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log moving woes

Started by oakiemac, July 08, 2003, 05:30:14 PM

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oakiemac

I'm new to saw milling (loving every minute) and have only moved and cut rather small logs, that is until Monday. A friend gave me a 24' long 26" DIB red oak that blew down in a storm. I cut the log into 3- 8' sections. Now the fun really begins! I don't have any big equipment, just a truck with a front winch, two cant hooks, a come-along and a teenage son. It took us two mornings and several gallons of sweat to get just one 8' log onto the trailer.(I loved every minute of it) I guess my question is, what is the easyiest way of moving these logs with out purchasing large equipment? The winch was able to pull the logs to the road side, then we fought with the biggest for a long time to get it parrallel to the road so we could winch it up the planks and into the trailer. What a lot of work!! Does anyone have any tips or cheaper pieces of equipment that I should get?  ??? Did I mention that I'm loving every minute?
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

Furby

Do you have any pics.? If I can see the trailer it might help.
Does your winch come off the truck or do you have a front hitch on the truck?
I managed to get my 40" 8' pine OFF the trailer over the fender with a jack, a come-along, and a lot of sweat. ;D The 32" 8' is still on because I don't want any marks on it and the halves are to heavy to lift. ;D
I got a few ideas to get them ON, but I need more info. and pics. would be great.

Kevin

You can use multiple blocks and reduce the pull weight .

oakiemac

Tomorrow, I'll try to post some pics. The winch is mounted on the front bumper and doesn't come off.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

Kevin

That's less than 2k lbs., you might consider a rope or wire rope portable winch.

Neil_B

Here's what you need oakiemac ;D


Timberwolf / TimberPro sawmill, Woodmizer edger, both with Kubota diesels. '92 Massey Ferguson 50H backhoe, '92 Ford F450 with 14' dump/ flatbed and of course an '88 GMC 3500 pickup.

SW_IOWA_SAWYER

I had a similar issue.  ???  I had two trucks, a trailer, two cant hooks, and a cheap electric winch. I went out and bought two snatch blocks and hooked one to the trailer near the tongue. We hooked a cable to the log then the snatch block and then to the truck. It worked great you just slowly pull the log right up the trailer. When you get to where you are going you just reverse the process and out they slide. 8)
I owe I owe so its off to work I go....

DanG

Fla_Deadheader and I have both built rigs on our trailers for loading big logs. It consists of an arch on the rear of the trailer that swivels back and forth. Mine is on the brackets where the ramps were, and his is mounted a bit forward. The arch drops back behind the trailer and rests against chains. Fasten the choker to the arch, and when you pull it forward with the winch, it raises the log and places the end of it on the trailer. For larger logs, like yours, I use a chain fall to raise it a bit, first, then I have a way to loosen the chain when the log is resting on the trailer.  You need to set it on some kind of roller. I have used small logs, fence posts and pipes for rollers. You will need several rollers.
FDH has posted several pics of his arch, and maybe we can get him to post a series of pics of his rig in action. Search his posts to find the pics. I don't have picture posting capabilities, or I'd do it myself.
"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."

Buzz-sawyer

Hey oakiemac,
I have tred about every difficult, tiring and ignorant way to get a log there is...well maybe not all yet........... But I am wondering would a log arch help you?..... you roll it over a log(it has wheels) and lift it up either all the way or 1/2 up on the big boys...then tow it like a trailer....For a trailer I like danG's set up for his trailer...is one of best ideas goin,   I usually unload from a trailer or small truck by hooking chokers or chains to a tree and to the logs and simply pull them out.
Don
    HEAR THAT BLADE SING!

solidwoods

A beater log truck side arm/load type is about $1000.
Take 4wd lg. truck and hack it to a log truck.  Frame behind cab with winch or winches pulley mounted ,cable runs straight back.
A burial vault delivery truck works.
A cherry picker truck (could also load the mill)

I bought "Big Yellow" 72 intl w/ prentice H series $6500
If you will be getting much logs or milling much logs, a boom truck is priceless (especially compared to 1 accident)
JIM
Ret. US Army
Kasco II B Band mill
Woodworking since 83
I mill & kiln dry lumber, build custom furniture, artworks, flooring, etc.
If you mill, you'll be interested in some of my work in one way or another.
We ship from our showroom.
N. Central TN.

Bibbyman

We've just passed the 100 hour mark on our Terex we got just a few months ago and it's been work hard for us.


This is the "small end" of a 14' water oak.

We are thinking of getting a log grapple or a set of log forks with a top clamp to more safely move logs.  The forks are such that they don't roll back far enough to assure that an odd shaped log won't roll off the forks if you go down a slight incline.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Ron Wenrich

How are you guys loading the trailer?  From the end or from the side?

Before there had knuclebooms, they used to load sleds, wagons and trucks from the side.  They had a couple of ramps for the side.  I've seen pictures where they were notched.

Then, they looped a cable or chain from the side of the truck bed, around the log, and over to the horses or mules.  They easily walked big logs onto the trucks.  

You might be able to adapt that old technology to your winching system.  Rolling a log is a lot easier than sliding it.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Furby

 Ron, that works fine if your deck is above your wheels. If your trailer is like mine and has 8-10" fenders above the deck, then you need longer, and stonger ramps with a flat area at the top to get over the fenders. If you can weld up a set, ok, but they must be reinforced at the joint of the angle and flat area or you end up with a mess!
 The other problem is getting them back off! On mine I have the fenders on the side, and I also have grating raised about 3/4" above the deck along the back end. I can't pull the logs off, or roll them.
 I have been thinking about making a set of loaders like some portable mills have, only on the trailer. You can use an old lawnmower engine to drive the hyd. pump. The thing is it will add more weight to the trailer and I won't be able to get as many logs on.

biziedizie

  You could always get behind the log and pretend that your the little engine that could and keep saying to yourself....I think I can!...I think I can!....I think I can! 8)


    Steve

Percy

Heya Bibby
Nice unit. I was lookin at the Bobcat Tool Carrier similar to yours and was wondering what you think..Can you load a 4 foot wide lift onto a truck??High enuff to load a semi?? Looks like the ticket as I had to buy an old forklift just for loading trucks(bobcat is too wimpy) and with a unit like that, a guy could just have the one machine for everything...hopefully ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

oakiemac

Just an update on the log moving. We went back today and got the rest of the logs. It's not that bad of a job, but is definately hard work. we used a come-a-long and loaded the trailer from the side with ramps and a v chain. The hardest part is turning the logs so they are parallel to the trailer. I set some old tires in the trailer so the logs would fall unto them. We we got home I simply unhooked the trailer, drove around and winched the logs off.
I liked the trailer set up that DanG and Florida double header had. I plan on building something similar. But side loading is sometimes the only way to load the trailer like it was for these logs that we just got. I would of had to of shut the whole road down to back the trailer in. Anyways, I think a tractor with forks or a fork lift is the way to go....maybe next year! ;D
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

solidwoods

If the truck pulling the trailer has pwr steer, you may have enough hyd. pwr.
JIM
Ret. US Army
Kasco II B Band mill
Woodworking since 83
I mill & kiln dry lumber, build custom furniture, artworks, flooring, etc.
If you mill, you'll be interested in some of my work in one way or another.
We ship from our showroom.
N. Central TN.

DanG

My winch is a MileMarker hydraulic jobbie that works off the power steering pump....works great, and I don't have to worry about batteries. Mine is the 10,500lb model. Last week I pulled a full-size Dodge truck out of the ditch in front of my place. Had to tie my truck to a tree to keep from going in with him. :D   The winch is a 2-speed, and the low one is really a grandma, but I ain't found anything I can't pull with it....yet. :)   It pulls full strength with the truck at an idle, and I can't even hear the difference in the engine speed. The winch is mounted in the truck bed, just behind the cab.
BTW, a wrecker driver friend of mine couldn't believe I pulled that truck out without doubling on a snatch block. ;D
"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."

oakiemac

DanG, that hyd winch sounds like the ticket but I don't have power steering on my '68 IH. The electric winch mounted on the front bumper works pretty good though. I'd like to get another winch mounted in the back of the truck or on the trailer. Always something that you need!
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

SteveS

  Before I got my new flatbed trailer,  8)I used a 16ft utility type trailer for picking up free logs. I used 2 or 3  4x4 for ramps and a rope looped under the log and back over the trailer. I is really surprising how big of a log you can load like this. It is hard on the trailer when it drops of the rail onto the trailer deck though.
  I made some steel ramps for the new trailer but still use the rope and roll them up the side. Dad and me found our manual limit the other day when we loaded a SYP log that was about 22" and 10' long. He would anchor the rope and I would use a cant hook. We also have one of those $50 harbor freight "carry around" winches we use for the big ones, but it is really slow. If you have room enough you can always hook onto another vehicle and pull it up that way.
  Below is some pics of my new trailer and ramps and some free logs. In the background you can see the start of my sawshed.











Mark M

I have a smaller trailer 5x10 that I use. Made an adapter to put my Lewis winch between the truck and the trailer and a heavy duty metal ramp about 30 inches wide that hooks on to the back of the trailer for the logs to slide up. I hook onto the end of the log and pull them up into the trailer with the winch. When it is time to unload I have a pulley with a ring in it that hooks to the back of the trailer. I run the cable to the back, through the pulley, and then hook onto the log at the front of the trailer. The winch pulls them back out, all except the last foot or so. I then drive the trailer out from under the log. Some times they stick so I have to drive out fast. I then back into the logs with the trailer and push them even with the sawmill.

Works pretty good.

Mark

wscott

Steve S
  What is the size of the steel flat bars you are using?
 
thanks
wscott
You should always marry a ugly girl, when she leaves you, you want feel so bad.

Furby

Looks like 2"x6" box tubing? ???
Looks a lot easier then the ones I've seen. ::) D

Fla._Deadheader

Oakie,  Them junkyards is FULL of power steering pumps. There HAS to be a place to hook one up to yer engine. Just plumb it to the winch.
  About the electric winch and battery scenario. We use a 15000# warn winch on the boat. I pull with it sometimes, until the winch barely turns. We get near a full day, IF the battery is topped off in the AM. The battery is a 4D--Tractor type.
  On the trailer, I have a 9000# Warn and have 1 battery for it, AND, have a wire from the truck battery to the winch battery. If the trailer battery gets weak, I start the truck and connect the wire to the weak battery. It's worked for 2 years, so far, without a hitch, except for dirty corroded connections, (my fault). Use what ya got. Just do some figgerin.  ::) ;D ;D
  On the flatbed trailer, I load from the end, and I carry a couple pieces of 2" pipe and lay them under a BIG log, as it gets to the deck. The log will roll very easily, in BOTH directions, on AND off. There's no reason to make this difficult OR hurt yerself.  ;D :D :D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Mark M

Steve

Tell us more about the trailer (size, capacity, etc), that's a nice one.

mark

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