Looking for input on log loading ideas

charles mann · September 01, 2018, 01:35:53 AM

here are a few pics of my log arch. don't know exact weight of each log it loaded, but the last tree i hauled, scaled in at 12,300#. i loaded it in 2 sections.

first test lift. close to 3000# and it, arch and welds, and winch held over night with the load suspended.

teakwood · September 01, 2018, 08:26:25 AM

The first pic: It seems to me that this will be at the limit of the weight capacity which the smallish looking arch could handle.

Crusarius · September 04, 2018, 07:28:38 AM

Happy you went with the 12k winch? hows it work? does it stop as soon as you let go of the button or freewheel a bit first?

Crusarius · September 04, 2018, 07:29:10 AM

Surge brakes was my thought but they have a tendency to be a big pain going down long steel hills.

barbender · September 04, 2018, 08:52:12 AM

My .02- I hate surge brakes!

Crusarius · September 04, 2018, 09:04:28 AM

Surge brakes have their place. I don't think offroad trailer is their place. especially if connected to 3 point hitch on a tractor.

mike_belben · September 04, 2018, 10:24:13 AM

Build a rugged fixed dropleg where the trailer jack normally goes. Weld some rebar or whatever to create a traction cleat underneath like a backhoe pad uses. Set the height so it keeps the hitch maybe 10" off the ground.

When it starts pushing you, dump the 3pt and let it drag until you get back in control.

Crusarius · September 04, 2018, 10:27:54 AM

Thats a good idea. never thought of something that simple. Still scary though thinking it could go sideways and get really crazy.

mike_belben · September 04, 2018, 10:48:09 AM

Just gotta know your limitations i guess.

John Mc · September 04, 2018, 11:03:22 AM

Quote from: mike_belben on September 04, 2018, 10:24:13 AM
Build a rugged fixed dropleg where the trailer jack normally goes. Weld some rebar or whatever to create a traction cleat underneath like a backhoe pad uses. Set the height so it keeps the hitch maybe 10" off the ground.

When it starts pushing you, dump the 3pt and let it drag until you get back in control.

I'm not sure how reliably that will work. Most tractors do not have down pressure on their 3 Pt hitches. If you are being pushed, your 3 Pt hitch could just as well be pushed up, regardless of where you put your position control. Trailer tongue weight might help some, but can't be counted on to provide braking. (I've dragged a couple thousand pounds of oak logs that have pushed my logging winch and 3 Pt hitch up when I go over uneven terrain. At least in those cases, some of the log was still in contact with the ground, providing some drag.)

mike_belben · September 04, 2018, 11:15:57 AM

If we are talking about 18 wheeler loads behind a SCUT on rough terrain then darwin is gonna take the reins at some point.

Not to be rude john.. But if your trailer tongue doesnt hit the ground when not on a hitch, ya messed up the axle placement. BTDT.

John Mc · September 04, 2018, 12:49:49 PM

Quote from: mike_belben on September 04, 2018, 11:15:57 AMNot to be rude john.. But if your trailer tongue doesnt hit the ground when not on a hitch, ya messed up the axle placement. BTDT.

Well, to be honest, my thinking had switched to dragging logs, even though I mentioned trailers... and when dragging logs, lifting the 3 Pt hitch is not that big a deal, since the logs are still on the ground, providing drag.

charles mann · September 04, 2018, 02:52:03 PM

Quote from: Crusarius on September 04, 2018, 07:28:38 AM
Happy you went with the 12k winch? hows it work? does it stop as soon as you let go of the button or freewheel a bit first?

12k honestly wasnt enough. Brake didnt hold and would run away, but im thinking maybe the batteries were getting low. I uncoupled, jumper cabled from my diesel and the brake seemed to hold better than without jumpering them. At the end, my planetary box sounded like someone walking on bubble wrap. Going to throw my 18k on it for the time being and open up the 12k to see the damage and hopefully fix it.
Gotta redeck my trailer now though. The trunk of the last pecan did it in just over the axels. Gonna put in diamond plate over my wheels and axels, then replace the decking behind the axels. That'll at least get me road legal again.

mike_belben · September 04, 2018, 11:12:58 PM

Get you a whole box of gloves and like 3 rolls of paper towels plusna fresh trash bag before you even start. Winches have the craziest grease of anything i ever tore down.

charles mann · September 05, 2018, 02:44:57 AM

Quote from: mike_belben on September 04, 2018, 11:12:58 PM
Get you a whole box of gloves and like 3 rolls of paper towels plusna fresh trash bag before you even start. Winches have the craziest grease of anything i ever tore down.

can't be worse than WTR we used in the army, and still use today, just referred to by its manufacturer's name of royco 22cf. even with rubber exam gloves, the odor permeates through the glove and makes the hands smell like digging in the south end of a north bound feral hog.

mike_belben · September 05, 2018, 11:49:37 AM

.

You know they say when youre diggin yourself a hole in a feral hogs rear its time to put the shovel down right? I think thats the saying.

charles mann · September 05, 2018, 01:15:59 PM

Quote from: mike_belben on September 05, 2018, 11:49:37 AM
.

You know they say when youre diggin yourself a hole in a feral hogs rear its time to put the shovel down right? I think thats the saying.

Never heard that before. I just know wtr smells AWFULL, so gearbox grease, even if its thick and slimy, kinda like thix-o grease, would be a welcome over wtr.