I'm way behind on showing you folks my projects ;D
The snowcat makes a good winter skidder but only has about 4" of ground clearance and my trails are nowhere near that flat so I finally did what I should have to begin with and bought an arch. A Future Forestry fetching arch. It's beautifully made and way lighter than I could have done. But kind of pricey.It's big advantage over other arches is the detachable tongue and that it gets a log higher off the ground.
To make it really useful with the 4wheeler, I needed a front trailer ball so the ATV's winch line could run thru the arch's block.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11412/jmcontraptionupOP.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11412/jmcontraptiondownOP.jpg)
Above is the down position for winching. The red arm should provide increased resistance to the bike being dragged instead of the log.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11412/jmbikeandarchOP.jpg)
The arch has a hand winch that might be faster than the electric one on the bike. I haven't been able to try it out much because of a long mud season on my land. The front trailer ball is great for spotting trailers around the yard. 8)
Most of the logs I've been dragging home were blowdowns and this arch should be great for getting them the rest of the way down. Eventually, I'll build a smaller one so I can haul longer logs and keep thier tail ends out of the mud.
Nice 8)
Sprucebunny,
You ain't lookin' for a job are ya ??? ??? ???
Ain't she clever ??? Nice job, Bunny. 8) 8)
smiley_thumbsup smiley_thumbsup
Joan, what diam log fits inside the arch? You sure do have a knack for design. Great job there with the hitch conversion.
You've had those tracks for a while now on your quad. How are they in the winter and in the summer. How would they compare to a snowmobile for working in the woods in winter. Have you tried both and what are your thoughts
Quebecnewf
Nice job on the front trailer ball. I've used my Future Tractor arch on the Quad for some smaller logs
make it worth having.
Thanks everyone and thanks for the offer, Steve ;D I like designing things ...it's probably a good thing that I didn't have a welder all these years : my yard would be even more littered with stuff :D
Quebecnewf : The tracks are great. I put wheels on the front in the summer because the tracks are hard to turn. They do well off the trail in the woods even in snow but a packed area provides more traction and some snow depths and conditions will be too much if a trail isn't used regularly. I've only ridden a snowmobile once !!!
If I remember right, a 26" diameter log will go in the arch but I don't have any that big .... I'm thinking more like 3/ 10" trees.
Very fine stuff s.b. . Adapting to the situation and making it work 8) I hope you get dry weather now and have many days of building up your log supply !
Sprucebunny,
I have a Fetching arch too, with the towing tongue like you've got and the two man extension handle. If you want a smaller one, check out the Jr. Arch they make. It is well worth the money and is my first choice over the Fetching Arch for a log under 16".
Quote from: sprucebunny on May 11, 2006, 05:19:41 PM
Eventually, I'll build a smaller one so I can haul longer logs and keep thier tail ends out of the mud.
You can haul a log of any length, fully suspended, with both the Fetching and the Jr. all you do is hook a chain, winchline, rope or whatever to the handle or the ring and place the tongs in the middle of the log. when you pull on the line, the handle comes down and picks up the log. when you stop pulling, the log drops back to the ground and stops. Did you check out the skis that they make for their arches?
That's a real nifty looking outfit. That would be ideal for working on my ground, as I have no hills and need to get between thinned or planted trees where the wood would be under 10 inches. But that will be a few years yet, so I'll save up my pennies. ;D
Well, ain't that snazzy! Joan, your gona' be in the logging, design and fabricating buisness if you keep on modifying your equiptment. Good job! 8)
SB - That is way cool!
You are talented. That is a real nice setup. Now think what you could do with a welder and a plasma cutter and.... ;D
Good looking rig Sprucebunny.
How much weight can those tires handle? I built a narrow 5' x 12' trailer to make it easier to get logs thru my close packed woods. When I tried to pull a couple 1000 lbs of logs with my four wheeler it got a little hairy going down hill!...as in really tight sphincter! I'm back to using the tractor to pull the trailer but a log arch moving one log may be the ticket.
Quinton
8) stuff SB.
Quote from: Qweaver on May 12, 2006, 09:26:40 AM
When I tried to pull a couple 1000 lbs of logs with my four wheeler it got a little hairy going down hill!...as in really tight sphincter!
And the nice thing about log arches is that you can move the arch forward and let the log drag going down hill.
I am not sure what the tires are rated but I think they are rated for around 2000lbs, and Future Forestry does sell other tires, rated higher.
NIce job S.B.
I've probably missed it but how do you like your sawmill??
Tom
Thanks again, guys ;D
I've towed some pretty heavy stuff with the 4wheeler. I have a tiny dump trailer that holds 1 cu.yd.. Doesn't dump it, though ::) but between the trailer weighing 900? pounds and 2500 pounds of dirt.... that's a good load !!! and the bike has handled it well, even down hills. My only adventure going down hill was towing a log in a skidding cone and it passed me on some ice. Nothing bad happened but it was exciting ;D
Tom, I love my mill. I haven't sawed much untill lately and that is another topic that I've been lazy about posting but I got pics ;D and I'll get to it this week.
S.B
I'm glad you like the mill.
I'm even happier that you got some pics to share. ;D ;D
Tom
Nice clean looking work ,Joan, and pics too. Things get so busy in life, I can't get to the Forum for days and days but the silver lining is that there's all these posts accumulating like jewels in a bag waiting for me to pull them up. Yours shines brightly! Thanks. 8)
If I'm not mistaken I believe Future Forestry has ski's for that as well.