89' Franklin 170

treefarmer87 · February 27, 2011, 09:46:43 AM

i had a man ask me the other day if i wanted to buy a 89' 170 franklin grapple for $6500, it has a new 453 motor, good transmission, 2 brand new 28Lx 26s. he told me to come try it out. my friend has a 1993 170 with the cummins in it, and he loves it. does anyone have a older franklin, do they have any major problems?

redlaker1 · February 27, 2011, 05:47:18 PM

you really need to buy something soon... must have some money burning a hole in your pocket haha

treefarmer87 · February 27, 2011, 05:56:05 PM

its either goin to be that or a bell super T, i already have a good skidder though, i just want to be more productive

lumberjack48 · February 27, 2011, 06:15:13 PM

This time of year i had to work 24/7, log, day light to dark, load trucks and yard wood at night, I'd catch a nap here and there, you don't know how many days you have left, get-r-done 8)

Meadows Miller · February 27, 2011, 06:46:02 PM

Gday

Go the Super T FB and then get a static delimber to go with it Mate ;)

Regards Chris

treefarmer87 · February 27, 2011, 10:53:19 PM

i try to work everyday if the wife will let me lumberjack48 ;D i enjoy it so much 8) i have had so much fun logging, and i hope i can keep doing it for many years to come. i think im going to get the bell meadows miller, i hate to pass up a 170 at that price but i have a good skidder already though. i cant tow the 170 behind my topkick either :( i can bunch with the bell and getting on and off my c5 doesnt bother me im still very young

that cutter would be more handy i believe.

Blue Sky · February 28, 2011, 05:16:56 PM

I dub around in a 1972 Franklin Fowarder. I use it mostly for sorting black locust logs i get delivered to my yard. Winter maintenence keeps it goin' fine. 3 cylinder diesel

tlandrum · March 02, 2011, 12:29:50 AM

the new tires on the 170 are worth minimum 4000 so that means the rest of it would only be 2500. heck id buy it and dont even need it ,if it were closer to me. that would work circles around your c5

treefarmer87 · March 02, 2011, 08:24:47 PM

i know it would, i wouldnt have to get off of it either. now i just have to decide between a Bell Super T, Franklin 170, or 240 TJ. the grapple skidder will be way more productive than my c5, but i could cut more with the bell

redlaker1 · March 02, 2011, 09:00:52 PM

how much more productive would a grapple skidder be than a cable machine on a site with conventional felling?
I have never seen grapple skidders on a job without a buncher around here.

treefarmer87 · March 02, 2011, 09:32:26 PM

my friend hand fells, he has a franklin 170. He has a topkick like mine, 2 drags is a load

Bobus2003 · March 02, 2011, 10:31:41 PM

Quote from: redlaker1 on March 02, 2011, 09:00:52 PM
how much more productive would a grapple skidder be than a cable machine on a site with conventional felling?
I have never seen grapple skidders on a job without a buncher around here.

Theirs a few Mexican Crews around here that do Hand Felling and use a JD 648GIII Single Arch

redlaker1 · March 03, 2011, 12:02:32 AM

I wasnt doubting that there were people out there doing it, but I just wondered how much more wood you could pull out in a day on a grapple vs cable skidder on the same site with hand felling.

seems that it would be alot of maneuvering around to get a full grapple load, but I dont work in the bush so maybe there is something I am missing

Meadows Miller · March 03, 2011, 12:58:25 AM

Gday

The falling and limbing is the bottle neck ;) If you can afford to pay to have 3 to 6 fallers ahead of the grapple skidder depending on the type of work you are doing it works for Motor Manual to have one ;)

Regards Chris

Bobus2003 · March 03, 2011, 01:34:20 AM

Quote from: redlaker1 on March 03, 2011, 12:02:32 AM
I wasnt doubting that there were people out there doing it, but I just wondered how much more wood you could pull out in a day on a grapple vs cable skidder on the same site with hand felling.

seems that it would be alot of maneuvering around to get a full grapple load, but I dont work in the bush so maybe there is something I am missing

to be honest I don't know how they put up as much wood as they do.. Thats always been my argument against a grapple. Even with a cable skidder its a PITA sometimes to gather up a decent drag after hand felling, which is a reason i love my processor for bunching

PAFaller · March 03, 2011, 08:14:54 PM

There are a lot of advantages to the grapple if you are on the right site. Plucking ten trees off an acre is no place for a grapple machine, but in shelterwoods or clearcuts they are the ticket. One major advantage I see guys here doing is cutting way ahead. For instance, on days too wet to skid both men in a 2 man crew will go cut. You dont really have to worry about burying butts or dragging cable through the slash when you can pick that stuff up and move it with your grapple when it comes time to skid. Most guys also sort their wood here on the landing. Again, grapples are great for pulling the pulp out of the log pile and placing it in its own stack. It also gives you more felling options when you have to sort like that. If I have a big enough landing I usually have polewood on one end, logs in the middle, and wood again on the other end. That way if I pull trees by the top, I cut the logs off and pull the wood ahead, if the trees are hitched by the butt you cut your wood off first and then pull logs ahead. Its still a lot of on and off the machine, which is why I like my timberjack..just one step into the cab. Most guys with grapples skid it as they get it, in fact you can usually get a bigger turn if you have a few by the butt and a few by the top. Then just sort when you get it in to the landing. There are also the added comforts of the grapple. A lot of 2 man crews alternate days of cutting, so one guy gets a 'break' when he is skidding.