question for guys skidding with tractors

oldbones · February 06, 2011, 02:16:19 PM

will chains on the front improve my traction much?

i've got a 40 hp jd 4wd compact tractor. it gets around fine, except for this time of year, when the snow gets deeper. i've got typical vermont terrain, a bunch of up and down, and i was thinking a set of chains on the front might make a difference?

chains would be cheaper than a buying bigger machine, which of course is the preferred option.

lumberjack48 · February 06, 2011, 03:27:01 PM

If you have enough power, chains and weight on the front will make her pull, but then you start breaking stuff.
If under warranty, chains on the front might void it, just a thought.

tyb525 · February 06, 2011, 03:42:17 PM

It depends on how you skid your logs. If you attach your load so that the pull is below the rear axle, it will put more weight on the front and then yes, tire chains will improve traction, especially while turning.

If the front end gets light when you skid logs, then they won't do much for you, and you ought to consider changing the way you attach your load to eliminate that.

dsgsr · February 06, 2011, 04:22:38 PM

Do you already have chains on the rear? Putting chains on the front of these more modern compact tractors is not a good Idea. The front ends aren't built strong enough for heavy pulling. If you put chains on the front try not to use 4wd, if you have to use 4wd make sure you don't shock the front end. Just a slow easy pull.

David

g_man · February 06, 2011, 04:32:03 PM

Quote from: dsgsr on February 06, 2011, 04:22:38 PM
The front ends aren't built strong enough for heavy pulling. If you put chains on the front try not to use 4wd, if you have to use 4wd make sure you don't shock the front end. Just a slow easy pull.

David

Thats a key point. If the fronts are spinning then the chains suddenly grab the shock to the small front end components can be devestating.

oldbones · February 06, 2011, 05:13:44 PM

thanks. front chains sound dicey. perhaps a more aggressive set of of chains on the rear is would do the trick.

dsgsr · February 06, 2011, 06:20:54 PM

This yr. with the deep snow I've been tempted to put chains on the front of my 48hp compact JD, but just can't afford a breakdown. I have single diamond Ice chains on the rear but should have Canadian rings on, another thing I can't afford this yr. Thats the woes of logging with a tractor, you just can't push it too hard. You gotta remember it's a tractor not a skidder or bulldozer.

David

GDinMaine · February 06, 2011, 06:26:24 PM

I have used chains on the front of my tractor but only when the snow gets deep. There is no place where it will get a sudden grip. It still slips in the snow but not quite that much. You can get more aggressive chains for the rear and use the split breaks to aid with steering.

lumberjack48 · February 06, 2011, 06:49:55 PM

Better chains on back, and hang some weight on the front would make feel more stable when pulling.

rick f · February 06, 2011, 07:33:42 PM

Quote from: GDinMaine on February 06, 2011, 06:26:24 PM
I have used chains on the front of my tractor but only when the snow gets deep. There is no place where it will get a sudden grip. It still slips in the snow but not quite that much. You can get more aggressive chains for the rear and use the split breaks to aid with steering.

Good Luck with that . When the front tires are spinning on ice and it goes sideways onto a stump, you may just find that sudden grip.

GDinMaine · February 06, 2011, 07:43:08 PM

If you go looking for trouble you can always find some.

madmari · February 06, 2011, 08:19:32 PM

My tractor had the front end all welded back together before the chains came off. It's tempting to put chains on, but as stated earlier- the front axles are not built for that torture.
I found that if I adjusted the load lower, I was ok. If the front got light, I could steer with the rear brakes, but keep the rpm's up.
I f you stay within the capabilities of the tractor, front chains probably won't help that much. Just my thoughts; Learn from my errors. Those axle parts are not very rugged, but priced like they are.

Maine372 · February 06, 2011, 08:41:02 PM

'somthings got to give'

remember that. do you want it to be the front tires spinning or somthing more expensive. i logged with a 40ph deere (see post around page 88 of the timber harvest methods thread). i ran chains on the back, and they werent very agressive. just enough to get some bite on the ice.

another tractor logger in my area has an 80hp deere. he loads everything with his forks and also does work around the farm with the same machine. he runs chains on the front only. since he does alot of forklift and bucket work they help him more up there. but the back tires are bare.

somwhere between the motor and the ground there has to be a weak link. id rather it be somthing cheap.

Peter Drouin · February 06, 2011, 10:03:03 PM

With 3' of snow I just stop loging. with my JD 5410. and at 56 walking in 3'. then shoveling out the tree :D :D.most of my cutting is done.Ill wait till spring. :D :D

tyb525 · February 06, 2011, 10:17:38 PM

It's nice when you cut a tree and the branches disappear under the snow...till it melts ;D

I cut several loads of firewood a few days ago, only to find that I couldn't get the trailer up the one steep hill, too icy. I could get up it with the tractor only, but not the loaded trailer :

. I had to dump the firewood in a pile. Guess I'll get it later :

oldbones · February 06, 2011, 11:14:27 PM

i'm just cutting on my own woodlot, so am free of pressure to produce. i do most of my cutting in the winter to take advantage of frozen ground. at the moment i've got a bunch of tops still in the woods from two truckloads of sawlogs my son and i cut in january. i got some out yesterday, but it was a slog. after last night's snow, i didn't even try today.

we're still hoping to get a load of pine cut this year. it's pretty level going to get to the pine, so we may get it done. if not, they'll be there for us next year.

GDinMaine · February 07, 2011, 07:54:15 AM

O.K. You guys are officially scaring me. I will not put chains on the fronts next time. I make it a point to stay out of the rough as I don't have the time or the $ to get the tractor fixed. May be I have been lucky over the past few years but I will stop gambling. :P Live and learn (from others)

Luckily I finished my firewood cutting just as the second big snowstorm was rolling in in mid-January. Now I just have to wait a couple of months so I can get to the log piles.

thecfarm · February 07, 2011, 08:02:46 AM

GDinMaine,what are you running for a tractor in the woods,HP size? I see you are thinking about making a winch.Using just chains for now twitching the logs out?I just play around getting firewood for the OWB.

GDinMaine · February 07, 2011, 08:46:28 AM

I don't do more then play either. I run a 30hp Kubota that weighs around 2800-3000lbs. So. I need all the help I can get. I'm using a rope to pull the logs to the logging road and then chain to to a frame I built for the 3 point hitch. It is time consuming and frustrating at times. I really want to build a winch so I can reduce damage to the roads especially in softer areas and make logging a bit easier. I would call my woods operation a hobby but I really depend on the wood for heat.

thecfarm · February 07, 2011, 08:59:24 AM

My Father and me use to use a NAA 1945 Ford in the woods some. I was the Chain Man.Than in '93 my Father wanted to cut some pine.We bought a 2120 Ford,40hp,4wd with a Norse winch.Than I was the Cable Man.We died and went to heaven.What a treat to use.We should of bought all that 20 years ago.I can understand the time and frustration at times. But with the old Ford it was just fire wood.Than we started to cut for real,payments.A winch will and does make it so much easier.Saves ALOT of work and ALOT of time.Now it's really a life saver with snow in the woods.I can winch things to me, or winch myself out of a mess I got myself into.

GDinMaine · February 07, 2011, 09:29:22 AM

Sounds like you have a nice setup. With your mill some of that can be turned into good building material. I want to cut some pine too but to have it sawed up and put down as floor boards in my old farm house. I have not cut any yet because I want to be able to pull decent length logs so the boards will run wall-to-wall. Usually the big battle is to get them to the tractor. When I get the winch done I will give that a try. With firewood it does not matter, if it's too heavy for my machine I just cut the logs shorter.

Maine372 · February 07, 2011, 05:47:44 PM

GDinmaine, theres a farmi winch on maine craigslist. just fyi.

GDinMaine · February 07, 2011, 08:12:01 PM

Thank you for the heads up, but I will not be getting that. I was very close to buying a new 6500lb pull Igland winch (they market them as Norse too) from a guy in New Hampshire for around $2300-2400. Then I saw this wrecker winch on Craig's and the light went off in my head about the Forestryforum. This is where I have read about winches converted to tractor PTO. When all said and done I think I will spend around $500-550. That is my hope anyway.
Call me cheap and I will agree.