homemade skidder Pictures Added!!!!!!!!!

[zackman1801]

just down the road from my house there are 5 duce and a halfs sitting in a construction lot for sale for anywhere from 5-8K they still have the military paint on them. although i saw an old duce out in the woods behind my house on the towns property. i wish i had some way of getting it out because its all still in once piece with nothing missing!

[shinnlinger]

NOw zach,

This is were the converted wrecker comes in handy...you can go "reclaim" that duce.

[Mooseherder]

When I get home tonight I will attempt to load a video of getting stuck on my woods road with the deuce last summer.  The road was damp and I had absolutely no traction in regards to weight because of not having a bed on the truck.  It is on a grade probably around 30%.  It is also when I found out the front wheels weren't pulling.  Halfway through the video with my wife taping I make the comment "this thing should be able to go anywhere."
It almost made it out with the help of a atv pulling.  A couple more feet forward would have done it.  In the end a small tractor had to help pull it out.
I say buy a used skidder and use the deuce for dry ground.

[zackman1801]

NOw zach,

This is were the converted wrecker comes in handy...you can go "reclaim" that duce.

man i would really love to go out there with someone who knows something about these things and see if anything can be salvaged. here in buckfield  some company came and dumped about 10 tractor trailer beds in an old wood lot full of just old junk. its considered a "disaster area" technically by the us govt because who ever left the junk left trailers full of waste that was considered toxic, these have been removed but everything else out there was just left. there are quite a few old vietnam era trucks including and ambulance. a collector could have a field day. i bet if i talked with the town they would give them to me for free, since they had already attempted to have them removed but  no one was willing to do it.

[Mooseherder]

I haven't used this Video camera to upload anything to the computer in a couple years because it needs a go between that accomodates the connections cause the camera is too old and antiquated.  It is quite a process when you forget how to do it.
Decided it would be better to shorten it, add some music and take out some drama.
The front axles will need some work before this thing goes in the woods again.
At least I backed on down in there eh?
Burlkraft spotted what I needed when we were at Mr. Hooties.

 "http://www.youtube.com/v/V5Itw027U0w">

[beenthere]

I'm sure Burlkraft suggested that green tractor to pull you out....

Good video, and am sure that slope was more than what it appeared. 

[maple flats]

Get the fron working and it will make a huge difference. Then if you need more add chains, in fact chains would make a world of difference even without power to the front axle. Good luck.

[stonebroke]

Did you break your sprag?

Stonebroke

[Mooseherder]

Did you break your sprag?

Maybe.
The only thing I have done to it is have the brakes fixed.  That was the second time I had driven the truck.  After it's military duty for the Navy, it had been used as a Fire Dept tanker for the forest service, then a local municipality.  The odometer reads 6800 miles.
I'm thinking the fire dept may have disconnected the front drive.  I'll have to check it out when I have the time.  We bought the deuce a few months earlier from someone who was restoring it.  He had bought it at auction from the municipality.

[shinnlinger]

THat would make a nice 4 wheeler add!

I think we need to see a duce with a working front axle and some weight over the rear/chains getting pulled out with a 4 wheeler before we can say that duces are junk in the woods.

I can also say from my dually experience is they tend to float rather than bite which isn't always a good thing.  My 4x one ton dually stinks in the woods.

[woodsrunner]

Those old military vehicles sure are cool.  But, if you don't have the knack for keeping them running they can be very frustrating. And expensive Don't ask me how I know. Check out this link www.easternsurplus.net   . They have some nice trucks. Take a look at what they call their "mudders". Definitely some potential there for "our' kind of use.

[timberfaller390]

The more I look at those old deuce and a halfs the more I think "theres my next log truck"

[zackman1801]

they would make beastly trucks to go down logging roads with but as far as making them drivable on roads to deliver to mills would be hard. they get such poor gas mileage that its going to cost tons of money to get them to a mill.
plus some kind of steering assistance is going to be needed because most (if any) arent power steered.

[timberfaller390]

as for mileage my current rig sucks the gas so they can't be much worse and as for steering the one I have now has armstrong steering so that wouldn't be any different.

[twobears]

  the first log loader i ran was mounted on a army truck.the only good thing about it was it never got stuck on the landing it wasn,t made for going down the road tho.
 one spring we had it towed to a new job.it popped it gear at 55 mph and busted the bellhousing.we couldn,t find a new one asap so,we had the loader mounted on a old mack truck it was like running a new loader and it was fun to take it on the road.
 i do think a guy could make a decent log skidder out of one.i,de use two rear ends,the transfer case,two transmissions hooked up inline and i,de get the kits to move the brakes on to the pinon.