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Pettibone 501 forwarder any good?

Started by logman81, June 14, 2012, 08:23:57 PM

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logman81

Happen to come across a pettibone 501 mountain goat addition forwarder and was wondering if any one knows anything about them? Good? Bad?
Precision Firewood & Logging

barbender

My skidder is the 501 mountain goat, I've only seen one set up as a forwarder on toutube. I don't know what loader they had, most older forwarders had aftermarket loaders, i.e. hood, barko, etc. I know in the video the operator had to get up out of the seat and run the loader from a platform of to the side. Looked kind of hokey, but probably pretty advanced for the time ::)
Too many irons in the fire

logman81

Yes barbender I thaught the two looked simaliar. ;) I did happen to see the video on youtube that one looked wore out! :D I'm not sure either on the loader could be a pettibone design? For me I kind of like the design of having to stand up I would think visability would be better as thier would be nothing in the way of your view. And it would beat having to set chockers! Any way I found a nice one in main and looks to be in real good shape and it also has a winch on the front of it besides the blade. Kind of makes it a all in one machine. :)
Precision Firewood & Logging

lumberjack48

With out a CTL machine the forwarder would be 10 steps backwards.

The cable skidder is 10 times faster on your logging program, or are you going to start piling wood by hand.

The first thing with your cable skidder is get rid of the chocker chains. There 5 times harder to work with the cable chockers.

Your rigging is way to heavy, most of the time i ran 9/16 mainline with 1/2" chockers. If i got in plantation wood or firewood i put a 1/2" mainline with 7/16 th chockers. I wouldn't use the rigging you have, way to much work dragging that heavy line around. Hook-en chain is 5 times slower then cable an way to heavy.

Just my thoughts, with out a CTL machine, there well be a lot of heavy ground hand work, thats what i see with a forwarder.  >:(
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

chevytaHOE5674

I know of a few small time guys hand cutting with a small forwarder. I think they all have winches mounted in the front of the bunk so they can winch trees around if need be. The jobs they cut look good as there is very little wood in contact with the ground. They are also able to stack wood on the landing in nice piles that make truckers happy, something guys with just a skidder aren't able to do. Someday if I ever run across a small single bunk forwarder in my price range I would snatch it UP as I have a few smaller jobs that instead of sending out for bids I could do the work myself. 

lumberjack48

The truckers loved my piles, all even, 4 to 8 feet high, with no end pieces mixed in. I sorted logs and saw bolts, they saved my wood for the night shift to haul

If your cutting all log timber its the only way to go. It would be slow going in pulpwood and firewood, better have a good pickaroon and a good back.

I worked with a Hillcity dray and a cat about 8 yrs, same thing as a forwarder. So i know all about cutting short wood in the woods and the work it in evolves.

This was the hole purpose of the skidder, to get away from all the hand work.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

lumberjack48

Now hows this going to be done? I would like to read the game plan on how this is going to be productive with two guys working this forwarder.  :P



 
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

snowstorm

that one no.something a little more moden yes. there was a iron mule on uncle henrys online in maine. looked pretty good from the pics

chevytaHOE5674

A 4 foot tall pile of logs on the landing here is a truckers worst nightmare. When your loading 21+ cord on a truck you want piles 10,15, or even 20 feet tall on both sides of the truck so that you can load up without climbing down and moving 15 times to get a full load.

lumberjack48

They haul 10 to 12 cords here, loading tree length they don't have to move to get a load.

Loading 100" , some times they could get a full load with out moving, usually had to move one time.

I trucked for 3 yrs, i didn't have a issue with loading wood behind a pole skidder.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

chevytaHOE5674

80% of the wood here is 100" and there is no way the loader can reach enough from 4' tall piles to fill a 21+ cord load without multiple moves. Often times if I have a small job running with just a skidder I have a hard time finding a trucker that wants to come and haul off the job, they would rather haul off a forwarder or slasher job with tall piles that they can load up in a fraction of the time and be on down the road.



barbender

We always called the hand bucked 100" "farmer piles" , some operators put it up good enough that you could get a full load without moving, but it still wasn't as fast as loading out of a good forwarder or slasher pile. On the other hand, I'va hauled out of piles put up by a slasher, 20' tall and they fall over when you start loading >:( Back to the original post, I think hand falling with a forwarder moving the wood would be the way to go for low impact TSI. In the Logging methods and equipment thread, there are a lot of pics showing that set-up. Mostly running in big hardwood, it would be a pokey method in smaller wood.
Too many irons in the fire

snowstorm

Quote from: snowstorm on June 15, 2012, 02:55:30 PM
that one no.something a little more moden yes. there was a iron mule on uncle henrys online in maine. looked pretty good from the pics
for you garret skidder fans there is alsoa garret

logman81

I was mostly considering it as an addition to what I have. I do mostly selective cuts and thought it wood come in handy for many reasons. More of just something to help on long skids and pile up wood on landings, hold logs in air for firewood cutting loading trailers that sort of thing. Remember I am not a high production out fit. As far as CTL thats why I have other guys that work for me. :D
Precision Firewood & Logging

Corley5

Once you have a forwarder on the job your cable machine will see much more idle time  ;) :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

logman81

I would have to agree with that. ;)
Precision Firewood & Logging

barbender

I don't see how an Iron Mule is more modern than this Pettibone.
Too many irons in the fire

logman81

I don't think a mule would be more modern. I think the log bed is longer on the bone to.
Precision Firewood & Logging

lumberjack48

I could put 10 to 20 cords a day on the landing by myself with a pole skidder. Theres no way i could do that with a forwarder.

Seams like your stepping back in time, i worked with a knuckle boom dray 50 yrs ago.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

chevytaHOE5674

You were also working clear cuts. And every clear cut I've seen now is a buncher and a large grapple skidder or skidders putting out many times more wood in a day than you could dream with a saw and skidder.

But around "here" there are very few clear cuts unless your in aspen or pine/spruce. Almost all of the hardwood sales (large majority of what is harvested here) are thinnings where a forwarder will get the job done. It is easy on the ground, good on the landing, keeps the veneer logs clean, etc.

Jamie_C

Skidders for the most part have gone the way of the dinosaur up here. I don't know of any mill left buying tree length wood and most don't want to deal with all the dirt, rocks, mud, etc that comes with skidded wood. You can't properly sort and seperate all the necessary products with a skidder either; forwarders give you the ability to sort for maximum revenue and you don't need anywhere near the landing area you do for a skidder.

Try sorting potential veneer, sawlogs, pallet stock & firewood with a skidder and putting it in piles for a truck ... now do the same thing with a forwarder and you will see why there are so many of them in the woods today. And you can't compare a knuckleboom dray from 50 years ago to a forwarder. It's like comparing an old Model T to a 600hp modern tractor trailer ... not even in the same league.

logman81

Well said jamie_c I totally agree with you. I don't see why a couple of young guys with saws and this forwarder can't be productive as long as thier is a good game plan. I like the fact that you can drive right next to the bucked logs pick them up and move to the next logs with out having to get on and off the machine to set chokers. Plus the landing could be smaller and on house lots it could also be used to feed brush into a chipper and load logs into a dump truck or my equipment trailer. I can think of many uses for this machine. Alot of guys around here us them with hand cutting and do pretty good. I'm going to plan a trip to go check it out soon once the tire situation is set with my skidder. I also like the fact that it has a winch on the front very handy for getting un-stuck or winching logs closer. Not as fast as a new one but it could work very well in my case.
Precision Firewood & Logging

lumberjack48

Our knuckleboom dray had tires on it with a cat pulling it, it would hold up two cords a turn. Same thing as a forwarder, not as fast going down the road. Besides you can on hook the cat and build road, so many more uses then just for skidding. I don't know where you come up with a Model T to a 600 hp tractor, its a knuckleboom loader, worked the same back then as it does to day. In selective cutting the cat and dray are narrower, get around in the timber better then a forwarder.

I was thinning pine in the Chippewa National Forest when i was 12 years. Over the years 75% my jobs were thinning jobs, i was known to be one of the best.

I owned a feller buncher, ran two skidders with it. I feel like you guys don't think i've done any of this. I've tried the big time logging, i could cut 4 times the timber, at the end of the day i didn't make anymore money. After paying fuel, men, machine payments, insurance, ect, takes all the fun out of logging.

TRY, I've did all the sorting with a pole skidder, the whole thing is method, i basically did it in the woods when hooking, its all how you do it like anything.

When using a forwarder with out a CTL machine your going back to strip cutting by hand, same thing we did 50 yrs ago. When i was cutting selective Jack and Norway i had 3 guys working with me, 1 on the measure stick, 1 limbing, 1 piling, i tried to cut a 1000 pieces a day. Theres not many guys could do this, again its all method. In Aspen clear cut i could cut and pile 10 cords alone, a day, i got $5.00 a cord. [1968]

I've been in this business stating with a horse to a joystick, i've seen a lot of change. In the 60's and 70's we made money, 1980 was the end of it, the bottom dropped out of logging. From 1980 to 1996 when we quit logging it was a fight for every dollar, it got so we hated it.

logman81 i've worked like your talking about many yrs bucking up it the woods. Its not going to work as good as you think, i promise you that. I see a lot of back breaking work to put 10 cords a day out.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

mad murdock

That 501 'bone looks like it is outfitted with an older prentice loader.  Good solid looking machine, if the price is right, I don't know how you could go wrong.  Barring the need to overhaul everything, but from what it looks in the pic, it seems that it has potential.
Good luck Logman81, once you start playing with the forwarder, the cable skidder will get a lot more rest.
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

snowstorm

that bone may look sweet but i am not giving up my heat ac and radio. logman did you look at the ad uncle henrys .com of the mule? i see the price droped. its about an hr from me

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