A really long trip.

[redprospector]

I pulled into my house this morning at about 2 am after going to Fulton MS to pick up the Farma 51D loader I bought off of wwsjr. Did I mention it's a long, long way from Cloudcroft, NM to Fulton, MS?
After loosing my faithful old Dodge in Weatherford, TX I managed to pick up a new "to me" truck in Arlington (and just think, in 42 months it will be mine  :
The high light of my trip was pulling up to the Willie's mill in Fulton and getting to meet him in person. He is a great guy.
We wrestled, and pried, and grunted until we finally got the loader on my trailer, chained and strapped it down, and then took a little time to see his Woodmizer in action. Willie has a very impressive, and efficient set up. He gave me a lot of ideas for setting up my mill.
It was a long hard trip, but looking back on it, meeting wwsjr and getting the tour of his set up, and just the time we got to visit, makes it worth the trip.
Thanks Willie.

Andy

[wwsjr]

Good to hear you made it home OK, was going to call you yesterday, got busy, forgot. It was a pleasure to visit with you and Ella. I hope the loader works out and does the job for you. I assume you and all the DOT's made it ok without problems. Maybe we can come out your way someday. Nice new "to you" truck. Meeting another FF member in person was again a pleasure. I forgot to take pictures, but it did happen.

Thanks,
Willie

[Chuck White]

It's always a great time when Forestry Forum members meet in person! 8)

[Magicman]

And the FF "For Sale" board works again.   ;D  Congrats to all.   

[thecfarm]

Sorry to hear the old Dodge let ya down. Have fun with the loader. Hope to see a picture of it in action.

[redprospector]

Yeah, I'm missing my old Dodge pretty bad. The Cummins is a 500,000 mile engine, but everything else is just a Dodge.  :D
It's going to be a little bit before I get the loader mounted. I've got to finish the job I'm on before I take any more time for anything else. I do need to get it mounted as soon as I can, I've got about 40 or so loads to haul right now, and that's not counting the stuff off the job I'm on now.

Andy

[Sixacresand]

It's always a great time when Forestry Forum members meet in person! 8)

I agree.  Met several this year at the Sycamore Project and the Chicken Crispin.

[redprospector]

Well, I got laid off for a week while the land owner hunts elk. So I'm using this time to mount the loader on my little gooseneck trailer. I'll take some pic's tomorrow, and try to get the pic posting process through my thick skull so I can show some of the trial and error, and the outcome.

Andy

[beenthere]

Andy
Look forward to the pics.
If any questions, just shout out.
If the pics are on your computer in .jpg format, then it is pretty straight forward after you set up your own gallery in your profile.
Then there is a primer in the first thread listed in "Behind the Forum" found under the "Home" tab in the above menu.
Hope it goes well. And hope you get some elk meat for taking the week off for the hunt. ;)

[Piston]

Well, I got laid off for a week while the land owner hunts elk. So I'm using this time to mount the loader on my little gooseneck trailer. I'll take some pic's tomorrow, and try to get the pic posting process through my thick skull so I can show some of the trial and error, and the outcome.

Andy

Interested to see your setup.

[redprospector]

Ok let's see if I've got this picture thing figured out.
The loader is set up for a 3 point hitch on a tractor. Very nice setup for mounting on a trailer too.
If the picture shows up, it should be of the lower mounting tabs on a cross member I welded in the neck.



 

[redprospector]

Ok, that seems to work.
This picture includes the upper cross member that will attach the top link. I'll weld the mounting tab on after I pin the bottom mounts. I'm not trusting my math at this point.


 

Andy

[redprospector]

I'm mounting the loader in front of the uprights on the gooseneck, it will set inside of the neck so I'm not eating up any bed space with the loader. In order to accomplish this I had to take the outriggers off of the loader.



 



 

Andy

[redprospector]

To complicate things a little more, I'm adding an 18" extension between the loader and the outriggers.
I'm using 3/4" plate, and 8" ID pipe with 3/8" wall. Then if I feel it's necessary I'll add some 1/2" x 1 1/2" strap to the pipe.
This is as far as I got today. I'll try to add more as I progress.



 

Andy

[TimGA]

Can't wait to see finished, that will be sweet.
                                        Tim

[Magicman]

Congrats on the "picture thing".  Now you can "show and tell".   

[redprospector]

I like that Magicman. Show & tell.

Here's the finished extension ready to bolt on.


 

The outriggers pinned to the bottom tabs.


 

Andy

[redprospector]

The loader is going to sit in there nice and tight. No loss of load area.


 


 


 


 

Well, that's as far as I got today. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Andy

[outerbanxer]

Nice welding work...and I did spy a shiny new Dodge behind the bobcat in a picture, I think it was a 3500.

[Piston]

It looks great so far.  I really like your idea of the mounting location, it will be very useful but not take up valuable deck space.  Do you know how much the unit weighs?  Thanks for posting your progress  8)

[Magicman]

There is a cat somewhere looking for his meow because you have taken his.  That is going to be a real cat's meow.   :D

[wwsjr]

Looking good Andy. Much easier to handle in with outriggers separated. Maybe we should have done that before we loaded on your trailer, might have been easier. Have you decided how you are going to power the hydraulic pump?

Willie

[redprospector]

Nice welding work...and I did spy a shiny new Dodge behind the bobcat in a picture, I think it was a 3500.

Thanks for the compliment, I'm more of a dobber than a welder. That Dodge is shiny right now, probably not for long. It's an 05, so the only thing new about it is that it's new to me.  ;D

Andy

[redprospector]

It looks great so far.  I really like your idea of the mounting location, it will be very useful but not take up valuable deck space.  Do you know how much the unit weighs?  Thanks for posting your progress  8)

According to what spec's. I could find, It weighed 1900 lbs. before I started adding to it. My back say's that the extension I built weighs about 150 lbs. Then whatever the cross members I added weigh.

Andy

[redprospector]

There is a cat somewhere looking for his meow because you have taken his.  That is going to be a real cat's meow.   :D

Thanks.
I wish it would have been my wife's cat's meow. That is the loudest, meowingest cat I've ever seen.  :D

Andy

[redprospector]

Looking good Andy. Much easier to handle in with outriggers separated. Maybe we should have done that before we loaded on your trailer, might have been easier. Have you decided how you are going to power the hydraulic pump?

Willie

Thanks Willie.
I figured out that what we should have done was unhook the trailer, then let the jacks all the way down before attempting to load it. It was very easy to handle when you don't have to put it on the second floor.  :D Funny how hindsight is so good.
I picked up a pump that should push about 8 gpm at 2000 rpm. I'm going to mount it to an old 18 horse Honda I have. I'm having a hard time finding a pump mount that will work, so I'm building that tomorrow. It's all going to sit between the 10" I beams of the neck.

Andy

[redprospector]

Ok, here's today's progress.


 

I'll loose a little reach because of the height, but I think where it set's makes it a good trade off.


 

Well, that's today's progress. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Andy

[wwsjr]

We built the mount I used on my trailer. Used a 6gpm with lovejoy coupling and 14.5 Briggs off an old lawn mower. Only problem was the rubber in the coupling did not last long, always kept spares. You should be pleased with the 8gpm and 18 hp. Looks good the way you mounted without giving up trailer space. You could weld a shop stool on gooseneck to sit on to get a good view while operating.  :D
Willie

[customsawyer]

That is a good looking set up.

[redprospector]

We built the mount I used on my trailer. Used a 6gpm with lovejoy coupling and 14.5 Briggs off an old lawn mower. Only problem was the rubber in the coupling did not last long, always kept spares. You should be pleased with the 8gpm and 18 hp. Looks good the way you mounted without giving up trailer space. You could weld a shop stool on gooseneck to sit on to get a good view while operating.  :D
Willie

Yeah, the Lovejoy couplers are good but if you're off by more than a couple degree on any axis they will eat the rubber spider up pretty quick. It's always a good idea to carry a couple of spares in the glove box anyway. I'm hoping I got this one close enough.
I was thinking about mounting my easy chair on the neck, good view when loading, good place to take a nap when not loading. Ella didn't think it was as good an idea as I did.  :D

There was a lot of other things going on today (other than what I had planned). But I did manage to get the pump mount built and ready for (what I hope to be) final installation tomorrow.

Test fit. Everything seems to line up right.


 

Painted, and ready to install tomorrow.


 

Andy

[redprospector]

That is a good looking set up.

Thanks

[redprospector]

Ok, I'm hoping tomorrow's the day she comes to life. I had to go off the mountain to get a battery, fuel line, and a few hydraulic fittings this afternoon. This is what it looked like when I left.



 

A view from the operator's station.
 

 

Hmm. Don't know what I did, but the last picture didn't turn out as expected.

Andy

[redprospector]

I've got to make another attempt at the last picture.


 

It came to life this evening, but it was too dark to take a video. It'll have to wait until one day soon when I go get a load.
I've got a few hydraulic leaks to fix, and I need to tune up the old engine, but other than that she works.  8)

Andy

Well, that picture didn't work the way I expected either.

[redprospector]

I hauled 3 loads of mixed firewood/saw logs off the mountain today. I thought about how this thread ended without proof of success, so I took a picture of one of the loads.
It works like it should. The controls are different from my other loader, so every time I use either one of them it's a learning experience now.  :D
I think I'm going to put one more brace at the top of the gooseneck. Sometimes I get a little rambunctious, and the extension gives it a lot more leverage on the attachment points than the original design.


 

[RickV]

Red, very nice setup. You sir have some skills. I was in your neck of the woods in Feb and am planning coming back out next Feb, we will have to get together and throw down a couple coffees.

[leroy in kansas]

RP, that looks really good. I'm wondering how the clearance for the truck bumper when in a sharp turn is. What is the limit for the lift with it extended?
Leroy

[wwsjr]

Looks good, professional installation job. It was amazing how well this small loader worked for me. The title of the post is very appropriate , the loader was manufactured somewhere in Europe, shipped to my place in MS from Canada, hauled from MS to NM. Not many hours on machine, but lots of miles.

Willie

[woodNthings]

Sir, I am covered with jealousy! Those dont just come up for sale everyday do they?
Very impressed with the craftsmanship and installation. Glad its been put to good use, just wish I had seen it first ;D

[thecfarm]

That looks like a good idea.

[isawlogs]

 That is just an awsome addition to a trailer. 

[drobertson]

I like it! heck of a good idea,

[backwoods sawyer]

Sir, I am covered with jealousy! Those dont just come up for sale everyday do they?

 


This is a little different boom style but they can be picked up reasonably and they are readly avalible from the importers that bring in the Yanmar and Isseco tractors. I looked at three sizes this being the mid size. Keep in mind they are all metric. It has a two stage boom one hydraulic the other manual. I just shortened the bed and mounted it up with shakle bolts. It will lift the truck off the ground loading too heavy of a log. I have loaded a 44" 12' fresh felled redwood so they have plenty of lift. I highly dought it is as fast as red's but it gets the job done and can be set up on a trailer as well.

[redprospector]

Red, very nice setup. You sir have some skills. I was in your neck of the woods in Feb and am planning coming back out next Feb, we will have to get together and throw down a couple coffees.

Thanks. Any time you find yourself in Southern New Mexico let me know, we'll have coffee and maybe a green chili cheese burger or 2.  ;D

RP, that looks really good. I'm wondering how the clearance for the truck bumper when in a sharp turn is. What is the limit for the lift with it extended?
Leroy

I can't remember exactly the clearance between the outriggers and the corner of the bumper is, but I have had it jack knifed turning around in some places. This is the 1st pickup I've had in a long time that wasn't a flat bed. The only clearance problems I've had was the top of the tail gate, and the bottom of the gooseneck while going over some waterbars.  :-[
If I remember right, at full extension, the specs I found said 8 or 900 lbs., up close 2000 lbs. but I think it will do a little more than that.

Looks good, professional installation job. It was amazing how well this small loader worked for me. The title of the post is very appropriate , the loader was manufactured somewhere in Europe, shipped to my place in MS from Canada, hauled from MS to NM. Not many hours on machine, but lots of miles.

Willie

Thanks Willie, I'm going to try to fix that part about "Not many hours".  ;)

Sir, I am covered with jealousy! Those dont just come up for sale everyday do they?
Very impressed with the craftsmanship and installation. Glad its been put to good use, just wish I had seen it first ;D

This style with the knuckle boom, and grapple don't surface very often, but don't be jealous, just keep looking. One will pop up when you least expect it.
When Willie posted this one, I thought about it for about 2 minutes, made sure I could cover the check, and got ahold of Willie. I'm glad I saw it first.  ;D

Like I said earlier, I didn't want this thread to end without at least a picture of a load on the trailer. If I ever have someone around to shoot a short video while it's running I'll probably make 1 more addition to this thread.

[redprospector]

 


This is a little different boom style but they can be picked up reasonably and they are readly avalible from the importers that bring in the Yanmar and Isseco tractors. I looked at three sizes this being the mid size. Keep in mind they are all metric. It has a two stage boom one hydraulic the other manual. I just shortened the bed and mounted it up with shakle bolts. It will lift the truck off the ground loading too heavy of a log. I have loaded a 44" 12' fresh felled redwood so they have plenty of lift. I highly dought it is as fast as red's but it gets the job done and can be set up on a trailer as well.

That's a nice rig, and I'll bet it will lift a heck of a load. I have to put the bigger logs on one end at a time.

[Bradbilt]

Following for ideas to build mine

[Magicman]

This topic is 7 years old.  :