which is better?

[treefarmer87]

which is better for logging skidder or tractor

[chucker]

for large tracts ? skidder... for lot clearing 5 acres and smaller tractors work best!!!

[thecfarm]

Can't even compare the 2 in my eyes.I suppose you are talking a good size skidder?A tractor will not move no wheres near the wood a skidder can in a day.I have a tractor and it works great for me.BUT I am on my own land cutting.I don't have to make a living with it either.Takes more time to get around through my woods with my tractor than a skidder.Trails have to be laid out right,and kept free of brush.

[bill m]

What is your definition of better? Faster? Move more/bigger wood? I do all of my logging with a tractor,grapple/winch and a forwarding trailer.




I can move between the trees better than a skidder. My roads are a lot tighter than a skidder road. I cut about 2 to 4 mbf a day and use about 10 gallons of diesel fuel a week.

[treefarmer87]

is that a metavic trailer? i like that grapple/winch on your tractor too

[Mark K]

Skidder is made to log. That is what it was designed for. I logged with a 85 hp Belarus for a couple years, done pretty good with it. My skidder is around the same horsepower and will skid 3 times as big a hitch and do it safely. I can crab around trees and turn shorter than I could with a tractor.

[bill m]

My tractor is only 72 inches wide and I can put it places a skidder will never go with out cutting more trees.

[Mark K]

My skidder is 7'6" wide, has narrow rubber 16.9 -30, not much wider than your tractor and is narrower than the tractor I was using. He asked what is better for logging, a skidder is designed for it. You can put a dozer blade on the front of a trator too but it isn't a bulldozer. It doesn't matter what you use in the woods, it's the operator that decides the outcome of what the job is going to look like in the end.

[Ed]

Need more information..............you are being way to general with your question.

Ed

[donny hochstetler]

my opinion is it depends what the job is like around here if you go north you might find some terrain you could work with a tractor  but the problem you would run into is most of the trees would be to big for a tractor last week my bro. and i cut and skidded 25000 ft of poplar in a day and a half with a skidder we had a 100 mile drive one way if you drive that distance you have to move wood .if you go south from here it gets rough and a tractor would struggle on most jobs in fact anything smaller than a 640 is considered a small skidder in these parts  but on the other hand if its relativley flat with small to medium sized timber local work a tractor would be alright  a skidder is built for the woods  i personaly would be afraid to operate a tractor on a logging job also a good solid skidder can be had for about the same price just my opinion  remember always look up

[Tom]

Usually it is the other one. 

[Ed_K]

Both are best. I use the tractor to winch and bunch then go a get the skidder and pull the hitch to the landing. I can pull the smaller winch cable up a hill a lot easier than the skidder cable. There's not many large logs the tractor can't get to a skid road,but if i need it the 9 ton skidder can. I'm thinking of getting a fowarder but I'll keep the tractor in the woods with it too. If you use a tractor get it with forestry tires and build a bellypan for it.

[bill m]

Yes a tractor can handle big wood.


This log is 12 ft. lg.  630 bd. ft.
As for price comparison my tractor was less than 30G brand new. How many new skidders are in that price range?
I'm not suggesting a tractor is better than a skidder in all cases  but a tractor can effectively be used for logging.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Yes a tractor can handle big wood.
This log is 12 ft. lg.  630 bd. ft.

But a skidder will handle a few trees that big not just one 12' long log.

For a pure production stand point a skidder will outpull a tractor all day long. But a tractor is more versatile and can be used for more than just moving logs. They are also easier to transport, operate on small tracts of land, etc.   

[Twig farmer]

If your trying to make MONEY, then you want a skidder. If you want to play around in the woods as a hobby, then  a tractor is fine.
Saying you are "logging" with a tractor is misleading. You aren't logging, you're playing logger.
Now, a guy with 100 acres behind his farm can make due with a tractor just fine. But that isn't "logging" either.
Logging is about moving wood- lots of it- as fast and safe as possible. A skidder is just a minimum baseline...

[bill m]

Twig farmer - Your right , I'm just playing logger. I also made enough money last winter to take most of the summer off. How many loggers do you know did that? As for small jobs the one I am on will cut over 250mbf this year and when the rest of the timber gets marked and cut it should finish at about 500 mbf,, but I guess thats a small job compared to what everyone else does.

[Twig farmer]

You're using a trailer with a log loader. Basically a forwarder. I meant just using a 4x4 farm tractor by itself...even with a farmi winch.
Not to mention that the wood you are cutting probably isn't 2 miles up on the side of a Mt., or on the other side of a 400' swamp hole..
Stop being so sensitive.

[tlandrum]

skidder all the way, a jd440 it not much bigger than a tractor but will out work it 10-1 imho. the 440 will log 5 acres with ease, or 25 acres. like most guys i started out with a tractor and after my first skidder i never looked back.

[beenthere]

If your trying to make MONEY, then you want a skidder. If you want to play around in the woods as a hobby, then  a tractor is fine.
Saying you are "logging" with a tractor is misleading. You aren't logging, you're playing logger.
Now, a guy with 100 acres behind his farm can make due with a tractor just fine. But that isn't "logging" either.
Logging is about moving wood- lots of it- as fast and safe as possible. A skidder is just a minimum baseline...

Is this coming up with THE official definition of "logging" ?   

 

[bill m]

I've run enough skidders in my lifetime to know I will never own another one. Yes ,you can move more wood with one - you have to to be able to afford the upkeep and fuel.  

[donny hochstetler]

I've run enough skidders in my lifetime to know I will never own another one. Yes ,you can move more wood with one - you have to to be able to afford the upkeep and fuel.  

 

[KyMasterLogger]

something you may want to consider is nearly all new tractors have a fiberglass hood and a exhaust pipe sticking straight up through it just waiting to get knocked off and have to work the rest of the day with diesel fumes blowing in your face or stop and fix it. a tractor small enough to get through the woods, is probably not going to be an enclosed cab. limbs and small branchs will pop you in the face and smack your ear when its 10 degrees outside..and it could very well be the worst thing in the world when it happens (and its going to happen). if you manage to get a tractor with a cab, make sure it has bulletproof glass in it. a tractor will nearly turn around in its tracks when using one of the rear brakes. anyone who uses a tractor to skid with and has not blown out a tire is either the luckiest person in the world, or not skidding much wood. most tractor tires are 6-10 ply. my 1949 JD G has 3 ply on it.

a skidder hood will be made of steel. most all skidder exhaust are designed to not get knocked off. all skidders will have a somewhat inclosed cab. it may just be some wire mesh on 3 sides, but its better than a rollbar...and limbs will still smack you. if the skidder has a inclosed cab, there a slim chance of busting the glass out of it. the glass will get dirty, scratched up, its hard to clean and impossible to keep it clean. at times visibility is very poor. a skidder gets around the woods pretty dang good. forestry tires are tough..18-20 ply, theres not a tractor tire as tough as a forestry tire (that im aware of).

i have seen a 548-G JD skid 50 mbf in one day. it was a very short drag (the longest drag wasnt even 200 yards), started at daylight and didnt quit till dark. the operator was gettin with it! he didnt stop for lunch or to smoke any cigarettes.

ive done it with both machines. as previously stated the skidder will use more fuel but in the hands of a good operator, it will pull alot more wood out. IMHO, if your gonna log..you need a skidder. tractors are for farmers...

 

[treefarmer87]

sounds like you were doin some serious skiddin KyMasterLogger the guys i bought my equipment off of used a 548 g and i agree with u 100% "if your gonna log..you need a skidder. tractors are for farmers"

[240b]

you guys ought to start a ford vs. chevy thread

[Ron Scott]

Full time commercial production "loggers" here use skidders and forwarders. I've never had a commercial job done with a farm tractor.

[Mark K]

There is alot of operations up here using tractors, some part time and full time. I've seen operations that use a skidder to drag trees to a landing in the woods and use a tractor with a trailer similar to bill m's except bigger to forward the trees to the road. Alot of guys also run them 6-6 army trucks with log loaders on them to forward the wood. Kind of a cheap forwarder.

[arojay]

Depends on a few factors.  Are you logging in a plantation forest or the bush.  Bill M has a real nice looking rig and some impressive wood.  In my operation, essentially old growth wild land, it might not stand up to the terrain.

[KyMasterLogger]

you guys ought to start a ford vs. chevy thread

why would we need to do that...everyone already knows chevy would win...

[Gary_C]

why would we need to do that...everyone already knows chevy would win...

From what I hear chevy would be in third place with that Toyota Tundra first. 

[KyMasterLogger]

why would we need to do that...everyone already knows chevy would win...

From what I hear chevy would be in third place with that Toyota Tundra first. 

i just bought a new toyota keyboarddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd.  im gonna take it in for the recall tomorrow. 

be careful with their lawnmowers to, evidently they are having the same recall issues as the prius.. 
 

[ahlkey]

You really cannot compare a tractor to a skidder or a full time logger to someone who works at it part-time.  The only real point is what amount of capital do you have that can be put to work to accomplish the desired outcome.  If all you are doing is cutting the back 40 acres and you do it with a chainsaw and draw horses that is certainly a huge accomplishment but hardly means you are a logger.  By moving to tractors you can accomplish so much more and while capital investment increases it can be reduced by spreading it  across many other farm activities.  Moving upward to dedicated skidders, forwarders, etc.... increases productivity significantly but with the increased capital also comes added business risk and if the equipment sits very long you lose. 

I have two Metavic Log loaders similar to Bill's.  One that works as a forwarder and the other for transporting over the highway.  I use tractors to move logs but my highway log trailer is a triaxle 20K deckover and my F650 together with my CAT diesel flatbed can move close to 6 cords of pulpwood per trip.  I work at it all alone, and use the equipment year round logging, working around the sawmill, kiln drying, or delivering products from the woodshop.  Do I consider myself a logger?  No but many months of the years I am full time on the activity.  Right now finishing 300 cords of pulpwood.   The key for me is making sure I work at a pace that is cost effecitve and yes make a profit. If I were to add more traditional logging equipment I couldn't make a go at it and if I tired I would make a lot less profit.   

So to answer your question if you want to do it full-time go with the skidder, forwarder, etc.. if you want to do anything less a solid tractor with other selective equipment can do the job.

[Maine372]

i tried to stay out of this but here goes.

we all do this to make money. we need profit if we are going to stay in business. so with which machine can you make more profit?

that comes down to your business approach. my father and i worked small woodlots, houselots, horse pastures, etc in an rural area, but not the boonies. tractor worked just fine for us. i know a forester who is looking for a logger to cut 90 miles from the nearest town. no tractor or small skidder are fitted to make money on a commute like that. hes looking for an outfit with a buncher, 2 grapple skidders, stroker, and a loader.

if you rely on volume you need machines that move volume. if you rely on high quality detailed work, you need a machine with a gentler footprint, and more versatility.

i need more than one hand to cound the loggers i know that have both. what does that tell you?

[bill m]

if you rely on high quality detailed work, you need a machine with a gentler footprint, and more versatility.
[/quote
That is what I am doing with my business. My equipment works for the style of work I do. In all my years of logging I have never had to bid on timber or go knocking on doors and even in these times I still have 2 or 3 years of logging ahead of me. So - which is better a tractor or skidder? We all have to decide for our self based upon the kind of work we want to do and areas we work in.




P.S.  Ford all the way!

[treefarmer87]

i need production i made a little over $40,000 with my tractor this year if i had a skidder it would have been more than that