Anyone logging with a winch truck?

RayMO · May 08, 2014, 08:01:34 PM

I used a 1-1/2 and 2 ton winch trucks for a few years to skid with. I have a 440 Deere now but wish I had a winch truck now and then for those extra long drags. You can pull a big tree fast enough to make the bark smoke on a good skid trail/road.

Pine Ridge · May 08, 2014, 08:10:39 PM

Ozarkgem it has a Garwood winch that is pto driven, The winch is old, either a 15 or 20 ton. I figure it started out on a military truck. Raymo that is FUNNY! I can drive this one 50 mph on the road, but it's not street legal. I'd have to put a spark arrestor on it to skid that fast! I'm still about to die laughing!

HuZzEy · May 09, 2014, 01:21:30 AM

we used this for about 10 years

ridge logger · May 09, 2014, 08:37:05 AM

My winch truck has a garwood winch on it pulls good and not had any trouble out of it in 8 years of use. Is yours a 2 speed , mine has high, low and reverse. I also put some bars from the front to the top of the cab to keep branches from slapping me in the head since window aren't a option. ;D

chester_tree _farmah · May 09, 2014, 12:10:38 PM

Quote from: HuZzEy on May 09, 2014, 01:21:30 AM
we used this for about 10 years

Very cool. A friend of mine built one similar. :-)

bigred1951 · May 13, 2014, 01:34:45 PM

got any pics of the truck in the woods skidding logs and working

ely · May 13, 2014, 02:42:29 PM

those are cool pics, I like the last one the best, is it a power wagon?
I would drive the first truck on the road it is better than what I drive now.

we used to log with a winch truck, but on the back we would run taller mud grip tires on the outside duals, then shorter tires with a set of chains on the inside duals for when the mud grips got too deep the chains would get after it.

Pine Ridge · May 13, 2014, 09:47:27 PM

Heres a few pictures last year when mine still had doors and a windshield.

bigred1951 · May 13, 2014, 09:58:00 PM

how well does it do in the woods. I been thinking about building a truck just like that to skid logs with but im worried it wont do so well in the woods unless the ground is flat and open

luvmexfood · May 13, 2014, 10:14:00 PM

It's amazing to see some of the things that are homebuilt. No blueprints to go by but they work. Lot of talent. Few weeks back I was at a fastmart and some guy who looked like he stared in Deliverence was gassing up a truck he had made. Old pick-up around 30ish that had been lowered, hotrod motor etc.

Anyway, I asked him if I could take a picture. His face beemed and he said sure. I would say he had a big smile on his face but you have to have all your teeth for that. Not making fun of him but the man had skills that would probably put him with the best Nascar builders.

Pine Ridge · May 13, 2014, 10:55:14 PM

bigred 1951 it does ok in the woods, but they do have limits. you need to cut a skid trail usually, you can't run over a lot of brush and limbs or you'll be replacing radiators, brake lines and battery cables. They will surprise you where they'll go, and sometimes where they won't. they will go better carrying an 8 footer than skidding a tree 2 or 3 cuts long. I have a lot of cable on mine, and in really steep places I might do alot of winching. they aren't for high production, but they will work. The more you run one the better you'll get at knowing what you can and can't do with them. A 2 ton 4x4 would be good to build one from. on the plus side they are usually cheap to work on. luvmexfood I bought this truck pretty much complete from a friend, he had bought it from someone else. it has metal welded on it from everything imaginable, they just used whatever was laying around.

ely · May 14, 2014, 10:33:23 AM

lovemexfood, those are generally refered to as ratrods... they are cool machines. my 17 year old is gathering parts for his as we speak. you think sawmillers are crazy get around a group of the rat rodders. I know there has to be a few amoung us.

BargeMonkey · May 14, 2014, 11:58:01 AM

That is pretty cool looking. 8)

Anyone who thinks that Appalachian Americans arent skilled needs their heads checked. Our long time dozer operator could not read or write, but could pull off grade and dirt work that I couldnt hope for.
This country has unfortunately gotten away from skilled blue collar trades, promoting obscure phony diploma's for people who end up flipping burgers. My brother has 6 years as an "historic art history" major and teacher. He runs a bar/restaurant now. I have some college and a decent job.

mike_belben · December 31, 2020, 02:03:34 AM

Bump for a new round of woods trucks i hope.

I think ive found a much more roadworthy dually chassis to put the dump bed on for firewood delivery which frees up the tan F250. Its welded front and rear and hates tar but loves woods.

Im contemplating putting this twinline challenger telescoping boom on it, without the wheel lift. I has 10k hydraulic winches with freespool and will go up nearly 20 feet. I think itd work good for twitching shortwood to the trail where bobcat can load on the trailer.

Truck was my daily driver for a bit and could road itself as needed. Initially i thought i was gonna articulate a nissan frontier crawler ive had but the 351 will outpull it and is turn key already. Has great heat and can fit chains on all 4.

I see this guy pretty often. Not sure what he uses it for.

barbender · December 31, 2020, 02:38:06 AM

I've heard of guys back in the day using the cable jammer loader trucks to cut short skid jobs with. Some of them could be spooled up with a decent amount of cable, they would drag cable out and winch everything back in to the truck. Buck it upn at the end of the day, load the truck with wood and head it home👍