harvesting firewood

[gearman]

I cut about 10 pulp cord/yr as firewood for personal use. I cut mostly standing dead ash and elm and storm damaged maple.  My question is ..what is the best way to get logs to the road/trail? In the past I used a 3/8 cable to bucket of tractor FEL, just pulling with the tractor and a pulley.  This is slow and awkward in tight trail areas.  I'm thinking about a winch mounted to the tractor.  Once the logs are at the road/trail, I cut them to length (3ft) and load in bucket/trailer.  Any suggestions?  Electric winch, hydraulic winch, pto winch, capstan winch?  I'm using a NH 55da with FEL and pulling less than 16 inch logs mostly.  Advice?

[treefarmer87]

alot of guys on here have tractor winches, they are very pleased with them and they work very well

[gearman]

The simplest system would be an atv winch but cable length and speed might be very limiting.  I don't really need a farmi system, as I buck the logs to 3ft trailside, and cost is a bit of an issue

[tjdub]

The simplest system would be an atv winch but cable length and speed might be very limiting.  I don't really need a farmi system, as I buck the logs to 3ft trailside, and cost is a bit of an issue

An ATV winch probably isn't going to do the job.

Log Pro tractor winches seem to be a bit cheaper than FARMI ones.

http://www.logprousa.com/winchskidder.html

[SwampDonkey]

How about a logging arch and the ATV to skid to the road or even use the tractor?

[CX3]

Heres how we used to cut 52" cedar blocking.  We had a tractor with a loader and 3 pt hitch.  We would drive tractor as close to logs as we could and then buck the logs to 52" (in your case 3ft).  We would hand stack the loader bucket full.  But on the 3 pt, we had a deal all rigged up kind of like a "carry all" if you know what that is?  But our carry all was special built for our needs, we built racks that would allow us to stack the blocks 4 feet high.  The floor of the carry all was almost as wide as the tractor, and stuck out about 4 feet behind the tractor, and we could stack 4 feet high.  We also split firewood and hauled it out, getting nearly a half cord on the carry all. 

I always wanted to make a quick attach system for the carry all.  Where you could just back the load onto the trailer and set it down and unhook it right there and go back for another load or even 2

[Woodhog]

For small amounts of wood like that I just use our ATV (Arctic Cat 500 Manual) with an 8 foot Bogie wheel  trailer , the trailer has a wooden box in it, I cut every thing to stove length, load the trailer, come out and throw it on the back of the truck. It will go just about anywhere, turn easily in the woods, and the wood is clean , no mud on it.
The box comes out and you can haul 8 foot lengths if you wanted to, but I am too old to load them now...

I also had a small trailer for farm tractors that I did the same thing with. We did the same thing with a horse also with small amounts of wood like yours...

It always seemed nice to bring it from the woods ready for the stove...

[gearman]

Thanks for the ideas woodhog and cx3.  The terrain is too thick and wet for ATV and arch systems and it has always seemed simplier to cut wood to firebox length rather than haul it home and cut it again to firebox size.  We use a system similar to cx3, in that we load the FEL and a small trailer.  The problem is getting the wood to the tractor.  It would be nice to drive down a trail/load and pull logs to the roadside, the cut to length. One detail i failed to mention is the land I cut has some a lot of low areas.  When a timber company cut it years ago, then also dug deep drainage ditches.  I cant navigate a tractor or ATV with a load through the ditches, I can barely jump them on foot.  Keep the ideas coming..thanks

[treetech]

Have you considered a portable winch like the "Yankee Yarder"? If you do a search there was a thread a while back with some pictures and info.

[DaveP]

     I use my ATV and a skid plate with a short chain.  If they are about 18 inches I cut them in 9 foot lengths and skid them out to where I cut and split them.  Works great for me.

[ahlkey]

I have a Farmi winch connected to a 45HP tractor and it has been one of the best investments in equipment I have ever done.  I use it to do firewood and pulpwood in large quantities.  I use a lot of snatchblocks to drag the whole trees directionally and up when necessary.   I even added an amsteel blue extension of 70 feet so overall I can go after select sawlogs pretty off the trails. I would look around for a used one if you can find one but if not they do hold value over the years.

[g_man]

I have a winch now but when I was alot younger we would use a wheel barrow to to what you are doing. Find one or make one with the biggest diameter and widest wheel you can. Pick a path thru your maze, sometimes we would put a plank down where it was muddy or across a skidder rut. It helps if it is down hill to the tractor  :D

[SwampDonkey]

My uncle uses a wooden wheel barrel with a big steal spoke wheel for firewood gathering.

[John Mc]

What you are doing sounds like the perfect application for a logging winch mounted on your tractor's 3 pt hitch. I use a Uniforest 35E (similar specs to a Farmi 351) behind my 33 HP New Holland compact tractor. I drop the trees, limb them, and skid them out to the trail. Sometimes I use a self releasing snatch block, if I need to skid around a corner. Once to the trail, I buck it up to stove length, and either throw it in my old beater woods trailer, or split it trailside and then throw it in the trailer.

With your larger tractor, you may want a bigger winch (Farmi 501 or equivalent). You occasionally see them for sale used, but that's pretty rare in my area.

It's been a very handy tool. I had been looking used for several years and never found one. I could not justify the price of a new one for just my own use. Eventually, when I became a co-owner of some forest land with a group of other families in my area, I bought one. It's worked out well for me... I help out the others by skidding trees for them, and in return they do some of my bucking and splitting for me.

John Mc

[CX3]

I am also on the winch bandwagon.  Once a guy has a good winch, you will never know how you made it without it.  Those other methods I mentioned were for when I was dumb and ignorant ;D  Winches are expensive, but worth the weight in gold

[GDinMaine]

How about something like Banjo Picker is building. 

www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,47210.0.html

There are a few other threads talking about homemade winches like that but he has a good thread going and is in progress.  I bet you could find the materials and the winch for a fraction of the cost of a factory built unit.

[ridge logger]

 a winch is the only way to go, just pull your load to you and skid it to your splitter and load it up

[paul case]

this may not help much.
i get into some logging jobs that the owner wants some trees removed that arent fit or big enough for saw logs. my response is ''i dont buy firewood''. they then say well if you want them you can have them. i then cut them 20' to 25' and haul them home on my trailer behind my log truck. i carry them out of the woods with the front end loader on my tractor. they get stacked up at my mill in the firewood log pile and when i get some slack time or an order for firewood i work some of it up. i have had some folks that buy the logs long or chunked up at 18'' and even split staked and delivered.
regular logging equipment does double duty at the case ranch. pc

[gearman]

GDinMaine. I might have stumbled onto banjopickers build. Bill M has some great looking winch systems on NH55 tractors. I have some woodworking experience, but no metal fab skills or tools. I am kicking around the idea of employing a local welder/fab shop.  Ill inquire with bill M as to out of pocket cost for the setup he built.  I'm sure if I had a winch setup I could find other folks to skid for

[thecfarm]

Don't be afraid of the $3-4000 price on a 3pt winch. Yes,outrageous,but they will last a lifetime I think.We have put our Norse through some good size wood and loads and no problems so far.We had our in the woods for 3-4 days a week for just about 5 years.Now it has a life of ease with just fire wood.
Probaly if you have to hire the work out,another grand would just about buy a winch all made and proven that it works. Once you get a winch it makes life so much easier.

[clww]

How about something like Banjo Picker is building. 

www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,47210.0.html

There are a few other threads talking about homemade winches like that but he has a good thread going and is in progress.  I bet you could find the materials and the winch for a fraction of the cost of a factory built unit.

That's what I was thinking as I read this, too.

[GDinMaine]

.... no metal fab skills or tools. I am kicking around the idea of employing a local welder/fab shop.  Ill inquire with bill M as to out of pocket cost for the setup he built.  I'm sure if I had a winch setup I could find other folks to skid for

I don't know what it would cost to a fab shop build you something like a winch, but I imagine that would not be cheap.  My guess is that you could be looking at $500-600 in labor alone plus the materials.  Your cost will reach well over $1000 and that will take you into the range of some used logging winches.  It might not be an outlandish idea for you to plunk down the money for one.

I have the absolute bare bones metal fabrication tools that work for my need, but nothing ever gets done fast.  Saves me some money though.   The DIY is cheaper if you have at the least some basic tools and welding capability and patience for making mistakes. 

[bill m]

This photo is of the first winch I built. All the steel I had on hand and bought a new Hydraulic winch for $750. to install on it.


The next photo is of the second winch I built. Had to buy most of the steel for this one ( about $400 ) and bought a used hydraulic winch for $250.

There are more  photos of this one in my gallery under tractor mods. I have thought about teaming up with a local fab shop to produce these. I know I could produce them and be very competitive price wise with what is available now.

[gearman]

Was looking at the northeast implements site, Farmi products and notices a Farmi EV450 hydraulic winch.  This unit runs on tractor hydraulics and is a winch only, no skidding function.  If this were cheaper, would I miss the skidder portion of the Farmi JL501 say?  Since Im only cutting firewood and normally cut logs to 30-36inches at the road, or stump (if I can get the tractor/trailer to the stump), do I need the ability to skid?  When would the ability to skid be useful, rather than just to winch.  Does anyone have a Farmi EV450? 

[allmosdone]

  Hello gearman, just got my skidder frame with winch put together. I used to gather my fire wood in the same way you do, but over the years more efficent, less labor intensive methods have evolved. My winch frame lets me yard to the trail, buck to length(if so desired) and skid to a landing where I buck, split and stack. This has allowed me to do more in less time, and be safer. It also radically reduces the thrash on the tractor. What my point is, if your looking to  make your work faster and more efficent, then investment in tools is the best way. I looked at how much wood I cut each year, how many more years will I be cutting  compared to the investment in parts, winch and time and seemed like a fair bet. Let me tell you, the increase in production is awsome, and the money seems trivial now. I read you arn't a welder, and thats cool( every body can't do everything) But if your considering paying someone to built this thing, you my be ahead just bying one factory built. Custom, quality welding is not cheap, and if you find a guy who is, beware!!! Remember what this equipment will be doing, and whos safty(first) and time and production (second) will be at stake. Looking down the road, the investment now , spread over the rast of your woodcutting life  is probably not that much. This equipment could also extend your woodcutting life by saving your body a bit. All things I considered myself. Last, it has been mentioned that these winches are rarly found used, wy experience too,thats because its such a usfull tool that(one) people use them forever, and(two) when your ready to sell, all you need to do is ask your bubbys(they will be jumping over each other to buy it. Just my thoughts. CRA