Author Topic: Urban Log transportation ... small or large scale ... show us your method!! (Read 8525 times)

Captain · « **on:** June 11, 2007, 09:55:36 pm »

Here's my method. This photo is about 18 months old. Sure has seen a lot of use since then. I've never been starving for materials since. My only wish now is for a bigger truck that can A) handle the trailer properly and B) take a load upon itself at the same time!!

scsmith42 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 11, 2007, 11:13:01 pm »

Craig, I use a hydraulic dovetail trailer behind a dually. The deck is 37' long, which allows me to put a skid steer, backhoe, etc on the back to use to load logs onto the front portion.

Here is a pix of the same trailer moving a 65' light pole:

I sure like your setup though. It is a much more practical way to pick up logs - especially in tight areas. My setup has the benefit of versatility beyond just moving logs.

Scott

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2007, 04:53:16 am »

Must have been real nice swinging around a corner with that light pole.

We don't get many urban logs. But, when we do, we just use our tri-axle with a Prentice loader. But, we're geared for taking in lots of logs.

Both of your setups are pretty nice, especially for smaller operations.

Daren · « **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2007, 05:15:52 am »

I am fortunate 95+% of my logs are delivered. I work with the city/construction companies/tree services...that have the equipment and are hauling them off anyway. I have a skidsteer and a trailer for bigger loads, but for the single log runs I made this little contraption. If I get a call from a homeowner that has saved a log for me I can back right up to it without tearing up the yard and get it. It has an electric winch that sets on the tounge, I throw the cable over the arch (there is a roller on the top) to lift the end onto the trailer. Once the end is on I straight hook it and drag it to the front. It was an old propane tank hauler about 14' long and 4' wide , I just added the arch and a couple rollers. It will not haul a bunch, but I have had some pretty decent logs on it. For one/two logs in a hard to reach spot it is perfect.

metalspinner · « **Reply #4 on:** June 12, 2007, 07:11:09 am »

I've added the winch since this pic ws taken. Small logs less than 20" in diameter get pulled up a ramp off the back of the trailer. Large logs get parbuckeled.

Captain · « **Reply #5 on:** June 12, 2007, 03:28:30 pm »

Love the dovetail Scott, what is the GVW of that anyhow??

Scott, I like your retrieval trailer. Kind of like a "platform" arch.

That's a good looking stick Metalspinner, what is it??

I'm pretty close to a hydraulic winch on the log trailer for use with a LogRite Fetching Arch for those reaches longer than 17'.

Captain

LedlieLogs · « **Reply #6 on:** June 12, 2007, 06:10:34 pm »

Small time operator. Having fun everytime. White oak for free, just come get it.
Ledlie

ohsoloco · « **Reply #7 on:** June 12, 2007, 07:09:32 pm »

Not the best pic of my setup, but it's the only one I had in my gallery. 16' 7,000lb. trailer w/ a 9,000 lb. Superwinch mounted at the front of the trailer. Can't really parbuckle because of the wheels, so everything gets skidded up the back of the trailer. I hook a snatch block to the really big logs and run the cable through to ease the pull. Loaded a 44" diameter 7' long sycamore that way. If I can't load it with this system, I don't want to saw it

My biggest casualty so far has been melting the lead battery connectors when I stall the winch on a huge log.

scsmith42 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 12, 2007, 10:56:01 pm »

Ron, it was indeed interesting moving those poles! I got 8 of them on a trade deal; needless to say they were moved at night - on a weekend, over back roads, with a chase vehicle behind me! The worst part was pulling out of the lot where they were stored - due to the location of the entrance and the presence of some large "bar" ditches, I had less than a foot of clearance between the back of the pole and the roadside utility pole when I swung through the curve. That was a long night - I unloaded the last pole at 5am.

Craig - the gross rating on the trailer is 25K lbs. In addition to the hydraulic dovetail, it has a winch and hydraulic disk brakes (with an electric actuator). I didn't think to take a picture, but two weeks ago I brought home a 40" diameter oak log that was 18' long. That required both the skid steer and the winch to load.

Ledlie - I like your setup - especially that "cam-over" a-frame on the back. Looks like a great way to lift the logs up over the back of the trailer.

Metalspinner - nice toothpick you got there on your trailer!

Squirrell_Boy · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2007, 12:41:06 am »

scsmith42, You got me hunting for my calculator. A 40 inch diameter, 18 foot Oak!
At about 60+ pounds a cubic foot that big boy must have weighed over 9,000 lbs.!

What does your trailer weigh and what do you pull a load like that with? Do you have to have a CDL to legally pull that?

metalspinner · « **Reply #10 on:** June 13, 2007, 08:24:01 am »

Quote

That's a good looking stick Metalspinner, what is it??

That is a sycamore. At the time it was the largest I have moved at 9' x 36" on each end.

Since, I have grabbed this one...

...it's 12'x36"x44". I think I have reached my melting point with that one. It sure is nice to have a stout trailer so as not to have to depend on others to help move logs.

Dan_Shade · « **Reply #11 on:** June 13, 2007, 08:58:08 am »

the "easiest" way to move a pole that long would be to make a special axle to hook to the end of the pole, wouldn't have to worry quite as much about taking out a barn on a turn that way. now the corner stop sign is another story!

LedlieLogs · « **Reply #12 on:** June 13, 2007, 11:46:23 am »

Thats a good point Dan about the axel. I still think the easy way would be to call SCSmith to tote it for ya.

Ledlie

Todd · « **Reply #13 on:** June 13, 2007, 04:28:34 pm »

The only problem with my setup is getting them on the trailer. I unload with a forklift at the shop. All urban logs.

Brad_S. · « **Reply #14 on:** June 13, 2007, 07:22:42 pm »

My heart is still racing and my palms are still sweating because I just consummated this deal on ebay,

but here's how I'll be moving mine. I'll get it early next week as soon as the bank ponies up.

(Edit: I dropped the link to the ebay listing, but here's a photo of my new toy from the listing.)

sawguy21 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 13, 2007, 07:38:19 pm »

You are getting serious about this.

That is a very nice looking unit.

scsmith42 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 13, 2007, 10:53:16 pm »

Brad, that is one sweet unit! Congrats on the score!!! I was drooling over their products at Sawlex.

MS- I'm jealous about the logs that you're acquiring!

Squirrell_boy - the trailer weighs 8K lbs empty. My only wish is that it was built out of aluminum, but the folks that manufactured it for me only worked with steel. I've been pulling it behind an F350, but recently acquired an F450 that's rated for 33K CGVW, so now I can max out the trailer legally.

Re CDL, I have a farm (and farm plates on the dually), and in most states you can legally pull up to 35K lbs with farm plates and the proper class of license, within 150 miles or so of your farm. My biggest concern with the F350 is that I was significantly over the CGVW when pulling fully loaded.

Todd - nice trailer. I like the fold-over ramp dovetails - it's nice to have the benefit of a flat deck when you need it. Those are some nice sticks you got there too!

Scott

Rick Alger · « **Reply #17 on:** June 14, 2007, 05:58:38 am »

Ledlie,

How long does it take to load your trailer if the logs are already bunched?

Rick

LedlieLogs · « **Reply #18 on:** June 14, 2007, 03:21:11 pm »

Rick if the logs are bunched in the right direction and I can back right up to them and they are limbed and sized it takes about 10 minutes per tree. All that being said, it seems to never happen like that. If I have to cut to size and make a long winch pull it is more like 30 minutes per tree. I do like to cut to size myself when I can so I can set up the log for my mill and what I am trying to achieve. It is slow by production standards but works well for me. I have 18 White Oaks and about a dozen cherry logs waiting at the mill right now, that represents a lot of labor getting them there. I can't wait to open up that Cherry and look inside. Hope this helps.
Ledlie

Left Coast Chris · « **Reply #19 on:** June 14, 2007, 03:24:50 pm »

I have shown this before: An old propane tank hauler with hydraulic spreader bar to lift the logs. Simply back over the log, lower the spreader bar, lift and place the cross bars accross the trailer then bind it down. Good for logs under 54" accross. The log shown is a 40" Grey Pine butt log.

metalspinner · « **Reply #20 on:** June 14, 2007, 06:34:57 pm »

farmer77,
I was on the look out for one of those trailers for a couple of years. Then I ran across the red trailer and went with that. How long do you guess it took to load that log onto there?

tomboysawyer · « **Reply #21 on:** June 14, 2007, 07:25:24 pm »

Our local museum lost a bunch of EWP in a storm in early May.

They could get people doing community service for petty offenses - a whole crew - for $7 a day. But the E.D. knew I needed just a bit more pine and it seemed a shame to make these logs into landfill.

This is my friend Dan's tractor, my truck, and our load on my 'old' aluminum car hauler.

And this is our "Dyna" unloading the car hauler of about 5 ton of EWP. We made 6 trips to get the whole load.

Sprucegum · « **Reply #22 on:** June 14, 2007, 08:44:04 pm »

I am always suspicious of people loading things in the dark

tomboysawyer · « **Reply #23 on:** June 14, 2007, 10:22:59 pm »

Quote from: Sprucegum on June 14, 2007, 08:44:04 pm

I am always suspicious of people loading things in the dark

We were unloading!

But it is one of those things with "urban transport" - all of us work during the day. Dan I quit work early to start pulling logs off the museum land at 4pm and hubby showed up about 7pm. We finished up about 10:30 pm with my trailer and his landscape trailer full and the rest queued up for a weekend run with my skid steer loading and this same unloading scheme.

But engineer will probably tell you you should be suspicious of me anyway.

Left Coast Chris · « **Reply #24 on:** June 15, 2007, 01:05:20 am »

Mettalspinner,

I usually lay two chans on the ground next to the log, pevy it over then back over the log, lift it, place the cross members, bind and go. It takes about 10 or 15 min. to load normally. There is the occasion that I lift more than one log at a time and that can take a little longer depending on how they are oriented on the ground. I just do hobby sawing so its perfect for me but your cherry picker trailer can haul alot more logs and is really the cats meow! I do love my trailer though and can lift 6000lbs. Not bad for a $400 trailer!

Ironwood · « **Reply #25 on:** June 17, 2007, 08:25:05 pm »

I have posted these pics before, I'll throw it in for fun, crane trailer mostly homemade, large arch homemade, small arch homemade, Last pic is my old truck, the bed/ crane went on the new chassis. I moved the truck crane to the rear of the bed to be more effective at reaching. You get the idea.

And this is my old truck, the crane and bed went to the new one.

[img]

Warren · « **Reply #26 on:** June 21, 2007, 04:20:32 pm »

O.K. Here's my rig for fetching logs that the tree guys leave for me. This unit also doubled as my hydraulic log loader and log turner for my original LT15 when I sawed 20 and 24 ft oak logs. Originally a construction truck, so no grapple. Have to use chokers to sling and lift the logs. But is still pretty handy. Can lift in the 4,500 to 5,000 lb range up close to the truck. I just picked up the sycamore log on the truck today. FF Log Calculator sez it should be about 3,800 lbs. That made the truck grunt at full extention. Parked in one yard. Lifted the log over the hedges out of the adjacent yard. FWIW, price was not bad. A friend at church works for a construction company. They upgraded to a newer truck. The company thought it was going to be a white elephant to get rid of with the knuckle boom. So I "took it off their hands....". (Read: jumped on it...) Still need to fab a set of low bunks for it. Have the steel. Just never got around to it....

OneWithWood · « **Reply #27 on:** June 22, 2007, 09:42:15 am »

I found this shot once before so I thought I would find it again and post it here:

JMS 10 ton trailer with Farma 51D loader

urbanlumberinc · « **Reply #28 on:** June 22, 2007, 06:09:24 pm »

This method works pretty well.

Yup, thats a Blue Ox you see there, belongs to a friend of mine who moved the logs for free.

That tree was 106 years old, 39 inside the bark, small end, 13'6 long

Ironwood · « **Reply #29 on:** June 22, 2007, 08:49:11 pm »

THE question IS could the Blue Ox lift it? How much did it weigh?

Reid

urbanlumberinc · « **Reply #30 on:** June 22, 2007, 09:46:52 pm »

Nope, the butt was 8500 lbs. We set some small logs perpendicular under the big logs to act as rollers. Then, when we got to the yard, we choked the logs off to a big ole cottonwood and pulled em right out.

Ironwood · « **Reply #31 on:** June 27, 2007, 07:28:00 pm »

Here is the big arch carrying a big / short log.

Reid

TexasTimbers · « **Reply #32 on:** June 27, 2007, 09:06:56 pm »

Todd that looks exactly like a PJ trailer, I would bet that it is. If so they are made right down the highway from me in Tigertown Texas by Mexican Mennonites. They claim to be out of Paris but the plant is in Tigertown. I have a 3 axle 34'er just like yours. I don't care for the 3 axle design but it does brake well.
Ya gotta tell me if that is a PJ. If not, someone is knocking off their design to a tee.

Todd · « **Reply #33 on:** June 28, 2007, 10:27:50 am »

kevjay,
It's a Load Trail trailer, and I think it's out of Cananda, but I found them down in Texas. ( I can't find them in Canada anymore) I bought it used and it's been a great trailer....now only if my truck were bigger.....
Todd

ScottAR · « **Reply #34 on:** June 29, 2007, 12:39:26 am »

Quote

Mexican Mennonites

Am I the only one that finds this hilarious?

Todd · « **Reply #35 on:** June 29, 2007, 09:07:36 am »

Si

TexasTimbers · « **Reply #36 on:** June 29, 2007, 10:06:48 am »

Fact is always stranger than fiction. Mexican Mennonites in Tigertown Texas. But that's not the end of the twist. I popped a hub off my rear axle last year and drove out there to get a new one.

The front office is run by . . . . . Canadians. The guy I worked with had just moved down and said that 2 or 3 others had as well. They have an American, Candian, and Mexican flag proudly, and prominently displayed at their plant. they have employee housing right there to the tune of hundreds of units. It's a sprawling operation to which the INS has obviously turned a blind eye

But this thread was Urban log transportation I just posted this to give you the rest of the "hilarious" story.

sawguy21 · « **Reply #37 on:** June 29, 2007, 10:23:26 pm »

Reddog · « **Reply #38 on:** June 30, 2007, 07:59:58 am »

This is what I use to load and haul. If I had known I would hauling so many for people, I would have gotten a flat deck.

Haytrader · « **Reply #39 on:** July 01, 2007, 07:43:47 pm »

Theere are a lot of Mexincan Mennonites around here. Generally large families who work on farms or in feedlots. Some come up to buy machinery and take back south. Wads of cash. But most are poor and a farm job with a house furnished is what they want. Often the wife hires out also and an older girl watches the kids.

jim blodgett · « **Reply #40 on:** July 12, 2007, 11:24:51 pm »

Have to respect people who are willing to work that hard. Seems like an old story here in the U.S.

Daren · « **Reply #41 on:** July 20, 2007, 08:25:51 pm »

The Urban Log Retrieval System in action, I posted a picture of it earlier in the thread empty. I have a Case skidsteer and trailer for medium sized loads, and access to semi trailers and endloaders for bigger loads. But this thread was I thought about urban logs, like pull into a yard a get a log. "Low impact urban logging", is that a new phrase ?...One trashed yard and word spreads fast

. I pulled into a yard today and picked 2 cedar logs 18"X8' and 16"X9'. Not a jag by any means, but 15 minutes I was there and gone. 30 minutes total from hooking up the trailer to unhooking it. I can't afford $1000's of equipment and hours of labor fetching yard logs, especially cedar. A nice fat walnut looks good riding on the ULRS though. I have already said 95% of my urban logs are delivered, but the ones and 2 I fetch with this little buggy. That is were many of my "free" ones come from, homeowners ones and 2s.

I can carry much bigger/longer logs but have to keep the weight centered over the axle. The long ones can really hang out the back a ways

. I have about $75 invested in the Urban Log Retrieval System. The trailer was an old propane tank hauler that I found in the weeds tires and all still pretty good. I knocked on the door of the farmhouse and asked the feller what he was going to do with it, he said if I had the right sized hitch ball he had planned on giving it to me since I asked

(just so happened I did). I bought a cheap 12v winch on fleabay for $60 (?) which amazingly has held up so far, some iron I had laying around and a handfull of welding rod.

I guess I could post a picture of a semi load, but we have all seen those. I will post a picture of a big log on the ULRS when I pluck one from a yard soon.

Daren · « **Reply #42 on:** July 20, 2007, 08:45:08 pm »

I do have to add, empty this thing at high speed is a bouncy contraption. Very long tongue to the axle and light. It makes it easy to push even by hand with the leverage, but not so hot pulling empty. I would not pull it down the highway without a load on. In town it is fine and a slow cruise through the country. Loaded it behaves very well on the road and I like the fact that it is long and easy to back up. Short trip, small load $75 log hauler...works for me.

Ironwood · « **Reply #43 on:** March 27, 2008, 09:35:54 pm »

Here are some pictures of some walnut I bought from a local resident. I ended up being the bad guy because according to his wife "I was ripping him off", So, lets do the math, I take an hour to get the crane back on the trailer, drive 35 minutes each way plus loading time (total 4 hours), I show up and there is a MASSIVE lightening strike down the side of the bigger tree, and my tree trimmer buddy hits nails in the base (more in there no doubt, due to nail stains) never really got info on that lightening strike ahead of time, nails are par for the course, but told they were "big" by the tree trimmer. I paid more then another freind just paid for walnuts from the forest (although they had nails to). So, the WALNUT urban legend of $$ valuble walnuts continues and the evil guy buys trees on the cheap, never mind the $$ dollars invested in log moving equipment. Fortunately the husband was reasonable about it. Is it worth it? I suppose but I just hate people thinking I am taking advantage, the guy even agreed with me on the undesirable nature of the trees as he had tried several years ago to sell them to local mills and everything I communicated was exactly his experience, so I gained some credibility.

Ironwood

ScottAR · « **Reply #44 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:13:18 am »

Nice haul! How's that 550 doing? I haven't found one yet, but I will...

amberwood · « **Reply #45 on:** March 28, 2008, 06:53:02 am »

here we go..some new gear. I was saving it up for a dedicated posting but this thread came back up again.

We had an increased demand for logs to be collected, sawed and returned as boards. Onsite milling work was not always possible. Plus now we can grab the extra free logs that we always too hard!

1996 Isuzu FRR500 with Nokka 4155 Loader. It is a 3 point linkage version, so we replicated the 3 points in the truck chassis. This means the whole crane can be removed when not required. Max lift is 2000kg, max reach 5.5m. The truck has 5000kg of capacity left even after the crane is fitted.

Ironwood · « **Reply #46 on:** March 28, 2008, 12:33:54 pm »

Amberwood, NICE!!

Scott, I love that truck. MAKE SURE YOU get the 7.3 diesel, the 6.0 is BAD, VERY BAD. There will be alot of 6.0's out there cheap, but don't be tempted. TONS of motor issues.

Ironwood

Captain · « **Reply #47 on:** March 28, 2008, 03:35:04 pm »

Great stuff guys, love the Isuzu Amberwood!! I've got a Freightliner in my near future....couple of weeks off. More to come!!!

arojay · « **Reply #48 on:** March 28, 2008, 09:16:08 pm »

Amberwood, I love it. Ive been thinking about something like that, just a tad bigger with power for pulling the trailer. Does that loader swing 360 or 270?

amberwood · « **Reply #49 on:** March 29, 2008, 10:06:56 pm »

Arojay..400deg of rotation..Truck has plenty. 7.3L..rated at 16t gross.

DTR

ScottAR · « **Reply #50 on:** March 30, 2008, 10:40:22 pm »

Will do on the 7.3... I have a F350 with one... I let one get away
awhile back with all my specs but there's always another along shortly.

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Author Topic: Urban Log transportation ... small or large scale ... show us your method!! (Read 8525 times)