I fought the log, and the log won.

Dave Shepard · September 02, 2007, 02:25:28 PM

I've been doing a little selective harvesting on my farm. Basically, I say, you look like a nice tree, you're coming with me. :D Well, this one didn't want to come:

This log is 42' long and has an 8', a 12' and a 16' log in it totalling 450 feet on the International 1/4" scale. I think the next one I'll buck to length first.

Dave

crtreedude · September 02, 2007, 02:34:44 PM

And what are you going to do when you get a big one? I have a caobilla that is about 3,000 BF - has to be 80 feet to the first branch. I am not sure even a bulldozer would budge that one.

Hey Harold, remember wrestling with that Ojoche? ???

pineywoods · September 02, 2007, 02:41:31 PM

What broke on the kubota? I've skidded logs bigger than that with mine, but I don't have a logging winch hanging off the back ;D

Dave Shepard · September 02, 2007, 03:24:16 PM

The rod that goes from the rocker shaft to the lift arm came loose, either the pin broke, or came out, which is more likely. This spread the clevis end of the rod. I just heated it up and straightened it, and replaced the pin with a 5/8 gr.8 bolt, as I had no other pins. The rest of the trip out was uneventful, and I am sure I could skid much more than that, but I would need to have something heavy on the forks. I would carry a log, but my skid trail is rather narrow.

Fred, I would build a swinger and getrdone where it fell. :D

Dave

Fla._Deadheader · September 02, 2007, 03:53:56 PM

Got a better system now, Fred. ;) 8) 8)

Dave Shepard · September 02, 2007, 07:13:09 PM

Well, I got everything patched up and got back to skidding. I don't have much more oak to do, but I do have a lot of white and red pine for TF projects and ash and cherry for firewood. I think I could skid both of those logs, as long as I could keep the butts from digging in.

Dave

fencerowphil (Phil L.) · September 02, 2007, 09:05:27 PM

Cherry for firewood !!!! ? ? ?

Not even the knarliest one!

Phil L.

Dave Shepard · September 02, 2007, 09:52:19 PM

Now that I am hooked up with a sawmill, I am going to take some of it to get sawn out. I am going to save some of the oak as well and start stickering stuff in the shed for later. I don't have any cherry burls, but there is a patch of woods up the road from me that has a ton of really nice cherry trees, and every one of them has at least one big fat burl in it with a buncy of nice sawlogs in it.

Dave

Bibbyman · September 03, 2007, 09:13:24 AM

I had the same piece of linkage fail on our AGCO last spring.

I guess I don't need to tell you to be careful when winching up a log that's at an angle to the side of the tractor. We were pulling up some red oak and Mary started hollering. I was about to turn the tractor over!

Dave Shepard · September 03, 2007, 11:04:44 AM

The Farmi has another sheave on the bottom for winching the logs up to the machine, then you winch them up in the air to the top sheave for skidding. You can tip a machine over in a heartbeat if you are winching in from the top!

Dave

Fla._Deadheader · September 03, 2007, 12:19:03 PM

When we were winching on the river, we would try to get a block up on a tree trunk, as high as we could reach, so when we pulled on the log, it would move a little, then raise up and slide nearly from it's own weight. Amazing how easy it is to move stuff when you ponder the situation beforehand.

beenthere · September 03, 2007, 12:24:19 PM

Dave
A neighbor I work with has a Farmi, and he does the opposite per instructions from the dealer...winch them in with the top sheave, chain individual logs to the cross bar with the slots, and use the lower sheave to drag a log behind as the 3pt is lifted. The demo's I've seen also winch from the top sheave.

Guess regardless, one needs to pay attention to the tipping problem.

Dave Shepard · September 03, 2007, 01:35:55 PM

Winching from the top is ok if you are not pulling from the side. If you have a log coming in at full speed and it catches, you will flip the tractor in an instant. The speed of this winch doesn't give you any reaction time, unless you are going slow.

Dave

beenthere · September 03, 2007, 02:05:22 PM

Dave
You are right. I was not considering the side angle pull at all.
I'd guess that pulling from the side (any angle other than straight on) would be less than ideal, and not recommended. ;D ;D
Using a snatch block to get the pull straight away and a log coming in at an angle is the safest, and best, if the tractor can't be positioned for straight away pull.

thecfarm · September 03, 2007, 08:13:48 PM

I've been using my Norse winch behind a 40hp Ford for a steady 14 years and so far I've been very careful.I've hauled many good size white pine with it.Many times it was a little hard to get out of the woods with what was behind me.My land is level once I get up there.There is quite a hill,than it levels out pretty good.I have to get back on and move the tractor often.What I think looks good is not so good when I get off and start to winch.Only takes a few minute to get away from a mess.Takes hours to get out of a mess.I only pull sraight with mine.I learned the hard way when I first got it.I was only winching in a tree about 6 inches through.The tractor started to tip over.I said I'll never do that again.I don't twitch much out tree lenght of any size.A foot through and smaller is all that I do tree lenght.All the bigger trees I mark up in the woods and twitch them out in 32 foot lenghts.I feel 2-32 lenght is easier to twitch out then one 64 foot tree.I take my time when I'm in the woods.

RSteiner · September 04, 2007, 11:37:30 AM

I Have a Farmi winch on my Kubota that looks like the same model as the one in the picture. I hope I never get into the situation that you have experienced.

I almost never pull from the top pulley when skidding logs out. I either attach them to the slotted bar near base of the outriggers or use the logging arch I made. When the winch was on my old Ford 8N I did make a side pull that was too much and broke one of the 3PH lift arms. :-[

Randy