Skid Steer at the mill?

[warren46]

I find myself needing to procure a machine to move logs around my sawmill.  The loader will also be used to move finished lumber.

Is a skid steer a reasonable machine to do this work.  I often handle fairly large logs (16' with 28 to 30" diameter).

Will a track skid steer minimize ruts and other disturbance in a muddy yard?

Compare to a skid steer to a tractor with a front end loader or articulated front end loader.

Any other comments will be appreciated.

Warren

[tmarch]

A skid steer wouldn't be my choice unless you have other uses that it would help out.  Skid steers really don't steer except for braking one side and moving around it with the other side, lots of ruts and digging there and with tracks they are actually worse.  I'd prefer a tractor or forklift.

[highleadtimber16]

I agree with tmarch. Skid steers are messy and tippy. I find them very difficult to get in and out of. An articulated forklift might be ideal for you and much cheaper. If you're in a muddy yard with a skid steer, it's gonna get more muddy. You'll find yourself back blading every time you make a rut. Good luck!

[Dave Shepard]

If you've got mud, you've got mud, it doesn't really matter what you are driving through it. A big tracked skid loader can handle a big log, but they aren't cheap. I'm a huge fan of Lull type telescoping boom forklifts. The older ones are getting pretty cheap, and they can usually pickup 6,000 or more. Farm tractors are tough. Bad visibility, and if not four wheel drive, then you aren't going anywhere except on hard level ground. There are a lot of heavy offroad forklifts around, at least around here. Better visibility and 6,000 to 10,000 capacity.

[scleigh]

Warren, I've been debating this type of purchase for sometime,.

I've decided to go with an older off road forklift, like a harlo or Case. A skidsteer is hard on the ground and cant lift nearly as much weight. You can find a Case or Harlo around our area for around 8k that will lift 6000 pounds.

[scsmith42]

If you've got mud, you've got mud, it doesn't really matter what you are driving through it. A big tracked skid loader can handle a big log, but they aren't cheap. I'm a huge fan of Lull type telescoping boom forklifts. The older ones are getting pretty cheap, and they can usually pickup 6,000 or more. Farm tractors are tough. Bad visibility, and if not four wheel drive, then you aren't going anywhere except on hard level ground. There are a lot of heavy offroad forklifts around, at least around here. Better visibility and 6,000 to 10,000 capacity.

^^^ This.

I have a backhoe with forks that's good for 8K lbs, plus a skidsteer with a log grapple that's good for 3,600 lbs.  Also have a farm tractor with forks that I do not use around the mill.

A tracked skidsteer, such as a Takeuchi with a grapple rake is a nice asset around the mill to complement a forklift. 

[Jeff]

         
Skid Steer vs Tractor

[redprospector]

If you don't cheap out, and buy a skid steer that's too little, then they are a valuable asset around the mill. A rough terrain fork lift would probably be a better option for moving units of lumber, but can be done with a skid steer.
I've got a Bobcat T320 that does pretty good. I'm looking for a fork lift, but they just aren't everywhere you look around here.

[dgdrls]

I like the Idea of one machine to do as much as possible.
The old Lull's or Rough terrain Fork-lifts are nice machines
and very versatile.   Would make loading a log-deck easy too.

Best DGDrls



 

[ely]

I run a bobcat on wheels at my mill and we have a 110 hp terex on rubber tracks at work. I will never bewithout a skidsteer after using one. the tracks seem to do less damage to undisturbed ground but at the mill its all tore up anyway.

[manoverboard]

If you've got mud, you've got mud, it doesn't really matter what you are driving through it. A big tracked skid loader can handle a big log, but they aren't cheap. I'm a huge fan of Lull type telescoping boom forklifts. The older ones are getting pretty cheap, and they can usually pickup 6,000 or more. Farm tractors are tough. Bad visibility, and if not four wheel drive, then you aren't going anywhere except on hard level ground. There are a lot of heavy offroad forklifts around, at least around here. Better visibility and 6,000 to 10,000 capacity.

I recently used the telescoping boom forklift, from work. I was surprised at how easy it was to use. The only problems I could foresee would be access, towing, and maneuverability in tight steep muddy terrain. My tractor does well enough at the mill, yet it is cumbersome. If I could afford it, I would have both the AT style Case and a telescopic boom lull...

[slider]

I bought a 325 john deere skid steer to use at the mill and I am quiet satisfied with it.It didn't tear up the yard until I put new tires on it.The quick attach bucket and forks are what I like the most.Just be sure and get one big enough .They will get stuck in wet ground like someone said but for moving slabs and sawdust they are quick .For loading lumber just make your bundles to suit your machine size.

[bandmiller2]

A skidsteer is one handy little sucker, especially with forks, they have their faults but for their size will work wonders. With a larger skidsteer and your 4020 you should be able to handle just about everything. At my bandmill I have a choice  A big Bobcat with forks or a large Volvo articulated with forks nine out of ten I jump on the b-cat. Frank C.

[FarmingSawyer]

I find skid steers to be too tippy. Either a 40hp+ tractor or a trac loader is great. Add quick mount forks and grapple to the operation and you have a versital woods/mill machine.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

 

 

Being a weekend operation my skid steer with a grapple is all I need for my mill and it has 1,001 other uses around the house!

[backwoods sawyer]

Being portable I get to have a little bit of every thing feed the mill, my preferance is a Pee-Vee and off load into a stack ;D Keep their  equiment as far away from the mill as possible : 

Surprizingly an excavator with a thumb are the most precise for setting a log on the mill, but you still need a set of forks on somthing else to go with it.

Skid steers are more "Jurky" then hydraulics.

As far as skid steers making it mudyyyy!!! that they do, but simply make your turning point somewhere other then in front of the mill or lumber stacks cuts down on that.

They are great if you can hop in them spend some time taking care of what needs done, but when you have to climb in and out over and over thet gets old in a hurry.

Off road forklifts real handy but not much help with moving sawdust pile or preping a sawmill site.

Tractors have limited lift until you get into the big ones.

It comes down to what other uses you have for a piece of equipment and which one fits the most of your needs.

I am always happy to see any sort of equiment on site when I pull in, the larger the better to a point, but even the 13 hp lawnmower with front bucket was a big help. It would take them a while but every time I looked over a log was making steady progress up the hill ;D

[barbender]

There are skid steers, and there are skid steers. If you get a bigger one, they are quite capable, and versatile. The little barn stall models, not so much. I run a Case 1845c, which was one of the bigger models in it's day. Sometimes I put it on its nose when I make a lumber unit too big, or get moving along with a large log. If I ran my mill all day every day, I would want a forklift or front end loader. But for versatility around the house and farm, a skid steer can't be beat, IMO. BTW, skid steers by their nature tear stuff up, but they can be operated in a way that minimizes that. I was trained on a paving crew where you got chewed out for tearing up the gravel base, you learned to make 3 point turns etc. to avoid dragging your wheels and making ruts.

[redprospector]

Hahaha. Yeah, tearing up the ground seems to be the nature of the beast. They are after all called a SKID STEER.  :D
They can be operated with far less damage than most people do on one.
If you've got mud at your mill, drive a farm tractor with a loader & forks around with logs, and lumber and see what kind of mud you have.  :D
If we are trying to find a way to set up a mill and do nothing to the ground, and not have mud while moving materials. I'd say that mental telepathy, and levitation would be what we're looking for.  :D

[red]

Another option is a 3 point hitch forklift attachment

[red oaks lumber]

skid steers are the best over all machine bar none. if its tippy it to small, if they tear the ground up its the operator we just bought our second 90 hp skid steer to keep the business rolling better.if they passed a law banning skid steers at sawmills i would quit . not think about just quit

[Dave Shepard]

Overall considering what parameters? I've been running them since I was 8, I've gotten over the novelty. :D I think everyone needs to evaluate their operation to see what is the ideal machine. A skid steer doesn't really do it for me. The Lull picks up more, picks it up higher and farther out in front, as well as side tilts both at the forks and at the frame. Those are hard to give up. On the down side, the Lull takes more room to maneuver and is pretty specific to being a forklift. Some are telehandlers, and will take a bucket or grapple, but are not going to be a one size fits all machine. If you can only have one machine to do everything, then a skid steer starts to have an edge. I always am reminded of the old saying "jack of all trades, master of none" whenever a machine is supposed to do everything. I'll take an excavator and a payloader over a backhoe any day.

[HousewrightVA]

I am with Red Oaks and Weekend Sawyer on this one.If you only have one machine it should be a skid steer. You can see what you are doing,with most tractors you are blind at the fork tips and they are hard on the mill. I would get a 80 - 90hp ,couple it with a grapple for log handling and forks for lumber and you are set for sawmill work. If I had to get rid of equipment the skidsteer would be the last to go.

[Tree Dan]

I don't have a mill just yet, but I do have 2 skid steers one with tracks one with tires...They both have there place...tracks can tear up the ground more than tires at times.
My track Case skid will lift alot of weight and the good thing about them is you can add so many attachments or make your own...I have a log spliter I built that I dont even need to get out of the cab...Its all run inside with the heat or AC on...Picking junk slab cuts with a grappler would be handy at the mill...lay gravel down with the bucket...its endless.
One downside with alot of the big skid steers is it's hard to watch out the back all the time...not like a tractor
Like any machine you need to know its limits...best of luck!

[YoungStump]

I've ran telehandlers quite a bit already I was full time yard guy at a pallet shop for a few years. Started off on a JCB ended up trading it in on a new Cat, the biggest drawback I can think of is price and maintenance they don't seem to hold up to everyday use as well as an wheel loader.

But as far as an all around machine they are extremely useful I used it daily for unloading lumber trucks, taking lumber in for the saws, loading firewood, emptying waste hoppers, as well as plowing snow in the winter, and occasionally handling logs and doing gravel work.
The Cat will easily handle 1500+ bf of green hardwood, it is quick and stable, I kept my lumber rows stacked around 16' high without a problem, it has quick attach so I can switch attachments in a matter of seconds from inside the cab. It works out really good for us as we also have a Cat IT28 wheel loader in the log yard and it uses the same quick attach system, so I had 2 different size buckets 2 different length forks 2 waste hoppers and a snow bucket I could hook up to and the big Cat could use them as well.

Oh and it came in real handy when a load of lumber came in on a log truck with high stakes and you had to take each pack up and over!

[Dave Shepard]

I've ran telehandlers quite a bit already I was full time yard guy at a pallet shop for a few years. Started off on a JCB ended up trading it in on a new Cat, the biggest drawback I can think of is price and maintenance they don't seem to hold up to everyday use as well as an wheel loader.

But as far as an all around machine they are extremely useful I used it daily for unloading lumber trucks, taking lumber in for the saws, loading firewood, emptying waste hoppers, as well as plowing snow in the winter, and occasionally handling logs and doing gravel work.
The Cat will easily handle 1500+ bf of green hardwood, it is quick and stable, I kept my lumber rows stacked around 16' high without a problem, it has quick attach so I can switch attachments in a matter of seconds from inside the cab. It works out really good for us as we also have a Cat IT28 wheel loader in the log yard and it uses the same quick attach system, so I had 2 different size buckets 2 different length forks 2 waste hoppers and a snow bucket I could hook up to and the big Cat could use them as well.

Oh and it came in real handy when a load of lumber came in on a log truck with high stakes and you had to take each pack up and over!

It takes a really big loader to lift out of the bunks on a log truck. Our three yard Samsung loader couldn't do it.

Bibbyman has two Terex telehandlers. He's put up several pics of them over the years.

[Sheepkeeper]

Another option is a 3 point hitch forklift attachment

The problem with these is that you have to twist around in the seat to see what you're doing. That can get really tiring after a while, not to mention giving you a stiff neck.

[barbender]

One other drawback to skid steers is they are a bear to climb in and out of. But, anyone in good enough shape to be sawing will probably be fine ;)

[red oaks lumber]

i don't know what kind of skid steer your refering to, their alot eaiser than climbing up into a loader even with my blown knee i get in and out of my skid loader eaiser and with less pain than my loader.

[flyboy16101]

One other drawback to skid steers is they are a bear to climb in and out of. But, anyone in good enough shape to be sawing will probably be fine ;)

JCB and Volvo make a single boom skid loader that you get in and out of from the side like a truck.

[barbender]

Yes, ROL, I agree they are easier to get into than a front end loader. But not easier than a telehandler, Tractor FEL, or forklift. Maybe my assessment is skewed by the fact that I am 6'5" and 280 pounds ;D

[redprospector]

One downside with alot of the big skid steers is it's hard to watch out the back all the time...not like a tractor

I bought a $97 back up camera at WallyWorld and solved that problem. Now I want one on everything. 

[oakiemac]

My 2 cents would be a big skid steer. Move saw dust, move snow, move gravel, load mill, move stacks of lumber, portable scaffolding, grade drives, pull stuck vehicles out of snow, are all things I do with the Bobcat. For really big logs like >40" I use a 6000lb fork lift but it has to be dry or frozen for me to be able to get the fork lift back to the mill.