Building a Logging Arch (With Pictures)

[DeepWoods]

Decided to build me a logging arch about a year ago but things have taken longer than expected finishing my shop.  So after getting the ceiling and insulation in last month, I started the arch about a week ago.  I had most of the steel and parts so things went faster than I thought.

I did a lot of research on the FF and decided that I would use Logrite's ATV Arch as a good place to start.  I also liked a few things from other members that have already built one so I used their idea's as well. 

To start with I had purchaced the spindles, but they were to short so I found if I used two pieces of tubing, all fitting inside each other I would have a spindle that was stronger and longer.  I drilled a couple holes through the tubing and into the spindle a little bit so I could put a bead of weld to lock the two together.













Then I put a bead all the way around the wheel end to make things solid



After a days work, I had most of the arch steel cut and welded.










More to come, but I was wondering about using the roll on bedliner material to coat the arch instead of paint.  Has anyone used this material before on their truck and do you think this would work for my arch?

[shinnlinger]

I like it!  Was welding a winch up for my tractor today too after way too long.  I don't know if the bedliner is a good idea.  For one,  doubt your arch will see too much abrasion other than the inside of the wheels and I have seen it trap moisture.  On the other hand It's not like it would cost too much to do and worst case is you will have to wire brush it off 5 years from now and paint so why not?

[Magicman]

I will be closely following this arch build.  There is one in my future

[caveman]

The arch looks really good and the welds are impressive.  I used herculiner roll on bedliner on the inside of my bronco several years ago. It has held up well inside the cab but if I were doing an arch (and I am), I would just paint it with oil based paint.  It would be easier to grind off and less expensive to touch up if you ever decide to weld something else on the arch.  If memory serves, the metal will need to be scuffed fairly well to get good adhesion from the bedliner mixture.  I think I used a DA with 80 grit to prep the area.  Good luck and hope to see a log hanging from it soon.

[shinnlinger]

Deep,

Can you give a rundown on what you plan to pull this baby around with?

[tonto]

Very impressive welds. Looks like you have some experience with this sort of stuff. Also will keep a close eye on this one. Tonto.

[thecfarm]

Looks like we have a building spree going on with members.  ;D Looks good. What are you going to pull the arch with,4 wheeler,tractor,hp size?

[bandmiller2]

DW,some fine beads,welding through the holes is called plug welding.Are you planning to truss that frame? Isn't that tube nice stuff to work with, more expensive than pipe but easier to form.

[DeepWoods]

To answer some of the questions, I plan on pulling it with my Sportsman 500 ATV.  I have used a skidding cone in the past and it is just to hard on the atv and the ground.  I also wanted to get the logs back to the mill without the dirt in the bark. 

I was fortunate to have a neighbor where I grew up that took me in and taught me to weld when I was 11 years old.  Started out with a stick, and then with a wire feed.  It is something I have been greatful for all these years.  I wish I could return the favor to some young guy, but now days liability is a real issue. 

I figured that the arch would have to be sandblasted before the bedliner material was applied, so Im not sure I will pursue that thought.  I just wanted something that would be durable for years to come.

I don't know if it would be needed, but I wondered if I should weld some tubing from where the wheel spindles are, to the front of the arch and attach to the tounge.  Kinda like the large propane tank carriers have.  This would make it so it pulls from the wheels to the coupler and not put so much strain on the backbone of the arch.   






 

Here is an ajustable yoke that was used on other FF members arch that I though would be usefull in securing the front of the log from swaying





Winch mount for a Warn 3700 winch. 





Just about finished, trusses and tounge jack in place




I need to get some #4 cable for the winch, I also want to use quick connects on the cable so I can switch back and forth from the arch winch to the front winch on the atv for lifting the snowplow.  This will allow me to use the same tethered remote for both winches.

[ChuckinVa]

I wish I was your neighbor. I would sign a release....

[kelLOGg]

I like the down-yoke. I saw an arch on the road with one and thought I should copy that idea on my arch.  what size tubing did you use?
Bob

[bandmiller2]

DW,those two braces are a real good idea,especially when you consider a one ton log with one wheel getting pulled over a rock or ditch.Buy trussing I mean around the outside of the inverted "U" so the weight dosen't tend to spread the legs,all thats holding now are several 2" welded tube joints.The small commercial arches use the truss system.Probibly some good old fashioned Rustolium oil base paint would do her proud.Fine work. Frank C.

[pineywoods]

DW the pictures of your welds are causing me some grief. I may just have to go delete any pictures of my stuff that involves welding. :(  Super job...

[flibob]

Nice welding, nice pics, and nice project.  Thanks for sharing.  My welding looks terrible and the quality is worse than the looks.  I beat on it with the sledge and if it doesn't break I am good to go.

[mad murdock]

very nice fabrication work there DW! 8) 8) for the finish, one way to go that works well is after proper bare metal prep, apply a good  primer, followed by a couple coats of alkyd enamel.  The alkyd enamels wear like iron, and are the base for the paint that goes on name brand stuff, like JD, Cat or what have you.

[captain_crunch]

Guys that heavy coat paint hides a lot of welder opperator error ;D ;D That is why most of my welds get painted before pics :D :D I have got to where I don't seem to be able to see good enough anymore for shiney welds : : But I never was that good even back when

[DeepWoods]

Thanks for all the compliments on my project.  Just so you know, I do make some poor welds on occation, and I never have been able to weld aluminum very well.  My welding helmet has a magnifiying lens in it that helps me see what I am doing.  Eyesight aint what it used to be ya know.

kelLOGg, the tubing I used for the yoke was 2" square 1/8" walled that slides into 2 1/2" square 1/4" walled.  I am hoping that all it takes to hold the log in the yoke is just a piece of chain from one hook to the other. 

Bandmiller2, Yes, I did put some extra plates on the corner joints.  Hopefully this will be enough to keep the corners from being torn apart.





Here is a shot of the back end.  I intend to use the back chain to take the weight off the winch cable while transporting.







Pretty much done for now, Need to go to town for more stuff to complete the electrical for the winch




I have decided from all the suggestions to give it a good coat of Orange paint to match my Norwood Sawmill.  I was even able to get the cable disconnects in Orange to match. 

[sdunston]

Nice job on that rig, I think the warn winch is a great idea, I have a hand winch on mine and a large log wakes you work to hard.What color is it going? 8)
great job
Sam

[GF]

Excellent build, I think I may have to build one for myself in the near future.

GF

[chelle]

Great job on the log arch build. I built mine to haul 16' x 30" but I have hauled 20' with it too. I started towing with my Sportsman 800 but now I tow with a Chevy Tracker. The little truck gets into some tight spaces.

One thing I would suggest is a mount for tools. I always carry a Peavy, a long pry bar and some cables / straps. It always seems like I have to move the log one way or another for pickup. Oh and a first aid kit.

My arch, the pic is not great but you can see the top of the peavy sticking up near the front.




Then once I finished the arch I built this so I could bring home more sticks at once.

[mad murdock]

Chelle, is that boom trailer all manual on the hydraulics?  that is a pretty cool looking trailer setup.  Nice job! 8)

[chelle]

Hi MM, ya I've been meaning to do a writeup on that trailer for a while now.

It's not hyd at all, yet. I built it so that I could add hyd later if I wanted to.

The outriggers are 2.5",1/4" wall tube within a 3" activated by 12v linear motors.

The boom is raised by a 24" bottle jack.

The boom rotates with a 10:1 gearbox, manually.

There's a 4000lb winch on the boom with a set of tongs.

The axel is a walking beam and is adjustable to suit the length of logs.

It allows me to bring home 5 pcs @ 12' at once.

[Beefie]

Wow there is some really talented welders on this site. I love the log arch good design. Also like the log trailer that seems really handy. More pics of both please to get the creative juices flowing.

Beefie

[DeepWoods]

Time for an update on the logging arch progress.  I took some time to think about how things would work while out picking up logs and one of the first things was what would I do when I wanted to pick up a 20 foot log without dragging the log in the dirt.  So I figured since my Norwood had removable axles, I would incorporate them into a tag axle that could be put under the long end of the log.  I had used the Norwood axles last fall to move a birch from my neighbors to the mill but wasn't happy with the way things worked so I knew some improvements were in order. 

I also wanted to be able to take the tag axle into the woods with me without having to carry it on the atv.  So I had to come up with a way to mount the whole thing to the arch.


Here is the start of the mounting system for the tag axle.






Here is the tube to slide the Norwood axles into sitting in the mount




Some heavy duty brackets to hold the straps that will hold the log to the axle





Here is the removable tongue and its mounting bracket on the top of the arch




A shot of the completed tag axle with the Norwood axles installed.



And here is the entire axle mounted to the logging arch.



You may notice that I also added more bracing on the arch.  I figured it couldn't hurt to add some more strength in that area. 

And thanks to chelle's post, I have a tool box that is in the works that will fit on the front of the arch ahead of the winch.  I will be starting on that tomorrow.  So stay tuned for further developments.

[Dakota]

Nice fabrication.  Only problem I can see is that you have to lift the tag axle on and off the arch.  I took a little different route with my tag axle.







I'll wait to see how you plan to attach your tag axle to the end of the log, before making a suggestion about something I found to be a problem with the tag axle tongue while hauling a log.
Dakota

[bandmiller2]

DW glad you braced your arch a little more,they take much strain loaded in the woods.Looking at your last picture I can't help but think how nice it would be to have a bar you could put between the wheel stub axles to lower the log on when transporting.That would keep the load low and less swinging.All in all your design looks good and your workmanship above reproach. Frank C.

[Piston]

Looks great, I like the look of your shop.  Your doing a great job on the arch and makes mine look like a kindergardener built it  :D
Nice welds and good ideas.  I recently bought a 4500 lb electric winch to mount on mine, just waiting for the welding leads to come in so I can wire it into the tractor. 
I'm also planning on adding the front adjustable support like you have, I might steel your idea for it.   ;D

[Lud]

You can find implement paint at Tractor Supply.   Tough stuff.  Oil base.

[DeepWoods]

We think alike bandmiller2, my original thought was to have a bar between the stub axles.  I left the ends of them open for that purpose, but in the process of fabricating I decided that a chain would work ok.  The other reason for having the bar between the axles would be so I could use it as a tow bar for the tag axle.  Which I would have done if the tag axle would have not been able to take apart.  I guess when I have had a chance to use the arch for a while, those types of things will be more obvious, and I may modify the arch as needed.   

Piston, the front yoke as I call it, was taken from another FF members arch.  I can't remember which one however.  That is the great thing about this forum, we all learn from each other.  That is one of the reasons I started this post, as I wanted to return the favor by showing the rest of the members what I have learned from them.  Hopefully others will take the best ideas of my arch and use it on one they build.  One of the last things I will do is update this post after using the arch for a while so I can talk about the things I would have done different if I had it to do over.

I started the tool basket yesterday, and hopefully will finish it today so I can post pictures of it soon.

Les

[DeepWoods]

Here is a picture of the tool basket that I was able to finish today.   



Here is where it will be mounted to the arch.



I used the expanded sheet metal on the sides and bottom so it wouldn't collect any water.  I will use it to carry the logging chains and ratchet straps. 

Well I think the fabricating part of the arch is complete.  Like most things I do, it has taken longer than expected.  But I am pleased with the results.  I will be doing a little detail work on grinding and sanding the metal to get it ready for paint.  It will be Allis Chalmers Orange.  This is what was available to me that should match the Norwood mill I have.

It may be a while before painting the arch, as my loving wife has requested that I work on a project for her now.  She wants a bench built for in front of the window looking out to the lake.  She has been very patient, and I like to keep her happy.  I did tell her that I would need a day to clean up the mess I have from building the arch, and she is OK with that. 

Les

[mog5858]

very nice job on the arch you are shere a good faber i would say.
when you go to paint your arch get harder (enamle harder) for your paint. u just add a little to the paint and will make it rock hard and very drable. when you done with the harder take you mig gun and shot a little co2 in there and it will keep for years.  i just used it for the new paint on my 201 tj and it work great.

[sst04]

Very nice, I guess when I get started up I will need to make one of these.

[clww]

GREAT job, DeepWoods! 8) 8) 8)

[DeepWoods]

Well I finally finished the arch.  Two coats of primer, and two coats of Orange enamel.  It took quite a while to paint that tool basket, but I am real satisfied with the results.   8) 8)









I wired the winch so it can be plugged into my atv.  It has been a lot of work and fun to fabricate something from scratch.  Only time will tell if I have to make any modifications to it, but I think everything will work out fine.

Can't wait to try it out.  Almost all of the snow has melted in the woods, so I should be able to do some cutting and hauling in the near future.  I will post some pictures of it's maiden voyage.

[Magicman]

Very nice DeepWoods and that has been quite a build.  I'm looking forward to seeing it loaded up.

[Dakota]

Super job.  You'll get a lot of good use out of it.
Dakota

[Onthesauk]

Looks like a professional job!

[GF]

Looks great, very professional.

GF

[DeepWoods]

I had an opportunity last Friday to use my logging arch for the first time.  I had a friend visit over the weekend and we went out to where we had cut a large cedar about 5 years ago.  I was unable to skid the butt log at the time due to its size.  It did not fit the skidding cone I have, so I let it lay there.  We were able to back up to it with no problem, and in just a few minutes it was ready to haul away. 



As you can see there is a lot of rot in the butt end, and I don't expect much in return, but all I want from it is some one by material to make some wood duck houses.   

I found that I will most likely take the tag axle off unless I need it as it seemed a little top heavy while going through the woods with it empty.  I think if I hit a rut or dip in the trail to fast, it could tip over.  I can say that everything went well after the log was loaded, and only had to adjust where the log was lifted to get it to hold tight in the front yoke while not having to much weight to the rear. 

I will have to wait a while before getting to mill the cedar as we received another 6" of new snow on Saturday and the area around the mill will be wet for a while.   

[bandmiller2]

DW, its really nice when a piece of equipment you built works well,that arch is almost too pretty to use. Frank C.

[D Hagens]

I've been following this thread and I have to say that you do great work Nice welding and a great design

[customsawyer]

It is nice to get the satisfaction in building something and getting to see it do its job.

[WildDog]

Excellent fabrication there DW.

[Beefie]

I am going to bring this post back up . Now that there is 2 years of use on it, how has it been working and did you change anything on it. There was a lot of great design in this arch and maybe some people didn't no about this thread.

Beefie

[DeepWoods]

Funny how things work out.  I have had little use of my arch since I finished it.  Other projects have taken priority the past two years.  We had a portion of our property logged off a couple years ago, and as part of the deal they brought me ten cords of firewood.  No need for the arch that year.  Last March a neighbor logged on the back side of our acreage, and I had them bring me eight cords of black ash saw logs after they finished our neighbors job.  No need for the arch again as they dropped the logs at my mill. 

The few times I have used the arch, I was pretty satisfied with it.  I did find that using the tag axle had its issues.  When making a corner, the tag axle doesn't steer with the arch, and therefore wants to slide instead of turning.  I think I can solve that problem by only using the lift cable at the rear of the arch, and letting it pivot on the cable and allowing the tag axle to follow.  I haven't had an opportunity to try out my idea, so I don't know how well that will work. 

I haven't changed anything on my build yet, but with as little use I've had with it, my guess is that I haven't had all challenges put to it yet to find any potential flaws in it. 

[21incher]

Great job on the arch build. After reading this thread I think a arch may be my next project using some of your ideas if you don't mind.

[DeepWoods]

That's why I put this project on the FF, for others to use and share my ideas.  Hope your build goes well. 

[Billbob]

Excellent work on the log arch!!  You're making me jealous!  I've been gathering the parts to build one (winter project).  What did you use for wheel hubs?

[DeepWoods]

I purchased the hubs and matching spindles from a local trailer supply store.  If I remember correctly, I had about a hundred bucks invested in the hubs and spindles.  They were complete with bearings, seals, and caps.  I had some of the steel, but do remember having to purchase a lot of it as well. 

[Red Good]

Really nice work on the arch , looks very good . I am in the middle of building mine and am going to use your idea on the Y . Seems like it should help stabilize things . Good write up as well .Thanks   

[DeepWoods]

The Y, or yoke as I call it does an excellent job of keeping the log from swaying.  I did haul a 13 foot long red pine that was about 24 inches in diameter, and the yoke did a great job of holding the log in place.  With almost nine feet of log on the back side of the lifting cable, it wanted to lift up on the back of my atv, but I was able to carry it to my mill.  I did make the yoke adjustable, but a solid one made for the largest log you could carry would work as well without as much work. 

[waho]

 
https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/29910/DSC_0032%7E5.JPG[/img
Kind of hard to see, but this is how we haul'em. Any length we need.

[thecfarm]

 waho,try this,

I like to go to whatever post or start a new topic first to include a picture.Go to your gallery,it will open in a new window.Click onto your album,then click onto whatever picture you want,it will get bigger,than scroll down a little to find,Insert Image In Post,click onto that,click Yes and that is it. Some have to copy/paste the link to work.I like to hit the enter key at least once or twice to move the picture down away from what I am typing. The enter key really helps to leave some white space if posting more than one picture. Somewheres I think it says to add 10,000 to your user number or something like that to make a clickable icon to your gallery under your user name. Use the preview button to see how it looks and modify it if needed.

I know it works,I found your album and tried it. I think you linked your thumbnail.

[waho]

Thanks, sort of got it.

[36 coupe]

The legs on my log hauler are splayed outward.I welded up square boxes for the spindles.Drilled a hole thru the box and the spindle.A bolt keeps the spindle in and lets me replace a damaged spindle.I had some 600/16 tires and wheels on hand. I built the hauler long before I got the band mill.I spent 200.00 on new steel, spindles and hubs.The drawbar telescopes for long logs.