Best way to collect saw logs

[Jack jr]

G'day everyone, 
I need to collect sawlogs from around my and surrounding property's, the land is steep but has a few roads though it, the logs are hardwood 12 to 24 inches in diameter and 6 to 12 feet long, 

I have been skidding logs but the logs get dirty, I was thinking of building a trailer from an old truck but am worried about being pushed down the steep roads.

I have a massey ferguson 240, a 1 ton hydraulic winch and can get a hold of most junk, what would you guys do?

The tractor has a gin pole on it and is used for lifting flinches onto the saw bench.

Cheers Jack Jr

[thecfarm]

I think 45hp?

Is that 4wh drive?

[Jack jr]

45hp but 2wd
Cheers

[thecfarm]

2wd with a trailer and logs on the trailer!!!  

Not a good mix on steep ground. 
But I suppose if you only took a couple logs at a time.
You also have the bother of unhooking the trailer. loading the logs on and hooking back up to the trailer again.

You did not say how much sawing you are doing.
Logs can be peeled in the spring.
Not in mid July. Well, I say that, but they peel real easy, better, in the spring.
This would do away with your dirt in the bark problem.

[Ianab]

Log arch is what you are wanting. 

This one of the sponsors fine products, but you could build your own. Basically get the log up off the ground, and then it's basically a "trailer" that you can haul around like any other load. If you have a winch, then  you can drag logs to a spot where you can hook them into the arch. Once hooked into the arch, you can drive for as far as you want. Log weight / tow vehicle / terrain / weather allowing at least. 

https://logrite.com/Category/log-arches

[NE Woodburner]

the land is steep but has a few roads though it

If the logs are far off the few roads you have and the terrain is steep it may be best to winch them to your roads and pick them up from there with a trailer or log arch. This could help avoid having to create lots of new access roads to reach your logs. You could try using a skidding cone to keep the logs from plowing into dirt and that may help them stay cleaner.

[cutterboy]

With forks hooked up to the 3point hitch you could carry the logs out.



My tractor is a 42hp Massey 2wheel drive. The weight on the back gives me extra traction.

  Good luck.....Cutter

[barbender]

Figure out a way to rig some brakes on your trailer.

[rusticretreater]

Start with what you have and find out what works for you.  Then expand your equipment collection as things progress.  There is no one solution works for everything.  You have decent power in your tractor so you can use more brute force. 

Some people use forks but I tell you there is nothing better than a grapple.  You can use the grapple to clear brush and dead logs out of the way.  You don't have to lift everything, you can use it as a rake too. I have often backed down a hill as the log weight makes it unsafe to go forward.  You can use forks or a grapple to roll logs down a hill.  I have used the grapple as a kind of cage and rolled a log up or down hill to a more suitable location.

Sometimes you just acquire equipment which also influences which direction you go. I wanted to expand as I had bigger stuff to haul.  Instead of just throwing money at it, I invested in a welder and metal chop saw.  I built a log arch for my trailer and a rear log holder to pair with a tow behind log arch I miraculously found on craigs list.

People forget that directly pulling logs is not the only way to move them.  You have a log down a hillside, put a strap around a tree with a snatch block and winch it up to where you can work with it.  A skidding cone or skidding log arch might be your thing.

You tube videos are a big help.  You find things that work and more importantly, things not to do.  Lots of fools think they are showing you how to do it. Learn from the idiocy.

[beenthere]

With a 3 pt hitch, simple frame with chain or logging tongs works well for moving logs. Does drag one end, but minimal dirt, and won't need to worry about having to brake down hill.

[Jack jr]

G'day guys, sounds like it might be best to stick with skidding logs until I find the bits for a grapple,

The winch I have was built to lift 1 ton would that be big enough to pull logs to the road?
Thanks for all the advice Cheers Jack Jr

[rusticretreater]

You want a stronger winch than that.  A sizeable wet oak log easily tips the scales 800lbs or more.  Friction or drag will sap a few more hundred pounds of leverage. Also pulling a log onto the trailer, its good to have oomph to power through knots and branches catching on things.  I have a 4k and an 8k winch.