Forestry crane or log arch

[DDW_OR]

Looking to add a crane to my Big Tex Gooseneck trailer
It is a 22,000 pound trailer. Tandem 10,00 pound axles
The crane will be removable

Prefer USA made.
Canada second
Or European with USA support

NO CHINA

[doc henderson]

any pics. or brand and model you are looking out.

[DDW_OR]

I am at the idea stage of my search 

[charles mann]

It will depend on your lifting requirements and the trailer gvw. There are times i wish i had a crane on my trailer but i make it work with just a log arch. Iv got about 17-18k lbs of pine in 6 logs i have pre staged, my goal is to grab the 4 smaller and pull them to the front 15' and load the 2 heavy logs on the back 20'. A crane would make it much easier, but then i loose a lot of carrying capacity and im only 24k gvw

[DDW_OR]

may do the arch and two winches.
i have several electric from 2,000 to 5,000 pound
can move the log with the 5,000 and have a 4,500 as a backup
have two 20,000 pound snatch blocks and two 10,000 pound
could do 3 line pull = 15,000 max pull

crane advantage is freedom of movement
arch advantage is light weight

have lots of strong box steel
dad was going to build a frame straightening machine for his auto body shop

have friends that are good welders

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=103697.msg1611233;topicseen#msg1611233

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=119846.msg1924266;topicseen#msg1924266


https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=91178.msg1404006;topicseen#msg1404006

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=113532.msg1786839;topicseen#msg1786839

some good ideas in this vid
log loading winch and ramps
Spruce Logging & Sawmill Loading Kit- Ep38- Outsider Log Cabin - YouTube

[DDW_OR]

this is the style of loader i am thinking of

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=100891.msg1610209;topicseen#msg1610209

[charles mann]

It boils down to how much wt. you plan on hauling in a single trip, wt. of log/s being loaded and the trailer gvw, and i guess the state you are in as to DL requirements for said load. Iv got a cdl, so im not worried about getting an overweight ticket and driving with the wrong DL. Before i got my cdl, i wasnt concerned much about either, since i did it anyways and would pay the ticket. I also have farm tags and do not pull/haul for hire, which only requires an ag dl for appropriate wt. i plan to haul. If the trees are close and you can make multiple trip to achieve the same end goal, then go with a unit that will do the job with room for heavier logs. Me, i haul from 2-6hrs away and i try to shoot for max or exceed max gross weight to make each trip count. 
I also use a 12k hf badlands winch (been a great winch, so was the one before it, but operator error and lazyiness (tired/exhausted/muscle fatigue, not just pure lazy, burned the holding brake out) and i loaded 6k-8k logs using the arch and winch method. 
Im now shifting to 3k-5k logs and not being able to stack logs makes for lite loads and multiple trips. Im trying to get my military 936a2 back on the road, but my recent 4.5hr drives with my dually and 24k gn, would turn into an easy 6-8hr drive one way and still have to have 2 vehicles. I could mod my gn to couple to the pintle hitch of my crane, but how its registered and slow travel with a min of 60,000lbs cgvw (24k trailer/load and 36,000 crane), i might as well put a slow moving triangle on the trailer. 

Back to your OP though. Figure your travel distance, the time to drive that distance, the wt. in logs you are able to haul in 1 trip and decide there. But leave room for log wt. increase and your future end goal/game. If you think you might outgrow the crane, go bigger initially and sacrifice gw of logs. 

Might look into small folding knuckle boom cranes like a hiab. 

[DDW_OR]

This will only be for myself 
Firewood and some mill logs
I am on less than 2 acres 
So no huge mega loads

[charles mann]

Then something like this seems more economical and far easier get logs from the woods to the mill/house. 
https://logrite.com/Category/log-arches

Even if you were select cutting off the back of the property, you'd have to drag/skid them out to a clean large enough to load them on a trailer just to haul a couple 200', with the exception of a gorge, creek or some other natural/manmade barrier that forces you to go far enough out of the way, a tractor/atv isnt practical. 
But unless you can back/pull your trailer rite up to the felled tree, you still have to skid them to a landing. 
Depending log size, a mini crane, like on a med duty (350-550/3500-5500) service truck. Some of them get up there in wt. capacity in the 3000-4000lb range, which is at or close to the capacity of a decent size tractor in 60-90 hp range, but 2-3x price of a mini crane, yet still having multiple other functions over that of a mini crane. 

[DDW_OR]

Then something like this seems more economical and far easier get logs from the woods to the mill/house.
https://logrite.com/Category/log-arches

cannot use it at 70 mph on the highway.
i only have one and a half acres of land.
i have to travel 50 miles one way for most logs.
i want to use natural gas, but since it is my fathers house he wants to use wood thinking it is cheaper

[beenthere]

Show us a pic or two of the gooseneck trailer you have for hauling logs. 

[DDW_OR]

it is just a standard Big Tex 22GN
20 foot flat bed
5 foot tail with 2 sliding ramps
ramps slide left to right
would put the arch where the flatbed meets the 5 ft tail

[DDW_OR]

here are the photos

the plywood box on the trailer is temporary


 



 

[DDW_OR]

the steel i plan to use







1/4 inch walls







the steel is on a 16 ft tilt snowcat trailer
the steel is overkill for the weight of logs i plan to move.

for future i plan to have the gooseneck arch be able to be mounted at different locations.

also may build a lighter arch for the tilt trailer and a third for the 7x14 dump trailer

FYI, this steel has been laying around since before 1983

[DDW_OR]

the arch

the round loops are for mounting the snatch block


 

[DDW_OR]

A fixed arch
The 5x3 box beam is about 20 ft long

So arch 8 wide by 5 high

[barbender]

Give the Farma cranes a look just, just do a search on them. I think Grapplepros is the company out of Canada that sells them. Farma was a sponsor, let them know you learned about them here.

[charles mann]

Then something like this seems more economical and far easier get logs from the woods to the mill/house.
https://logrite.com/Category/log-arches

cannot use it at 70 mph on the highway.
i only have one and a half acres of land.
i have to travel 50 miles one way for most logs.
i want to use natural gas, but since it is my fathers house he wants to use wood thinking it is cheaper

No you cant pull it at 70. But going off your reply 7 or any previous reply, you didnt say you were driving 50 miles. Now we have more info to work with. 
A log arch on the back of the trailer works very well, but i have yet figure out how to stack with it, esp at the front of my trailer. 
I built my arch out of 2x2x1/4" wall sq tubing, mounted it in the first stake pocket forward of the deck/dove transition and i have 3'11" extending past the furthest point of my ramps. 

[DDW_OR]

i was thinking something like this

may use the second winch to the second arch
a double arch



 


 
or like this with the rear arch and first winch so as to lift the front of the log onto the trailer
then use the second winch and front arch to finish loading

may trade my box steel for more appropriate size

[DDW_OR]

 


A = pull to trailer and lift log onto tail
B = pull most of log onto trailer
C = final pull to load log

[Ljohnsaw]

Once you have it on the back of the trailer, I'd think you would just straight winch it forward. No need for a second arch.

I'd build mine such that the brace part was chain. Run a length of chain from the back edge, to the top of the arch in a chain hook welded to the arch and down to mid trailer. Have enough slack so the arch can go from hanging out back at a low angle to slightly tipped towards the front (over center).

In use, you are winching the log up to the trailer through a snatch block on the arch. When the log gets to the arch, it hits the snatch block and the arch lifts. It continues to over center. Reverse the winch and set the log on the deck.

[beenthere]

Very close to being the DanG-Deadheader log lifter. See the one member @getoverit posted.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=17613.msg258439#msg258439

[charles mann]

You dont need 2 arches if not stacking logs. Iv pulled 3,4,5k pb logs onto the the transition of dove to flat feck and as ltjohsaw said, straight line winch the logs. 

[firefighter ontheside]

For large logs that I need to get to the front of the trailer I will pull them up onto the trailer with the arch and then before I set the log down on the trailer I will put a small log that I brought with me to act as a roller.  Then I can easily winch the log to the front of the trailer.

[rusticretreater]

I have a Big Tex 17ft car hauler w/ two foot dovetail that I also use to move logs.  I built a log arch for it and have no issues loading it up with my winch.  While the dual log arch design is interesting, I wonder about what happens when things don't cooperate when trying to stack the logs.

You could end up in a situation where the log is still attached to the arch, but the other end has slid to one side.  A crane would likely be able to handle that, but physically dealing with a stubborn log that doesn't want to move much and weighs a lot sounds tiring and of course dangerous.  I have never attempted to stack logs with my arch.