which is faster for cutting pulpwood a cutter with the shear, or a chainsaw?
It all depends on the machine.
had a morbark rapid buncher on a tracked machine years ago. 4 trees a min. no one will buy sheared logs. there for a shear isnt worth much up here
Quote from: treefarmer87 on January 25, 2012, 06:55:07 PM
which is faster for cutting pulpwood a cutter with the shear, or a chainsaw?
you asking about a bar and chain head like a timco?
For syp plantation thinning, a shear fellerbuncher works fine for me with a grapple skidder. If I were hand felling and/or on rough hilly ground I figure the chainsaw with a cable skidder would be the way to go. Putting down 5 or 6 (25 to 30 ton loads) a day in good wood is no problem for a good operator. I sent a load of chip 'n saw to the mill today cut with the shear. The knives are pretty straight. However, when I cut light poles I do have to trim the butts super smooth. But it's worth the trouble.
i would use the shear for pulpwood only. I would hand fell the logs. Would it be practial to lay bunches with the shear and drag with a cable machine
If you plan on cutting any sawlogs, a shear may severely limit your markets.
I worked behind several shears we put down over 50 cord a day limbed and bucked with saws works great.I wouldnt use it in logs .We mostly cut jack pine not many logs there but sold alot of bolts and they knew they were sheared.Jeffs right it will limit outlets.
Cut lots of spruce logs with my shear-just have to trim the butts back a little. The production more than makes up for it. Also, with a shear you don't have to worry about rocks, etc so much-especially driving the head down into the snow in the winter. Shear is pretty maintenance free in comparison to saw as well. Definately practical to make bunches for a cable machine-I did it that way for a couple years till I got a grapple. Saves pulling cable and greatly improves production. I used a few long chain chokers.
i like the shear for small pine. ive only replaced a few blades in 10 years. i am looking for a shear head 4 a cutter i found.
The first mill I worked in simply quit accepting sheared wood after the end of a sheared beech log exploded on the headsaw, blowing a chunk of wood through supposedly bullet proof glass into my face knocking me unconscious and sending me to the hospital with a concussion. I came back and finished the load we were working on and then went home. Was out of work for the next two days until the swelling went down in both eyes so I could see to saw. There was no back up sawyer. The second mill I worked at, already had a no sheared wood policy when I went to work there.
i would like to have one for stuff under 12'', anything that would be log quality i would use the chainsaw. i would like a shear, but that means another piece of equipment in the woods to service and worry about ( here i am talking about a cutter and i havent even got my new skidder yet :D) a few more weeks and i should be able to go pick it up :)
treefarmer did you buy a bell? I thought i seen a post on here about it?
no not yet i am picking a new log truck tomm. And i am trying to find another skidder
I bought a new 450 JD with a Visco 15" shear head back in 76. I was running 2 skidders, i sheared all the junk wood and pulpwood, it really worked out good. Back then i had a hard time selling saw bolts just because i had a shear on the job. I had to sell my self and promise that i wouldn't send any sheared wood in.
i bet that was a neat rig. It was a 450 dozer ? with a shear