Was looking

[HiTech]

at some mini forwarders on u-tube and some of those little machines are impressive. I don't see any American made, most are European made. To me they would be great little machines to gather firewood with. Very low impact and easy to get around with. With 8 wheel bogie drive they should be nimble. They won't haul a Tractor Trailer load like most want to do but they would certainly haul firewood. I can think of many uses for one.

[beenthere]

What would be a reasonable price to pay for one?  Thinking they may be pretty pricey for just firewood.

Any links to the ones you have seen on the u-tube so we can get a better idea what you have in mind?

I bring in logs either behind the tractor lifted by the 3 ph, or in 90" lengths on the forks and carried out of the woods. The tractor is good for many, many other chores too so keeps most everything wrapped up in one machine.

Some use ATV's and the like to bring logs in and pull suitable trailers of small wood in from the woods. Wondering if they would be cheaper than the 8 wheel bogie machine.

Would member Alcranb's tractor/trailer w/grapple rig fit your idea of a mini-forwarder?
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,70367.msg1074119.html#msg1074119

[BargeMonkey]

A small dray and a gafner loader can be pretty cheap, and there are lots of 350 deeres still around. Ive seen a few farm tractor/ trailer set ups but unless your on semi flat ground or pre bunching with a dozer your wasting your money. I have a long bunk 230A timberjack which holds 2200ft or 4 cord, handy sometimes, but dont go baja 3/4 loaded or you will bury it or flop it.

[HiTech]

What would be a reasonable price to pay for one?  Thinking they may be pretty pricey for just firewood.

Any links to the ones you have seen on the u-tube so we can get a better idea what you have in mind?

I bring in logs either behind the tractor lifted by the 3 ph, or in 90" lengths on the forks and carried out of the woods. The tractor is good for many, many other chores too so keeps most everything wrapped up in one machine.

Some use ATV's and the like to bring logs in and pull suitable trailers of small wood in from the woods. Wondering if they would be cheaper than the 8 wheel bogie machine.

Would member Alcranb's tractor/trailer w/grapple rig fit your idea of a mini-forwarder?
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,70367.msg1074119.html#msg1074119

I just punched in "mini forwarder" and away I went. lol I would imagine they are expensive. Probably cost way more than my skidder did. lol What i was thinking about was the trees that are already down in the woods, wind damage or whatever. A skidder just can't go and get these without causing a mess. One of these little machines could go get that stuff and you would probably never know it was there. Also a pickup truck and trailer can haul them around. No big trucks and permits or DOT sniffing around. lol When you are semi retired you start thinking about toys like these. lol

[beenthere]

What i was thinking about was the trees that are already down in the woods, wind damage or whatever. A skidder just can't go and get these without causing a mess. One of these little machines could go get that stuff and you would probably never know it was there. Also a pickup truck and trailer can haul them around. No big trucks and permits or DOT sniffing around.

And... the money you would be willing to spend for such a "little machine" would be what?  ;)

[logman81]

Go to to youtube and type in alstor forwarder in the search lots of videos! There pretty cool!

[Alexanderthelate]

If it was me going to buy a forwarding machine, I would buy a mini-excavator and hook a stake bed trailer up to it. At least then you have something to use outside of firewood season. A dedicated forwarding machine, mini or otherwise, needs to be in wood as much as possible.

[HiTech]

One way of looking at it is, it is probably cheaper than the cars and motors people use to chase their tails around in a circle on a track, and probably cheaper than a $40,000 pulling tractor frame or many other toys we use for entertainment or enjoyment. Do about 500 cord of firewood a year...that's 50 tandem loads of 10 cord each split and delivered. I think it would earn it's keep. Too many aren't happy until the mud is 3 feet deep and they are tearing everything all to heck. I don't like to do that. Sometimes you can't help it but there are times you can. I take the whole tree with my skidder or as much of the top with the log as makes firewood. You have to be extra careful not to injure young trees skidding whole trees. With a little machine like that you could skid the log and go get the firewood with that. So far it is just a thought as I am sure many of you get. lol

[HiTech]

If it was me going to buy a forwarding machine, I would buy a mini-excavator and hook a stake bed trailer up to it. At least then you have something to use outside of firewood season. A dedicated forwarding machine, mini or otherwise, needs to be in wood as much as possible.

A mini excavator would work on flat ground, I would love to see one pull a trailer over rocky terrain. A dedicated excavator, mini or otherwise needs to be in dirt as much as possible also. Have a 40,000 lb. machine that is in the dirt all spring, summer and fall also a 450 dozer. What I don't have is a forwarder...mini or otherwise. lol

[HiTech]

What i was thinking about was the trees that are already down in the woods, wind damage or whatever. A skidder just can't go and get these without causing a mess. One of these little machines could go get that stuff and you would probably never know it was there. Also a pickup truck and trailer can haul them around. No big trucks and permits or DOT sniffing around.

And... the money you would be willing to spend for such a "little machine" would be what?  ;)

That is a good question. Right now I don't have an answer. When I saw them the wheels started turning and when or where they will stop is anyone's guess. I will have to see if there are any dealers in the US of A or they are only in Europe. Would love to see one up close and personal. lol

[Alexanderthelate]

A dedicated excavator, mini or otherwise needs to be in dirt as much as possible also.

Not really, so long as it is turning a profit, it does not matter what it's in. Mini excavator can act as a forwarder or as an excavator. Forwarders can act as forwarders. I don't think tat these little mini machines are really worth their cost, it's like those forwarding trailers for ATVs, it's just too small and too expensive to turn a profit.

[Komatsu_Mech1]

As for a dollar figure I am thinking you would be looking at 20k and up, I saw one set up with its own power pack to run the loader and hauled behind a team of draft animals, the sales man said that one was 26k with draft animal pulling package. There are some out there with hydrostatic drive bogies to go along behind higher HP ag tractors. I have also seen some guys get in financial nightmares buying a 50k range 10000hr used forwarder that takes more time in the repair shop than in the woods. As for the mini excavator pulling a bunk I would highly discourage that because those tiny final drives and little tracks are not rugged enough to travel with the extra load, no to mention they are very slow. 

[bill m]

Ive seen a few farm tractor/ trailer set ups but unless your on semi flat ground or pre bunching with a dozer your wasting your money.

Don't bet on it. I have used mine on some fairly steep ground without much of a problem. Some advantages of the tractor/trailer is that it is not a dedicated piece of equipment. I can use the tractor for other things and if I can't get the trailer to the logs I can put my winch on to pre bunch wood. A full load is about 2 to 2 1/2 cords ( 1000 to 1300 bd. ft. ).

 
Logs pre bunched at trailside.

 
Loading logs.

[Holmes]

  HiTech  I like the way you think. It's good to keep the active mind going. Bill m has a great solution but it's also his livelihood. My big tractor makes me very nervous in the woods ' narrow stance high center of gravity'  but the tracked skid steer with grapple bucket has worked out ok. The problem is the hand loading of logs gets tiresome. Sometimes you just can't get close to the logs.

[Corley5]

Old 4000 and 5000 Iron Mules can be had fairly cheap if you're patient and are very agile 

[BargeMonkey]

 Hey if it serves the purpose and does the job, I just would hate hurting that pretty blue tractor. We have had a few deaths around here the last 10 years, all guys skidding with a farm tractor, all depends where your working. Friend of mine picked up a gafner loader and a wheeled dray, with a 350 dozer for 15k, which I assume is 1/4 of a new tractor trailer set up.

[thecfarm]

bill m,Always enjoy seeing your set up.

[bill m]

Hey if it serves the purpose and does the job, I just would hate hurting that pretty blue tractor. We have had a few deaths around here the last 10 years, all guys skidding with a farm tractor, all depends where your working. Friend of mine picked up a gafner loader and a wheeled dray, with a 350 dozer for 15k, which I assume is 1/4 of a new tractor trailer set up.

I know that old equipment can be had for little money but lets look at the whole picture. My equipment is new with full warrantees, that 350 dozer, gafner and wheeled dray are not. I spend my time producing not repairing. I use about 10 gallons of diesel a week in my tractor, between that dozer and gafner they will use that in a day. A one man operation like mine will not produce that much more with the dozer and gafner.

[BargeMonkey]

Again, to each his own. Every area is different, here I would give you 1 week before I had my 850C in there to roll it back over and pick up the pieces. I just threw out the gafner idea because alot of guys have never seen one, and it fits a niche for alot of guys. Again its great you can produce and be versatile, your going for quality where we are volume, if I cant hit 20-30 trees an hour to the slasher im losing money.

[bill m]

here I would give you 1 week before I had my 850C in there to roll it back over and pick up the pieces.

Don't bet on it.

[Mark Wentzell]

There's an outfit in Quebec that builds a small forwarder. It's called the F4 dion.

[beenthere]

Mark
Like this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opBGmJ8nMCg

[Hilltop366]

Not too small, not too big?

I thought this was quite slick.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsxK_qSK26Q

[Mark Wentzell]

There's a report here comparing the f4 to another small forwarder called the XTRACTOR in commercial thinning

http://www.nr.gov.nl.ca/nr/publications/forestry/tech_reports/FPD_Report_70.pdf