built an atv log/firewood trailer

[John Mc]

Interesting idea about using a side loader instead of a grapple. I've been wondering about powering something like that with one of those portable capstan winches. Kind of like what LogRite does on their firewood processor. If it was set up right, you could use the winch for hauling logs to the trailer (either mounted on the trailer, or independently of the trailer), parbuckling, or running a side loader.

I suppose if you were using tractor hydraulics, then a hydraulic loader would make more sense. However, if you used one of the portable capstan winches, you could use the trailer set-up behind something other than your tractor (pickup truck or ATV), or you could drop the trailer and do other tractor work while someone else was loading the trailer.

[hiluxstihl]

 i was going to make a walking beam - rocking beam - 4 wheel trailer but i made it so i could ad a beam to it and just bolt it onto the hub.... cant upload pics cos there jpg?

[hiluxstihl]

 

 


thanks for the instructions!

[tapper2]

Nicely done, welcome to the forum. This place is great!!
The walking beam would definitely  ease up on how much the trailer bounces. Nice quad....Grizzly?
How's the weather over there? Looks quite green, kinda like here, Not much snow this year.

[thecfarm]

Nice looking trailer. Will be able to sneak out through the woods with that.
hiluxsthil,welcome to the forum. Must own land? Sawmill?

[hiluxstihl]

thanks for the welcome, i was going to make it a walking beam, i went and thought about the beam hinge and settled on a wheel hub, then i saidid try it with 2 wheels, so if i need to ill buy 2 more wheels and 4 hubs and connect where the wheels are now... its a 400 cc kodiak, ah its always green here and always raining too! yet to be used but will work it on saturday all going well

[hiluxstihl]

em have land, only grassland though, nearest thing to a sawmill is my ms 660!

[tapper2]

My wife and kids & I were in Ireland a few years back. BEAUTIFUL. We have a lot of great places here in the states, that we still  have yet to see.
We saw forests while we were there, sure is a lot of stone though. Looks like many forests were plantation. I'm sure there must be a need for logging in many areas. We of course didn't have time to see everything. Never forget the smell of burning peat.
You burn firewood for heat?

[hiluxstihl]

i do, currently working my way through a big beech tree... ah itsa lovely country, i was in  connecticut for afew months before, nice place around new england there id like to see more sometime! mostof the woods and forests are plantations alright, mostly commercially owned by the state agency caoilte.. they clear fell the plantations, there is a move towards low impact logging now though so im trying to network on great sites like this to learn from people with varied experience!

[tapper2]

We just do it as hobby. We own a wood lot that we harvest firewood from to pay the taxes on the lot, and some for our fireplace. Every once in a while we'll sell a load of logs, depending on prices.
We use it for camping, sugaring, snowmobiling, playing on quads, etc....New England is great!! Many people think of Northern New York as a "West New England". Lots of the same terrain and great hospitality. ;)

[John Mc]

Tapper2 -

I like your set-up on the trailer. Now that you've used it a bit, do you have ny feel for how much weight those tires & rims will hold? I'm also curious how well the small diameter tires do in the woods & on rough terrain. I've got a junk mower I could strip the wheels off of, so I'd have two to start with, could probably scrounge a couple more. Just wondering if I'm going to be wishing I'd gone with larger diameter wheels.

I'd like to end up with something that could hold 2000# or so. I'd mostly be pulling it behind a compact tractor, or my Coot (a 1960's UTV I'm slowly getting into good running condition).

BTW... Where are you from in Upstate NY? I lived outside of Syracuse for a few years, and my wife is from Pulaski (between Syracuse and Watertown).

John Mc

[hiluxstihl]

in my brief time there i was mainly in manchester, hartford, weathersfield ct, up as far as boston and down to nj, i really like the place and can see why you are the backbone of atv and of course forestry industries, interesting geology too

[redlaker1]

I built an atv trailer about 4 years ago,  its a flat bed,  with removable sides that can be replaced with stakes for hauling logs.    after using it for a while I found that the single axle can handle more weight than I can stack on it,   but it get stuck and hung up way too easy.    I just used generic stub axles and smaller trailer wheels like you would get from harbor freight.      I have used a friends trailer with tandem wheels and a walking beam,   and that trailer pulls way easier in the bush than mine.      I will probably upgrade mine with a second set of wheels when I have the time.         

if you are going to build a trailer from new,   I would definitely recommend a tandem wheel setup.   especially if you are going to be in any soft or uneven ground

[John Mc]

If I build, it will definitely be a tandem wheel set-up. I was mainly wondering how the old garden tractor wheels hold up in this application. They don't seem like they're made to hold much weight.

John Mc

[thecfarm]

I would be concerned about ground clearance too. Your land may be differant but I have rocks on mine,garden tractor rear end has maybe 6 inch clearance? Not enough for me,even on some of my so called good land. Hauling a ton behind a small tractor is like the tail wagging the dog too, if going down a small hill. But if that's all you have, it can be done.

[hiluxstihl]

ok after working the trailer today i can see the benefits of the walking beam clearly! i would be concerned that it would be hard to turn loaded but it would halve the sway encountered when the wheel goes over a rock, stump etc and also i would leave the uprights tilted back and have a barrier low down to move the trailer away from trees that would otherwise catch the uprights...

[John Mc]

I would be concerned about ground clearance too. ... garden tractor rear end has maybe 6 inch clearance?

I wouldn't be using the whole garden tractor rear end. What Tapper2 has appears to be just the front wheels off a garden tractor. With no axle through the middle, I think I'd be fine for ground clearance. The bogies on a tandem set-up could be modified for even more clearance, if needed. Also, much of my wood is pulled to trail-side with a tractor mounted logging winch (230 ft of cable goes a long way, though I seldom use all of it). The tractor rarely goes very far off-trail, since it hasn't been "woods hardened" yet (no belly pan or FOPS).

Hauling a ton behind a small tractor is like the tail wagging the dog too, if going down a small hill. But if that's all you have, it can be done.

I'm already regularly hauling 2 - 3000# of split green wood behind the tractor with no difficulties (NH TC33D w/filled rear tires, and an old 4.5' x 9' "woods trailer"). I've got hills and rocks, but the trails are in pretty good shape, and not very steep. I stay out of the woods with the tractor when things get muddy or slick. If I have to, I've got ladder-style chains with V-bars that help the traction a good bit (unfortunately, no diamond or duo-grip style chains are made for my size rear tires).

ok after working the trailer today i can see the benefits of the walking beam clearly! i would be concerned that it would be hard to turn loaded...

I've never heard someone complain about turning a loaded trailer with walking beam set-up. Maybe the short wheelbase helps with this?

John Mc

[tapper2]

It turns quite well. Just remember, the quad was not intended for hauling a ton, so don't do it. I can easily put 7-800 pounds on it and it goes well. 1/3rd of a cord is +- 1000 lbs. Its about using it, not killing it. I think if I had built it with atv tires and high speed hubs...who knows. As for the tractor tires, figure 1000lbs/4tires=250 lbs each. Maybe a bit excessive, so I wouldn't overdo it. The top won't hold enough wood to overload the bottom. :D
You'll only need as much ground clearance as the machine that's moving it.
The way I look at it is like this, if you can take a smaller load easily, you can make 2 trips,...or you could wrestle pulling a full load all at once, but it may take you twice as long....spinning up your roads.
If time is the concern, use the bigger equipment. Big difference between the rear of the tractor and the rear of the quad.

[tapper2]

Sorry about that Johnmc we live near Lake George. Our property is near Gore Mt.

[DGK]

The tandem axle works great. The tracks make it even better. This thing has so much pulling power I just need a bigger box and brakes :-)



  

 

[John Mc]

I can easily put 7-800 pounds on it and it goes well. 1/3rd of a cord is +- 1000 lbs.

You may be under-rating how much you are pulling. If you're actually putting 1/3 cord of green hardwood on there, you could have as much as 1500 - 2000+ pounds there. Once it's dry you may be down in the +/- 1000# range. For Oak, Beech Hard Maple, they are easily in the 5-6000# range for a full cord when green (I burn some black locust which runs even heavier).

If I were going to be pulling with my Coot (a 1960's era ATV/UTV), I'd probably limit myself to 1000# or so, at least until I get around to fixing the old electric brakes on my firewood trailer, and figuring out how to hook them up to the Coot.

[Woodboogah]

Nice welds!

[tapper2]

Thanks there woodboogah, yeah johnmc, I guess I was light on my weight but dimensionally it's less than 1/3 cord. It pulls pretty good but I don't load it real heavy, to avoid spinning the whole time.  My 11 year old son makes the round trips to the pile with the trailer. I don't want him to get stuck or tip it over. The ground is really icy under the little bit of snow we've got.
I've got the chains on now and moved some ash and w-burch today, sunny but cool.

[tapper2]

Hey!! I know it's an old and redundant topic but I've been working on my newest project. Let me know how I've done so far. I still need to do a few things but this is what I've got so .
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-tA3dyFBX-s#