Car hauler for log hauling

[brdmkr]

I noticed an old dodge ton truck dually with a tilt flat bed and winch for sale on the side of the road today.  It looks like it was likely used as a car hauler as the bed goes all the way to the ground.  Has anyone used anything like this for picking up logs to feed the mill?  Seems like it might work, but I am trying to figure how you might have to drag a really large log on board.  Would you parbuckle sideways and then spin the log?  Should I look into it further?

[getoverit]

I would *LOVE* to have one of those !

Most of them have winches strong enough to just drag the log onto the deck while it is tilted, much like you would drag a disabled car onto the deck. It would be good for dragging one log at a time, but getting more than one might be a challenge. I would think you could get some awfully big logs this way though

[metalspinner]

There is a local fella that has a rollback I hire occasionally to move big logs.  The biggest he move was a red oak.  It was 44" at the big end  and 32" on the small end and 16' long.  He did it, but it took him a while.  He used two snatch blocks to help out his winch , too.  Unloading wasn't as easy as I thought either.   He also has a knuckle boom on the same truck.  That is handy!  After setting up to parbuckle, though, that is by far easier. And I don't have the additional expense or scheduling complication.   The impact on being at the location is also less with my pickup and trailer than with he rollback, too.

[urbanlumberinc]

Okay, I'm just the newbie here, but let me assure that a car hauler or flatbed towtruck will move ogs like a champ.  My first ever experience ever moving a large log was with a flatbed towtruck and it went off without a hitch.  A friend and I with the help of the towtruck driver and winch loaded a 12' x 49' maple trunk a few years back.  I've got one word of advice - dowels.  Place 2" dowels under the front of the log and winch the log using the dowels as wheels.  The first one is a bit tricky, but once it's rolled under it's a piece of cake to feed more dowels under.  Helps to have two dowels per foot of log or so and a helper.

[alsayyed]

I am building 3.50 x 2 meters trailer made of 4" channel bar I think it is going to be strong for carrying logs. I am going to use two wheels. My question I need an idea of making some sort of lifter for lifting a log. Could anybody advice me what to do and how to make it. Is  there any photos so I can see.

[Daren]

I know a guy who brings me logs sometimes, he does a little of everything. Handyman, barn painting, removes trees... He has dumped some pretty big logs in the yard that he just straight pulled on the back of just the kinda truck you are talking about. I would for sure do some checking if you could get it cheap. I would like to have one myself.

[getoverit]

Try THIS LINK For ideas on how to lift a log onto a trailer.

[Daren]

alsayyed, here is a little trailer I use to go after a few at a time or one big one. It is 1 meter wide and 4 1/2 meters long. The drop axle for the wheels is important, keeping the deck low to the ground. The arch over the back is how I lift the logs on. I have a winch mounted at the front that I throw the cable over the top of the arch at the back and that lifts the end onto the trailer if the cable is hooked several centimeters from the end of the log. It has a roller on top of the arch to lessen friction. I then unhook the winch and just pull them forward, there is a roller on the back of the trailer to make it a rolling load not dead weight. For really big ones I have layed pieces of steel pipe along the deck to help with the rolling.

[beenthere]

......loaded a 12' x 49' maple trunk ..........

Welcome to the forum. Which of these two numbers is in inches?  please tell me they are not both in feet.  ;D

If you have any pics of that log loading or moving, would be great to see them.

[DanG]

Obviously, it was 49 feet in diameter, and 12 inches long. ;D :D :D

[alsayyed]

it is 11.48 length feet US and UK
and 6.56 width feet which is reasonable size for log trailer

[Daren]

Obviously, it was 49 feet in diameter, and 12 inches long. ;D :D :D

:D :D, I did some figuring on that short log. There are 21,316 bft in it. The weight (if it was hard maple) would be 115,464 lbs.

[pineywoods]

I don't have a tilt-bed truck, but I do have a tilt-bed 16 ft trailer. I use a toyota pickup with a 8000 lb front bumper winch and a trailer hitch on the front as well as back. Hook the trailer to the front, push trailer to one end of log and tilt the bed so the back end sits on the ground. Then I run the winch line down the trailer and grab on to the log, then sit in the air-conditioned cab and watch the log slide up on the trailer. I've loaded some logs too big for my LT40 (36 inch x 20 ft max) using this setup.

[wassaw]

 checked out your log arch. pretty neat. here is a description of my loader. ten foot bed on trailer, have hauled twelve foot regularly. what i have is a box type frame extending 2 feet beyond end of trailer approximately 6 feet above the bed. i have hook-up points at rear and front that i hook a snatch block to. hook to rear first, that lifts log onto trailer. depending on how far back you attach to log gives you the angle you need. after nose of log is on trailer, you hook snatch block to front hook-up which keeps your log angled. then just pull it on in however far it needs to go. you can get as many layers of logs on as you wish to haul, just by adjusting your mounting point on your logs. looks kindof like what they used to haul butane tanks with. have been using it for over a year now with no major problems. just try to load largest logs first or bind them down to keep bottom logs from sliding forward.