Loader Question

[dukndog]

OK...I know there is a "Forestry and Logging" section on the forum, but felt the question would be better suited here.

How many mill owners use a "loader" truck or log truck to get logs back to their stationary mill?
I have a WM LT15 and am getting calls from friends to come and pick up logs from them for free. My dilemma is I have a 20' trailer with a fuel tank mounted on the front, basically making it 18' and a tractor. To retrieve their free logs, I have to transport the tractor there, load the logs, leave the tractor, come home and unload by dragging the logs off the trailer by chaining them to a tree, then go back to get the tractor. Lots of travel and work for free logs.
In looking at the problem, a used grapple truck would fit the bill. It's just hard to find a reasonably priced truck to do this. I've also thought of hiring a driver/owner with a truck to make the pickups, but they are normally busy with larger companies.

I just wanted to see if there's anything I'm missing or if there are better, cheaper ideas!!

Thanks all!

Rich Miller

[lyle niemi]

I have been considering getting my own self loading truck but then I had to give my head a shake. With all the trucking rules and regulations out there now it would be a full time job just having the truck to take care of. I dont have enough meat around to help.

[uler3161]

We came up with a fairly low buck system for my 18 ft car trailer. I built some bunks out of 2x8 steel tubing (I think it was 1/4" wall). We had an LT40 manual at the time and used the ramps to load logs up the side of the trailer. Just had to add pins to attach the ramps to the ends of the 2x8 tubing. We were actually using a second pickup with chain/cable to roll the logs up. If you've ever seen an LT40 manual roll logs up onto the mill with the winch, it's the same principle. But, there's no reason you couldn't put an electric winch on the trailer instead.

I don't remember how much money I had it it, but I think it was only a few hundred. By the time you build ramps and get a winch it would be closer to a thousand, but that's still a lot cheaper than buying a grapple truck.

[highleadtimber16]

I have been considering getting my own self loading truck but then I had to give my head a shake. With all the trucking rules and regulations out there now it would be a full time job just having the truck to take care of. I dont have enough meat around to help.

I agree with Lyle. DOT makes it nearly impossible and way too expensive to have a truck for part time use. If you own it you gotta be driving it full time just to pay for insurance, breakdowns, and every 6 month inspections. I don't know, maybe your rules are a little looser down there. It would be nice to have a self loader.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I am in the exact same boat. I miss logs/jobs do to having too much time tied up in moving logs. I think that I am going to upgrade the mill rather than purchase more equipment. Just one more thing to keep up and I don't need that. Brian

[jmouton]

      i     have a 20 ft flatbed trailer and this has worked for me 3 times so far ,,  what i did if it were only one or 2 logs , i loaded them in the middle of the trailer and drove the tractor over the top of them , if you have enough clearance under tractor ,  if not bring some wood blocks for under the wheels and drive on top of the to get the clearance needed , trust me  it works , just chain everything down good and tight ,


                                                                                                                                  jim

[Wellmud]

You could also build or buy one of those log grapple trailers, several mfg. make them, and several home mades on U-tube. Trucks are a big expense for part time, several hundred dollars a year for license, a lot more for insurance, last time I put new tires on the rear of my tandem truck it was over $4000.00 and $1500.00 for the floaters on the front, not to mention all the other taxes, inspections $4.00+/gallon fuel and general up keep. Not trying to be negative about a truck, it just takes a lot of work to earn its keep.

[AnthonyW]

Here's my current plan. (subject to change)

Buy a deck over style 16-20' trailer and build a LT40 style hydraulic lift on the side. The purchase an ATV and LogRite Arch. Use the ATV/arch to get the logs to the trailer and the hydraulic loader to get them on. This avoids a lot of licensing and (motor) maintenance issues and allows the trailer to be used for other things.

I used the calculator on the site here. For an 84" (7') wide trailer, any combination of realistic diameter saw logs (12-30") in a single layer adds to about 7k pounds. Which is a typical rating for a trailer and just just of the towing limit of the truck. The ATV and arch can either go in the back of the truck or on the front or rear of the trailer. (I might be able to get the arch on top of the rack of logs.)

[longtime lurker]

Put the sawmill on the trailer and take it to the logs?

No offense, but it sounds like a quick way to make "free" logs extremely expensive if you spend that much getting them home.

[Gasawyer]

I went and took the leap. Yes a selfloader is expensive upfront,but offers great flexibility for acquiring logs,beams, etc. Once  you get the bugs worked out my truck costs approx $2000 hard cost a year plus fuel and the occasional hose. I do haul some for tree services that helps with the bills. It is wonderful to have something that can pickup 10000lbs and move it.  If you keep the truck looking nice the man tends to leave you alone.

[redbeard]

 

  my mid 80s F700 boom truck is a great log fetcher and has many other uses. Iam able to recover the yearly license fee, monthly insurance payments doing odd jobs with it. Being stationary with the mill it really benefits my customers to haul there log decks to my mill verses being mobile. It dose sit idle a lot but its there and ready when the opportunity arises.

[Bill Gaiche]

Check with Magic Man, he has a method and it will work for you for a simple and cheap way. (Parbuckle). If I spelled it right. bg

[backwoods sawyer]

Buy a deck over style 16-20' trailer and build a LT40 style hydraulic lift on the side

I picked up a three stage boom with winch, took a truck with a 16' bed shortened it to 14' to make room for the boom, handy truck but takes a lot of work just to pay the cost of the truck, what saves me is that I can licence and insure it quarterly, It don't cost much the rest of the time.
I also have a couple trailers for hauling logs one 8'x20' deck over, the other is a 12' with a lower deck that I haul the crawler with, since I have the older style loading arms on the mill when I upgrade to the newer style I plan to put mounts for old set on both trailers, Pin removal, 12 volt hydraulic pump stays with the loading arms, still have full use of both trailers.

[redbeard]

I have always liked that idea of using loader arms from the mill to a trailer!

[mikeb1079]

I just wanted to see if there's anything I'm missing or if there are better, cheaper ideas!!

yep.  it's called parbuckling or cross hauling.  basically get a stout trailer and winch.  roll logs up ramps onto trailer.  drive away.  once you get the winch and ramps setup (read:  heavy duty) it's easy and fairly quick.  its the most cost effective way i know to load and move a limited amount of logs.

[backwoods sawyer]

 

 

[SPD748]

As the OP and many others, I'm in the same boat. While a self loading truck would be excellent, the cost of watching it sit would not. Now, if I could find enough side work (as mentioned by Gasawyer and Redbeard) to offset the cost then the equation changes. So far, I have poked around and came up empty.

My current thought is to add a grapple or crane to my goose neck trailer. After the initial cost of the loader, the only cost I can foresee is maintenance. I've designed and drawn out a grapple that could handle around 2k lbs which would cost ~$5000 to build. An alternative would be a crane, such as an Auto Crane 4004, which would easily lift what ever I could handle on my hand-set mill however it would cost considerably more than a self-built grapple loader. I see the crane's advantage as being a nice long cable built in to help drag logs to within reach of the boom. As a side note to this thought, I have even considered building a dedicated goose neck log trailer with a 20k lb capacity and mounting either a grapple or crane for loading purposes. The problem here is, the total rig weight would exceed the magic 26k lb limit and delve into the realm of commercial vehicle regulations 

It's a catch 22 for sure. A nice truck would most certainly get the job done in short order however it would also dig into one's pocket.

Decisions... decisions...

-lee

[Magicman]

 

 
8K MileMarker winch mounted on the trailer front.  The pulley and ramps will attach to either side of the trailer.


 
Loading a 42" Water Oak log.  Putting old tires in the trailer bed will cushion the fall.   ;D

[YellowHammer]

A used $2,000 Autocrane service crane attached to a dump trailer works pretty well. It extends to 15 feet and can dead lift 3,200 lbs, or use just use the crane's winch and drag big logs up the tailgate like a loading ramp.





YH

[Magicman]

I like that.   

[dukndog]

Great idea's guys!!
I've toyed with Lynn's parbuckle idea as well. That will probably be the fix for the near future and possibly go to a gooseneck trailer / grapple combo later.
As for now, my Son-n-Law brings me logs from excavating jobs he does and dumps them from the truck. Only problem with that is he doesn't quite know how to buck them to length or scale, but they're FREE!!

Thanks again for the ideas!

Rich Miller

[mikeb1079]

yellowhammer is cheating.    :D

[backwoods sawyer]

The boom I picked up is rated at 5,000 lb with out riggers, I went to the local import sales yard and they had three sizes to choose from, paid $2,500 for the boom an extra $500 for a non metric pump, pto gear box, hydralic hoses, 3x3 heavy wall tubing, and longer shakel bolts.

[backwoods sawyer]

oops double post can't seem to delete