what is your favorite skidder?

[thumper]

John Deere 440D

i second the 440D,, i think the D stands for dream. i know im sick.. but have love for most others. my first favorites are 440s 540s, tree farmer C5s, TJ 207/208, then clark 664. lol

[logloper]

What? No Cat fans? Gotta love an old 518. Starts when its 20 below,dependable,great parts availability when it does break,and man can they pull in the wood.

[thumper]

the caterpillars came into the scene around here when the big guys went grapple. they seem to be very popular now, and tigercat as well. the john deere dealer around here is now tcat.

[graves logging]

1973 tree farmer tough as hell...

[Mike_M]

Mid 80's Cat 518 grapple with winch. We have a newer Timber Jack 360 grapple, winch, A/C, heater, CD player. But the 518 is a little faster and easier to get on and off. Living here in the Pacific Northwest we use the winch as much as we do the grapple. I would take the doors off (ALWAYS WORE MY SEATBELT) and wouldn't have to fight them when parked on a slope. The 518 was just a great skidder and had very few problems, plus great visiblility. Just my 2 cents.

[timberjack240]

im w for 1984 240E 4-53 detroit eaton rears gearmatic winch w the brake fliud control not hydraulic control w 18-4 34's w bear claws on the front i ran a 240B w a cummins for a whiel it was ok to had the 23-1's tho not big on them . and im gettin onto our 225E  its not to bad ..
dad was sittin here he was a fan of his 440 C

[mr T]

I am Thinking of buying jd 440 skidder Any big diff between A B&c? Any ideas appreciated

[thumper]

I am Thinking of buying jd 440 skidder Any big diff between A B&c? Any ideas appreciated

they improved as the years went by. there are the first 440s then a,b,c then d. people have their likes/dislikes on each model, i have a wore out 440a (does good though) and if our ground ever freezes enough to work this winter i may buy a 440c in nice shape. i think all models would make a nice machine if it is in good condition.

[mr T]

Thanx for comeback Thumper No winter here at all Been getting out firewood with my old 340 dozer not enough snow to cover rocks hard to keep tracks on  30degrees this am 20+wind good day to finish up wood &dream of skidder

[thumper]

mr.t,, are you partial to the 440 only? i think theres alot of 440s some 540s and a real nice tree farmer c5 in central/southern maine (uncle henrys and craigslist)  the 540 is just a little bigger (taller wheels more hp) .

[mr T]

Afternoon Thumper     No not really  a lot of people around here have good luck with them  c5 is good not real keen on detroit tho Will keep checking unk henry not much in this wk About give up on wood this wk 40. this pm

[timberjack240]

id go w the c or d model all the way you can pull mroe w about the same fuel . biult a lot tougher and a better cage . just a lil higher to get in .. my pap was a timberjack guy but always said that the 440C was the best pullin trctor pound for ound you could get. btw my family we had 3  ;D

[rickywashere]

i would say unless your in to high production a 540 deere would be all ya need i like them a lot tough as nails

[Bobus2003]

Whast your Opinions on a Mid '90's TJ 450 Grapple Skidder? Unsure on what engine or Hours..

[thumper]

nothing too bad about a timberjack.  if it is a detroit just get a nice muffler and spark arrestor. hey bobus does that tj have the old tranny and transfer layout, or did they set them up heavier duty like clark or deere?

[Samuel]

You really can't go wrong with the JD 748 eh?

[mad murdock]

The bigger the better, as long as you got the room to move!  http://www.vannattabros.com/skidder.html
check out these old wagners, HUGE machines for their day.

[mr T]

   Been checking out jd 44o;s I noticed a lot of different tire sizes on same models Were these options? or just later years? 54o has big rubber any change in axle ratio?

[aksawyer]

Nothing as tough as the clarks.been around vthem all,clark is tougher climbs harder and with a detriot breaks a large drag loose much better than the rest.We are still looking for our next mach.Up here in Alaska they are hard to come bye.Looking at an older Mountain Logger now.Basically a clark in dequise.Got to get one soon have about 50 acres of spruce and birch to log off.Aksawyer

[treefarmer87]

my treefamer c5 353 detriot

[timberjackrob]

timberjack 200 series,work by myself alot easy to get on and off of

[Shetland Sheepdog]

Here is a picture of 2/3rds of the Eastern White Pine logs that we have salvaged from blowdown. we have piled 2/3rds of what has been salvaged, and salvaged 2/3rds of what was damaged, so we're about 1/2 done with the operation. The logs will be sold as piled.



Here is a picture of the tractors that we use for skidding. Both tractors are Fords with 2 wheel drive. The one on the left is an '82 5610 with home-made boom and grapple. The one on the right is a '74 5000 with a Norse 3081 winch and a Ford 772 loader.

[ford62783]

i love any tj that is orange 240e or 350 with a detroit and gearmatic `

[Woodhauler]

I have run tjs ,john deeres,clarks,and cat cable skidders and hands down the most powerfull skidder i ever ran was my dads 825 case skid king! 3 skids and you had a tri axle load of hard wood! 9-10 cords!And also the most akward of the ones i ran! But had to love the power it had with the gearamatic winch!

[barbender]

Samuel- who manufactures the brush grapple attachments that are on the skidders in your pictures?