First Time Skidder Use

[Tome]

I have a Peterson sawmill and I cut the big logs for a friend of mine but I had a new experience saturday.  I got to skid some logs for him with his JD skidder, what an experience, I skidded for about four hours and I was pooped...lol  Don't know if I would want to do that all the time but it was fun and great to have the experience at least once in my lifetime.  Always fun to try new things.

[David_c]

 8) yes it can be very tiring being bounced around and all the looking back not to mention getting on and off hooking chokers. man i love it. glad you got to enjoy the experaince.

[Furby]

 8) 8) 8)
I'd like to try it myself sometime!

[Jeff]

I don't know why, but this morning I was dreaming about loading a skidder on a drop deck trailer. Used to do it all the time and it is STILL nerve racking even if it was in my sleep!

[Ed_K]

 I aways ask the trucker if they want to load mine, haven't had one do it for me yet  ;D. I don't like loading over the back tho  .

[Sawyerfortyish]

Well Furby if you get up my way I'de be more than happy to let ya give it a try. Ain't nothing to it take the 4 choker chains throw em over your shoulder grab the slidders and 100' of cable and head up hill to hook up 4 trees. After ya get a couple hooked up you'll need to go back down to the skidder and get the tool to pull the chokers under a log and when you get to the last tree you'll have to go back down and backup 2 more feet so you can reach the last tree with the cable. Then it's back to the skidder (whoops you better go back up the hill and get the tool that you pulled the chains under the log  with) Then on to the skidder and start pulling. Oh sh#@t one of em is hung up back up the hill spin the choker so it will come around the snag. Then back to the skidder and start winching DanG one came unhooked better go back up and hook it up. You'll get the hang of it ;)

[David_c]

sawerfortyish oh how true it is. only your 3 chokers off. I need to do that 7 times. dont forget getting back to skidder and remembering you forgot hook so back up the hill to try and find it so next time you can do it all over again.

[OLD_ JD]

4 choker....umm..i got 8 choker on my old jd...rorfff..maybe that to much

[leweee]

sawerfortyish oh how true it is. only your 3 chokers off. I need to do that 7 times. dont forget getting back to skidder and remembering you forgot hook so back up the hill to try and find it so next time you can do it all over again.

:D :D :D And repeat if nessecary :D :D :D     

[Sawyerfortyish]

I don't cut anything under 17-18"dbh and 4 full length trees is all I can move and sometimes less depending on the log size and terrain. I skid everything including the firewood right down to to 8"dia

[Ed_K]

 I have 8 slides, but I'm down to 5 chockers  :(. Hope J.D. has a sale soon. I get the heavy duty tow chain, 14' long with two grab hooks, cut them in half and put a chocker hook on the cut end. With the grab hook i can double up chains to get the big ones  ;D.

[Tome]

DanG, looks like I was just beginning to have fun

[timberjack240]

sawyerfortyish
if i had to run up the hills like that a couples times each skid id tell the forester or persont hat bought the job to come do it for a day so he wouldnt buy any more then id tell em to find sombody else to cut it  ;D
like jonny paycheck siad "take this job and shove it" "i aint climbin this hill no more"  8)  :D

[Sawyerfortyish]

I'm the guy that marks and buys these jobs.  now get up there and get that tree.

[Frickman]

Isn't driving a skidder fun? Just rememeber, the nicest timber is in the nastiest places where noone else wanted to go.