Built an ATV log skidder today! (pics)

[francismilker]

 Here's an ATV log skidder that I cabbaged together out of spare iron I had laying around and some wheels off of a feed cart that was idle in the barn.  I know the wheels/tires are the weak link, but they will have to do until I run across something else to salvage. It will be used primarily for skidding a bunch of ERC's out of right-of-way for a new oil pipeline being built across a neighbor's place. He's given me the logs and I'll have a narrow window of time to get them out once the clearing starts taking place. It's pretty rugged country and there's NO way to get a tractor or my jeep close to them without clearing a logging road or two which I don't have permission or time to do.


  

  

 
My skidder operator had a little doubt as to if ol' dad could make this work but was pleased to drag a 12'x 11" ERC to the mill to take it's maiden voyage into the woods.  8)



  

 
Here's a look at the keyholes I cut in to it up close to make it adjustable. 



 

[beenthere]

Looks good, but that high hitch on the ATV doesn't (to me anyway). Catch a wheel on a stump and that ATV will rare up quick as a blink, depending on the speed at the time.
Even going up a slight slope seems would pull the front end up, and ATV's can rare up easy anyway.

Either drop down on the ATV hitch or put some real serious counter weight on the front end of the ATV (as I see it). But your experience may differ. ;)

[francismilker]

Looks good, but that high hitch on the ATV doesn't (to me anyway). Catch a wheel on a stump and that ATV will rare up quick as a blink, depending on the speed at the time.
Even going up a slight slope seems would pull the front end up, and ATV's can rare up easy anyway.

Either drop down on the ATV hitch or put some real serious counter weight on the front end of the ATV (as I see it). But your experience may differ. ;)

It's actually made to pin to the tow hitch down low.  Problem is, I didn't have the right pin to put it there on it's maiden voyage.  What in the world's going on when a farmer can't come up with a pin???  I'm sure I have ten of them but couldn't find one readily available.  It was a little light on the front end pulling it like that.  If the log wouldn't been any bigger I would've had to find the pin before moving. 

[Magicman]

It looks like a neat rig.   

[kelLOGg]

I like the design of supporting the axles at both ends! Nice job.

Bob

[stumpjumper83]

Looks good, nice and heavily built, except for the tires... lol    I agree that the hitch point needs to be lower, with any load you can flip that wheeler by simply getting on it a little hard with height you have there.  If you look at some of the commercial models there is an angle incorporated on the legs to keep the tongue from being negatively weighted...  just a though...  great welding work from what i can see.

[justallan1]

Looks good to me. I've been trying to decide between this and a set of gin poles in a truck. I guess if you can only use a bike yours should work great.

[mad murdock]

Great job on that arch!  Looks like a good bit of Yankee ingeinuity!  It works decent now, it will only get better when you put bigger meats on it 8) 8)

[drobertson]

Looks like cedar, a heavier log might be and issue, but in either case, if it works go for it.  I thought about it with my rancher, but the lil Allis works for me,  I am thinking about a minature forrester wagan for the atv myself,  4 wheels and no draging, too many hills here.  I like to make short runs to the river with the wife, and(smalleys) to tear up the 4 wheeler draging logs. ;D

[stumpjumper83]

Looks like cedar, a heavier log might be and issue, but in either case, if it works go for it.  I thought about it with my rancher, but the lil Allis works for me,  I am thinking about a minature forrester wagan for the atv myself,  4 wheels and no draging, too many hills here.  I like to make short runs to the river with the wife, and(smalleys) to tear up the 4 wheeler draging logs. ;D

My sentiments exactly, they are too light for skidder detail...  But i'm very fortunate to have several pieces of heavy equipment around.  Deere 550g dozer, a rubber tracked gehl skidloader, a takeuchi excavator, and a 80 case ih 4x4 farm tractor with loader.

[Magicman]

After looking a bit closer this morning, I see that your hitch that you intended to attach to the ATV (no pin) is actually on the end of the tongue.  I would suggest keeping that tongue horizontal, and welding a 90° piece there, dropping down to the ATV hitch level, add another 90°, and then on to the actual hitch.  That way, you will not have any tongue/log interference.   ;D

[rimshot]

Heck, go ahead and be innovative and have yourself a great time doing it.  It looks good. Even if you end up having to confine the devices use to hauling the lighter logs, I'll bet you can take off for the back 40 and be back with a nice log in half the time it takes if you were using a tractor.  It will be a better world because of it.

rim

[GDinMaine]

I would suggest that you attach the chains just an inch or three ahead of the arch instead of behind it as you have it now.  As it is obvious in your picture, you have negative tongue pressure, which is in fact taking weight off the rear axle giving the ATV even less traction.  If you were to attach the chains in the front of the arch you would get a slight tongue pressure that helps you in the process.  Not to mention when you start dragging the log -given the geometry of logging arches) the resulting forces will try to raise the rear axle off the ground.  Clearly it works ok the way it is, but it can be improved with very minor effort.  That said.  It is FAR better to have what you have instead of dragging the butt of the log on the ground. I know all this because I started with an ATV and a logging arch too. 

[MotorSeven]

I've been aiming to build one too, nice job!. A little more work and I think that one will do fine...taller tires & a drop down to the hitch. Remember guys, and ATV can only pull so much before it tears things up, so building a larger heavier arch is useless if it is for ATV's only. Most wheelers weigh in around 500 lbs, cedar logs in the 200 lb range, oak closer to 400lbs & would be pushing a wheeler all over the place if you have to go downhill with it.

[John_Haylow]

Nice job. I'm sure you will find very useful.

John

[Chuck White]

Nice loggin' arch you've got there!

[Qweaver]

As a lad, I remember skidding logs down hill with horses on the Watson farm.  Some times the logs would get going pretty fast and the horses knew enough to just outrun them until they slowed down.  I'd hate to be in the same situation with a 350 lb 4 wheeler instead of two 1500 lb work horses.  :D

[bama20a]

Looks Good to me, Sure is some nice looking welding,When I weld we all look up to see what kind of birds are around ;D;
A question,What size is the ATV you are using? Mark,,,,,

[arlostone]

nice job and the price seems right,everything i cobble together is a work in progress.thats what keeps me going.if you find your pins let me know if there's extra,i'm mssing about5 :D :D

[Tree Feller]

I think that logging arch is perfect for a 4-wheeler. Even the wheels are okay, especially the way you supported the axle's on both sides. Like others have noted, the welding is superb. Well done.

[francismilker]

My thoughts on this build is that I only had my welding time in it (about 3 hours).  Every piece except for the linch pin I bought today at the farm supply store was leftovers from other projects so I consider them free.  (really nothing's free) I heated the tongue plate and bent if to about a 30 degree angle today so that it sits flat on the new pin I installed on the four wheeler. 

The four wheeler is a 2009 Honda 500 rancher 4x4.  It is very heavy on the front end and even while pulling the cedar that is in the above pics never tried to rare up.  I took it down in the bottom today and pulled a piece of green red oak log back to the mill.  It was a 15"x10' log and it was all the four wheeler wanted.  I was surprised the wheels done so well.  They tracked true behind me and never wobbled at all. I won't make a habit out of using it for my logging operation but it's going to get me out of a tight spot with my upcoming ERC harvest.  I'll have about a week to get 100+ nice logs out of the woods before they're shredded by a tub grinder.  As earlier stated, the arch was built solely for this purpose.  All other logging takes place with my MF 271 and FEL with the grapple I built for the bucket. 

Thanks for the compliments on the welds.  If you had an inperson look you'd think a bunch of dirt-dobbers were trying to build a nest!!!

GDinMaine, on moving the keyholes in front of the axle to put some tongue weight on it, that's something I'd have to ponder on a little.  As the picture shows, my 80lb son can hold the tongue down with little to no pressure.  The ATV hitch is actually spot welded to the axle, and being a monoshock style axle the hitch twists upward as more weight is put on the wheeler.  Vice versa takes place when weight is applies to the hitch to push it downward the axle twists upward.  My goal was to remain as "nuetral" on tongue weight as I could.  I figured out today while dragging several different logs that there's a sweet spot about 36" in to the log where the fulcrum effect really comes into play and the arch is broke over fairly easy to lift the log.  I'll do some more inspection on this idea.


MM, I like your suggestion on turning the tongue down 90 degrees to keep the tongue level.  I have just the piece to use at the bottom of my scrap iron pile out behind the shop.  Problem is, the MF with FEL is down with a bad clutch as of last week.  I have a set of forks that fit inside the bucket for moving my iron around and loading logs onto the mill. After splitting the tractor yesterday I discovered something I've never encountered before.  The clutch had actually came to pieces.  About half the pads on the frontend side of the clutch were off and wadded up in the pressure plate.  The pressure plate seems good and stout but as much trouble as it is to split the tractor I ordered a rebuilt one yesterday.  It's about a week away.

Log arch will have lots of time to incubate while I wait on my real skidder..... ;D

[trapper]

I try to pick up logs so that they are just a bit heavy in front of where I pick them up.
Then I hold the front of the log up with a rope.  Puts a bit of weight on the hitch.
I would like to add a piece of angle with notches in it to use chain instead of the rope


 

[francismilker]

I try to pick up logs so that they are just a bit heavy in front of where I pick them up.
Then I hold the front of the log up with a rope.  Puts a bit of weight on the hitch.
I would like to add a piece of angle with notches in it to use chain instead of the rope


 

Looks really good!  I'll have to take a good look at your tongue when I'm turning mine down.  How much weight would you say is on the tongue?  Can you handle it by hand? 

[captain_crunch]

Mine is not as slick as yours but it works

[trapper]

Probably 5 to 15 pounds. check the handle on the hitch.  Makes it much easier to manuver by hand.