filling skidder tires with helium

[mark686]

I have some wet ground to log on and it will be a couple months before it dries out enough to work on but then I will still run into wet spots. heard from another logger that he uses helium in his skidder tires to help in wet areas woundering if anyone else has tried this. ???

[grassfed]

  I think that you'd be better off giving some nitrous oxide :D to the landowner when he sees the ruts.

[sprucebunny]

Why not go with hydrogen  :D

Here is a link that will help you calculate the 'lift' generated by replacing air with hydrogen or helium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifting_gas

You will need to guess at how many cubic meters of air the tires hold.

[mark686]

think the guy that told me this is smoking some realy good stuff :D and he needs to share ;D

[mesquite buckeye]

No lift when compressed.....

Otherwise, all the helium and hydrogen tanks would float away. air_plane air_plane air_plane



smiley_biggrin01

[DR Buck]

Having worked in the airship (Blimp) business for Goodyear I can say you will be wasting your money putting helium in tires on a skidder.  Considering the weight of a skidder, you would need the volume of the Goodyear blimp to provide any lift.   The what kind of traction do you think you would get if your wheels were lifted any amount?   

I believe you "other logger" was smoking something and it wasn't helium.    smiley_whacko

And if you are considering hydrogen, think "HINDENBURG"

Here's a link to the "building" my office was in.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodyear_Airdock

[KBforester]

Helium is in short supply in the US at the moment anyhow.  ;D

[Maine372]

get Louis down there with the tower yarder.

[g_man]

Just use State House or Senate hot air from DC. It works just as good and is cheaper because of the abundant supply.

[DR Buck]

get Louis down there with the tower yarder.

It's in short supply in the world.   Recovery and processing is also VERY expensive.

[thenorthman]

make sure to check yer fail lead fluid first. other wise the helium could leak.

[Ed_K]

I have some wet areas to do and seriously thinking of building a short line yarder.

[hillbillyhogs]

get Louis down there with the tower yarder.

It's in short supply in the world.   Recovery and processing is also VERY expensive.

The US gov has PLENTY OF IT!! They've been backing the helium industry for who knows how long now...

[saxon0364]

I have some wet areas to do and seriously thinking of building a short line yarder.

I'd be interested to see that if you did.   I walked a piece of timber with a forester recently to get some ideas how to tackle it.    Long slope down to a creek, the timber has to get over the creek. The hill side has several small streams cutting the hill into 3 or 4 sections.   Springs and wet ground anywhere it gets flat enough to hold water. Large rocks and gullies every where.   Would be a nightmare for a skidder and to long a skid for horses.   To steep in places as well.     A small yarder was about the only idea we had short of taking the logs up and over the hill  up paying several other land owners for access.  Ive never seen a yarder in Pa.   I'm sure its been done but I've not seen it.

[mark686]

I think I found a solution to the problem but yet to try it. found a dh5 trencher that has all the tools taken off of it the whieght is about 4800 and the tires are wide for flotation hpefully have more info next week on how this works. ??? any thaughts

[thenorthman]

Built my gyppo yarder out of 2 tulsa duece and a half pto winches, hook it to 20-40 horse engine and it works pretty ok, need to build in some kind of brake for letting the line out so you can stop it where and when you want,(the old tulsa's where worm gear driven so no slippy when engaged). 

I have 1/2 line on it now 200' on one side and about 150' on the other, I could probably get 250-300' on the big side, the other is half that size so I use it for the main line and the big side for haulback.  Guy could get away with smaller cable and get more line on there... but less life out of the cable and less capacity...

Down side is there is no straw line so road changes are Manwell... and it currently only has a 10 horse motor with no real tranny so its a bit slow... there is a transfer case with reverse, and nuetral.

With rigging and fabrication I'm into it around $600.  including guy lines, and snatch blocks, results may vary.

Or a guy could just look into buying a Koller or a Christy and be done with it, without climbing trees and dragging guylines 50' up a with you

[loggah]

The old Bombardier muskeag tracked skidders were about the best machines of the day to work on wet or swampy ground, every now and then one shows up on a logging job. The Helium story sounds like B.S. to me, kinda like left hand monkey wrench!!! ;D ;D Don

[bill m]

What! They don't make left handed monkey wrenches? And I suppose they don't make metric crescent wrenches either.

[thenorthman]

What about them FMC tracked skidders? or is that the same thing, haven't seen one working in a long time, but they did have one big foot print.

Metric Crescent wrench's jeez, every one knows they only make em in SAE...

[mark686]

what about a board stretcher anybody got one? :D

[SPIKER]

Might not go farther tho 

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/football-helium-fly-farther.htm

lol   seems that the weight helps it GO

Mark

[loggah]

I dont know about a board stretcher, but  i do know some scalers  have a log shrinker !!! Don

[sandhills]

I'm just worried about the crescent wrenches only coming in SAE, how will I ever change the muffler bearings on my chevy?

[thenorthman]

I'm just worried about the crescent wrenches only coming in SAE, how will I ever change the muffler bearings on my chevy?

Use a FORD wrench ;D they do metric and SAE,  careful with that muffler bearing if you don't get it set just right... could fail and then catch on fire...

[Northern Timber Harvesting]

anybody ever see  balloon logging, maybe you should look into that.

[Okrafarmer]

Your helium skidder would go over like a lead balloon. Nice thought, no results, and lotsa money lost trying, amigo.

[smwwoody]

I do have a metric cresent wrench.  If i remember right it is marked 300mm.  it came in a tool kit from an old toyota FJ40.  it hung on my garage wall just to show people

[smwwoody]

as for muffler bearings they do exist too.  some of the early 70's dump trucks with heated bodies for hauling asphalt.  the body was heated by the exhaust and at the joint where the body hinged was a part called a muffler bearing.  i had the page from an old walker catalog with the listing for the muffler bearing hanging on the wall next to my 300mm cresent wrench

[Cedar Savage]

I usta sell all my crooked logs to a sawmill that had a log straightener.....

[Forrest277]

... heard from another logger that he uses helium in his skidder tires to help in wet areas...
wondering if anyone else has tried this. ???

... I find grass clippings work much better.

lol :°)

GF
===

[Okrafarmer]

The best way to get across wet areas is to wait for them to freeze deep and drive over the ice. Otherwise, if you can't wait that long (or you live in Florida) cut a lot of conifer boughs and throw them in the mud and you can drive over them. The heavier your machine, the more boughs you need.  ;)

[thecfarm]

When I have to get across a wet hole,I use rocks. But this is on my own land and I will use that trail often.

[Okrafarmer]

When I have to get across a wet hole,I use rocks. But this is on my own land and I will use that trail often.

Yes, that works well too.

[coxy]

have seen old tires cut and put together to make a mat