Timber Harvest Methods & Equipment

[Puffergas]

The 5625sx loading on the landing.

[g_man]

Small Scale CTL ?  Thinning produces pole sized fire wood.






gg  

[thecfarm]

Loading onto a small trailer,you can hardly tell you have been there. We use to bring out four foot wood like that.

[sawguy21]

This small independent logger has been in business for a number of years and has a waiting list of clients in the local area. He uses the simplest of equipment in his operations. Here is a short bunk woodhauler and loader on the landing of one of his current tree length hardwood timber harvests, 9/19.

Interesting, I have never seen a coe with a tri drive let alone that lift axle. The loader is a neat setup.

[Puffergas]

The 125E skidding tree length. After seeing the above dozer with a grapple I'm thinking about a log arch with a grapple. Looks like an old grapple is difficult to find.

[Skeans1]

@Puffergas 
You might try Young Industries since Esco is pretty much out of business they were the two big players in building the grapple arches.

[Puffergas]

@Skeans1 

Did they or anybody make a trailer type log cart with a grapple? I don't want to attache it to the dozer just pin it to the hitch. On a budget so it would need to be 3/4 wore out.

[Skeans1]

At one time wheel arches were used out here but they were the big boys nothing you'd pull with that size of cat. Isn't the whole point of a grapple not needing to exit the machine to set the grapple or in this case I'm imagining a cable grapple?

[Puffergas]

Might be able to run the controls from the seat of the cat. No winch on the cat.

[Skeans1]

One issue I can for see is how will all that weight transfer on the hitch? Normally you don't want to use a grapple on a rear final or standard style final cat it applies all the weight onto the final when pulling a turn the best style is a track skidder where the final drive is the high drive style but centered.

[Puffergas]

I think the tongue of the cart would be lifting up on the cat hitch making the weight on the drive sprocket a bit less. Assuming the weight of the log was too the rear of the cart axle. I was thinking about using a truck axle or a trailer axle from a 40' trailer.

[g_man]

This is a rig I saw in a logging museum near Klamath, OR. An old Cat 30 dozer, one of the earliest Cats, and log arch. Looks to me like the Cat had a winch and they got the log in tight over the arch tracks to keep the tongue weight fairly neutral.



 

gg

[Ron Scott]

Interesting unit. I can remember when most all the logging was done with cats on the Michigan National Forests back in the early 1960's. Most with open seats, no armor, etc.

[Puffergas]

Only Bigfoot could reach that high to grab the cable.   ;D

[barbender]

I got a book from the local library once that had an extensive section on dozers and logging arches, it was very interesting with tons of great pictures. I wish I could remember the title of it.

[thecfarm]

@barbender,Endless Tracks In The woods by James A. Young and Jerry D. Budy will keep a man looking and reading for hours.

[Skeans1]

@barbender 
@g_man 
@Ron Scott 
@Puffergas 
@thecfarm 
If you ever get the chance to make it out here Camp 18 has tons of those arches still in working condition, even with those you can still stand a cat up on her back end.

[barbender]

I'd like to see it!

[thecfarm]

You buying lunch at the restaurant?  :D  :D

[Skeans1]

@thecfarm
The food is pretty good but the coolest part to me is that iron museum that they have outside, where else are you going to see a Washington/Allied Feller Buncher I think of the less then 50 built there's only one maybe two still cutting and then this one.

[Puffergas]

The 114 unloading some logs at the yard.

[BargeMonkey]

 Just a tough as nails machine, walks all over a newer 648G3. 


 

[Skeans1]

@SW Oh Logger 
@BargeMonkey 
Here's an idea for you guys
https://youtu.be/eGToBy1VFyA

[Ron Scott]

Came across this neat landing/decking area along a heavily traveled roadway into a popular winter sports area. This logger will attract new clients with "neatness".

 
 

[Ron Scott]

Equipment still in use by the small independent operator; a 5510 Iron Mule Forwarder and a John Deere Cable Skidder on an early 2020 timber harvest.