A job for an arch...NEW JOB DONE PICS!!

Captain · February 22, 2005, 08:02:21 AM

The local Country Club is suffering "encroachment" from some of the trees along the fairways. I was given a tour of the grounds last Friday by the assistant groundskeeper. The bottom line is that they want the logs out, but no impact to the landscape. They do have paved cart paths.

I have access to a Future Forestry "fetching" arch with a forwarding adapter (trailer hitch and a hand winch). I was thinking of using this or quickly making one for tow behind the small New Holland.

Any recommendations on OTHER forwarding Arches or pictures/comments/suggestions on construction of one?? I was in hopes to get experience with one FIRST so I may realize what does and does not work.

Thanks

Captain

woodmills1 · February 22, 2005, 02:06:14 PM

You need my forester kioti tractor and metavic trailer. Check out www.payeur.com by the way I am in southern New Hampshire.

rebocardo · February 22, 2005, 03:38:59 PM

Using floatation tires (aired down) on my 4x4 in 4 wheel drive I drive across lawns all the time with up to 2,000 pounds of wood in the bed, plus, hauling my little saw mill trailer. Certainly not manicured as a golf course, but, after a day you can not even tell I was there.

I think if you already have a trailer to pull behind the Holland (ATV or a tractor?) and you put ATV lawn tires or floatation tires on it, you will not have a problem with the course, especially if you stick to the edges. I would not make a habit of driving across putting green though.

If you go with an ARCH, I would make sure it had wide low pressure turf tires on it. Ideally, you want to get in the 5-7 psi range so it is almost like walking on it. With my tires aired down, I am putting about 10 psi or less onto the ground (each tire is min. 12x10 foot print x4 tires) , so I barely dig into the lawn.

Figure out the weight of the log and trailer/arch, then the 'real" foot print of the tires under load, divide the total weight by the total footprint of the tires, and you will have the PSI you are applying to the ground. The more you stick in the 5-10 range the less likely you are to damage the turf.

I would pick an ARCH for the woods, a trailer with wide dual axles and four lawn tires for distributed weight over a golf course.

Captain · February 22, 2005, 04:34:06 PM

Luckily, 95 percent of what they want removed is on the paved cart paths. The problem becomes the width of the cart paths, and the capacity of the 2 bridges I need to traverse. I'll forward them as far as necessary to get them to where I can load them with the Wheeler. I think an arch is the way to go, however slow. :

Captain

rebocardo · February 23, 2005, 06:51:50 PM

Yea, the bridges would make me nervous since you never know how much weight they were designed to carry. One advantage of an ARCH would be that you could get the ATV wheels on solid ground before the wheels of the ARCH traveled over it.

Except for bad steering, would there be anything holding you back from putting one on each end of the log to increase footprint on the grass areas?

Another reason for mentioning it is I doubt the paved golf cart path is 4 inches of rebar 10K psi concrete and you could possibly crack the edges with too much pressure on an edge if you do not stay centered. Been there, done that.

Are you going to chip the tops or can you just throw them into the woods?

Ironwood · February 23, 2005, 07:21:13 PM

Captain,

I have been using a friends Future Forestry "TRACTOR" Arch. The tires are huge and will have very little PSI compared to others. They make a great product line, the Fetching arch is the smaller one, and the one above the Tractor arch is the Hugo. The arch is very light for the amount of weight it will carry, a sign of good design. You could also wait until the ground freezes if you are in a northern clim.

Reid

rebocardo · February 24, 2005, 08:51:06 PM

> You could also wait until the ground freezes if you are in a northern clim.

Good idea, I did that once to get wood out of a swampy area.

Captain · February 24, 2005, 10:24:41 PM

Thanks Guys,

Problem is, we're running out of cold weather and they want to golf when the snow is gone....

Rebo, the great thing is THEY are cutting and limbing and chipping, I am just "doing the hard work" and hauling the heavy part....away to become something else ;D

We will know next monday when I meet with the head groundskeeper....

chet · February 24, 2005, 11:45:19 PM

Captain,
How about just millin' right there.

Captain · February 25, 2005, 07:15:50 AM

Too much mess.... :

rebocardo · February 25, 2005, 10:26:38 PM

Captain, that sounds ideal AND you are the hero for doing the "hard" part :-D

leweee · February 26, 2005, 12:47:59 PM

Captain... something to pull that arch with in tight places.

;D
Iron Horse Link

Captain · February 26, 2005, 09:20:47 PM

Thanks Leweee,
I've seen them at shows, it would be interesting to see one working.

Captain

rebocardo · February 27, 2005, 05:26:27 PM

I have used something like that iron horse thing to pull around dead cars at car dealers. They are slow, but, they can move a full sized truck even with a sticking brake or a car in park. A lot of torque.

Captain · March 01, 2005, 06:14:19 AM

Well the general manager wants to see thow the setup works out on a few Oak logs they have down now. Going for country club log recovery this weekend. ;D

CAPTAIN

NFDBrian · March 04, 2005, 03:15:06 AM

Hey,
Just convince the wife to let you buy one of these machines http://www.timberpro.com/. It has your name all over it!! ;D Just another addition to the fleet!! :D Just don't tell her I told you about it because she won't let me come over anymore :D

Brian

Captain · March 05, 2005, 08:39:18 PM

Well, we spent about 3 hours at the Country Club today. It was beautiful, about 38 degrees and sunny. We had a family day of moving logs....

This is a still photo of Lorraine and Brendan. Lorraine was moving a 20" White oak log with the Future Forestry arch, and Brendan jumped on for the picture. A little firewood on the forks for traction didn't hurt...

This is the load of sawlogs we dragged out in about 2.5 hours. In the dump body is about 1/2 cord of white oak firewood that SOMEBODY already bucked up >:( Could have been a couple of more sawlogs. I had another load approximately 1/3 this size of tops for firewood.

We had fun right up until I got a fire call for a house fire while we were all the way out near the 8th tee. Needless to say, I made it in time to overhaul and roll hose :(

We managed to get all of the material out with zero impact. This was a test that we did not charge the Country Club for. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a long relationship.

Now, I have some trailer decks to cut in the morning....

Captain

leweee · March 05, 2005, 09:00:37 PM

Good show CAPTAIN...glad to see the weather co-operated(enough frost)
Now are you useing that trailer decking or is it for a customer? Keep use posted

Frank_Pender · March 05, 2005, 10:47:36 PM

Well done, Captain. Might be a good idea to let Mark know of your succes as well as sending him a picture. Perhaps he could include everyone in a new promotion in the future. ;D

Ernie · March 05, 2005, 10:54:18 PM

I am a bit of a computer dolt, how do you get the pix from your gallery to your post?

KiwiCharlie · March 06, 2005, 12:45:29 AM

Hey Ernie,
Click on "Image Archive". This will open the gallery section in a new window. Click on one of your photos from your gallery. This will give you a larger view of that photo. Then look for the bit under the pic that says "click to copy photo insertion code". Click on that. Then go back to your post in the original window you started from (if its a post you did prior some time, you will have to navigate your way back to the post, and then click on "Modify" within that post. This will bring up the modify screen with your post in it). Then just put the cursor where you want the pic to show, and right click your mouse, and choose "Paste" and the link code will appear in your post, and the photo will show up.
Clear as mud??!! :D
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Charlie.

Pete J · March 06, 2005, 08:17:09 PM

Great job Captain.

It looks like you made it into a fun day!

rebocardo · March 06, 2005, 09:08:30 PM

I would imagine lots of good small talk can lead to lots of leads at a country /golf club from a happy manager. I just did a small maple (not sure the exact type) and one of the guy's biggest concern was not nuking his new sod lawn and sprinkler system. He did not even care much about my truck leaking oil, just that lawn.

People will pay for results and getting a load of logs like that is awesome. I love that trailer, what a nice set up!