cant hook advice

[caveman]

I am relatively new to sawing and need some advice on which logrite canthook to purchase.  A little background information-I have two canthooks with 5' handles that do okay but do not hook as easily as the one I have with the 4' handle.  The last time I sawed, I was turning a slash pine that was 26" on the small end and broke the handle on my canthook with the 4' handle.  It is the tool I use most of the time.  Would you reccomend that I buy a 4' or 5' logrite to replace the one I busted?  We have an LT 28 (no hydraulics or winch).  Thank  you. Caveman

[carykong]

I had a logrite cant hook. With the aluminum handle.  The hook engaged the logs really well but the handle slowly developed a warp. Aluminum handles are light and strong,unfortunately aluminum does not have the memory and spring that returns it to its original shape.  I returned the canthook for a refund.  I would recommend that you go with a cant hook with a hickory or ash handle.

If you use your hook a lot, you will not be satisfied with an aluminum handle.

Actually before I returned the logrite. I took the cant hook to my local weld shop to copy the hook (lower portion including hook) and made a 6' foot handle out of hickory.  This hook gives me plenty of leverage for the larger logs. 

BTW,do you have a log turner on your LT28?

[redbeard]

I have never warped or bent mine and it has moved some heavy logs. I like the light weight and handle diameter.

[Jeff]

If you use your hook a lot, you will not be satisfied with an aluminum handle.

BULL!

There is no way you are going to "Warp" your logrite handle unless you mechanically abuse it or your name happens to end in KONG.

You will find hundreds of members that use logrite and would use nothing else. I think the hook is the same on the 4 and 5 footers, but I could be wrong.  You won't have to ever worry a bit about it aging and getting weathered and someday busting your ass when it breaks. The logrites will hook better than any wood handled hook you have ever used.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

If you use your hook a lot, you will not be satisfied with an aluminum handle.

or your name happens to end in KONG.   :D :D :D :D :D

[customsawyer]

I bent one of mine. Well not sure you can say I bent it but it  was my fault when the log rolled off the deck and landed on it just right. I was lucky in that it landed perfectly to look like I bent it by turning a log. It only has a slight bend to it and it still works great. Logrite offered to replace it but I told them that it was in no way a defect in the product just in the user. I have abused my logrite cant hook and three peeves but have never had one not work perfectly.

[Dan_Shade]

If it was a LOGRITE cant hook, and the handle bent, it was abused, or had a material defect.  If it was one of the northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company ripoffs, then a bent handle is no surprise.

Logrite does make a cant hook with heavier tubing for those who like to abuse their equipment.   :D

I like my 60" peavey the best.  Mainly because I can stick it in the ground and not have to bend over to pick it back up.

[bandmiller2]

I use boath logrite cant hook and wood handle.Only problem with logrite is they grow legs and walk no one bothers with the scrody old woodies.I'd like to see a larger swinging hook option most peavy/cants have trouble gripping large logs. Frank C.

[Bibbyman]

I use boath logrite cant hook and wood handle.Only problem with logrite is they grow legs and walk no one bothers with the scrody old woodies.I'd like to see a larger swinging hook option most peavy/cants have trouble gripping large logs. Frank C.

I'd like to have a LogRite with a shorter hook.  We have two 30" and one 36" "mill specials" and the hooks are too big to work well rolling and placing 6x8 cants.  

One size don't fit all...

[Jeff]

They have the bigger option in the Super Stick.

[Chris Burchfield]

I love my LogRite 60" cant.  I picked it up over at the WM 25 year birthday celebration at Will's place in Missouri.   I weigh 275lbs. @ 6' have bounced on the end with my weight to roll some awfully big logs.  I've not bent my cant.  I've seen folks get a bite on a log and use a tractor and chain on the end of the cant to turn logs over.  This is the only way I can see to bend one.  Though it did work, this is not what or how they were designed to be used for.

[WDH]

The LogRites are superior when it comes to hooking the log.  Night and day difference from a traditional cant hook.  The 5' is more versatile on a manual mill as you can get more leverage to turn the big logs.

[paul case]

i replaced my 4' cant hook with a 4' logrite and it works much better than the old one.

add me to the list of more than satisfied logrite owners.  pc

[Magicman]

I get to try out my new 5 footer next week.   

As a side note, I went to my welding shop to find a replacement for a broken wood handle peavey.  What I got was not pipe, but steel tubing that is used for building race cars.  It is thin, light and very strong.

Hook angles, arches, and lengths differ.  It's frustrating when a cant hook/peavey won't catch a log.  Some are designed for small logs and some for large.  I think that some are not designed at all.   :-\

Wood handles rot.  I paint mine with a preservative and coat them with sanding sealer each year.  Rot still happens.

[Chuck White]

I like my 4' LogRite cant hook really well and use it every time I run the mill!

I would just as soon have the handle just a smidgen smaller, I doesn't fit my hands the way I feel it should, but hey I still love it.

I have several old wooden handled cant hooks, well, my off-bearer broke the handle on his favorite so I had a friend make a replacement on his lathe.  Made it out of Hard Maple and installed it with the grain turned in the strongest direction.

[John S]

Just watched the Log-Rite vs. Northern Products video, pretty impressive!  Thanks for the info.

[WH_Conley]

I have two 30" mill specials that have turned untold thousands of logs with no problem.

[dnalley]

I wonder if you checked with Logrite, how many handles out of a hundred would "slowly develop a  warp"??  I'd venture to say not ONE!  Wood I could understand warping--maybe, but with a Logrite, if it is warped it was abused by something other than human hands---even a BIG man

[dukndog]

I got one of their "orange" chainsaw cants and had it for around 4 years, staying outside, leaned up against my pile, and have ran over it numerous times with my tractor.  No warps bends or crush....just chipped orange paint and the grip rubber on the handle torn!!
Logrite makes a high quality product...just wish they would run for office...me thinks they could build a stronger US!!!

DnD

[Larry]

I like my 60" peavey the best.  Mainly because I can stick it in the ground and not have to bend over to pick it back up.

A cant hook stand works well also.





I improved my old Dixie cant hooks by boring out the pivot hole and replacing the bolt (I can break them) with a hardened steel pin.  Re-shape the sharp point and sharpen.  Re-shape and sharpen the end fitting.  After these improvements you will still have a POS cant hook, because the geometry is wrong and the construction is poor.  Simpler to buy a Logrite the first time.

At times I do dream of a Logrite with a laminated walnut and ash handle.  Yes, I hate aluminum baseball bats also. :D

[Dan_Shade]

or how about carbon fiber and kevlar?   :D

[Magicman]

Or how about these.

[customsawyer]

I guess you'll are saying I am the only one strong enough to bend a logrite. Even if I had to cheat I still got-er-done. ;D

[red oaks lumber]

running one over to bend it dosen't count ;D

[jcbrotz]

I bent Mine and was not happy about it!






I was however suprised to see 573 boobcat on the cant hook. Unfortunatly The operator did not see the cant hook leaning on a log he only the log and he tried to push it out of the way to get the machine out. And for once it wasn't me  :D

[paul case]

Or how about these.

the reason i like the cant hook on the left so well is the cant hook on the right.  pc

[caveman]

Thank you to all who posted their opinions.  I will buy a 60" logrite and make a replacement handle for the one with the wooden handle that I broke.  The one that I broke really does grab well and the handle was not rotten so I will make another handle-I like wooden handled tools but may follow Magic Man's advise and use steel tube.  Most likely, I will make a short handle, 24"-36". Someone asked if our LT 28 has a log turner.  Its log turner is the canthook, which is fine for the limited amount of sawing we do.  If we sawed more or had intentions of ever being profitable, we would have more gizmos to make our operation more efficient.  Caveman

[WDH]

You will love it.

[backwoods sawyer]

I keep wooden 4' cant hook on the forklift, and another hanging around. I find the two 5'+ Pee Vees that I carry in the truck are my work horses. One grabs real well and the other so-so. The wood handle has taken on a curve and is showing its ware. So I ordered a pair of the 60" heavy Logrite Pee Vees. When the Logrites arrived the first thing I noted was that they weighed more than the old wooden ones. I have only tested them on Maple, Alder, Myrtle wood and a small Redwood and they seem to grab as well as my best Wooden handled Pee Vee. I am looking forward to many good years out of them.

[tyb525]

I first got a northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company 4' cant hook with a fiberglass handle. It's pretty heavy.

I bought a 4' Logrite cant hook earlier this year, and I was surprised to find it is even heavier than the knock off from northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company. The handle is also pretty big in diameter, and it took some getting used to.

Despite those two things, it is miles better than the chinese knock off, and it only takes one use to tell how high the quality is.

[Meadows Miller]

You will love it.

X 2  In 18 years of sawmilling log building and logging they are the best ones out there you can get and I have used alot of different brands from all over the world  All my hand tools in the future will be Log Rites  ;) ;D 8)

Regards Chris

[millwright]

I recently got a 48 inch logrite cant hook and I havent used the old wood ones since, it works great.

[nlrwrangler]

I bought a Stihl and I believe that it is made by Logrite but has the Stihl name on it.  Does anyone know if this is correct?

[mad murdock]

Thank you to all who posted their opinions.  I will buy a 60" logrite and make a replacement handle for the one with the wooden handle that I broke.  The one that I broke really does grab well and the handle was not rotten so I will make another handle-I like wooden handled tools but may follow Magic Man's advise and use steel tube.  Most likely, I will make a short handle, 24"-36".   Caveman

Caveman, the steel Magic is referring to is 4130 Chrome-moly tubing.  I would get a piece the dia. you need, with .063" wall thickness.  That should be strong enough for a couple of elephants, but light enough to throw around with one hand.

[carykong]

I can only relate to my forum bros that my 5' logrite aluminum handle slowly failed over a period of about 120 days. Yes,the hook worked great and engaged the log just fine. However,once I developed a small bend in the handle,the bend slowly increased with use. I used the hook for routine log turning on my mizer. I weight about 200lbs and was about 59 years old of normal fitness at the time the hook failed. Never abused the hook. Of course, to get  some logs turning ya really have to hang on the handle but I would not call my technique abuse. Just normal pulling. Anyway, we all make our choices and my homemade 6' hickory cant hook is the bomb.

[Brucer]

I bought a Stihl and I believe that it is made by Logrite but has the Stihl name on it.  Does anyone know if this is correct?

Yep, it's correct.

[paul case]

carykong,
if my logrite ever failed i would be certian to call them and i would imagine they would make it right.
it is impossible for every defect to be seen with the human eye.
pc

[Jeff]

I'm wondering if he bought his canthook somewhere else than logrite and it was a knock off.  His description of what happened goes against everything I KNOW about the tools. There is absolutely no way those tools will develop a bend as he describes. Something is missing from the equation that he is not seeing. I am absolutely not saying he isn't telling us how he sees it, but I'm saying that whatever caused the event to occur is an answerable anomaly.

[carykong]

Jeff,

I bought my aluminum handle cant hook from woodmizer and woodmizer refunded me,no questions asked,minus shipping charges. I do remember asking the mizer tech if the bent handle syndrom had a history. The mizer tech replied in the negative.

[Dan_Shade]

anything mechanical can break, and in manufacturing, there can be inconsistancies due to tolerance or material treatments/handling.  If it bent under normal use, I would suspect a heat treating/material issue of the aluminum.

All companies (and people) make mistakes or have problems, it's how they react when one occurs that counts.  Carykong, it sounds like Woodmizer did you right in your experience.

[paul case]

well,
i routinely put all of my 300 lb grunt on my logrite cant hook and it has no give in the handle or hook whatsoever.

oh and btw my logrite happens to be ez boardwalk blue.  ;D pc

[Brucer]

Well, the handle on my 60" Logrite peavey/cant-hook bent within a few months of me buying it. More acccurately, it "was bent" by one of my customer's employees. He was trying to roll a 30" diameter, 16' Douglas-Fir log that was sitting on top of two other logs. I spotted him with the Peavey anchored in the log and the handle horizontal. He was hanging from the end with this hands and had his feet wrapped around the handle -- and he was bouncing. I put a stop to that and then asked him what he thought would happen if the log actually rolled up off those other logs.

"I dunno," he said, "I guess I'd fall on my back." Yeah, right, and the peavey would fall on top of him and then the log would land on the peavey.

I didn't notice the bent handle until later. This was for sure the real thing -- I bought it from Logrite's agent in Canada. Ryan only weighed about 160 pounds, but I don't know how long he was bouncing on the thing. I never asked Logrite to replace it because I don't figure their guarantee was meant to cover abuse.

[Magicman]

This is gonna be interesting.  My new 60" cant hook gets it's first look at logs tomorrow.   ;D

[Kansas]

I didn't even know they were aluminum. When I was picking up a mill at Woodmizer 3 1/2 years ago I picked up a 5 ft one. We don't use it a lot, but it does come in handy. Does fine. However, anything can fail, even if its only one in a million. We had two E25 motors on our Woodmizer fail, both under warranty. Probably the only owner in the country that had that happen.

Never knew aluminum was orange.

[Dan_Shade]

yep, and some folks could bust up an anvil with a rubber mallet   :D

A friend of mine's stepdad used to whip that one out....  good times, good times....

[buildthisfixthat]

try  " n" 

bend this peavy handle

[WDH]

That is one of those "invisible handle" models  :D.

[paul case]

that one is even lighter than aluminium!

yep, and some folks could bust up an anvil with a rubber mallet   :D

A friend of mine's stepdad used to whip that one out....  good times, good times....

try this one.
you could tear up a crowbar in a sandbox! pc

[mad murdock]

I am SURE the Logrite tools are the best as can be expected, and they have a longstanding reputation of quality in what they make, with an equally longstanding reputation for standing behind what they sell.  That said, metal is metal, and even with quality aluminium, once in a while you will get a defective piece.  The only way to ferret it out is to have a QC program akin to what we use in the aircraft/aviation bizz.  You have to NDT every piece after assembly/manufacture, and have tight as a drum control over material from start to finish, with Certifications from point of manufacture of raw materials, certifying the purity of the raw materials as ordered, and controls over every step of the production process, which probably are more than what even a company like Logrite can do in a cost effective manner, without raising the price of the end product a bunch.  In the end, it is like someone stated, mechanical things fail, you cannot guarantee everything all the time will be trouble free, just not the way this world is.
That is why a good company (like logrite), is quick to replace a one in a million failed piece, no questions asked, IMO.

[Magicman]

My new 60" Logrite cant hook hooked this 32" Pecan log quite nicely.   



It now wears a band of orange reflective tape.

[WDH]

Wow, those are beautiful pecan logs!

[Magicman]

All 1X8's flat sawn.  The good thing is that it is a freshly felled tree.

[Dan_Shade]

i have a hard time believing that there can be anything good of a pecan tree!

well, i guess it does have pretty lumber....

[WDH]

Pecan is really good at one thing.  Maybe even the very best.

Dropping limbs . 

There are some constants and truths in life like gravity, time is inexorable, and pecan limbs fall.

[Magicman]

Pecan trees are not my friend at my tree farm.  I kill hundreds each year along with Sweetgums and Honey Locust.  Crows and other birds drop pecans everywhere and the saplings know something about surviving.

Yes, large trees make pretty lumber.  I have build various furniture with it including clocks, bedroom suites, and tables.  I once destroyed a ¾ completed Grandfather clock that decided to start moving.  The thing was trying to take itself apart, so I helped it.  Never again.

A good clear old growth limbless log can be relatively stable.  We will see how this one behaves.  I'm tempted to quarter and rift saw it.  Maybe not.  If I flat saw it, he will get grade, quarter, and rift.  We will see.   

[WDH]

You might think about sawing some wide boards from the center 6" and then turn up the two (top and bottom) cants to modify q-saw them.  I love the vertical grain of q-sawn pecan.

[Magicman]

Yup, that is the method that I was thinking about.  I'll make the final decision when she is up on the sawmill.  I've got to get rid of that pith area.

[AvT]

I kinda like the wooden cant hook I bought a little while before I got the mill. It just feels nice. I remember the guys at woodmizer trying to get me to buy the logrite but I wasn't interested at all as I hadn't heard of logrite at that time.  If I ever consider one in the future I'm gonna hang two 200 lb guys on it and if it bends at all I won't buy it.  I am one who always is looking for a snipe.  The logrite looks like it was engineered to have an eight foot pipe slid over it.  I never had much mercy for tools.  If it broke I'd try another one.