Alternative equipment for land owners?

[Groo]

Dad and I have been cutting quite a few saw logs as of late, and the equipment we have isn't cutting the mustard. The old Kubota 25hp farm tractor is too small and too tippy for the work and the dozer blade doesn't lift high enough to load the logs on to the dray.

I was thinking a used telehandler (4x4 telescoping boom fork lift often seen on construction sites) would be a near ideal piece of machinery. It should be small enough to move around in the woods, have plenty of traction (especially with chains), be able to handle a pretty decent side hill too and most importantly; common enough to find used at a reasonable price.

Anyone use this type of equipment out in the woods?

[mad murdock]

how much $$ does what you are talking about run?  If you are talking in the 5-10k range, you can buy an older skidder, that will work best for the woods, IMO, they are purpose built for it.  Even an old dozer and a pull behind dray with an old cable jammer, or an old hydraulic loader can be had, if you look around.

[Groo]

From what I've seen; the purpose built machinery is significantly more expensive for a much more worn out machine. single bunk forwarders from the 70s have prices on them of well over $10k. It seams pretty unbelievable to me, especially since I just saw a 92 harvester in the paper for below $25k

I've got an old pull behind the tractor loader (Gafner 30 I believe), but it is in rough shape overall and needs some tire/hub work, is a bit unsteady, and would have to be pulled behind the tractor. I have been thinking about converting it to pull behind the Dozer but that would be a bit of work and all the pins and bushing are pretty bad.

[barbender]

I think a telehandler would be a pain in the woods. Seems a lot of woodlot owners run the compact tractor/ loader trailer route, maybe you just need to update what you have.

[mad murdock]

wow. I gurss i haven't looked ina long time at old shortwood skidders.  Maybe a guy could rig up a boom for a farmi type winch, and use it like they did the old cable jammer setups, and pull a dray behind that with the compact tractor? I mean if hydraulics is not in the budget.

[Ron Wenrich]

I think you have to consider what size of logs you're handling.  What you may be looking for is an old logging arch.  They make some for ATVs, but if you have big logs, they won't handle it. 

I've also seen some logging tongs that were put on the back of the 3 pt hitch.  No winch on the dozer or tractor? 

As for loading, a lot would depend on log size and what you're loading onto.  You can get some pretty good weight on a log and then you have problems with tipping.  Parbucking may be a simple route to loading. 

[thecfarm]

What else could you use the telehandler for? How much they cost. I never really looked at one or been around one.Mine land is kinda rough,uneven,rocky. Could it do it day after day without breaking something? Would you carry the logs out on the forks?

[HuZzEy]

I don't think telhandlers were made for woods work might break parts easy and they could be tippey also unless you by one that has the hydraulic leveling cylinder on the axles

[edkemper]

One of the most sought after pieces of equipment on the wish list of "real log" home builders is a telehandler. We use them for lifting up to 45 foot logs and placing them butt & pass style on the walls. For really large Cap Logs, sometimes it's lifting each end separately. Some use as light as a 6k# unit. Most use the 8K#. The dream is the 10k+ sizes as they have outriggers.

[zopi]

It would be da bomb in the saw yard...Bibby's little terex tells that tale....a little crawler tractor would be alright in the woods...especially with a little forwarder trailer...

[barbender]

Telehandlers are great on a construction site, and it sounds like Bibby's works great in the log yard. But they're not made for forest work, trying to get maneuvered around to load wood on the forks would be a nightmare.

[timbuck2]

Cable skidders are cheap, cheap, cheap.   Nice JD running good for $7500 around here, (not that I would buy a JD however)!!!

[Ironwood]

I have some experience in equipment (an breaking them). Tele's are nice but NOt in the woods. A good servicable tele is still a good bit north of 10K, like 15-20. If your into demo/construction they are great. For general yard (log/lumber) use you cant beat dollar for dollar old forklifts. Woods work is tractor/ skidder/possibly skidloader (not for me though). I have two little Yanmar crawlers, one 20 HP, other 32. They dump and one has a crane, would make outstanding (slowish, non commercial) woods skidders. I use them to shuttle dirt gravel and material around my acreage. They are small enough (5k #)to pull behind my one ton on a single or dual axle trailer.  I have not found much they cant yank out of the dirt, includinig my 12K pound forklift. I put a 5000 lb block of concrete in the back for traction. I would stick to the veratile tractor. The more iron the better.
Also, you could look into an older articulated ditch witch, like the one below, he wanted 4K for it. 4 cylinder Ford diesel 4x4 with front hoe, just needed a winch.

Ironwood

[Bobus2003]

My dad and I made it for many years using a Skid-Steer..From Hand felling to following the Processor. I started using the Skidder to pull a trailer here not too long ago, Load with the processor, unload with the skid-steer

[Groo]

Add-ons for the tractor don't make sense because the tractor is not stable enough on its own.

I have thought about a boom off of the dozer blade, similar to the ones that are made for the 3point, but ideally, I'd like to not use the dozer in the woods apart from building roads because of root damage. I also think I'd lose lifting ability pretty quick as I hang a heavy metal welded up mess off the front of a machine not balance for heavy lifting

The little crawler dump would work, but the ditchwich doesn't look like it would resist tipping much (if any) more than the tractor we already have (and Dad tips occasionally). What do those crawlers go for?

We'd have other uses for a telehandler too. For the woods, they look like they'd be really stable and can take different tools. at the very least I could hang some tongs off of it like we do with the tractor bucket. A rotating clam would be almost ideal I'd think
Am I wrong about the stability? I am not talking about lifting a load 30' in the air on a side hill here.
Why wouldn't a telehandler survive being used off-road? They definitely look like they are made for off-road.

[beenthere]

Groo
Have you either driven or used a telehandler?

And if so, which brand or model?

[Groo]

Never. I have never driven any machinery other than a couple farm tractors, the dozer and some hi-lo s at my last job.

I am just trying to get an idea of what might or might not work to start keeping an eye out for when they might come up for sale.

[Jeff]

Groo, I am curious to your age.

[mikeb1079]

the problem i see with a telehandler is not tipping or power but maneuverability.  i think that they'd be pretty clumsy in the woods.

[shinnlinger]

I had an old 855 Lull (big telehandler w outriggers) up here for a year and a half while building my house.  The owner really wanted me to buy it and I thought long and hard about and thought of how I could have rigged a winch on it to justify keeping it, it but it was too big for the woods.  

It probably could be wood fortified with a few plates under the cab, and it had decent clearance if you took the outriggers off, but its turning radius was no good in tight situations.

Dave

[Brokermike]

Just by a bigger tractor! a 50-60hp tractor with chains and a Farmi is a no brainer. A grapple on the front and you cna clear brush as you go and with decent hydraulics you can easily stack logs. I have a 40hp KIOTI that will drag most of anything, is very stable, and can lift about one ton with forks ont he front, making log stacking pretty easy. It is also compact enough to maneuver in the woods. Next time I upgrade it will be to a 60hp tractor. You can find used rigs in good shape for around 15k, and your Kubota must be worth about 7k, making your out of pocket expense minimal compared to other alternatives

Good Luck, stay safe, and have fun

[jueston]

In the army we had a terex telehandler, I don't know the model or anything, but it was big, it had outriggers, I'm pretty sure it had 4 wheel drive and it had leveling hydraulics on the axels so if you drove slow enough it was like being on a perfectly smooth road no matter what the terrain. It could steer with all 4 wheels so if could get in and out of some tiny places....
But I didn't drive it all that often so I can't guarantee any of this information. I liked the bobcats better for what we did anyways. They moved faster and I could do wheelies when I was bored....
On a side note there were also terex's they used to move shipping container. It must have been 20 feet wide, 30 feet long, and 40 feet tall. it took up the entire road when it moved around with trucks in front and behind it to clear the way. Everyone would just stop and stare when they passed, like watching a small building move.... Well in Iraq, it was like watching the largest structure for miles move. And it was covered in warning lights, for dramatics... we all wanted to find out what driving it was like, but they maxed out at about 10mph....

[Ironwood]

Little crawlers, if you could find one 6-8K used, newer ones ALOT more. I like the tractor idea better anyhow.



Ironwood