Firewood skidder

[bulldozerjoe]

Iv got a 2006 new holland 4x4, around 40 horse with a frandguard winch, it does good for my firewood that a burn every year... but just don’t like beating the crap out of my tractor... thinking about looking for a small skidder down the road... i probably would not use it much.. I burn 20 facecord and usually sell 20.. if I was looking for one any body got any recommendations on what skidder I should be looking for.. small one preferably... iv got a case 450 dozer that has a slow winch on it, but no arch I could also set up to use... but always wanted a skidder..

[B.C.C. Lapp]

208 Timberjack or even a 225.  440B John Deere or a 440A or 440.   Clark Ranger maybe.  Trouble is they haven't built these skidders for decades and they are getting hard to come by as are parts.   

[BargeMonkey]

 Out here if you watch you can find a decent older cable that's not all stove up for 15-20. Friend of mine went to PA today to look at a 230D Jack, thing was a WRECK, on ag tires and the guy wanted gold. I looked at an older 640D in Fort Ann this spring, offered him 11k, he wanted 12k and I'm glad I didnt do it. Theres a clean 440C not to far from me here, I dont think the guy knows what he's doing, says it needs "clutch and general maintenance", my buddy's going to look at it this week, sounds like 10-11 in a bag to me. 
Facebook marketplace is the place to buy, go on and look, alot of garbage but the deals are around. 

[tacks Y]

Barge, was that the 230D for 12.5k? I see it had ag tires. I see one in Me for 16.5k but to far to go look but sounds nice. Most all the ones I have been talking to have had for 2 years and are selling. Looked at 2 230Ds and a 205 so far. May go look at one today.

[BargeMonkey]

Yeah sounds like the one, just down into PA a bit. 2 younger guys here are looking for a cheap skidder, blade pins has almost 1" of slop either way where its smoked the bushing, all that great stuff. Personally I'm not an older Jack fan, you can buy a decent 460, put some love into it and have 4x the machine for 2x what a thrashed 230 goes for. I've got a CLEAN 230 long bunk factory forwarder and come spring when it leaves for a 564 I'm not going to be heart broken. 

[mike_belben]

So just love em and leave em huh? Is that any way to treat your iron barge ? 

[snowstorm]

I hope bardge it not looking for a 564 cat fowarder. Cause you dont want one

[Dom]

I hope bardge it not looking for a 564 cat fowarder. Cause you dont want one

That would be the predesessor to the Ecologs? If so, parts were a pain to get from Cat when the machines were new!

[quilbilly]

Y'all really need to start looki g for skidders out west. I couldn't imagine paying what y'all do for a cable skidder. If there's a cable skidder for sale out here over 10k it's in perfect running condition. If it's over 15 then it's probably perfect looks wise too. 

I know a good running clark 666c for about 7k. If I keep my eyes open there are all sorts of deals under 10. Mostly there is just no need for em anymore. All shovel logging out here with a few guys still doing grapple skidders. Pretty much no use for a cable skidder anymore so they go cheap.

[BargeMonkey]

I hope bardge it not looking for a 564 cat fowarder. Cause you dont want one

 What about a 546C Fabtek ? I want simple, not high tech. 830B is probably the way to go but I'm too cheap for that. 

[nativewolf]

I hope bardge it not looking for a 564 cat fowarder. Cause you dont want one

Second that, can't find Cat on real CTL grounds for a good reason..they were not good machines.  Komatsu, JD, Ponsse all made good forwarder and a 830b could swing some serious wood in a short amount of time but I heard that they were fuel hogs.  

[Gary Davis]

there are still some  garrett 15 around they are old but easy to work on

[barbender]

What is an 830, a Timberpro? The Fabteks are getting hard to get parts for, too. I know some of the axle parts can take a real long time to track down, if you can find them at all. Myself and one of our other forwarder operators were leased out by our boss to skid about 1000 cords that had been put on the ground while another outfit's Fabtek sat in the shop waiting for axle parts. Ponsse did the work on it,  I don't know how they even found the parts. Probably because of their European connections, as the bearings came from Germany when they finally found them. I think they were NAF axles. Simpler yes, but they are also becoming obsolete. Itxs kind of a shame there isn't a nice simple machine made like that anymore, the other nice thing is the Fabteks were built like a skidder. Euro CTL equipment has really light, almost automotive weight body panels that will get destroyed if you drive around like a skidder just running everything over. Even my forwarder, I try to keep it nice but I've had a couple mishaps with sticks falling out of tall piles and denting body panels. It's more than just looks, the panels need to open for access to storage and different check points etc. Euro CTL equipment will not suffer gorilla operators, if you bust up American logging equipment don't even bother with the Euro stuff.

[barbender]

I'd have to agree on the cable skidders- they go for crazy money in the Northeast. Or at least people ask crazy money for them😊 There used to be armies of cable skidder crews up here cutting pulp through the 70's and 80's. 1 man hand falling, 1 on the skidder, and 1 on the landing bucking everything to 100" like we do up here😊 There's cable machines laying around everywhere up here it seems, shoots I have one laying in my front yard. 4 tires that hold air mostly, an engine that runs, and a working winch goes for $5000. That's either wallowed out pins or not, doesn't  really matter. I know the ones in the NE are working machines and seem to be kept in better running condition, but if you brought one here and tries to get the same money for it you'd never get a call. 

[BargeMonkey]

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

[leeroyjd]

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.

[snowstorm]

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

mine has been bomb proof.it's 116 hp most of the time thats enough. good breaks pretty stable. ac works well 2 heaters you are never cold. the down side its not hystat or a bit wider and longer or 70 hp more. a tuff well made somewhat simple machine

[Skeans1]

What is an 830, a Timberpro? The Fabteks are getting hard to get parts for, too. I know some of the axle parts can take a real long time to track down, if you can find them at all. Myself and one of our other forwarder operators were leased out by our boss to skid about 1000 cords that had been put on the ground while another outfit's Fabtek sat in the shop waiting for axle parts. Ponsse did the work on it,  I don't know how they even found the parts. Probably because of their European connections, as the bearings came from Germany when they finally found them. I think they were NAF axles. Simpler yes, but they are also becoming obsolete. Itxs kind of a shame there isn't a nice simple machine made like that anymore, the other nice thing is the Fabteks were built like a skidder. Euro CTL equipment has really light, almost automotive weight body panels that will get destroyed if you drive around like a skidder just running everything over. Even my forwarder, I try to keep it nice but I've had a couple mishaps with sticks falling out of tall piles and denting body panels. It's more than just looks, the panels need to open for access to storage and different check points etc. Euro CTL equipment will not suffer gorilla operators, if you bust up American logging equipment don't even bother with the Euro stuff.

If I can still get parts for my 96 1210 NAF bogies you shouldn’t have issues getting parts for the straight bar new style bogie. The big issue with CAT taking over Fabtek is electronic lock out such as iQan. 

[mike_belben]

electrical lock out

Patented by Satan's industrial division. *DanG you satan.

[ehp]

I know where there is a real good TJ 240A and the price once switched to USA money its a pretty good deal for someone