Chokers and choker setting

[treefarmer87]

im getting a new skidder in a few days a have never set chokers. (i feel kinda dumb asking this) im getting 5 with the machine, how many should i run for sawlogs? im getting a 230 TJ 353 detriot. how many logs can i pull? any tips or tricks? i just dont wanna start out blind and not know what im doing and have an accident, thanks for any helpful tips

[forest.c]

depends on the size of your wood big wood you may only need 1 or2 small wood you may need as many as 10 or12 you will learn as you go.

[nhlogga]

If the front feels light or the machine wants to do a wheelie than you got too big a hitch on the skidder. All you need is experience. good luck and congrats on the skidder purchase.

[steveforest]

You could get some different lengths, so a small log will not drag when you have a large log choked on the same turn. Tractor envy

[4genlgr]

my cousin has a 230 he runs with 8 cable chokers.   his 230 will pull all 8 loaded with 12-14 inch dia hardwood limbed on most terrain. and at the other end only a 32' of white pine close to 36" on the butt and thet may have been a factor of the total lenght of the tree and the wiggles in the twitch road
just experiment with the amount of trees you try to pull an dfind out what the skidder likes
one thing to watch out for is slopes espically when turning loaded sometimes the load can anchor you and others it will help you look like the JD in another thread TJ's are quite stable but any skidder will be very unstable  toward the side where the wheels are farthest apart when turning as you have narrowed the base. i know he carries the blade low and has used at times to put a back tire on the ground again

take it easy at first  you've run a tractor so you have some feel for what makes you nervous its different but the similar on a skidder

stay safe

[DirtForester]

Start with the 5 and get a feel for it.  I have seen double that on larger machines but I would see how the 5 work out for you.  As stated above, you are not going to be pulling 5 30 inch pine trees with that 230.  

[acl2]

we always run 5 chokers on our machines, if the timber is smaller you can double up in one choker to get a good trip. Are they cable or chain chokers you running?

[treefarmer87]

they are cable chokers. most of the trees i cut are 16"+ saw logs, poplar and oak i have 2 more tracts to cut after this- a 5 acre hardwood flat (trees no smaller than18") white and red oak and tulip poplar, and a 35 acre swampy creek bottom with similar size poplar and sycamore.

[DirtForester]

Given those conditions, I think 5 chokers will serve you well.

[treefarmer87]

yea me too ive been told by my friend to bring out 2 sawlog size trees @ a time

[logloper]

I've set a few chokers. I like 1/2 inch x 8' chokers. Learning to set them correctly is more of a trick than takeing the drag to the landing. If I am running 5 chokers, than I will pull the bull line and 2 chokers to the 5th log away from the skidder. Then start setting chokers back from there.If it's a big log, set the choker back about 2' on the log. If it's smaller, then set the choker back a little further. Practice will show you where to hook it,so the logs all drag into the landing evenly. If your bells are slipping off when you suck the drag up,push the bell tight to the log and shove a small stick into the bell between the bell and the cable. This will wedge the two tight and will still fall out at the landing. Make sure that you winch the ends of the trees up off the ground and into the butt plate. If your trees are in this posistion,it's hard to tip over when turning tight. You will pull up on two or three wheels, but dont panic. Those trees are your kickstand. Drop your blade and pour the fuel to it. When you get to the landing, drop your winch , then immiediately pop your winch handle back up. This will keep your bull line from unwinding into a rats nest. Just feather it out. Anyway, goodluck. you will get it . It's not rocket science

[barbender]

I was pulling some 24" butt red oak, 2 of those with the pettibone was plenty. If I was cutting wood that big all the time I would probably run just 2 or 3 chokers, the size wood you describe I would probably run 5 as others suggested. It depends wether you are thinning or clearcutting too. I find if I'm thinning or cleaning up firewood trees, etc., I rarely pull a full hitch just because I end up fighting everything trying to get every choker filled up. If I'm cutting popple and I can back up to a nice bunch of trees, hook em up and go, then I like to make the machine pulleverything it can. My 2 cents

[treefarmer87]

thanks for the helpful info and tips guys

[John Woodworth]

Personaly I run 4 12' 9/16 cacbl chokers on 5/8 mainline and can get all the wood in the world, you can push up your turns or bonus the choker loads easier than trying to fight a rats nest, the machine will only pull so much, learn to bonus your turns and most important what your machine will pull. The most I've ever run was 6 on a 740 JD with 3/4 mainline, not so bad setting the chokers but comes time to unhook some always seem to be buried.

[captain_crunch]

Just remember to always have the choker closest to winch hooked to a log or it will come over Fairlead first and wind around drum before others get there and this teaches you new words before you get it corrected

[tlandrum]

i run 3/4 swedged mainline and 8ft 9/16 chokers. usually 5 at a time   double and triple up if the trees are small. my skidder will haul a load with its 190hp cummins. i never could get used to little skidders like the 230. i have always had to pull long drags and needed all the wood i could get on each hitch to make out and hauling back three trees instaed of 5 or 6 dont pay the bills.

[Bobus2003]

I run 8 5/8" chokers, I can pull all 8 chokers hooked with 2-3 trees each.  (9-12" butt trees) If i get into bigger timber its one tree to a choker and in smaller wood i may have 8-10 trees in a choker.. you will learn as you go.. i have many many times had more than i can pull hooked up so i pull forward and winch to me, and repeat

[timberjackrob]

i run two on my 208 sometimes i could use three but we cut mostly 20 to 36 inch trees at the butt all hardwood. like everybody said it depends on size of trees terrain, etc. my 208 has a 353 with a hercules winch probably the same as your 230.sometimes its best to take it easy on older equipment,if you dont have a 100,000 dollar skidder to pay for why push it to its limit every drag.remember the old detroits are a two stroke diesel and only produce power at high rpms. an old logger once told me the first thing you need to do to run a detroit is slam your hand in the door and take it out on the motor

[treefarmer87]

i agree with you timberjackrob when i get the skidder im not gonna be in a big hurry anyway ill be pulling out close to half a load at a time. im only lookin to take 2 loads a day, im not goning to strain the skidder, its in good condition and i want it to stay that way. captain crunch just helped me with something i was wondering,i was wonderin about sucking a choker up with the mainline, watching what im doin will help too.

[mad murdock]

I agree with John W.  Adjust the number of chokers to the wood you are pulling.  It is easier to hook/unhooke fewer chokers, than to have to deal with a rats nest every turn.  When you bonus your load, i.e. grab 2 trees with one choker, use your blade as you set up for the next load by pushing trees together, etc. or drag one tree winch up to another one, and grab add it to your load, etc.  I run 2 chokers on my Garrett, because most of the time I pull tree length, even with 40 footers, if they are bigger than 18" that is plenty for one drag.  When I ran a clark 666 in N. Wisc. it had 8 chokers, and I would load them all up, but that was alot of smaller wood, poplar and birch.  I would drag 30 cords a day with that machine.
Having had experience with lots of chokers vs a few, I like running with fewer, as said before, it is a pain to wrestle logs at the landing to try to get to all the chokers to unhook them.  Running 2 chokers pulling mostly Doug fir, I have 8' chokers, but every once in a while I wish I had a 12' er for those big logs, but I get around it by doubling up my chokers when I really need more length.  Bailey's has pretty fair prices on chokers, if you don't have a rigger close by, and you don't have to go anywhere to order them.  Good luck with the new toy.