Just wondering if anyone can give me hints/tips on logging where the terrain is really steep with a small cable skidder?
this is a hard one! best tip ? keep all 4 on the floor.... realy its easy to tell of a tip, but not knowing the site nothing realy is good advise.... except if it hilly/steep and rough is to go slow and easy with an open eye!!! safty first....a dead or broken man makes no living only bills................... keep the load low and hand at the winch controls, drop and run is for me !! as well as lowest throttle as needed to keep traction!!! nothing beats experiance ! and that takes time.... best of luck to you....
Chucker is right, without knowing the actual lay of the land or just how steep-advice is tricky. I have worked on steep areas and its always a bit nerve racking for sure. I try to work straight up and straight down and keep the machine winching load light especially when the load is below you. Keep your blade on the ground when winching and as low as possible when traveling. What kind of machine you runnin? What type of wood?
If it's really steep and you're in generally "broadleaf forest" there's going to be highly organic, dark, SLICK, soil. Wait until it's pretty dry to get on it.
During these times, do your groundwork with capstan or other fixed winches until conditions stabilize.
Here in the high (steep) Southern Appalachians, most long-time-used equipment has been badly beaten. It's mostly because of sliding and ballhootin'.
Sometimes it's just too wet, too slick and/or soft.
Even with cleated tires, chains, tracks, etc.; When you can't get the weight of the "tractor" and load into SOLID ground, you're going to slide.
Don't mix steep with stupid. Weight'll get you. It moves quickly.
Jasperfield
Look for another job thats no so steep till you get a better feal of your machine.
Keep the machine straight up and down on the hill and not sideways. Always plan ahead were u are going so you dont get in a place you dont want to be. And stay calm but aware. Keep your blade low.
Watch out for any rocks and stumps too.Alot can change in a hurry with a high stump or a good sized rock on one side.
The soil in the woods is some of the slickest you can find. This time of year, it won't really dry out. Better it freezes, chains help too.
Well guys thanks many for sound advice, I have been keeping the blade low but probably most of my hair raising experience's so far have been with either too heavy of a load or a rock/stump on a side hill. This terrain is steep,rocky and quite muddy like described. I am using a 1985 John Deere 340D which weighs approx (12,700lb), so pulling predominantly older rock maple can be quite a chore. I have noticed keeping the blade low is very instrumental in balancing the machine, along with not pulling while I am articulated.
Ive worked on lots of steep terrain, if you have one machine, like everyone else says keep your blade low and your hitch up, if the hitch gets under your belly pan it tends to push you down the hill..go straight up and down.. and use a 150 foot cable to reach what you can from top or bottom. We have worked where we hook one skidder to the cable of another to back down over a hill then pull another 150 feet of cable off of that to get wood on "hilly terrain :o" then have the skidder on top pull everything up... not the most fun
Best to stay off steep slopes if you have a single machine and not vey experienced with operating on slopes or are uncomfortable with the terrain. Do as TW3006 states above with an anchor machine backed up against a large standing tree upslope for added holding of the anchor machine. Always be sure you have enough cable and work the top slope and then the bottom half if you have access to it.
If the slope is too steep and you are not clearing the entire length for a ski slope, leave it. There might be some further discussions on slope harvesting in previous threads.
I may start a fight here with my machine preference, but the 200 series 'jacks handle steep slopes better than most other machines, and that is why they are common down here in PA. Depending on the site, we usually put a road on up to and across the top of the site, and then another at the bottom. Run to the top, drive down through, and hitch the trees up by the tops as you drive to the bottom road. As others said, keep the blade low, hitch pulled up tight, and go slow. If the ground is real steep, really rough and rocky, or both, plan on putting in dozer roads close enough to reach everything from the roads. I know it was mentioned above about hitching two skidders up and hauling 150 feet of cable on top of that. Not going to knock somebody for doing it that way, but unless you are making really good money on the timber your production is going to drop so much its not worth it. If you place roads 150 feet or so apart you can still fell many of the trees in the middle of the block straight down, then haul cable up to where you top them, and skid them down to the road. You may also want to consider putting fluid in your tires, as it will help your machine hold to the ground a bit better, especially in the rear of a cable machine. I run a barrel and a half in each corner on my 240A and its suprisingly stable. My last bit of advice is that if its a large job and you normally work alone you may want to consider hiring a helper. Cutting and topping on a hill is hard enough, factor in the up and down climbing dragging cable and setting chokers and it can wear a man out pretty quick. Good luck, Greg
lol all we have here is steep places best to keep the trees close to you and have your path laid out before you start down and when you go do not try and turn steep or your skidded will be on its side as the logs will push it on steep terrain
I was always thankful our woods on the farm was flat as the pavement. If it was steep, the trees would stay where they are. ;D :D I've seen some crazy logging sites on steep ground and they were most always clearcut. They were the sites that everyone got desperate to cut because all the easy ground got cut earlier and usually big wood on them. ;)
I started using a 60hp 4/4 tractor w/winch to prebunch on steep slopes,its much easier to pull 200' of 7/16 cable.Directional felling comes in handy also,as others have said. If you do use a cut tree to back against,make sure its twice what you think you need. I uprooted a 16" beech with my 18k taylor. It gets real hair raising with a root ball under you as you travel down to a bigger tree.
I have always worked with the blade low and the turn about 15-20 feet out physicaly dragging thus keeping you straight with the hill and toward the bottom start drumming in, have worked shows with skidders that had yarders next door which I did see a 540 JD rolled because he had his turn up tight and went a little side ways and the energy of the turn shoved the backend sideways rolling the skidder. Having that turn dragging is just like dragging a anchor just give your self some distance between yourself and your turn.
I don't think anyone has yet mentioned a log arch. I use a LogRite fetching arch on the front end of logs to get the front end off the ground. That takes a lot of the tension off the winch cable and makes it much less likely that I'll pull the tractor down the hill instead of pulling the log up. If necessary, anchor your skidder to a substantial tree or other immovable object.
The LogRite fetching arch is rated at 2000 pounds. You may need one with a bit more capacity if you are winching large logs or want to lift the whole log instead of just the end. I'm really happy with mine. It works better than I expected it to.
It can be a bit of a nuisance to deal with getting the arch set up over the tree, but it's not bad and much safer than pulling a large log on the ground.
Good luck.
I have been cutting where it was too steep for the buncher to go the last few days and noticed that I keep putting the choker hook as far under the stem as possible and hooking the grab hook as close to that as possible. This causes the butt to rise up over the stump and roots as opposed to plowing a furrow until it hits something. Anything which will make it easier on the machine counts for alot on steep ground! Work like an old man and you will live to be one.
ive heard horror stories about that kinda skidding and very few turned out good 3 rollovers and a few broken bones and brused egos later i say forget it reach it from the top or slightly over and pull up smaller hitches then get the rest by backing up from the bottom as for turning id never go cross lots on an incline that u described that could be suicide but a slight turn isnt a horrible thing either just make it a slow turn ive never heard about the fluid in the tire though sounds crazy enough to work