TSI and stand-thinning with forestry trailer w/winch and ATV

[wisconsitom]

A brother alerted me to govt. auctions of units called the Growler ITV.  A couple different models perhaps, looks like a jeep.  Has 4-wheel steering!  I am signed up to get notification.

tom

[SwampDonkey]

Most of my harvesting will be thinning for firewood and some fir logs to mill road side on the woodlot along the main road. Use the slabs for firewood. It's a dirt farm road into forest and fields that is the main road by the woodlot. So it isn't like it's out along a paved highway with 50 mph traffic. I could work all day and never see a car. What I plan on is a Honda Wheeler with direct drive, no belts and something like a Logrite arch. I have  1000 - 1200 stems to the acre 20-50 feet tall, so lots to thin and burn and slice. I'm not there yet, but maybe in 5 years. One can dream. Priorities change.  :D

[wisconsitom]

Once I get that Kubota 1140X, I am going to be able to simply stack the early, small logs across the rather large steel bed of that unit, strap them down, and carry them up the lane sideways like that (I think I have clearance generally).  No need for log arch or forestry trailer at this time.  Later I will need one or the other but can likely get by with just log arch.  Because this bigger UTV has a large dump box when in 2-person mode, it will be sufficient for me for such tasks as moving gravel and dirt.  I won't need the big fancy (and expensive) forestry trailer at this time.

Now I just have to save my pennies for the nice orange machine.  This will be the unit I will be using for the remainder of my days.

I had little interest in 4-seater UTVs, but when I saw the slickness of this package, my mind was changed.  It takes right around 30 seconds to switch from 4-seater to 2-seater and vice versa.  And that dump box when unit is in 2-seater mode is larger than just about anything out there.  Me like!  And the 1140X is just a chunk.  Much, much beefier and more substantial than say, the kid's Polaris Ranger we used to drive around up there.

One day, I scanned more than 1300 ATV, UTV, and snowmobile adds on a popular online ad platform.  There was not one Kubota unit listed for sale.

tom