Author Topic: Loading big logs (Read 3561 times)

pineywoods · « **on:** October 10, 2006, 07:23:57 pm »

Lots of pictures in the galleries of big logs on small trailers, but how did they get them up on the trailer?? Here's how I handle them:: this is a big old pecan yard log

The winch line goes over a roller on the front of the trailer

and down to a hombuilt hydraulic winch on the 3 point hitch

Gustavo · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2006, 07:54:23 pm »

how many tons can you carge in this

pineywoods · « **Reply #2 on:** October 10, 2006, 08:01:12 pm »

Don't really know, never tried one I couldn't load. The winch is rated 8000 pounds, the trailer about 12000 pounds. Biggest thing to date was a 16 foot by 42 inch pine log.

amberwood · « **Reply #3 on:** October 10, 2006, 08:08:09 pm »

I have a similar problem. It looks like we may have been offered a job for next year that will pay LOTS of bills but has a slight problem that needs overcoming. I need an economical way of moving 3500 logs over a short distance fast enough to feed a LT40 super cutting sleepers.

A small plantation of radiata pine ,level ground, great access to main roads and to markets. Best of all we have already presold the product (sleeper for CCA treating) if we can get it on a truck. The hitch is that there are only about 1000 trees, but in the main they are TOO BIG for the mainstream harvesters to handle with the typical forwarder and too big to go into the sawmill. 400mm would be the small ones up to 1000mm. Most of these trees will produce 4-5 lifts before we get into the small stuff..a ridiculously small amount of taper. Realistically they should have been harvested 5-10 years ago when they were small enough to be handled by mechanised harvesters and commercial mills. This why we are involved. The owner just wants them gone.
We can process them with the LT40 and a Lucas as required but after manual felling and bucking to 5.5m lengths they need to be skidded/forwarded to the mill. I would rather not have to move the LT40 twice day just to get near enough to the logs to safely shuffle them with forks.

We have an IH dozer (with fuel bill and slow transit speed to match) and an all terrain fork is on the shopping list already.

Comments on best machine/methods would be greatly appreciated from those with experience in this area.

As further background this is the second job we have been offered this week of this type. Too small a plantation to justify bringing in a mechanised harvesting crew, oversize/undersize logs, uninterested owners who just want the trees gone so they can use the land for other purposes. Many of these plantations were planted under poor advice, and have had little or no management. It appears to be a real niche if we can work out the bugs. It might justify buying in niche equipment if we can ID what we need!

TIA

DTR

fencerowphil (Phil L.) · « **Reply #4 on:** October 10, 2006, 09:00:30 pm »

Amberwood,

http://www.blueoxequipment.com/BLUEOXPAGES/BlueOxHome.html

See top left pic on this web page.

The gooseneck version of this or your own building of the equivalent thereof would be my suggestion. You could dump or lift logs off at your discretion. Other companies make heavier versions of forwarders with grapples. Just depends on how big you want to go. The BlueOx products might be just right for your task.

Phil L.

amberwood · « **Reply #5 on:** October 10, 2006, 09:08:54 pm »

Phil..looks good, in fact looks great, already priced them and it is a killer. I can buy a 2/H skidder or forwarder locally for the same money excluding the international freight. It has to be shipped across the world.
I guess i was hoping for a magic bullet.

DTR

pineywoods · « **Reply #6 on:** October 10, 2006, 09:49:28 pm »

amberwood it looks like you may be sitting on a gold mine of a niche operation. You will probably find that some sort of skidder will be a necessity, and the all-terrain forklift will sure make life easier. would it be practical to set the mill up as close as possible and the skid the logs to the mill?? If not a good sized farm tractor with a winch and a heavy-duty flatbed trailer can move an amazing amout of logs, and the tractor can be used for other things, such as a skidder or forklift. See my gallery for some more pictures of my operation.

metalspinner · « **Reply #7 on:** October 10, 2006, 10:08:09 pm »

Pineywoods,
Here is what I learned from the folks here...

A view from the other side of the trailer...

The ramps are much larger now - two 2x6's bolted together. And I use a winch for parbuckling now instead of unhitching to use the truck.

Here is the largest I've snatched thus far. It was 36" on each end and 9' long...

There are plenty of more pics in my gallery.

amberwood · « **Reply #8 on:** October 10, 2006, 10:44:02 pm »

thanks for the input..lots of thinking music being played. Another options is this fitted with log bunks working with the all terrain forks..and it can be road registered for other jobs. Long term would be very useful fitted with a crane and grapple.

Government auction next week. Might be bidding online.

DTR

sawguy21 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 11, 2006, 11:50:28 am »

Interesting question. Just thinking out loud here, a two axle truck would be too light for a crane and grapple, especially if you intend to licence it, and parbuckling that number of logs onto a trailer would be slow and labor intensive. That is a lot of wood. Can you skid them out and cut to length at the loading site? A tandem truck and trailer outfitted with bunks could haul them to the mill but you would still need a second loader to unload and feed the mill. Trouble is, now I'm talking a fairly large crew.

Ironwood · « **Reply #10 on:** October 11, 2006, 04:46:57 pm »

Sawguy21,

Look at the axles and hubs on that baby.I have an F-550 wit ha 3200 lb Venturo crane and it does just fine. My trucjk is way lighter than the one in the picture. The other option would be to get a trailer with a crane on it to load both the truck and the trailer. The options are endless given some resourcefulness. I sure would be shipping anything internationally unless it were a single component, say the grapple. My unit is propably one 3rd the capacity of the truck /unit in the picture. Reid

sawguy21 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 11, 2006, 05:12:41 pm »

Reid, I agree, that is one stout truck. I would like to have one of those. It would be great for hauling fire fighting equipment or a water tank. However there are probably legal axle limits on aussie roads same as here. While in logging, I ran into the weight issue. We had a single axle International with a picker but it was too close to the maximum gvw to carry any more than a few drums of fuel on the deck and it had rear duallies. Limited it's usefulness.

amberwood · « **Reply #12 on:** October 11, 2006, 06:11:59 pm »

Guys..
It rated at 2.5mt..legally..althought they are commonly fitted with water tanks that weigh well in excess of that. there is also a big brother version with tandem axles that is 5mt rated but they are alot scarcer..mostly converted into drill rig platforms etc.. It also becomes just a bit too big. The guys at Blue ox are requoting a truck mount so we shall see. maybe a truck/trailer combo with forks and two guys is the simple option..

DTR

Ed_K · « **Reply #13 on:** October 13, 2006, 09:06:30 pm »

Amberwood, if your going to do a clear cut, your best choice would be to lease a grapple skidder. Drop the trees and grab as many as the grapple will hold and skid to the mill site, buck to best lengths and use forklift the stack on bunks next to the mill.

Robert R · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2006, 09:37:43 pm »

You can move logs awful economically with a team of horses, especially with a logging arch like Future Forestry offers--wish I had one because you could move along quickly (as far as horses go) and keep them clean. I didn't see how far you had to move them but that is actually a real idea to consider, especially if there are folks in your area already doing it. I'd love to find someone to just skid and/or haul for and not have to mess with the felling as I'm in this game just to use my horses. Bring them out to a central area,parbuckle them onto a stout set of running gears and head off.

amberwood · « **Reply #15 on:** October 14, 2006, 08:16:18 am »

Therin lies the catch..it is a very short run, only 1KM at the most. Estimate is less then a week to have a skidder/forwarder to come in and do the job for us..if A.the owner will allow a clearfell and B. that will leave is 3500 logs to run thru the mill before any degrade etc. It has been considered and may yet be the only viable option.

thanks again

DTR

Robert R · « **Reply #16 on:** October 14, 2006, 09:52:20 pm »

I wish you were on my half of the planet, that is just the kind of thing I'd like to hire into. There are quite a few teamsters in Australia. I don't know if it is considered bad manners or not to pitch another website but if you are interested, I could give you some links that might help you locate someone close, at least much closer than Missouri.

Ed_K · « **Reply #17 on:** October 14, 2006, 10:15:42 pm »

If the landowner doesn't have a quick time frame, you should take Robert up on that link. I have seen forwarder trailers made for pulling with horses. Light on the land too.

rvrdivr · « **Reply #18 on:** October 21, 2006, 08:54:38 am »

Heres a link to a past thread. It may not be real fast but it does work well when you don't have heavy equipment around.
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=7439.0

amberwood · « **Reply #19 on:** January 28, 2007, 05:57:08 pm »

Morning all.

Just back from one of the those "adventure" road trips.
I won a truck on ebay..ex army ex fire truck ex water tanker on a farm. The farm is 800km from home. Yoeval to Healesville. Max speed was 80kmh when they are new. This one was new in 1964. My father volunteers as the lucky one to fly up and drive it back. Fingers crossed. Fires up as advertised and out the gate with 2 days to go. 3 hours later the fatefull call. Fuel pump has imploded, on a Sat evening in country NSW..of a long weekend. Jump in car at 8pm with electric fuel pump toolboxes, etc etc 5 hours up,,a few hours sleep and the truck is running after 10 min work. 12 hours later after fighting blocking fuel filters dirty fuel and all of the other minor annoying probs on a old vehicle we are there.

New to me 1964 International ACCO 4X4. 4th owner 45 thousand miles on it. Just need to remove the fire equipment, give it a quick coat of paint a few minor repairs and we are set.

One log truck..rated at 3500kg GVM off road. right up to 10500kg inc trailer on road.

DTR

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Author Topic: Loading big logs (Read 3561 times)