Ford 5610 for skidding

Maple leaf guy · March 21, 2014, 09:22:25 PM

What are your thoughts of a Ford 5610
4wd tractor for skidding? Is that a little to big for in the woods? Any views are welcomed!!

Maple leaf guy · March 21, 2014, 09:27:01 PM

I should have been a little more clear. It's about a 70 hp mid size tractor with gear transmission.

riverlogger · March 22, 2014, 12:12:40 AM

Hi Maple Leaf Guy, Im not sure you are aware of this but years ago a small company produced small skidders with tiny grapples on the rear that worked excellent in the woods and in smaller wood lots, They where called Log Hogs and where built on the 5000 ford farm tractor platform, Hope this helps

justallan1 · March 22, 2014, 12:18:10 AM

I think the biggest factor would be the terrain you will be working on.
The ranch I work for has the Ford TW 15-25 and 35, and a couple smaller for general work around here and I feel they would be a bit tippy if you got into very much of an incline and definitely any side hills. If you were on somewhat flat ground or slopes I think you would be fine. Possibly spreading your rear wheels and getting a weight package for the front may do the trick. All of ours definitely have the muscle.
Just my thoughts.

Allan

shortlogger · March 22, 2014, 01:46:19 AM

I think it would make a fine skid tractor .

David-L · March 22, 2014, 06:48:08 AM

That is a lot of tractor, put a forestry winch on it and you should be good to go. Of course its not a skidder and your skid trails will be determined by terrain. Make sure loader hoses are tucked up and rear weights or loaded tires will be a benefit also as mentioned. Also a ROP system ( rollover bar ). These series fords have a really beefy rearend and are solid machines. A farmi 501 winch would work well behind that. I see no issues for that combo.

David l

thecfarm · March 22, 2014, 08:33:04 AM

I use to do it with a 40hp Ford. Now I just play with firewood. You will need a 3pt winch. You had a post about taking the tree and making a finish product out of it. We use to do it with chains. That is some slow. With a winch we could get one log and move and then stop along the way and get more logs. Than if there was a tree 100 feet away I could pull out 100 feet of cable and get the tree. Instead of cutting a road that far.Or use the cable to get a tree out of an area that I did not want to put the tractor into.Plan your trails out well. My land is rocky,uneven,trees that I want to leave. Takes a few times to get a kinda straight trail.We also use to cut up the brush into short pieces,2-3 feet. Does take more time,but if we wanted to drive over it we could. There was no brush in out trails.Stumps were cut down low,so if we wanted to go over them we could.I have 8 ply tires and the tires are loaded and spaced wide,6 feet wide,I forgot. Hills are done straight up and down.
Just remember,a tractor is NOT a skidder and you will do fine. You can not run over high brush,can't run over small trees,can't go anywheres you want,can't haul out a lot at one time.Can't go fast with it. I don't have a skid pan on mine and have never felt the need to have one. But I don't cowboy it in the woods. I spend ALOT of time keeping things neat and clean. Since you are cutting on your land and getting all the money,it's time well spent. If I was on someone else land and had to share the money,I doubt I would be making much money,the way that I do it.

Mark K · March 22, 2014, 09:25:12 AM

The 10 series make excellent skidding tractors. Good ground clearance with not much underneath to rip off. I used an 85 hp belarus with a farmi 601 log winch. It suprised me what it could move. Wish I kept it. I had a full cab. U might want to build some sort of cage.

Southside · March 22, 2014, 12:30:43 PM

Like the others said, the size of the tractor is fine. Couple things to consider are under pan guarding, it seems no matter how hard you look one can miss a stray stem or stick which will find a way to poke up into the cab, oil pan, fan (done that even on a skidder) or other expensive component. You also want to be careful as skidders both articulate and either have a front axle that will rock over a stump or other obstacle, or the rear of the machine - as in my Franklin - will do the same (rock is not the correct term but I can't think of it). This action makes a big difference in how stable the machine is on its feet when you roll over a rock or stump, etc as three of the wheels stay on the ground. Not saying it can't be done with a tractor - just be careful. In addition to the ROPS I would have and use a seatbelt at all times. Also, I would build window screens out of expanded metal or mesh to keep errant branches and such from striking the operator. Filling the tires would be a good idea both for the weight / traction it will add and to help with flat prevention. Skidder tires are 20 or 26 ply, most tractor tires are 8 or so ply, they will get chewed up more quickly.

Assuming you own the machine the investment into a Farmi type winch and some guarding will be pretty minimal compared to buying a new machine. An advantage would be if you have a loader for the tractor a grapple attachment or even forks will allow you to be able to load logs with just the one machine.

Maple leaf guy · March 22, 2014, 03:43:33 PM

I was planning on building some type of skid plate on it eventually. ..it doesn't have a cab on it, but does have ROPS . Are cabs beneficial by any means? I'm personally not rough on my equipment in general so I don't worry too much about abuse although it will be a little slower. Our land is about ideal as far as trail roads from the snowmobile trails field edges, and the old logging road.I know you guys have all the experience and I'm quite new to this all but I have farmed so I do have some of the old school common sense ...so it sounds like a consensus a farmi type winch is the way to go and to be safe too??? It does have a loader and a buddy and I are planning and building a grapple for it. Thought that might be handy for the slab wood to the OWB! Once again.....thanks men....

thecfarm · March 22, 2014, 04:04:12 PM

I have done more damage to my tractor digging out big rocks than working in the woods. And I'm the type,that if it can be broken,I can break it. :

I am very fussy with my roads and brush. If I have a wet hole,I haul rocks to firm it up.
Yes,a 3 pt winch is the only way to go. I've had one on the back of my tractor since '93. I think I've only had it off a few times in all them years. It is something that will last a lifetime,from what I can see. Yes,a winch is pricey now,but will give you many,many years of work and save you a lot of work and save you from damaging trees too.

chevytaHOE5674 · March 22, 2014, 04:33:41 PM

Depending on the transmission the 5000 series tractors from ford are pretty well bullet proof. Some of the dual power and syncro trans can get costly to repair when the need arises, where as the 4x2 8 speed crashbox will just flat out work. Like any diesel keep an eye on the coolant and the SCA levels to keep on top of any possible cavitation issues. The rear axle's are as heavy duty as anything comparable.

I have a MFWD Ford 5000 and it was used for many years logging with a Farmi winch on the back and now it is used all the time on the farm for just about everything and it has been pretty much trouble free. Probably be the last tractor I will ever part with because I like the simplicity and dependability of it.

thecfarm · March 22, 2014, 04:40:53 PM

If you ever have tire problems and the tire is off the rim,weld something around the stems of the inner tube. Do not weld on a rim that has air in the tire. I heard on here that is VERY dangerous.

luvmexfood · March 22, 2014, 05:59:03 PM

All the above is pretty good advice. I would personally stay away from any cab with glass in it if putting it in the woods. I pull some hefty logs with two old tractors. 40 and 45 HP, two wheel drive and worn out tires. Money is tight and I can keep the bill's paid and a little food on the table.

Don't have a winch on either one. Have two 12 ton pulleys each about 10 inch diameter wheels that dad accumulated during his railroad years before he passed away. First used them to "pull around corners" but when I learned how to correctly hook them for hard to move logs it was amazing. Doubt you would have any problem with that size tractor. Like said above keep the brush cleared where you are going to drive the tractor. Nothing worse than being in a spot where you can't get truck to and hearing the dreaded pssst sound coming from a tire. Had that happen with a rear tire that had the old calcium in it. Luckily as soon as I heard and saw it, fluid was spurting out too. I was able to get to a flat spot near the truck. The old calcium they used to put in them will sure eat a rim over time.

Only advantage to older tractor such as what I use is both were bought new and I have operated each since I was 13 years old and I pretty much know their limitations and stay below that. One is better on steep ground so if I am working on steeper ground it is the go to tractor.

Dave Shepard · March 22, 2014, 06:07:51 PM

Where I used to work we had a Ford 5600, which I think is very close to the 5610. It started and ran very well, and I liked the big 24" rubber on the front, it sucked up the bumps pretty well. It had the 4x2 transmission, which wouldn't bother me too much in the woods. The wheel track is adjustable, so you can spread things out for stability. I would think with a set of tire chains in the winter it would do a pretty nice job with a winch on the back of it. We had a brand new Farmi 501 for it, but we never put it on. We did all of our "logging" with an excavator. :

Southside · March 22, 2014, 10:03:32 PM

As far as a cab goes, my first skidding machine was my 2WD IH 666 row crop tractor, it has a cab with no glass other than the windshield, I was always getting whacked by a branch, sometimes across the hand, other times right in the face. I then moved up to a JD 540A that had a rear screen and basically a ROPS around it, no doors, still caught more than a few branches with that, the worst ones are those at an angle that run into the cab like a javelin, you can not hit the brake fast enough, of course the wonderful pieces you run over the very end of with a tire and they fly straight up at you from the side are almost as much fun. My Franklin has a lexan winshield and hard screening around the sides and rear, complete with doors. No more surprises, and if by some chance I was to roll it, I will remain inside of the cab no matter what, with nothing coming in that would hurt me, so in my opinion, yes a cab, even a home built cage, is worth every penny.

Another thing to consider is that a ROPS alone will not give you any protection from widow makers or falling branches / debris. Even a 1' long, 3" piece of wood from 20' up can cause serious injury.

Maple leaf guy · March 22, 2014, 11:40:10 PM

Sounds like the best advice is to be as cautious as possible in the woods with a tractor....One wrong branch could mess up a tire quite fast probably. ...I'm hoping since I won't be doing this full time I can afford to take the time to try to keep the brush somewhat out of the way.... is the farmi winch about the most reliable as they come or any other suggestions?

thecfarm · March 23, 2014, 07:45:28 AM

I think they are all just about the same. Kinda like a Stihl,Husky thing.I have a Norse,the only reason is the model I have the butt plate that can be unpinned so it will flip up going over a rock of high stump. I also flip it up to hook up a trailer to the tractor.
I also run 6 chokers or slides on mine. Most times no more than 3 are used. But with the small stuff I use all six. I also made up some 4 feet chains for the small stuff too.Easier than using a 8 foot chain when only 2 feet is needed.

Stephen Alford · March 23, 2014, 08:50:23 AM

There are some pics of the 5610 working in the woods in my gallery if it is of interest. In addition to the mods used skidder tire on the rear from the get go. Had a couple of them burn so a secondary kill is good on the battery. The shift levers are good but will not take a lot of ramming into gear. Never had to take it apart but feel it could be a problem in the wrong hands. The skid pan has been great but in deep snow will limit what you can do. Breaks are good but added some digger teeth for backup. If I can help let me know. Sounds like a great combination of family/work /woods. Good luck.