Newbie help on Franklin skidder, management of logging

[polemidis]

Hello everyone, I need some help plz. 
I am in Maine and I have 60+ acres, with 1500 cords of firewood plz some good size pines and red oaks, and I only log part time.

2 years ago I bought a logging winch for my compact tractor and started thinning some of the lot following te Forest Management Plan. I started bucking and splitting in order to generate some revenue.
This year I fabricated a firewood processor, I bought an old(I really mean old, a 1972!!!) Ford F-600 dump track (barter for firewood actually), and I made some money selling 30 cords of firewood.

So, right now I decided to reinvest the profits towards a skidder. My understanding is that by comparing the work I did by logging with my tractor/logging winch, with the a small skidder, I will be able to harvest at least 2x more logs, be safer in the woods, and I will not brake my tractor in half . 
If thats true then the skidder will pay itself really quick so I think its a good investment

So, after a bit of research I found a Franklin with a 353 Detroit. It looks really used, but I was able to test drive it and everything seems to work fine. But I noticed that the bottom pin (where it articulates) has about 1/4" play, and the owner said that yeah it needs to be fixed but he has seen a lot worse. I decide to buy it I think that for $8000 its not that bad of a deal

My plan is to carefully work it, NOT push it a lot, use it for a few seasons so I can thin the woods to the FMP suggestions, and then sell it back (unless I got drawn in the logging business! hahaha) 

What I do not know is how to work with a skidder. Do I skid the whole logs out to a landing? Should I limb them where I fall them or at the landing? Should I bring them all way out where the processor is? I believe it would be clever to fall/skid in winter when the ground is frozen, split on the mud season, let them dry through the summer and then sell them in fall.

What I am missing? What details will make my life easier and my time invested more efficient? Any other ideas? Any red flags with my plan?

I cannot find any good resource online, so any suggestions are appreciated! 
Thank you all in advance!
 

[Dieseldog5.9]

What size Franklin? any pictures? 

[Puffergas]

Depend on you wood lot. The way I do it when there is room not to damage other trees I skid out tree length. I trim the tops of brush in the forest and leave the top on the tree length less the brushy stuff. Where I can not skid tree length, because of damaging other trees I skid log or two log length and go back for the tops less the brushy stuff. I ran a farm tracker for years and switch to an old skidder. Should of never bothered with the tractor. Cats are also nice.

[polemidis]

Here are 3 pictures. He told me that this is the 132 XL

 

 

[thecfarm]

I use to cut logs on my land,with just a tractor. Slow,but it works. I myself did not want to get into firewood. At that time I could get $40 a cord,in my pocket. I could push it up into a pile,cut it 8 feet and I was done. Logs is where the money is. I made more money on my softwood logs than hardwood. But this was more than 20 years too. I have no idea about the market now.Others tried to tell me how much more I could make with firewood. Yes,I could,But if I am doing firewood who is cutting wood to bring to me? I just felt firewood was more work for me. Cutting logs and pulp seems like less work to me.Than others said to get my own truck. There again who is cutting wood while I am out driving? I could pay a trucker and he would bring the wood to whatever place I told him too.
Leaving the limbs on? Depends if you can burn the limb wood. You will get ALOT of it. Than is all that small stuff worth it too handle? I myself use the whole tree,but that does take time,alot of time.I really would not want to twitch a tree out limbs and all. With no snow on the ground,the limbs will dig into the ground,making more of a mess of trails and driving dirt into front of the limbs. Hard on a chain. Than you can not bring as much out either.I limb out the trees where they fall,than I lay a chain down and pile the limb wood onto the chains and bring it out that way.Yes,slow again.
I could use a skidder,but the tractor will have to do. I myself could use a skidder to haul rocks with!!!

Good to see you posting.

[polemidis]

Thank you for your replies guys. I really had no idea (I still do not know much) about the log/firewood industry. I got myself in, when my forester told me that the loggers would give me $25 per cord of firewood. Since a cord sells around $250 I saw a potentional there. Pair that up, with me being an immigrant without any degree, or any way to get a nice paid job (I was in the army back in Greece), here I am. 

From what you are saying it looks like it make more sense to limb in the forest, as I fell, since the skidder can handle that obstructions. I do not want to mess with small stuff, its a pain, they tend to mess with the infeed of the processor, it does not worth my time. 

I am thinking it worth to pay my forester for 1-2 hours to educate me in these matters, I just want to do my homework 1st so to get the most out of him. 

[barbender]

If you are looking at it from a purely commercial/ economic perspective, you'll probably want to buck the tops to whatever size you can efficiently handle with your processor, right where you fell them in the woods. I would also sometimes pull the whole trees up a ways with the skidder and then climb them.

[polemidis]

I got it guys! Its here! hohoho. I am a bit less stressed, the hauler said that the engine sounds great ;)

I was wondering if anyone has a manual for this skidder. I cannot find anything online :(
It needs some love before I take it into the forest, but its hard for me without a manual. Too many new things! 

[Southside]

If you find a Franklin manual RUN out and play the lottery, it's your lucky day! They only printed them as the machine left the factory and rumor is they were printed on some sort of self destructing paper.
 
I don't know of anyone who has actually seen one. 

[polemidis]

If you find a Franklin manual RUN out and play the lottery, it's your lucky day! They only printed them as the machine left the factory and rumor is they were printed on some sort of self destructing paper.

I don't know of anyone who has actually seen one.

Oh God! Is it actually that bad?? 
Then I think the next best step would be to download a manual of the detroit 353. I did found them. 

My tractor looks such a toy next to it! I really have to rethink the way I was thinning. This is a real machine, the tractor was a toy.... Here it is again.... than learning curve!  

[stan064]

I had  a 132xl for several years,good strong machine.my friend use to say the franklin would pull his jd 440 and a twitch together,Harolds in bangor can help you with most things,part are way more affordable for most things than other skidders.easy to work on also,i had to pull my rear ends out in the woods,lost a bearing ,not a bad job,franklin had a good winch also never a problem,not a gearamatic!! good luck with her