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direct drive or torque drive , which one in a skidder is better

Started by ehp, September 26, 2022, 09:55:01 PM

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ehp


Firewoodjoe

My opinion is TQ is hands down the best. I've run Deere's in 548,648,748 and 848. Timberjack 360,460's in all types of years and models. From dragging chip wood to logs. Building rd to pushing trucks. Ones bought new and used. The TQ is smoother easier and more enjoyable. You can make it pull by not letting it spin. Lug it. Every direct drive I've run was like a grabby clutch drag car with bad tires. Digging holes, won't climb hill sides and banging off the backs of trucks. Some like them. But I haven't figured out why yet. 

BargeMonkey

☝️ what he said. I'm shocked your talking about anything but a NEW tigercat 😆 

Firewoodjoe

Quote from: BargeMonkey on September 27, 2022, 12:13:26 AM
☝️ what he said. I'm shocked your talking about anything but a NEW tigercat 😆
Yeah isn't a tigercat like a hydrostatic one gear snowmobile type deal. That would be better than shifting. That's one machine I've never sat in is a tigercat. I'd like to some day. Hopefully it will be a buncher. 

Grandpa


ehp

Barge we all know I'm not you and my pockets are no where near as deep as yours , my credit card has a limit unlike yours .  I have been inside tigercats but never skidded with one but have drove 440,540,640,and 740 john deere skidders but all direct drive . Timberjack 230 and 450 and clark 664 and 666 and 667.  I like the auto type better than a clutch . My wife says do find a skidder with heat and air , your not getting any younger and forsure not any better looking  . I believe tigercat is a better machine but also carry's alot higher price tag. A skidder life here is about as easy on a machine as it can be , the belly pans most likely will never get touched by ground and by chance it does its sand . Pretty much zero rock where I am

Firewoodjoe

648Glll dual arch with winch. 28L, 24.5 or 30.5. 30.5 is best in my opinion.  By some extra heater relays change filters regularly and save money for a 10,000 +/- hour engine rebuild. And just use it. 

BargeMonkey

 Ed if you compare a Tigercat to a Deere, they are just rugged. Friend of mine bought one, was running his 360 and 460 next to it, walk the dog with a 460, what sold me on one. Plus dealer support.


 dial there on the dash controls the trans high-stat, EHS is what they call it. You can feel it shift to high speed. Everything is on that joystick, grapple, diff, throttle. I didn't want a winch. It's not going to win a speed race with a deere, my 460 would out run it but it will drag about anything you grab, 19sqft grapple.



   

Firewoodjoe


BargeMonkey

Dimensionally, no bigger than a 648G3 on 30.5s, that 620C is spec-ed out to be between a 748-848H. 

ehp

you will never see a hitch that big here as its to far between trees and you are not going to drive around to find enough trees, Most times I got 2 or maybe 3 trees on . Tigercat is built right here but dealer support is not the best cause no machines here , Hydro company has the most by far of tigercat , A lot more up north where tigercat is out selling deere bad now . Its quite hard to find a newer skidder with a winch , they are all just grapples

ehp

602 I guess would be the answer but that price tag would have to come down a lot to make it work , with a high $300,000 or $400,000 price tag the only person winning is tigercat and the bank. The 548 jd would work well here as well but at $150,000 plus for a 2014 machine thats got 8 to 10,000 hours on it seems a bit crazy as well 

Firewoodjoe

And the 548 is direct drive.  The 360 timberjack is your best bet but not easy to find. 

OH logger

I agree torque converter is better but I bought a 548 anyways. Wanted a new skidder so obviously timberjack was out. Plus around here is all
Ag so John Deere was my pick for that reason too. The 360 jack I used to run would out pull my Deere anyday in my opinion. But in select cuts my 548 is WAY more nimble and easy to maneuver. Like your area  skidders have any easy life here. Big trees but short skids and I baby that machine because I can. The creature comforts on the 548 is great too. Not to be a candy a$@ but the work is hard enough. The least I can do is relax a little while I'm skidding right?!?! 😂 
john

Firewoodjoe

Quote from: OH logger on September 27, 2022, 07:55:35 PM
I agree torque converter is better but I bought a 548 anyways. Wanted a new skidder so obviously timberjack was out. Plus around here is all
Ag so John Deere was my pick for that reason too. The 360 jack I used to run would out pull my Deere anyday in my opinion. But in select cuts my 548 is WAY more nimble and easy to maneuver. Like your area  skidders have any easy life here. Big trees but short skids and I baby that machine because I can. The creature comforts on the 548 is great too. Not to be a candy a$@ but the work is hard enough. The least I can do is relax a little while I'm skidding right?!?! 😂
That's a good point. And if your not pulling big drags bad ground or heavy trucks you prolly wouldn't mind the direct drive. Idk equipment is a live hate thing. 

ehp

which 548 did you buy ?   I'm thinking if I do buy a bigger machine it should have a turn a round seat so I can back into the bush , a lot easier on the trees that way

barbender

Too many irons in the fire

ehp

yes but big thing here is not having to turn around and hurting the bush . I think I put 13,000 hours on a 740 and most likely the same on the TJ 450 but the 450 was smaller and shorter than the 740 . I cannot see why JD does not come back making the 548 again 

ehp

I out a text out to a salesman up here that his brand is to be making a smaller skidder so will see if I hear anything back from him

OH logger

I bought a 2007 548G111 new ran it  for 7 years had electrical issues. Traded it in on one of the last brand new 548G111 available in April 2015. It's a 2014 model. No issues with this one. For what it's worth my son backs into the woods on a lot of drags unless they're way back in the woods.  No turn around seat but he's only 13
 😂. My neck hurts just watching him. But he's real fussy like me but even more so
And he don't like to turn around in the woods if he dont have to. Either I've trained him well or he's scared to turn around in the woods around nice young trees with me watching 
john

ehp

My machine is shorter than yours as a TJ 230A and I hate turning around  your 2014 machine is worth more today than you paid for it . 

OH logger

I agree the prices for used 548s are crazy. I wish I woulda kept my old one in the barn instead of trading it in on the one I have. Woulda made more than money on the bank or stock market. 
john

BargeMonkey

Ed you could put 23.1 tires on a 648G3 / H single arch and buy a nice machine for 1/2 the money. Red oak just took a drop, HM just went down 300 across the board, going to be ALOT of cheap iron. 


  Picture is horrible 🤦‍♂️ but that's Deeres smallest cable skidder now, no real size diff between that and my 620C. 

Firewoodjoe

Yeah I feel bad for the full time log guys. But there's mills here that rarely shut down and that's all they do. I was moved to pine and aspen 🤷‍♂️

ehp

ya in the bush I'm cutting right now my machine at 102 or 103 inches wide and its hard enough to get threw the trees , Bush is 50 acres and they only marked 327 trees so its a fair ways between trees

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