Firewood skidder

[quilbilly]

Part of it must be the we don't see much new wheeled equipment up here and it doesn't appear they are making track loaders which is what most folks were buying from cat. I've seen lots of 568 loaders here. 

I personally don't know of anyone who has purchased a new skidder for a long time. So PNW probably isn't the target market. We also don't do wheeled bunchers or knuckleboom loaders

[Skeans1]

Part of it must be the we don't see much new wheeled equipment up here and it doesn't appear they are making track loaders which is what most folks were buying from cat. I've seen lots of 568 loaders here.

I personally don't know of anyone who has purchased a new skidder for a long time. So PNW probably isn't the target market. We also don't do wheeled bunchers or knuckleboom loaders

If it is a wheel skidder is has to have a minimum of 6 anymore it seems like with a set of tracks for the guys. The only other wheel equipment you see on the west side is the Cut To Length equipment or a clambunk once in a blue. As far as knucklebooms you see on once in a while at a mill once here has two that feed a debarker and another has two with grapple saws feeding the in feed chain.

[Mountain_d]

I'm tempted to even buy a 646 Valmet, again simple and parts. Fuel doesn't bother me 😂.

Barge my 646 consumes between 2-2.5 gals/hr. depending on terrain.
Be interesting to hear what others report.

I have a 1978 TJ230 with 3.9 litre Cummins (4B) engine - non turbo. Only 70 hp but when I work by myself I only burn about 3 gallons (imperial) in 7 hrs of work cutting about half a tandem firewood in that time. Long skid too (about 3/4 mile each way). Not to common of an engine in a TJ, but great if you can find it and if you don't need a bunch of horses. See fair number of Tree Farmer C4 and C5 around. I never owned one but folks seem to speak fondly of them. They usually have 353 Detroit's and a few with Deutz.
Mountain

[General007]

I bought a 72 CAT 518 last fall for 10K it needed a few things just from sitting for 5 years prior to me owning it but I probably skid 20 cord a year with it for my wood boiler and sugarhouse.  Thing always starts even on the coldest of days and the gearmatic winch hasnt given me any issues yet and parts for the winch seem to be readily available most of the drivetrain from what I gather is similar to what was used in Cats loaders of this decade so yeah are parts cheap probably not but one thing about Cat equipment is they normally can get a part still even being over 40 years old.  Good luck with your search