Good news:
I Finally got around to testing my log hauling techniques. A neighbor had a cherry that had to come down and he offered it up to me. One good log and one with a lot of branches. Unfortunately the tree was on the opposite side of the house from his only gate near the road. So we pulled the truck and winch up to the gate:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11436/Hokiemill%20IMG_0150.jpg)
Here you can see the log on the other side of his narrow back yard.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11436/Hokiemill%20IMG_0151.jpg)
Rolled the log onto my fancy schmancy logging skid. It consists of a 4 foot plastic toboggan and a 4 foot roll up sled bolted together - the roll up sled took a real beating and I'll need to find a more rigid replacement, but the plastic toboggan held up well despite being dragged across a sidewalk twice. It did what it needed to do and left his back yard with no real damage.
This is obviously the uglier of the two logs.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11436/Hokiemill%20IMG_0152.jpg)
Dragged both logs to the gate easily with the winch. Moved the truck. Backed the trailer to the gate. Lowered the bed and then dragged the logs onto the bed. Everything went quite well for a first time with my log hauling arrangement.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11436/Hokiemill%20IMG_0153.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11436/Hokiemill%20IMG_0154.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11436/Hokiemill%20IMG_0155.jpg)
Bad News:
We planned on milling those two logs and three other cherries located at another friends house on Sunday. Loaded the truck with the mill and the ten thousand other pieces of equipment required. Hitched up the trailer with the two logs and headed off. Got within 4 miles of his house and heard a big bang, engine cut off and we coasted to the shoulder. Did a visual check and restarted the truck - no movement in any gear, 2wd or 4wd. Sooooo, had the truck towed, called my buddy to tow the trailer to his house for storage and unloaded most of the stuff from my crippled truck. Looks like I should get it back tomorrow afternoon with a new rear differential and minus $1200. So much for that kiln right now. Life happens. :)
That looks like a fairly new truck.....what happened? :o
No idea what happened. It's a 98. The shop seemed a bit surprised and noted that they never really have problems with rear differentials getting trashed. My guess is a small manufacturing flaw grew into a big one and with the load of hauling a trailer, it decided to let go. Not much to do about it other than pay the bill, grin and bear it, and keep on keeping on.
Beauty trailer, how do I make one, how does it raise and lower and all those sort of questions
Ernie
boy thats a tough one take. i shore am glad it didn't lockup on you and cause you to wreck.
gene
Well look at it this way, it was probably going to happen anyways. So you have some nice chrry to sart paying for the bill. Like TN said it could have locked up on you. Or you could have been in another state.
I'm with Ernie on this one. That looks like a pretty neat trailer. Are the details listed in another thread some where? If not, lets start one.
Sorry about your rear end. Feed your truck lots of grits and it will grow back a new bigger rear end!
Hokiemill,
Welcome to the world of logging! :) Murphy's law usually prevails! :'( But don't dispair, try and try again and the rewards will be that much sweeter. You have only hit a small bump unless u call it kwits!
Neet trailer
best of luck and don't give up.
Hugh Darty - been there done that!
everytime I ever go to get a log somewhere, i break or tear up something
first major adventure: bent the crap out of my log arch
second major adventure: blew out the o-ring on my power steering pump using my milemarker winch
third time out: broke the handle out of my cant hook
oh well, little by little!
I keep telling myself "as long as nobody gets hurt, and nothing gets seriously tore up"
Hokiemill; Be happy! (^___^) Whats more nice than a brand new rear differential on Your truck? ;)
Wish I had a rear diff. on my WV Passat but it has just front wheel drive and there is 20 cm snow outside.
Think me and my saw mill have better stay in the work shop these days. :D
Swede.
Sorry to hear about the truck. Hope it goes well with ya.
That was a neat idea about the toboggan, so as to not tear up that guys yard. I like that kind of inexpensive inovations. ;D
is your truck a half or 3/4 ton?
back in the old days, the 3/4 and 1 ton GM trucks had killer rear ends, not sure what they put in the new ones. GM's lighter rear ends have never been that much to brag about...
Well, it looks like fun to me. Seems the setup is working great. The engineer in me is curious about your rear axle failure. That is an uncommon way to fail one, sounds to me like the driveshaft would not rotate after the snap was heard? Something in the carrier came apart and bound the unit?
Captain
I'm a bit curious too on that one, diffs do break, though.
he said he coasted to the shoulder. could be all that happend was the spiders fell off.
why is the chain the same color as the sleds? is the chain plastic too? :D
I saw Hokie carrying that square logging chain at the Richmond, VA show. Looked a bit like Jacob Marley.
Guess he still had a chance to become a good man! ;D
Ernie and Gilman: As soon as I get my truck back I'll run over and take a boatload of pictures of the trailer for you and post them with some explanations.
Dan and Captain: It's a 1/2 ton. The truck did coast to the shoulder, BUT when the flatbed tow truck tried to winch it up, it rolled a couple feet then the front left wheel locked up. It would roll backwards a couple feet and then lock up again. Luckily it didn't lock up immediately - that could've been ugly.
Redpowerd and Captain: Captain your memory has twisted reality a tad bit. In Richmond I was lugging around something light blue, but it was my super cool LogRite Hookaroon! I just bought this square logging chain from Labonville. Nothing plastic about it - Pewag 3/8" grade 100. Bites good and won't break in my lifetime. Nice stuff. Red, you're right, it does match my high-grade skidding device very nicely. Looks like I'll have to buy the LogRite Peavey and keep the blue theme going.
yeah, that trailer looks pretty sweet :)
Well, I am sure it was at that show I saw the chain, and SOMEBODY was walking around with it on their shoulders...guess not you, Randy.
The plot thickens....LF wheel would not move??
Captain
I too am curious on the problem.
What ever you do, NEVER winch while in park or in gear!. The drive train is not designed to take winching loads.
Neutral, parking brake set, and large wheel chocks. :)
Hokie,
A few months ago I was taking an old Black Walnut down for a client. When I pulled up next to it with my tractor the top snaped out of that half dead thing and did $400 worth of damage to my tractor. All I could do was jump out of the way just before that thing got me. I guess it knew I was there to kill it.
A new radiator and stearing later my tractor is almost a good as new. That day was not a good day, as I also bent my bar and handle on my chain saw.
Now, I got me a brand new Sthil MS 361 ( 8) 8) 8) 8)) to do the heavy cutting, my old 028 is my stand by saw now.
What is left of the black Walnut is now up at Den Socsling's place being vacuum dried. 8) 8) I will get paid for that job when I go back up to Den's next week and bring back that load of material.
My point is things like this are the nature of the beast we have choosen to play with. For me this is what makes it fun.
I should have my WPF and kiln up and running by mid April. If you ever need kiln services or help sawing give me a shout. That new fork lift attachment on my tractor makes material handling real easy now.
Mark