Log sleds for vegetation management?

[REGOR]

Hi:

I handle the vegetation management program for one of the districts in the county parks. I have piles of material on hillsides and away from the road that needs to be transported to the chipper (Our burn window has closed so the chipping I must do). I use the CalFire inmate fire crews. Currently they use tarps for loading material and dragging the tarp to the chipper. Sometimes they move the material piece by piece. Tarps don't last long so I'm thinking about a metal type log sled that the crews could load material on and then drag it to the chipper via ropes and back to the pile with the ropes. I guess very heavy plastic or rubber lined truck bed liner like would do too.


ANy thoughts?

Thanks!

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum.
How far are needing to move them?

When does the next burn window open, and can you wait for it?

Sounds expensive, and might consider letting it decay on the spot and in the pile?

[REGOR]

Material is not more than 50 feet away. Burn window won't open up until winter (Southern California).  Had hoped to get most of these piles burned this spring, but I have 111 left and under pressure to get them all chipped this year.

[cleargrain]

Howdy,

We use the sled below for logs to skid them out of the woods and preserve the roadbed, but I would imagine a lighter version could easily work for hauling brush with a couple guys on the ropes.  This one is 1/4 inch steel plate.  I've seen people use old car hoods for a similar purpose.

-Scott



 

[grassfed]

Old pickup truck hoods turned upside down work well for that kind of thing. I like the 70s-80s chevy hoods...

[lumberjack48]

Get some pulleys and air craft cable, rig up a small hand yarder
Use the cloths line pulley system like they use on the high-rise  apartments.

[Cypressstump]

How about some fashion of an ATV Wagon? Try a Google search on them, this one is fairly extravagant, but the idea may help.




But there again, if they are inmates, they may try and use this as an escape vechicle... ;D

[NWP]

Get more prisoners.

[beenthere]

Continue to use the tarps, but get a better quality. And wrap up the debris in a bundle that can be carried out by one person or two (on a pole). Save on the fauna by not dragging anything over it.

Put 'em to work.