Wood processor recommendations, entry level

[gaspasser]

Hello. 52 acres of hardwoods (ash, beech, birch, maple)  in NH. Forester tells me low value stand for sawlogs. Need to clear/thin for stand improvement. So, thinking I'll sell firewood as a side gig for the 3 -5 years it will take to complete. Have 3 chainsaws, mini- ex, 30 ton Oregon splitter ( single wedge; 4 way not available on this model), dump truck, Kubota tractor 23 hp. I'm getting older and current equipment way too slow for the expected yield of firewood. Most logs under 16 inch dbh.  Looking for recommendations on entry level processors. I could upgrade tractor if greater PTO hp required. Would likely sell processor after project done. Also looking to acquire IBC cages for handling. I'd appreciate all thoughts and comments. Thanks...

[thecfarm]

How are you getting the tress out of the woods? Sounds you are using that 23hp tractor. That size takes time.
Many years ago, I was cutting wood on this land.
There was a pulp market then. I sold all my "firewood" as pulp.
I got $40 a cord when the trucking was done. This was when firewood was going for about $150 a cord. I sawed it all 8 foot and I was done with it.

[Satamax]

Well, don't know about what is available in the US

I have a Palax 100s which is quite nice. Sawblade instead of chainsaw. And can take 16 inches if straight. That's Finnish made. 

Or you could look at the French made Rabaud Xylog. But that's way overkill. 

A friend has one. And it even laser meters your logs. 

Japa seems to make nice products too. 

[newoodguy78]

I don't have firsthand experience to offer other than suggesting to look in the firewood and wood heating section. There's a few members that share alot of good info about smaller  processors. Members jimbarry and GRANITEstatemp come to mind first. 
Granite has a self contained pto unit to run his which I think is pretty slick. What part of NH are you in?

[Stephen1]

Welcome to the forum .
It helps us answer questions if you fill out your profile. 

[gaspasser]

Thank you all. To answer questions...Using tractor and mini-ex / dump truck to haul out. Located Enfield/Grantham area of NH. I will fill out profile and look into the suggested machines.  This forum always a wealth of knowledge. Thank you.

[Southside]

Dyna has a rental program that would let you try their machine for a week so you can get a feeling for how things go.  Myself I would look at one of the mounted units and see if that mini ex is able to handle one, then you can lift, process, and pile from the comfort of the cab.  I rent a Dyna each year, and it does a great job, but if I decide to buy one it will be one of the mounted types. 

[barbender]

Halverson is the name of the attachment style processor.

[Satamax]

For mini excavators, 

there is also the solution of cone splitter and grapple. 

RABAUD - Fendeuses à vis adaptables sur mini-pelle - YouTube

This second one, from Mary Agri is quite nice. 

UNIQUE ! Fendeuse à vis + Pinces de manutention + ROTATION !! - YouTube

Even better, but i'm getting out of the scope here. Log crane, and splitter on one of the stabilizers. At two minutes twenty.

Bregenzerwälder Forsttag 2019 - YouTube

[stavebuyer]

I'd recommend a commercial splitter. All the entry level processors are picky about feedstock. Cleaning up a woodland you will no doubt have many "less than veneer" specimens to process.

[woodman52]

I am in the process of a 6 acre TSI ,out of 60+, what I don't use myself I sell to a guy that has a firewood business; in log form. I suggest that before you invest in more equipment go to the middle of your woodlot--cut, top, skid one acre of trees that need to come down.  I think  you'll find that (unless you hire a crew) you will have time to work in the woods or start a firewood business, but not both. Selling enough firewood to consume the wood from a TSI that large will take a lot of effort unless you wholesale it. 
I am not saying don't do it. I am saying (unless you have a lot of capital) don't jump in until you know what you are getting into. 

[woodman52]

And I have a small processor,  wood splitter, 3 tractors, logging winch,etc. Just so you know where I coming from.  Of course I do live 40 miles from a large city and there is a lot of people doing firewood nearby. Your market maybe much better than mine. 

[chep]

Woodman52 for the win. 
Very well said. 

[chep]

@Bruno of NH

I think lives near you and has a firewood biz. Prob could share some good info

[Bruno of NH]

I build racks for my firewood operation 
IBC totes around me are to much money in my area
I also buy 1/3 , 1/2 and 1/4 cord bags
I charge for the bag and I no longer deliver. 
It's pick-up at the mill only
I make more money not delivering and selling in small quantities 
I don't have a processor yet but will at some point and a Easton made axis type splitter

[mudfarmer]

Not a lot of buzz on the forum about the halverson units, anyone have recent experience or first hand knowledge of them?

I don't like the control system for them from what I can see, looks like a pain (either zip tie a bunch of buttons to your machine's joysticks or buy a standalone joystick from them that's sort of like a plow controller if you don't have a 14pin harness on the machine already?)

[barbender]

I tried a Halverson at the local logging show. It works fine, but it wasn't the right fit for me. I do a lot of firewood bundles and you need to be able to be hands on with the wood. Visibility to the cutting and splitting area from a skid steer is poor. I think they would work way better on a mini-ex.

[Bruno of NH]

I have watched lots of u tube on them
They look slow to me and you have to jostle them around alot to get the log right.
A more traditional processor would be how I would go.

[mudfarmer]

Thanks, I don't have any money right now anyway :D Just always thinking about the next step. I would run it off the mini ex, like the idea of not having to maintain another power unit. Splitting right into my truck and not needing a conveyor sounds pretty sweet too! They do seem a little slow and that is a comment others have made. More to think about. How to handle resplits is my biggest question (I guess you just don't, until later?)

[barbender]

The only option for resplits for the Halverson is to do them afterwards🤷

[Southside]

Every machine has it's ideal operating parameters. On the Dyna that I rent some of the resplits are no big deal, but if it's a big chunk that you need to dig out and lift up to toss back into the chamber, well you may end up saying some mighty awful words about the engineer who designed the machine. 

Don't get me wrong, they make a great machine, but we are talking about finding value here from fiber that's from the junk end of the tree more often than not. No machine is perfect, my splitter is usually not far away from the processor for those special pieces. 

[mudfarmer]

Good call and totally agree, we have tools for that and they are stand alone splitters.

 I think it is awesome that @jimbarry moved from small processor back to stand alone splitter but he also posted a thread trying to solve the same problem as me which is to eliminate blocking by hand out of a log pile. The Halverson processor does that and with a built in splitter at an ok price while being able to be picked up by my excavator coupler. It just might not be fast (I am also not fast processing with chainsaw and splitter but want to save what's left of my back) Thanks all for the input.

[jimbarry]

I don't mind blocking by hand. Only do a cord day. Not setting any records here. I'd just be happy enough if the saws are not being contankerous and the humidity... enough with the humidity!   

[gaspasser]

Thanks all. What great responses and knowledge sharing. Great food for thought. A lot to digest so I'll get back on here after thorough review. Thanks again all and good evening!

Best...

[barbender]

Southside, the winch mount for the conveyor, and the guarding around the splitting box are two thing that make me wonder if the designers at Dyna actually ever run the machines in real world conditions. Like you said, they are good, solid machines. But there's a few things...if you look at the very similar Brute Force machines, they have neither of the issues I just mentioned. 

 I hate the saw mount. You have to remove the bar plate on mine to switch chains, because the oiler attaches to the plate. Then sometimes a bar nut gets dropped, in dawdust and dissappears🤬

 Where the log comes off the indeed into the sawbox, is lower than the feed chain. So your log is chronically tilted down into the sawbox which causes crooked cuts. It also causes the whole thing to fall into the splitter when on your last cut. Then you mash body parts on the poorly thought out guarding trying to muscle the big block of wood out of there🤬 Also, those crooked cuts like to ride up the wedge and get pushed in to that winch mount I was talking about🤬

 Also, it needs a hydraulic lift for the live deck. All that to say, I have some modifications in mind😁

[mudfarmer]

That crooked cut and last piece falling is definitely something I noticed on the Halverson videos.A couple of the operators seemed to have a few tricks to combat it and I can't explain further but not sure it would work on fixed position machine.

[Big_eddy]

Any processor will make short work of a pile of logs at a landing, but in your case the real challenge is not going to be cutting and splitting, but getting the wood out of the bush. None of the equipment you mentioned is well suited to harvesting logs.

So give some thought to how you plan to work. Are you going to cut and drag trees for a week or two to a central location, and then cut and split for the next week. Or do you plan to fell, cut and split one or two trees at a time?

I take the latter approach. My 24hp compact tractor struggles hauling logs, so I cut and block in the woods, then haul out blocks to the splitter in the yard using either tractor and firewood trailer or the gator. Split straight onto the pile or into the dump trailer.  So a saw, some way to haul blocks and a splitter suit me best. (I've tried splitting in the woods too, but that adds an extra handling step, tossing splits into the firewood trailer, then stacking them on the woodpile. )

We also process 60+ cord of purchased logs into firewood, and without a substantial tractor to load with, a processor is not an option. 10,12 or 16' logs need a heavy tractor, with counterweight or loaded tires. I can lift and move one with my 855 Deere, but I'm not lifting them up to processor deck height or traversing bumpy ground with it. No way!!!!

I also doubt your Kubota will lift an IBC tote loaded with splits. I can lift 1/2 face cord to full height stacked on the bucket, but an IBC tote holds about 3/4 face cord and more importantly the center of gravity is much further out. I've watched several videos of people with larger tractors fail to lift an IBC, or to be able to lift but not curl to control. 

[Hilltop366]

I was wondering about how the logs were going to get out of the wood too, thinking a small power trailer with a log loader would be the easiest with a small tractor the loader would be handy around the processing area too.

I was thinking the other day that a ideal setup without a processor would be to have a way to block the logs into a live bottom bin that feeds a conveyer to a vertical splitter then either stack off of the splitter or conveyer to truck/pile/bin. 

[Corley5]

Do you have a market for processed firewood? Can you sell green fresh cut? Seasoning is an additional investment. Is there demand in your locale for more firewood?

[Stephen1]

I build racks for my firewood operation
IBC totes around me are to much money in my area
I also buy 1/3 , 1/2 and 1/4 cord bags
I charge for the bag and I no longer deliver.
It's pick-up at the mill only
I make more money not delivering and selling in small quantities
I don't have a processor yet but will at some point and a Easton made axis type splitter

What the bags do you buy Bruno? Do you process your sawmill cutoffs and sell?

[Bruno of NH]

I buy the 1/2 and 1/4 cord bags on Amazon 
Big bags from Fox Forestry in Maine 
I do process the hardwood from the mill operation 
It sells fast 

[gaspasser]

I want to thank all of you for the great advice and suggestions. Great ideas for moving ahead with my clearing/thinning.  I just want to put the wood to good use and not waste it. Selling firewood would be a side gig only and I would stop after I finished my clearing project. I considered a processor because my single wedge 30T splitter is slow and would be a rate limiting step. With all the advice I've gotten here however, sounds like I should put more emphasis on harvesting equipment as what I have won't cut it (pun intended). So I am upgrading to 60 hp tractor and looking into a logging arch (e.g. Logrite). Instead of a processor, I could build an elevated wooden log deck and load up the heavy stuff with my mini-ex. Then buck up with a chainsaw and drag/rollover rounds to splitter. Looking into 4 way, 6 way or box wedge splitters as a way to speed things up. Eastonmade or Timber Wolfe seem to be the names I see the most. Long lead times though. Would appreciate any thoughts or recs on splitters. Thanks again all!

[mudfarmer]

Heads up, you can buy 4 way splitter heads that are built to drop onto your existing splitter wedge from a variety of manufacturers. I got one on sale somewhere that was not meant for my splitter and just modified it to fit. The one for my TW is similar and made in a way so that depending on if it's "right side up" or "upside down" you get a different height for a little adjustment of the horizontal wedge. Searching the internet for "four way splitter head" brings up a variety of options. It won't improve ram cycle times or anything but you won't have to wait a year to get it either.

[Southside]

An older cable skidder would put you money ahead of running a new 60 HP tractor in the woods. Ag tractors are meant to run in open fields and have a lot of hoses, filters, and other exposed, expensive, components under them that love to hook up on sticks, stumps, and everything else in the woods. Something to consider. 

[mudfarmer]

Re-reading the original, if it's logs under 16" dbh and you are planning to use an arch just skip the tractor upgrade entirely. You don't need a 60hp tractor to pull an arch with one 16" log. I have not used an arch but am not sure how you could be productive with one trying to do high volume work like firewood thinning.

Do you have trails and then a way to get the log to the trails (winch?) Driving a tractor with arch to every tree sounds like a bad time.

[Andries]

Once you've figured how to get the tree to the yard, here's what we came up with:
elevated table w. rollers:

attached Stihl 038 with30"? bar, maybe 36":

From right to left, loader to the table, blocked wood into IBC tote, loader to splitter, from splitter into final drying totes for 2 seasons of drying;

OHIO= only handle it once.
Credit for table idea: Mike Belben. 
However you set it up right - you'll wonder why you intentionally suffered for all those years . . . . 

[Andries]

Oh, don't mind the photos w. snow on the ground.
Just tryin' to help my Southern Friends get through a mid-summer hot spell.
They might not see this as they're all hugging their AC's.
:D

[gaspasser]

Fantastic pics with great ideas. Thank you.  Getting older and hate bending over to buck up on the ground. Elevating pile would keep me uptight and spare the Ole back. Appreciate you sharing setup. 

[gaspasser]

Oh and Andries. We are quite used to snow on the ground here in NH. We have 8 months of winter followed by 4 months of poor sledding ...  ;)

[gaspasser]

Southside and mudfarmer... thanks for advice. Need the tractor anyway for snow blowing on steep, long driveway and loader/pallet forks for beekeeping operations. Right on about snag points and expensive tractor parts dangling. I'll be clearing some roads first and will use a pto winch and arch for the rougher terrain. Lots to learn yet. Appreciate the help gents. 

[Wlmedley]

I've got a log arch and a small MF tractor and bring 12' logs up to 24" diameter out of the woods with no problem.Live mud farmer said it's one at a time but if you have good trails and the ground isn't real steep you can get several out in a days time.

[barbender]

I think a 3 point skidding winch on your tractor will serve you better, and be way more productive than an arch. Plus it will keep you from having to drive to everything like you would need to with an arch.

[gaspasser]

Thanks guys. How much is dragging a log through the mud a factor? Wss thinking arch would keep logs cleaner than dragging. Or is that not an issue? I do have a " skidding cone" that fits over front of log  to reduce digging in...

[Southside]

If it's muddy enough to cause a problem, you won't be skidding with a farm tractor anyway.

[Wlmedley]

Cutting the logs into firewood wouldn't be as much of a problem as cutting into lumber as long as you're good at sharpening chainsaw chain.

[gaspasser]

Cutting the logs into firewood wouldn't be as much of a problem as cutting into lumber as long as you're good at sharpening chainsaw chain.

I hand file chain when refueling and keep several spare chains handy. Also I have 3  husqvarna saws so alternate between saws. My saws have a habit of not wanting to restart after being hot, so I rotate them to allow them to cool. 

[gaspasser]

If it's muddy enough to cause a problem, you won't be skidding with a farm tractor anyway.

Good point. Probably best to wait for winter. Better cutting and skidding conditions and drier logs.. 

[stavebuyer]

Tractor and winch works;


 
These dead Ash came off a bluff and across a good-sized stream. Winch was the only option. Luckily the bark was mostly loose, so I was able to peel it off before blocking.




 



Winched logs will get "dirty", even if its dry. By the time you figure in the double handling, extra filing, cleaning up, and hauling off the mess you make at a central location; I think at the end of the day I get about as much done with the little Kubota UTV. Maybe I just enjoy riding around in my woods more than filing chains and cleaning up debris from the field or log yard. Processing where the trees fall in the woods leaves all the junk dispersed and I get to work in the shade.  



 


3pt Carry-all works too especially for larger rounds as you can set it on the ground and let the tractor do the lifting. Tractor is not quite as nimble as the UTV but the loader for moving brush is mighty handy at times.



 

End of the day there isn't much money in firewood logging. I would use what equipment I had and spend the sales money on whatever "toys" make the job easier for your particular circumstances. No way to buy all the equipment to make the logging, hauling, and processing efficient in a part time TSI scenario. 

My advice is to attack it with the stuff you have on hand and add things like grapples, winches, dump trailers that have mixed uses. Have fun!

[mudfarmer]

Well said stavebuyer. gaspasser look up cutterboy on here in the firewood section. He gets more done than most folks with his tractor and 3pt carry-all, no front end loader, bucking the trees where they fall. You can do the same with atv+Trailer, utv bed, small tractor+trailer, a 3pt carry all, etc. like SB's pics

[Big_eddy]

As I said earlier, I'm in the "cut blocks in the woods" camp when harvesting from our land. Sometimes with the tractor and a bin, sometimes the tractor and firewood trailer, and sometimes the gator. I split at the house straight onto the pile or toss into trailer. I've posted pictures in the firewood thread.
I'm honestly think it would take me longer to winch and drag whole logs all they way out of the woods. And my way they are already blocked up when they get home.  And there is a log of good burnable (although not sellable) wood in the limbs that I cut up for our use. I'd hate to try to drag limbs out, so it would go to waste otherwise.  

[gaspasser]

Thanks for the insight guys. All great tips. Plenty to consider. This forum is really a huge asset. Appreciate all responses as I sort out how to go about this project. Best....

[cutterboy]

Hi gaspasser, Like stavebuyer and big eddy I like to cut up the trees in the woods and carry out the rounds. I used to carry out the wood in four foot sections but those got hard for me to handle so I made a firewood carry box for my tractor forks.



 

 

 

 
With the weight on the back the tractor is like a tank and can go anywhere. My tractor is 42 hp.

[Big_eddy]

 As you get going, you will find yourself evaluating your equipment, your work flow, and your product so see how to improve or streamline or eliminate steps like we all do. Here are some guidelines to get you started.

My wife and I process firewood from a log pile using chainsaw and 4-way splitter. It takes us on average 2 hrs a cord (4person hrs) from logs to piled splits, working at an all day pace. We've done a cord in under an hour, but can't keep that pace up. I recall Jimbarry saying he and his wife average about the same, and that their average was no different when they were using their small processor. We use different workflows, but his time is similar to ours. We've been at this long enough that we've got a flow that works for us for what we do. Any major improvement now requires a significant change in equipment or process. I think Jimbarry would say the same. I'd also be interested in knowing what Granites average time per cord is, as he dumps straight into the trailer for delivery. Stacking splits consumes a big part of our time and adds no customer value when the splits end up unstacked in a pile on the customers driveway, but we don't sell green, so it has to get from the splitter to the pile somehow, then from the pile to the trailer later.

Add the time to load the trailer, travel time to the customer and time on site, and we end up with almost 8 hours of person time per cord, although some of that is windshield time where we are sitting. Still it's time out of the day we are not doing something else.

I have no idea how long it would take me to fell, limb and block up a cord of wood and bring it out to our splitting yard.( I cut our wood for our use and bought logs for firewood sales, and they don't mix). But others will have inputs.
I would estimate 1hr of our original 4hrs is blocking time, which would go away if the wood arrives as blocks.

I also don't know how much to increase our 2 people x 2 hrs if you are one person working alone. Again - others will chime in. Splitting is more than 2x faster with two people operating together, but deliveries could be done just as quickly with one person as with two. (Although it does help having a spotter when backing the trailer in to where the customer wants.)

Food for thought

[gaspasser]

Thanks Big Eddy..very helpful info. Appreciated. The recurring theme from many folks seems to be that firewood is not very profitable. My goal is just not to let the trees I need to cut go to waste. I have a full time job ( will retire in 2-3  years), but spending time on the lot evenings and weekends is "tractor therapy"  and enjoyable. So making enough to pay for some equipment would be sufficient for me. Got a tractor, dump truck, mini-ex for harvesting and moving logs. My rate limiting step is splitting.  I have a single wedge 30 ton splitter which is slow. Oregon does not make a 4 way wedge. I could fabricate/weld one up but unsure how to proceed,  was looking at processors but they are big bucks (22-35k for a basic setup ). So latest thinking is a high volume splitter (Eastonmade, Wolfe Ridge,  etc) but of course wait time are out 20 weeks. Could stock up on logs and rent a processor. So lots of options/factors to consider. Always a challenge, lol. 

[Big_eddy]

I fully understand the tractor therapy concept. I too have a full time job with a few years to go, and cutting and splitting is my therapy. After 8-10 hours of emails, conference calls and video, a couple of hours of blocking and splitting is my happy place. 

There is money in firewood. And there's more money in firewood from your own land. There is also a lot of work in firewood. If you enjoy the "work" as I do, then a low hourly wage doesn't matter. Other folks pay for gym memberships. I get paid to exercise, and I get to spend time with my spouse and best friend doing it. We have fun working together. We make a profit every year, after expenses and equipment upgrades, and that's good enough for us.  But if it wasn't fun, then we'd stop pretty quick. 

The part neither of us enjoys much is the windshield time, so we're picky with our customers. We have defined a small free delivery radius and if you're outside that, too bad. We will sell everything we have inside that radius. We don't need to drive further so we just don't, regardless of how much of a delivery fee they offer to pay.  And we are not setup to load other people's trailers, so no pick up option. 

[Satamax]

@Big_eddy 

I understand that. Myself, it's when i use the sawmill. I do woodwork, from cabinetmaking to timberframing from may till november, wintertime running a chairlift. But when i get on the samill, it's like hollidays!

[chep]

If it's tsi and nice poles that you are thinning check out supersplit . Use the tractor/exc to load a table, buck on the table with chainsaw then supersplit into the truck/conveyor. You won't find a faster splitter in smaller diameter wood

[barbender]

Storing up logs until you have enough to rent a processor for a day or two is a good option.

[hedgerow]

For me my number one tool's for harvesting trees and cleaning up the limbs is a 100 HP skid loader with a 8 foot grapple on it. We haul all of our logs out of the timber to be processed into firewood.  

[Bruno of NH]

Gaspasser stopped in at the mill yard today and we had a great visit.
He came back and brought me and my help some of his natural honey.
He has an open invitation to vist anytime and talk about firewood. 
I mentioned that I could possibly buy some of his hardwood as pallet logs for my blocking contract that I have .

[gaspasser]

Appreciate you letting me come by and see your impressive  operation Bruno. Learned a lot and you gave me great ideas to get my project underway,.  Much appreciated!  I'll keep in touch neighbor. Thank you again. Best...

[Bruno of NH]

Appreciate you letting me come by and see your impressive  operation Bruno. Learned a lot and you gave me great ideas to get my project underway,.  Much appreciated!  I'll keep in touch neighbor. Thank you again. Best...

I wouldn't have a successful operation if it wasn't for all the good folks on the forum for helping me out over the years .
They helped me on site and answered many questions. 
Also advice and support. 
It's like a big family that I'm glad to be part of.

[glassman_48]

gaspasser,
Wallenstein (in canada) sells a small processor for about 20 grand that pulls a whole tree into their machine, you use your chainsaw and it pins on the machine. As the log drags through you cut the log, it falls down into the splitter trough and then gets split. It works pretty well for longer tree sections or whole trees, but not for shorter logs. 

[S logs]

A blockbuster 22-22would work really well for you in this situation. Those machines are very well built and work amazing

[Old Toad]

We had a log arch and 4 wheeler when the kids homefooled (homeschooled) and a double axle trailer to deliver firewood. They chose not to spend the money on a dump trailer, they had the funds.
Around 2008 times got tough and firewood prices fell, we shut down, no profit, an excellent business lesson. We mostly focused on waterfront people, stacked where ever they wanted.
Now, used 43hp Kubota, used 9k Wallenstein logging winch, 25 year old woodsplitter, updated. Logs are stored on 2 rows of concrete parking curbs.
Building a log platform with a roller conveyor attached, another roller conveyor to the woodsplitter. Chainsaw will be mounted to the end of the platform.

[beenthere]

Old Toad
A pic or two of this "now" setup would be great to see.. a video even better.  ;) ;)

[Old Toad]

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=122812.0
This is the thread I have been working from, the youboob video is my inspiration.
Just got the axle and broken springs off the trailer tonight. Shackles, nuts and bolts to install new springs tomorrow.
Off to the welder soon, I hope.

[gaspasser]

Took delivery of new L6060 this week. Clocked 4 hours getting used to controls and switching between bucket and forks. Surprised at how challenging it can be to see over hood for proper alignment of implements or lifting pallets. Anyone use a camera on front? Plenty of practice jumping in and out of cab. Have yet to install subframe and front snowblower. Have 1100 foot steep, icy gravel driveway. Glad to have chains and keeping it in low 4wd. Also considering aftermarket bucket edge (something like Pirhanna bar). Having fun so far.

[btulloh]

I installed a camera and it really helps the vision thing. Wireless. Wouldn't want to be without it on the forks.

[Bruno of NH]

Very nice Kubota makes a great tractor

[gaspasser]

Btulloh and Bruno... thank you. Btulloh... would you share which camera model you are using please? Thank you

[btulloh]

Here's my post on that. Camera model is listed. Happy with the choice. Many choices out there of course,


https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=116453.0


The placement shown in my picture didn't end up being the best place to put it. Moved it to the cross bar in the fork frame and that's worked out. Kind of a fork's eye view. Sometimes in shadows or unlit buildings I wish I had a light mounted there also.

[hedgerow]

Gaspasser  I think you like the Kubota. A few years back I needed to up grade what I call my side by side tractor. That I use for spot spraying and put a homemade carry all on the back to haul tools to cut cedars, fix fence and etc. Its pretty green around this farm. I ended up buying a new MX-6000 with a loader no cab. It was during COVID. Make shopping very interesting. I have around 1400 hours on it and have had zero issues. Only two things I don't like about it is fuel tank is too small. Can't run a full day spraying on a tank. It too light weight in the rear. Even with cast wheel weights. Should probably load the tires. I do most of my heavy loader work with a 100 HP skid steer. Mines hydrostatic drive and for what I use it for it perfect. My green friends can't believe I bought a orange tractor.

[btulloh]

Load the tires on that mx for sure. I have the mx5400 and same problem with the light rear.  Loaded tires but no wheel weights on mine. I use a 1000 lb counterweight on the three point when doing heavy stuff.  The tractor feels right with no load up front except the loader and emty bucket with the counterweight on the back. I think the weight of the loader arms is such that the rear end of the tractor is just not heavy enough without a lot of extra weight. That's my only real complaint with the mx. My old l3250 has better balance but not as much grunt as my mx.