what do you find more productive?

[Woodboogah]

When chopping do you find it more productive limbing every tree as each is felled or hooking a hitch up skidding for a bit and then limbing what has not broke off?  Given there are no leave trees you will be marking up with branches.  This for white pine. 

[Southside]

In yellow pine that I hand cut I find it more productive to grab a twitch out to my main trail, drop it, back over it to snap off as many branches as possible, then pull it ahead a few feet and finish cleaning them up.  Gets my brush on the trail and less drag marks from where the tops dig in. 

[luvmexfood]

You have to remember I am only small scale and skid with a two wheel drive 45 hp tractor with wore out tires. I usually cut a tree, limb and then skid out the longest section I can. That way if I fall another tree near by that goes awry and crosses the down tree I don't have to fool with removing those limbs to get to the first tree.

If I get a couple of days ahead on my falling I like to leave the tree just fallen as is for a couple of days. Bunch of steers (cattle) will come in and have a buffet (plus deer) and it makes it a lot easier to buck.

Everyone's application is different but it works for me.

[Maine logger88]

In the summer if i can get two on the ground side by side I will limb up one then back the other if they have to be dropped on top of one another I limb them one at a time. In the winter I will cut a whole twitch and pull them out aways sometimes back them through other trees that I plan to cut later then just trim off the knots. That's if like you said there is no leave trees to worry about

[Woodboogah]

I was experimenting this week both ways.  If there is a spot I need to brush in then I just hook on skid to the spot and limb it there.  I was doing both this week and I really couldnt figure which was quicker.  I am in a really thick pine stand so I have been laying a lot of wood on the ground.  Chop for the whole day then spend two days skidding.  The only advantages I have found is its one less time getting in and out of the machine to get out and limb after hooking a hitch up, and its less taxing in the machine pulling with no limbs.  Maybe a little quicker after dragging a hitch for a ways because there is so much less to limb. 

[Maine logger88]

Really whatever works best for you in a given situation is the way too do it. I try to experiment with various different methods and those are some that work for me but every situation is different. Pulling limbs and all pulls harder but your 240 should definitely be up to the task

[Ken]

When I was running cable skidder I liked to completely limb everything before I hooked up.  Then when the hitch was pulled in to the skidder the next stop was the landing.  The exception to this would be in the winter when cutting fir or cedar.  Hook up a load and back it through a thicket and that would clean off many of the limbs.

[Timbercruiser]

I only got advice on this from a couple old timers . Both told me to move the trees around before limbing ? Alot of times its very brusy to limb where i live mabe that has more to it than anything im not sure . Work safe out there 

[CCC4]

I like to cut a lead then limb it it if all the timber is near the same size. If there is a few bull pine you have to limb them when they hit the ground.

[BargeMonkey]

All depends, I find that especially in the hardwood your best trying to limb them where they fall, or move them just enough to get the tops off, we get 6-7 in the grapple and its a pain sometimes chasing the skidder knocking limbs off.

[jwilly3879]

Limb everything that is comfortable to reach then hook the choker to roll the tree and clean of the rest where it is convenient, usually in the skid trail.

[Woodboogah]

I usually limb what I can hook in pull ahead andlimb the rest in the shade/skid road.  I have Benn limbing the bigger wood as it lays and just dragging thesmaller stuff and breaking it all off.  I found in this particular stand fir me limbing it all first then only making one stop at the landing is the most productive.  It's all different though and next lot more trial and error.  Lunch time now!!