Homemade skidders: Anybody (other than Dad) built one from a 1948 vintage truck?

[CS Fifield]

Back in the mid-1960's Dad (with some help from my uncles) built a skidder using a Flathead V8 engine from a 1948 Ford truck.They did an awesome job, and though the paint shows its age, it still works fine and purrs right along. (Dad will be 95 next month and still cuts, splits, and hauls the 10-12 cord of firewood he uses to heat the house with each year.)  Any body else out there built a homemade skidder from a similar vehicle?

[mike_belben]

Pics bub, were gonna need pics. 

[CS Fifield]

Hopefully you can see the picture now.  Had to swap computers to get the pic.  The skidder starts a lot easier than my computer!

[jwilly3879]

 

 

Built by a fellow in town. Mount a sickle bar mower also.

[coxy]

Back in the mid-1960's Dad (with some help from my uncles) built a skidder using a Flathead V8 engine from a 1948 Ford truck.They did an awesome job, and though the paint shows its age, it still works fine and purrs right along. (Dad will be 95 next month and still cuts, splits, and hauls the 10-12 cord of firewood he uses to heat the house with each year.)  Any body else out there built a homemade skidder from a similar vehicle?

that's neat   god bless your dad at 95  8) 8) 8)

[thecfarm]

I like it!!!

[mike_belben]

My new favorite thread.

[Puffergas]

Not as nice as your Dad's.

[lopet]

I ve seen some on youtube, but that one looks awesome for its age.

[Knute]

Your Dad did a great job on that skidder. Hearing his age and what he is still doing is amazing.

[barbender]

My hats off to your dad! That's a fine build, and the fact he's still pulling wood at 95 inspires me, I hope I can do the same!

[tacks Y]

I made one with a 4WD, 4WS Pettibone fork lift. Took the steering off the axles and made it articulate. I sold and and now have a 440A and C.

[mike_belben]

20Ton Pettibone planetaries are worth about $500/corner to the monster truck crowd.  They call em bones, plants or pie pans.  You need shaft, planetary and "champagne cup" but not the inner housing.  I usually torched them to give the buyer both sides of the flange.   They get grafted onto rockwell f106 housings with 6.17 gears.  Usually found in F700. 

[mike_belben]

I especially like the ol man's springer seat idea BTW

[CS Fifield]

Yah, best seat on the farm!

[woodmaker]

That is some nice fabricating;tell your dad that he should be wicked proud of that skidder. 8)

[mike_belben]

Just plopping this sweet homemade grapple vid here.  Notice that its got power rotate swivel and the whole boom is on a rotec turret.  Im impressed.  Bump.

https://youtu.be/GH_j6WmOBMY

[moodnacreek]

M. Belben, You are lucky to have such a father. Now I understand where you get your mechanical knowlage, you realize it is rare in younger people today.   That home made skidder is the best I have seen and I look at stuff like that.  Always wanted to build one that could be operated from the running board, hand clutch or auto trans for one man operation but I want to build loots of things. Doug

[mike_belben]

Doug, i think youre mistaking me for the OP.  I was just bumping the thread.  But youre right about my dad, i owe what i have to him. 

[longtime lurker]

Watch this... home made skidder from about the 8 minute mark but honestly the whole thing is worth watching. Thats going to be me in another 30 years time lol

Vintage Mill - Landline - ABC

[Puffergas]

Just plopping this sweet homemade grapple vid here.  Notice that its got power rotate swivel and the whole boom is on a rotec turret.  Im impressed.  Bump.

https://youtu.be/GH_j6WmOBMY

That sure is a nice grapple skidder. All it needs now is a ROP.   8)

[grabber green]

 

 

 

 I've been building this thing for at least 15 years ,please let me know what you think about it good or bad . :laugh: I'ts made mostly from scrap and junkyard parts but it works.

[thecfarm]

A mighty fine first post!!
Use it just for firewood?
Loader arms homemade?
Motor?

[grabber green]

I use it for logs and sometimes firewood.
the loader arms are boxed and plated pickup truck frame sections ,the engine is a 300 ford six .

[Crusarius]

that thing is sweet. Who ever said you need a 25000 skidder?

Those rockwells under it?

[mike_belben]

I love it.  5 lug makes me think they were old GMC 2ton juice axles.  What tranny tcase and gears does it have and are they low enough?   

Mine is gonna have a loader too.  collecting phase is almost ripe.  

[GRANITEstateMP]

Mike,

Did the tractor that come off of get a little toasty???

[mike_belben]

A lot toasty. guy i knew put holes in his perkins block and couldnt find a core. The burnt machine turned up at auction i think and thats all he needed from it.  I bought the loader and hoe before he scrapped the remains.   It was an 89 massey 450HX with 1600 hrs. 

[grabber green]

Mike, my homemade machine has a t18 4sp then a transfer case from a mid sized international truck and the axles came from two identical dodge 2 ton trucks I found in a junk yard for $100 ,they are  6.20 ratio.                        With the transfer case in low range it crawls pretty slow and pulls nice.

[Crusarius]

Not the prettiest machine out there but it sure looks functional.

[dwchaisson]

[Iwawoodwork]

DW that is a fine looking skidder, need more info on it, what engine, trans, rear ends , and any photos of the  actual building of it, well done,

[47sawdust]

  Iwawoodwork,
Check out DW's gallery for more pictures.

[dwchaisson]

it was a class project, Im the welding Instructor at our high school and we built it, engine is 3.9 dodge fuel injected, auto tranny transfercase is out of a older nissan 4wd, its the divorced style. rearends are out of a 22 massey(mustang). worked well until I got greedy and broke it at the center joint, havent had much time to get it back into the shop and fix it again, check out my gallery there is a few pictures of the build
her is a video of it https://youtu.be/Tal8vSU1RM8 

[Satamax]

Guys, here in France, after ww2 life was harsh for some time. Then it got better, and Americans left, leaving tons if gmc deuce and a half trucks.

And the french brand Agrip built many small four wheel steer forestry tractors, using deuce's front axles.  Engines were Alsthom diesel. Gearboxes, i can't remember.

[grabber green]

Please howbout some pics and more specs?

[mike_belben]

Just think how many more skidders they could have made by using the rears instead.

[Satamax]

Please howbout some pics and more specs?

Here's a vid of an ARD 40, rolling after three minutes. 
agrip ARD 40 - YouTube
Mike, they didn't start to build articulated ones till the seventies. Late seventies. 

[Satamax]

An old ard 20, don't know what the axles are. 

agrip - YouTube

[tacks Y]

Grabber, What are you running for tires? I started with 24" semi tires and chains, they did not last. Sticks in the side walls, went to backhoe tires much better.

[grabber green]

Satamax, Thanks for the video's!                                                              

[grabber green]

Tacks I'm running 10.00/20 truck tires.There not ideal but they were free.I try watch were I go ,sometimes I put chains on for better traction. I use my real skidder (Clark 667c) when I'm in the rough stuff.      Theres no substitute for actual forestry tires.

[tacks Y]

Mine were radial, bias would be better.

[Brian w]

That is awesome and looks like he built it to last. Not like the things now days and even the people now no one wants to fix anything let alone build what they need. I have a couple younger guys working for me and all they want to do is just throw stuff away and buy something new.

[Ron Scott]

See the Timber Harvest Methods & Equipment Thread, Reply #41, April 6, 2002. Also reply #30.