk skidder like this... #15,000 no problem if you have enough air in the tires. With the 6 cylinder cummins and powershift it is not working hard at all. Treefarmer, the roof mount loader lets you reach in front of the skidder. It is just so much better...
All I can say for sure is with the John Deere cable skidders and Franklin forwarders you can go to work and they just start up and go. I've run some of these skidders literally for years in some HARSH conditions like cold, hills, hot, mud you name it...and they never require but very little maintanance. It amazes me, we put them to the test around here!
No offence intended, but this is why I get a kick out of people wondering why I might question the suitability of using farm tractors for logging... not comparing apples to apples :D :D I think I  could hook up a skid of wood to my 440 d, and a good sized farm tractor,  and pull it up a hill to the landing :D
Skidders are skidders and tractors are tractors... :o










treefarmer87

i didnt know that, i heard they were very strong. i like that franklin. if i had to have a forwarder that would be it. i have seen them on machinerytrader.com but they are expensive. how much wood do the bunks hold?
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

treefarmer87

1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

logman81

Nice pics guys. Hey treefarmer87 that is a neat looking machine. Tractors do a good job on thinning's that is what I am using currently on a 75 acre thining job so far I have skidded 130 cord of hard wood with it. They work ok if you take your time and are careful with them.
Precision Firewood & Logging

Bobus2003


thecfarm

Northwoods doing something special with that burl in the last picture? Are you taking a few logs home on the trailer? I like your bunk skidder. I could haul rocks with it when not in the woods.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

treefarmer87

i have never seen anything like that ??? wonder if you load it with a shovel loader, or can it load itself ???
1994 Ford L9000
2004 Tigercat 718
1998 Barko 225
1999 John Deere 748G
FEC 1550 slasher
CTR 314 Delimber
Sthil 461
Sthil 250

PAFaller

Northwoods, is that your forwarder as well? And how long is the bunk on that machine? There are more and more forwarders popping up in these parts, and I can see the advantages in some instances. The new ones seem horribly expensive to me though, and working by yourself I just don't know that you could make it pay. And how are they in soft ground? The 6 and 8 wheelers seem to apply very little ground pressure and enable working in wetter conditions than a skidder. Might need to buy one the way the weather has been here. Won't warm up and seems to rain every other day, ground is like a big over saturated sponge right now!!
It ain't easy...

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