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Can a Jin pole be used to unload a log truck?

Started by Modat22, September 25, 2006, 12:49:55 PM

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Modat22

Not sure where this question goes so I'm sorry in advance.

I want to buy logs from a logger but I haven't got a way to unload them and was wondering if a jin pole could be made strong enough and fast enough to use for unloading? If so could someone point me in the proper direction for sizing them for maximum lift?

Thanks
Sam
remember man that thy are dust.

Kevin


Modat22

Quote from: Kevin on September 25, 2006, 12:53:27 PM
You need to unload them from the log truck?

Thats what I was told, I assume the they ship them out on standard flat bed with metal racks on the side. There is one guy close that has a truck with a grapple on the truck but he stays so busy I'm out of luck there. I've never purchased logs before and really don't know very much about the whole process. I'm trying to avoid cutting all my own trees to build a large wood shop.
remember man that thy are dust.

Kevin

QuoteThats what I was told,

Was that directly from them?

Modat22

Yep. I called 6 last week and 2 called me back during the rain Saturday and told me that I needed a way to unload the trucks.

Originally I figured they could just drop them or something. Is this normal or do you think I'm getting my leg pulled or something?
remember man that thy are dust.

Norm

Around here Sam most of the log trucks use a grapple that's mounted on the truck. Other parts of the country do things differently though. As for a jin pole I don't have the answer but my guess is you're going to have trouble getting them to unload that way at your place.

Modat22

When I began building my mill another mill operator told me that milling would worry me to death. I'm already getting there, the paper mill in the area seems to be buying up most of the lumber and loggers don't want to talk to me or I can get free logs but I can't load them on my trailer  :D

I need a few little helper tools, I might go visit the amish near me and see how they handle logs.

remember man that thy are dust.

Murf

I would think it would have to be a pretty big gin pole, mounted on an even bigger tractor to tackle such a task.

I do it with my boom truck on occasion for someone I know, usually it's for unloading log length firewood. Is there someone you know in thearea with a boom truck or very big wrecker than can help you for a day?
If you're going to break a law..... make sure it's Murphy's Law.

Modat22

Nope, but I know a guy with a large wrecker I can pay for a few hours. Does the wrecker need to be higher than the log truck or will they let me drag them off the back of the truck?
remember man that thy are dust.

Mr Mom

     Do you know anyone with a track-hoe that has a thumb on it??



     Thanks Alot Mr Mom

Modat22

Nope, I do know someone with a backhoe thats about it. He is usually busy as well keeping it working to pay bills. I pretty much have to do this myself, I was looking for the most cost effective way (I'm poor).

Thanks for the insights everyone, I need to examine another route or look further away for a logger.
remember man that thy are dust.

beenthere

Not seeing anywhere that the size of logs are mentioned.  8', 12', longer?  max diameter?

What type of truck? Regular log truck with only bunks?  Flat bed? 

What about rolling them off onto ramps leading to skids?  A parbuckling setup to help if needed to get them rolling, if a couple guys with cant hooks won't do the trick.

What equipment do you have to work with? Tractor? Winch? 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Modat22

I have access to 1 small, (2) 35 hp and (1) 45hp tractor with a front loader, two small 2000 pound winches.

I honestly can't say what type of truck these guys use, the log trucks I see normally in my area are just flat bed trucks with racks made from 2 or 3" pipe. I have seen a few standard flatbeds with no racks around.

white oak 10 to 13 inches is pretty common around me so thats what I'm going for.
remember man that thy are dust.

Murf

According to the handy-dandy FF Toolbox log weight calculator thinga-ma-jig.........

A 10" White Oak log, 12' long would weigh a little over 410 pounds, and a 13" one would be tickling 700 pounds.

My little Kubota is a 45 hp model, and I sure wouldn't want 700 pounds too far up or out of the back.  :o

If they're not too lumpy or piled too high, you might be able to drag them off, but if you can't the driver's gonna be none too happy with you.  ::)
If you're going to break a law..... make sure it's Murphy's Law.

mike_van

Modat, i'd forget it - Unless you buy from someone with a real log truck with a knuckleboom loader.  They can unload  a full truck - 7 or 8 cord in about 10 minutes. No driver I know is going to sit there & wait while the logs get picked off with a chain &  bucket loader, or gin pole or whatever, it just takes to long.  Kind of like unloading a concrete truck into a wheelbarrow.  My 2 cents.                                                     Forgot to add - theres too much risk involved "rigging" something up. I know years back it worked, but lots of men were killed or hurt for life because of it. Find a trucker with a nice log loader -  :)
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

DR_Buck


QuoteI can get free logs but I can't load them on my trailer


Check out this link.  You may get some ideas here.   I'm sure there are other post along the same topic lines, but I just don't know how to find them.

Log hauling Link
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

Ron Wenrich

We haul logs either on log trailers or knuckleboom truck.  If they're coming on trailers, the logs will have to be lifted over top of those pipes.  My bet is those pipes are 6" well casing.  We unload ours with a JD front end loader with log grapple.  It takes about 10-15 minutes to unload a trailerload. 

Mike is right when he says the truckers won't wait for you to unload them.  Besides, if you don't have any experience unloading trucks, I'd advise against it.  I know a lot of guys that got hurt that knew what they were doing.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

JimBuis

Modat22,
I think you could rig up some sort of stationary crane or tractor mounted jinpole.  However, to me there is a bigger question.  Even if you had the jinpole setup, how would you grab hold of each log? Tongs? But then the tongs wouldn't balance the load as you try to pick it up or drag it off the back.  You could try to wrap chains or straps around each log, but that'd be dangerous work and very time consuming.  As someone said, the driver won't like it much when it takes you an hour or two to unload his trailer.

Sounds like you need to either buy a grapple or begin scrounging stuff to make your own.  Do you have much old iron around to help manufacture something?  Maybe a double A-frame mounted on truck spindles and wheels to straddle the trailer and to pick up a log with two sets of tongs and use a tractor to pull the A-frame backwards off of the trailer to drop the logs.  Do you have several big oak trees conveniently situated just far enough apart for a semi to pull in between them?  Maybe build a crane outfit in the trees, but then the truck would have to pull out from under it to unload each log.  That would take a long time.

Anyway, unless you have some cash laying around for this, the job of building anything I can imagine would not be a weekend endeavor.

There's no easy solution I can think of.


Good luck,
Jim
Jim Buis                             Peterson 10" WPF swingmill

Stephen1

Chain the logs tight, Pull the pipes, & roll them off the side, put some blocking down the side of the trailer, so the logs do not roll underneath.
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

DanG

Modat22, I worried and cogitated about this very problem for a long time when I first got my mill.  I never did come up with a suitable method, even with the forklift.  The H-mobile would do it, but not quickly enough to suit a trucker.  Those guys get paid by the load around here, and don't cotton to being delayed.

My advice is to just be patient.  If you have a trailer, concentrate on getting logs you can haul yourself, until the logs start coming in on their own.  I did that at first, but now I rarely have to haul any.  People have found out they can leave logs here without having to pay dump fees, and I have more logs than I can handle. ;D

Mike-Van, "real" log trucks around here don't need self-loaders.  They pull into a landing, drop that empty trailer, hook up a full one and head for the mill.  A self-loader would be a waste of time around here. ;)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

mike_van

I forgot the mill that used to be up the road from me [25 years ago] had a Pettibone loader - Good sized payloader w/forks & grapple - That would clean a truck or trailer off  in a few minutes - Right over the 12' pipes, pick 3 or 4 logs at a time.  Modat, what ever you come up with, try to keep the logs off the ground. Dragging or rolling them in the dirt of mud will cost you plenty later in dull blades.
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

Modat22

Hey guys thanks for the tips, I'm still looking around. I starting to panic a little, I'm trying to get enough material to frame up the biggest building I can before winter and let it stand till next year to finish.

I may try to build a grapple next year, I need to build a trailer as well, try to build a mini skidder and perhaps go fishing.

Then pay the lawyers fees when my wifes gets sick of never seeing me  :D
remember man that thy are dust.

scsmith42

Sam, have you thought about approaching some local loggers with an offer to puchase based upon them unloading the logs at your place?  One of them may have a buddy with a large loader, grapple, or a trailer with a grapple etc.
Peterson 10" WPF with 65' of track
Smith - Gallagher dedicated slabber
Tom's 3638D Baker band mill
and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Hey Modat!

I puzzled, as DanG said, about this.   I realized, however,
that free dumping does have an appeal to the tree trimmers.
In rural KY that may not be an issue for them.  Don't live there.

Since you have a trailer and have  opportunities to go get logs,
you could upgrade your capabilities for loading  your own trailer. 
The logs you seem to want are small, light items - at least in the
world of sawing.  A used grapple with your welding/fabricating skills and ...
Wah Lah! you are set to retrieve 'em!
For an example of how nice it could be, see the Blue Ox stuff advertised
to the left of this forum.  Also, there is always SawMill Exchange.com and Ebay!

With a combination of this small grapple of your own and waiting for
these free dumps,  you will gradually eliminate the option of the big trucks.
They will not be interested anyway, as has already been said.

One word:
I have no problem getting really big wood free.  My most recent freebees
include two Oaks that were in the 45" DBH category and weighed in the 5-ton
range. (Yep, that's why I love my Peterson Swingblade.)  If you can set aside
a remote acre for the dump point and team up with a Swingblade owner, now
that might be the ticket!  You cut the small, he cuts the big, and you get some
small percentage of what he cuts.  I would do it, but Georgia's too far a drive!

First, first, first...
Put the word out to the trimmers and the land clearers, clearly stating what
you are wanting.  You may get surprised!

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Oh, so you are in a time crunch, Modat22!

That's different.   

I did several sessions of cutting in Mississippi after Katrina - a lot of it with Radar67.
[How ya' doin', "Stew?"]  One of my newfound friends out
there was a logger, complete with two sons and one son-in-law in the business, too. 
Loggers all, now!  When one of the crews moves, its a big deal
Skidders, harvesters, service trucks, trailers, etc.

If you do like Brother SCSmith42 says, you may catch a crew on the move and get a
load. If you are in this much of a hurry, talk to the timber brokers, too.  The
demand for white oak is low right now,  you might get a load or two.  The trick will be
to catch that loader between sawing sites.

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Modat22

I may have found a contact, a local machinist in McCrady KY does most of the repair for loggers in my area. He gave me a list of names (I took him a box of lathe cutters) of those he would trust and a short list of those that I should only use as a last resort. I also saw a skidder being used down the road from me  8)

About that dumping option, I have a 5 acre field that I hate mowing and let it grow up this year. I wouldn't mind having access to easy firewood and a few logs  :)

I'll have to have a look around, am I just looking for tree trimmers in my area?

Thanks a bunch, I'm feeling a slight inner peace right now.
Sam
remember man that thy are dust.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Sounds like just the friend you needed.
(And you seem to have had the right gift to offer.)

Knowing who to trust and who will be reliable? Priceless!
;)

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Radar67

I'm doing fine Phil, you still got both saws?

I thought about building a gantry crane to unload log trucks with. Use a hoist to lift the logs.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Jim_Rogers

Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Modat22

Quote from: Jim_Rogers on September 26, 2006, 09:36:28 AM
Just so you'd know it's "gin pole".........

My nephews have been reading Aladin and I've had Jin and gin in my mind and belly.  :D
remember man that thy are dust.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Radar:
I thought I had seen evidence that you were snoopin' 'round this place,
Stew.   Don't get sentimental, now, but I sold "your" mill to a well deserving
lawyer friend.  He had some stuff he needed to cut his way out of.
:D

Modat22
Tree trimmers are good, but, as I mentioned, land clearers are a possibility.
Many times they are listed under construction, doing clearing, grading, and
foundation prep.   Needless to say, the trees are in their way! 
In our area, they have real trouble getting loggers to help them out. 
The scale of logging is so big these days!   If the clearing guys have a few
loads of nice pine saw logs, the loggers may be interested.  Everything
else gets burned, hauled, or given away.  They will bring you a dump truck
full at a time.  You get to untangle it, of course.
8) Neat, for you, huh? 8)

For best results, offer to go buck the trees they bring down.  That way you
know that they know exactly what to bring you and you get the chance to
end-seal the logs!
Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Radar67

Phil,

You got me spoiled on that Peterson, cutting wood is not the same on the band. I've been faily busy clearing a small patch of ground and getting ready to build my storage building and log yard. I'll make sure I start a post on that project. Good to hear from you.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Gustavo

what about and terrain  rampe? in accord with   truck higth?

how higth is the cargo?  four to five logs higth?

if the log is too large  put  a point first in the rampe  and after the other

more safety way



thanks to the forum for share very value informations.
here i have got good information  and  over all   good friends

Raphael

  You could do it with two gin poles and a pair of remote operated winches pretty effectively, no boom to swing so no rotation imparted to the log.  I like Gustavo's earthen ramp concept alot, I have something like it working for me when I load my mill.
... he was middle aged,
and the truth hit him like a man with no parachute.
--Godley & Creme

Stihl 066, MS 362 C-M & 24+ feet of Logosol M7 mill

Whitman

A Jin pole on a crane is a small extenison ,or it can be a device on the side of a tower that is used to place the next section. It is then moved up by cables to that section and the process starts again.  tats my 2    Whitman

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

All right, if the ideas are still a flowin'...

Picture this: :P

A double bunk rig, loaded with two batches of nice 16'-6"
White Oak logs for Modat22 pulls into his new log yard.

Step 1.  Said truck pulls in between two braced pairs of columns.
             The columns would probably need to be at least 25' tall.
             [Two to the left and two to the right, X-braced to each
             other and tied off by stand-off cables to the left and
             to the right.  The stand-offs overcome the load.  The X-
             braces fight racking which may occur if the trailer
             scrubs the load as its being pulled forward.]
Step 2.   The back package is lashed/strapped to itself.
Step 3.   A pair of cables are run under the back package of
              logs.  The cables run over heavy sheaves at the top
              of the two right hand columns and down to a pair of
              drive drums.  These two drums are turned by a common
              shaft whch spans the right pair of columns.
Step 4.  A winch lifts this package straight up a foot or two,
              driving the common shaft described above.
Step 5.  Truck moves forward 20-30 ft.
STep 6.  This package of logs is lowered onto your smaller trailer
              and moved out of the way.
Step 7.  Rig backs back for the second package.
Repeat the processes, but this package is simply lowered to the ground,
allowing the fine driver to head back to the woods, etc. After you have
sawn the first trailer load, you can return at your leisure and lift the second
package to be loaded onto your trailer for transfer to the saw.

This would work and would be fast enough for any trucker.  Many mills have
a weigh-in line and a waiting line.   Since Modat22 would have neither, I bet
our little system would be quicker than most trips to the bigger log yards!
This would also be totally safe.  (Famous last words.)  It would work for any
large load which had space allowed under the logs to run your lifting loops.

(This is just one of those crazy ideas I had back when I was worried about
getting logs and never really had to worry more about it.)

Hey, why don't I do this?  8)

Phil L.
P.S.  I realize that my cable description is over-simplified.  In reality the lift cables
would have to have some winch line accessory cables sliding on them.  The
winch line type of loops would actually be the loops under each end of the log pack.
The two lift cables would be above the package.  The loops would run under.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Modat22

Let me try to draw that up tomorrow at work, I'm having trouble picturing it.

Thanks
remember man that thy are dust.

rbarshaw

The problem I see is that a pile of logs held square by the sides of the log truck won't want to stay square and will have to be lifted all the way out of it for the truck to be able to leave, won't it?
Been doing so much with so little for so long I can now do anything with nothing, except help from y'all!
By the way rbarshaw is short for Robert Barshaw.
My Second Mill Is Shopbuilt 64HP,37" wheels, still a work in progress.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

I did a sketch, but since it is in a Word Draw file, I
didn't know how to load it in.  My old cheap KeyCad
program isn't compatible either (?)

Anyway, the idea is this:

I you drape a piece of string across a gap, a weight
hung on it will tend to center in the gap.  Similarly,
if you hang a sling on that string, the two ends of
the sling will tend to slide toward the middle when
weight is put in that sling.  In other words the sling
ends will want to slide to the center of the string.
When the ends do that, the load will tend to be pushed
inward by the cinching action of those freely sliding
sling ends. 

In our little plan, that should keep the logs clear of the truck's
side bolsters.  If they don't pull in clear, at least the
force of the weight of the logs should be relieved.

Hey, I better get that DanG sketch to work! I'm diggin' my hole
even deeper! :(   :D

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Raphael

  I think you'll want a lifting beam and have the cables coming from oposite (left/right) columns to keep the load in line.  In theory the logs will squeeze togehter as the load lifts,  but I wouldn't count on it (Murphy's watching), give your self lots of head room.
 I suspect a few truckers might be asking if this rig was checked by an engineer before they let you lift a load of logs up over their trailer.  You're talking a seriously stout set of poles and stays to lift an entire load at once.
... he was middle aged,
and the truth hit him like a man with no parachute.
--Godley & Creme

Stihl 066, MS 362 C-M & 24+ feet of Logosol M7 mill

Left Coast Chris

Modat.......... for hauling just a few logs on your own.....check out this $400 propane talk hauler with 12v hydraulic spreader bar to lift the logs:





I did spend an additional $100 to replace the hydraulic hoses and $200 for new 3200# tires but...............I just love how you can back over a log, lift, chan w/ binders to cross bars and go down the road!      Look around... you might fine one.
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

Modat22

I saw you're setup in another thread and have been looking around for one myself. They sell for a bit more around here Irvington Gas doesn't want to sell any of them yet. Those are perfect for my uses, I'm building a small arch now but it will never lift what those are capable of.

remember man that thy are dust.

Murf

Phil, I like your idea in principle, but would like it better if it was a larger area covered by the poles and cables, and the setup was used to lift and roll just a couple logs at a time, like a cable car setup, but able to move on two axis instead of just one.

Raphael, I represent that remark....... :D

There's a guy near here that builds log homes, he prebuilds them in his yard, then disassembles and ships them. He has a large tower near his work area, it looks like a surplus radio antennae, that is supported by lots of big guy wires, and about 2/3rds of the way up it has a boom that is also guyed back to the top. It has a rolling winch mounted on the boom and between the length and the swing of the arm, it covers a pretty good sized area.

It's rather permanent though, and certainly not very attractive for someone's backyard.
If you're going to break a law..... make sure it's Murphy's Law.

Jim_Rogers

Quote from: Whitman on September 26, 2006, 07:59:21 PM
A Jin pole on a crane is a small extension ,or it can be a device on the side of a tower that is used to place the next section. It is then moved up by cables to that section and the process starts again.  tats my 2    Whitman

I thought that the side extension on a gin pole or crane was called a "Jib"? Seems to me that it got it's name from sail boats and such.

From Merriam-Webster Dictionary online:

jib
5 entries found for jib.

Main Entry: 2jib
Function: noun
Etymology: probably by shortening & alteration from gibbet
1 : the projecting arm of a crane
2 : a derrick boom


Just to keep our terms straight....

Jim Rogers
   
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

There is no doubt that  a swing-arm type lift on a column
could pick off a log at the time,  but the big rigs won't wait.

No doubt about it, though:  What I was describing would
take some beefy stuff on the columns, etc.  I would imagine
12"by16" I-beams and stand-offs (stays) of 1" cable!  Of
course, the idea of cross beams is good, but more money
on steel, too.

On the other hand, if you plan on lifting less,
going for only a few logs at the time, you would have to
have some slings laid into the load as it was put on the truck.
A layer of logs, lay in a sling; another layer, then lay in a sling. 
Take it too far and you are back to the problem of holding up the
trailer too long for the drop.

If only Murf or Raphael would do a mock-up of this thing,
just so I wouldn't have to wonder whether it would work!
Maybe "Myth Busters" would be interested?  :D

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

beenthere

Modat22
Are ya still hangin in there? Ready to jump into this real soon?   :)

Interesting stuff.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Modat22

I don't think I'll be building anything like this soon. I am going to pay that skidder operator to unload a couple trucks though.
remember man that thy are dust.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Sounds like a plan, Modat. 
;)
Big truck, big loader... and they are in and out in 25 minutes.

Oh, well.   DaVinci never saw his helicopter idea done, either.
His problem was a source of power.  My problem?
I can't convince anybody to try this idea out.
:D
Good luck with your machinist connections.
Let us know what happens! I  better go work on a piano!
Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Murf

Oh sure, take da easy way out just when it was gettin' real interestin'........  ::)

Da noive a some peeepleses.  :D
If you're going to break a law..... make sure it's Murphy's Law.

Max sawdust

Hey Mod, nice thread ;)
Did you read the tons of stuff stuff on the TF and log building section of the forum on gin poles deriks and so forth.  Lots of good info on FF on the subject.
It is my opinion that you should rig something up for your own trailer or require the seller unload the logs for you.  I get nervous at the thought of taking logs of some one else's trailer :o

Up nort Wisconsin, everyone who transports logs has a loader on the trailer.  See dozens in dozens as you drive down the highway.  It is a given that the truck will have a knucklboom on it ::)

Good luck, just my 2 cents..
Max
True Timbers
Cedar Products-Log & Timber Frame Building-Milling-Positive Impact Forestscaping-Cut to Order Lumber

mike_van

Phil, your drawing might work, but it would have to be MASSIVE - You might be trying to pick a 20 ton load?  You can't do part of it, unless the truck moves out, you move the logs & he backs in again.  Kind of like the "high lead logging" with a spar tree in the pacific nw.   Way too much work just to feed a bandmill.
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

To:  Mike Van

I guess I got carried away watching the lifts which were
in the Modern Marvels episode where they lift the 280,000
pound locomotives and move them around.  It was on the
History Channel recently. ;D

If you look back up to responses 35 and 44, you will see
that I do realize that we are talking heavy duty stuff.   You are
right about the weight, but the point would be to get that load
off the log trailer . . .
Q U  I   C    K   !                   P R  O   N    T     O  !#35 describes the step by step off-load process.

True, it is overkill for a small scale mill, but if you had some
heavy duty steel to work with - just layin' around, so to speak -
you could get the job done.

Anybody got any 12"by16" I-beams with a 3/4" web and about
25' long?    Real cheap?  Delivered?  Otherwise, I'm just going to
have to have another dump truck load of logs brought in like I did last time!
:D
Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

KnotBB

I've hired a dump truck to deliver logs.  No unloading problems that way

steve
To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Speaking of logs... I'm out!
:(
All I have left is some 46" dia. Pecan short stuff.

Now when did that Tree Trimmer with the self-loader
git to, anyway?

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Modat22

Aye I think this is a bit to large a project for my little mill  :D  I have 5 acres I can use for a wood lot but my wife would totally skin me alive with a spoon if I built something like that over there. I don't have enough time to build it anyway, winters is awful close and I have to get sawing and stacking then building. The grapple operator said he'll be in the area for 2 weeks and would unload up to 2 truckloads for 100.00 erm cash. Thats cheaper than all the other options I've looked into, after he is gone I'll have to do something else.

Thanks for all the information, I've enjoyed reading everything here. I never expected to get such a response.

Sam
remember man that thy are dust.

fencerowphil (Phil L.)

Gin Pole.  Huh.  I got curious. ???

http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14251/css/14251_178.htm

If you go to this site page, at the top center, just above the body of the
text for the page,  you will see...

Back  Up  Next

Surfing around, you can learn more than you ever dreamed about Gin Poles,
including the fact that the chart for Pole size indicates lifting up to 40,000 pounds
with ONE POLE! 
Not me, folks, not me.

Gin Poles, Shears, and Tripods  all diagrammed and sketched with even the
recommended knots.  All sorts of anchoring, etc!  Sheesh!
:P
If we had only had the internet 40 years ago in the Boy Scouts of America!
Nah, I probably wulda' hurt masself.  Come to think of it..
I DID hurt masself! :D

Phil L.
Bi-VacAtional:  Piano tuner and sawyer.  (Use one to take a vacation from the other.) Have two Stihl 090s, one Stihl 075, Echo CS8000, Echo 346,  two Homely-ite 27AVs, Peterson 10" Swingblade Winch Production Frame, 36" and 54"Alaskan mills, and a sore back.

Modat22

 ;D That is a good gin pole link. I love all the little smiley faces on the cartoon guys faces erecting the poles.

Thanks
remember man that thy are dust.

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