Small skidder vs. tractor with farmi winch?

JBlain · December 08, 2016, 08:24:07 AM

If you are going for small wood lots and niche markets, I would recommend trying a tractor with winch to start. You can haul it with a good truck and trailer without a CDL.

I use my ford 1920 for all kinds of things, subframe backhoe, grader box for roads and trails, bucket, etc.... I just made mine more stable on the hills with filled tires and wider rear stance. I didn't add belly protection because I have clean trails and pull winch cable and use snatch blocks when it is looking messy.

The other factor on older skidder is wrenching. My last piece of old steel was a crawler loader. The best days where when I bought it and then sold it...when something breaks, it always happened in the woods.... When I need crawler work done now, I just hire a pro and it is much quicker and cost effective.

I have put 1,000+ hours on my tractor and only routine service was needed. My dad has one that is pushing 8,000 hours with minimal issues.

Good luck.

John Mc · December 08, 2016, 09:47:08 AM

Very nice set-up, Stephen.

Are those teeth on your snow pusher some old ripper shanks from a box blade?

thecfarm · December 08, 2016, 11:49:17 AM

There are some people that think a tractor will do less damage to the woods.
I had a skidder guy try to convice me that horse logging makes more of a mess because they can't run over the brush and break it down. :

I was working my tractor,on my land,in the woods and tried to get him to my woods to see my "mess". I am very fussy with what I do. BUT it's my land,so I can spend the time to do it. I get all the money and can spend the time making it look nice. Almost like I was not even there. There is no way I could do that logging on someone elses land. So saying one makes more of a mess than other is not really true. I have seen nice neat jobs with a skidder and then some jobs I wonder when the bomb went off. Depends on the chainsaw guy and how they bring the wood out.

John Mc · December 08, 2016, 11:58:39 AM

I'd rather have a great operator with equipment that might not be the best thing suited to my property than a lousy operator with fantastic equipment.

Anyone can damage the residual stand or leave your access roads torn up and prone to erosion, regardless of what they are using to get the work done.

Puffergas · December 08, 2016, 08:04:38 PM

Used a tractor in the woods for years. No more, TJ225 does that now. Use a skid steer for the fine details. To move the 225, skid steer and logs I picked up a trailer and a Steiger (farm tractor). Only need to truck for short distances.

Stephen Alford · December 09, 2016, 07:31:13 AM

Thanks Barge after, seeing that hole you lads are digging , I can't understand why you haven't been to Oak Island. :D

47sawdust I do have a kettle. A cup of tea and a listen to the news is a highlight of the day.

Cfarm the grab works well. but I know what your thinking... "NO BOULDERS". :D Added a dangle chain for wabbit wood.

John Mc you are correct. They can be pointed ahead or back , but once full down in the root mat the tractor stays. Have not tested them with the new winch yet , will get a pic when that happens, Go easy.

DeerMeadowFarm · December 09, 2016, 07:58:45 AM

How thick are the belly pans on your tractor Stephen?

bill m · December 09, 2016, 08:09:17 AM

This is the belly pan on my tractor. It is 1/8 inch.

Stephen Alford · December 10, 2016, 02:42:48 PM

DMF, I believe it was 1/8 th as well. Put it on 26 years ago but i will check. Did it to lower the center of gravity plus provide protection. Lost a couple inches of clearance with the ribbing. It is actually 4 pieces. Wanted to be able to get at filters etc. Should mention I have found the acquisition of a clearing saw to be huge for trail cutting. It has the long shank and keeps stubs square not to mention that my back and saw are ready to go when I get where i want to be.
Got a chance to try the dangle chain and seems to work well and conformed to the grab. May have to mess with the length but because of the two shackles holding it in place , taking it off to move brush and slash will be easy.

DeerMeadowFarm · December 12, 2016, 08:44:52 AM

Stephen - I bought a clearing saw last year and it has been very helpful in trail maintenance! Thanks for the info on your tractor.

Stephen Alford · December 23, 2016, 09:48:53 AM

You are most welcome. In turn, thanks to you Jeff , your family and the admins for puttin up with us all and tearin around your home.

tip o the hat ta yee !!

https://youtu.be/OzbaEKCsyzs

Stephen Alford · December 28, 2016, 07:27:57 AM

In the past there have been some " skidder verses tractor" discussion. Personally I do not think it is a case of one or the other. They are just different tools. Parts especially tires and now at least here , some landowner attitude issues have surfaced. Been using the tractor for mainly tree harvests on one acre building lots. Had the winch mounted on the front and the grapple on the rear. This worked well on these small lots. Recently downsized to just the tractor and sold the skidder. Mounted the winch on the rear now and have some what of a blade on the front hoping to make it more efficient in a woods situation. Found this configuration on utube , found it interesting. Any thoughts ?

https://youtu.be/U2oFnxuRcS8

Ed_K · December 28, 2016, 02:29:51 PM

My setup isn't quite the same, but it works for me. I use the Tajfun winch to pull trees to the skid road and out to the landing. The grapple on the front bucket works in the woods to align trees, pull down hang ups,and move brush off skid roads or pile brush. At the landing I use the grapple to hold trees off the ground to buck into logs, and then stack on the sort piles. The clip didn't show the tractor being used much,but I wouldn't want to use the grapple to drag to trees very far, it'd be one sore neck by days end :( .

g_man · December 28, 2016, 08:55:57 PM

That's an interesting set up Ed. Do you have to remove the grapple when you do bucket work or does it swing out of the way.

gg

thecfarm · December 28, 2016, 09:02:49 PM

Stephen,I kinda liked your winch on the front idea. Winch them to the main skid road,drop them and have a grapple on the back.
I only have a 40hp tractor,so I think I can skid more than I can pick up and carry.

Stephen Alford · December 28, 2016, 10:41:26 PM

Man Ed that is a nice setup. Do you use skidder and tractor on the same site ? Also wonder how much of a security concern do you have at the landing for your gear. There have been issues here. Now with just the tractor I will be able to leave it in someones yard. This has worked well because I have been able to plug it in. The wind chills here are a problem. Generally you have to cross 60/100 acres of open farmland to get to the woodlot. Fortunately the full tractor cab makes it bearable. Does not seem far but in an open skidder with temps below -20 it can be a pain.

Hey Cfarm, one parameter for the tractor has been over all length,as it is not articulate like a skidder. The winch, grapple and scraper blade will all be implements on the back . With the front blade removed most of the time. I guess in all honesty things do not look good in the forest sector right now . By removing the winch and making it into an implement it would be sold separate from the tractor. Had I left it on the tractor I would not get anything for it when mounted on the front. Plus I was nervous about braking the front end. The tractor was designed to have the load on the rear. Should things improve then a quick attach system will be geared up.

It occured to me today that maybe the problem I mentioned about landowners and skidders was directed at my old skidder and not skidders in general. Poor ol Doll... was no looker... but she could haul wood. :-\

Ed_K · December 29, 2016, 10:57:43 AM

g_man, one 3/4" plow bolt and 2 quick disconnects for hydraulic hoses and the grapple is setting on the ground.
Stephen, I have both pieces on the lot. Most times its easier to use the tractor to bunch the trees along side the skid road then get the skidder and move the bunches to the landing. With the tractor I can set the bunches so its easy to put the chokers around the trees,also easier to lift them out of the snow too. I've been lucky, no ones has messed with the equipment on my jobs so far

.

47sawdust · December 29, 2016, 04:01:58 PM

Ed K,
That grapple has me curious.Can you post a picture of it?

Ed_K · December 30, 2016, 05:20:40 PM

I hope to get to the job tomorrow depending on the weather. I have to be careful, with this cancer I have to be carful not to get wet or cold,and get sick. Will try to get some picts.

47sawdust · December 30, 2016, 06:58:06 PM

Ed,
Please don't put yourself out on my part.My curiosity can wait.
What is the brand on that tractor and model?
Thanks,Mick

Ed_K · December 31, 2016, 08:01:22 AM

Landini 5860 60 hp 58 at the pto. I bought it in 04 and the only work its done is in the woods.

petefrom bearswamp · December 31, 2016, 09:40:55 AM

2007 8540 Kubota, 1994 Farmi winch, pallet forks, 7' bucket here.
Great around the mill altho the forks are hard to see, works good in the woods too.

Stephen Alford · December 31, 2016, 10:02:01 AM

Thanks Ed, great to hear your your out and about. Do go easy

. There was a time when we locked nothing. Really annoys me the time wasted on security. Frozen locks , lost keys, fuel and tools even had a bag of peppermints from under the seat .

DDW_OR · December 31, 2016, 11:57:55 AM

Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on December 31, 2016, 09:40:55 AM
2007 8540 Kubota, 1994 Farmi winch, pallet forks, 7' bucket here.
Great around the mill altho the forks are hard to see, works good in the woods too.

Here is my Mahindra 5520. i added two additional forks to make a tractor pitchfork 8)

Ed_K · January 03, 2017, 10:54:19 AM

I got some pictures of the grapple that I built back in 1999. It was first mounted on the Massy model 30 till I bought the landini in 04.
The 2 pictures are the hook up for the hydraulic hoses.

I had my machinist build a swivel pin so the grapple can swing around to different angles so the log or tree can line up with the pile or swing around trees in the woods.