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My micro logging operation

Started by 101mph, December 15, 2014, 08:23:06 AM

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101mph

Just a quick picture of my "micro logging" operation.  ;)



The weather has really warmed up around here lately so it made for the perfect opportunity to take some more trees down on my property. Normally the snow would be over your knees about now and would make it very difficult for me to do this.

I dropped the trees in a certain order just to make sure I wouldn't have any hang up and to make sure they all landed on my property. Not having any leaves on them was a big plus as they all came down nicely even when they clanged off another tree (I was surprised how much the leaves would "grab" other trees when the tree fell doing this over the summer).

It takes me a while preparing to fell a tree as I'm working pretty much by myself and in close quarters to a lot of other obstacles around me (the wife is around observing and ready to make a phone call in case something bad happens. ;)

The process I go through is kind of like this:

- Get a good look at the lean of the tree and plan a location to fell it

- Get my ladder and tie my rope around the tree at the highest point I can and then anchor the other end on another tree (in the direction of the fall) across from it. This is using my Maasdam Rope puller. Depending on the lean usually dictates how much tension I'm using at the start.

- Now I get the chainsaw going make my notch cut, make my back cut and drop the tree. Sometimes I go back to the rope puller and put a little more tension on it just to be safe before I make my back cut. If the tree is big enough I make a plunge cut to set the hinge, pound a couple wedges in it then do my back cut and drop it that way. Every tree is different with the  techniques used but this is pretty typical for me so far.

So it's a bit time consuming but I do my best to be safe and not have any accidents or damage to anything. I use the rope puller on pretty much every tree even though I realize that it really won't help me if the tree decides to go more perpendicular to the tension that's on the rope. It's also helpful if the tree gets hung up.

Once I get the tree on the ground I limb it and buck it. Then I put all the rounds into a wheel barrow and wheel them over to my splitting area. I will probably stack these rounds until I can get to splitting them. I'm going to try and do this over the Christmas holiday. I still have a massive brush pile I have to deal with and a lot of clean up. :o

Really wish I had little bobcat or something to haul some of this..... but it's still enjoyable for me. There's a great feeling to burn your own wood that you've worked so hard for. 8)

mesquite buckeye

I use a 3 ton comealong to do my tree tipping. Don't have to go so high to get them to tip. Only got hit in the head one time so far. :o ::) :-\
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

drobertson

You have it figured out!  Just wondering here, would the brush piles work for wildlife? or is this not an option there?  Years ago my uncle has us taking down the tops to very manageable pieces to handle and then pile in a nice small pile, they reduce pretty soon if the sight is bearable.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

enigmaT120

That sounds like how I do it.  I used to use my come-along for leaning trees, now I use the winch on my pickup if the tree is close enough to my skid road.  Yesterday I made two mistakes that will have me doing some panel beating next weekend.  I used an anchor tree for my snatch block that turned out to be too small, and I parked the pickup too close the the tree I was pulling down.  The winch pulled the anchor tree down and allowed the leaning tree to fall toward me!  Luckily only the top glanced off the truck but it dinged the left fender and now that interferes with the door.  Sheesh.  It wasn't even a big tree, just a 10" half dead alder that was tangled up in some limbs in a big Douglas-fir. 

I'm opening up this skid road to get to some big fir and alder trees that my wife wants down -- they shade the garden.  I'm hoping I can find somebody a lot more skilled than me to drop the big ones, as several of them lean toward the fence and house.
Ed Miller
Falls City, Or

101mph

Quote from: drobertson on December 15, 2014, 12:09:45 PM
You have it figured out!  Just wondering here, would the brush piles work for wildlife? or is this not an option there?  Years ago my uncle has us taking down the tops to very manageable pieces to handle and then pile in a nice small pile, they reduce pretty soon if the sight is bearable.

Thanks. I still got lots to learn for sure.

I don't think I have the room to keep the brush pile around. The only place I could keep is too far away to drag it all there. I'll probably just end up burning most of it little by little come spring time.

101mph

Quote from: enigmaT120 on December 15, 2014, 01:03:17 PM
I'm opening up this skid road to get to some big fir and alder trees that my wife wants down -- they shade the garden.  I'm hoping I can find somebody a lot more skilled than me to drop the big ones, as several of them lean toward the fence and house.

Yea I had about 10 big trees removed this past summer by professionals. They were just too close to the cottage, leaning over it, some near power lines....I just listened to the advice here and had the pros do it. It was a little expensive, but it may have been more so if I tried to do it myself.

I still have plenty I need to remove that I can't do it on my own safely. I just don't have the equipment.

thecfarm

Fast will get you in trouble. Slow and steady will win in the end. I have a FIL that has to do things quick. He's always saying,it took me only 20 minutes to do that.   ::)  And once in a while I will say,it looks it too. Good thing he has no trees to cut. Or he would be dead by now.
Looks like a drop off past the trees?
I worked on this place for years.


 

I carried ALOT of brush out of this area and this is only part of what you see. I made some piles in the woods,than about 10 years later,the piles was all rotten and I moved the rotted compost with the tractor. I was not living here at the time. If I would have lived here I would have loaded the brush on the trailer and hauled it to the brush pile to be burned.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

101mph

Quote from: thecfarm on December 16, 2014, 10:14:09 AM
Fast will get you in trouble. Slow and steady will win in the end. I have a FIL that has to do things quick. He's always saying,it took me only 20 minutes to do that.   ::)  And once in a while I will say,it looks it too. Good thing he has no trees to cut. Or he would be dead by now.
Looks like a drop off past the trees?

That's actually a lake out past the trees. It was so foggy that day you couldn't see 100 yards off shore.

That was another obstacle I was trying to avoid. Dropping the trees in the lake. It's frozen now but not that thick and I didn't want to have the tree fall and crack through the ice. Then I would never get it out of there. :)

luvmexfood

Quote from: thecfarm on December 16, 2014, 10:14:09 AM
Fast will get you in trouble. Slow and steady will win in the end. I have a FIL that has to do things quick. He's always saying,it took me only 20 minutes to do that.   ::)  And once in a while I will say,it looks it too. Good thing he has no trees to cut. Or he would be dead by now.
Looks like a drop off past the trees?
I worked on this place for years.


 

I carried ALOT of brush out of this area and this is only part of what you see. I made some piles in the woods,than about 10 years later,the piles was all rotten and I moved the rotted compost with the tractor. I was living here at the time. If I would have lived here I would have loaded the brush on the trailer and hauled it to the brush pile to be burned.

I used to teach firearms in a police department. Tought everyone this "accuracy is more important than speed". Don't matter how fast you shoot if you ain't hitting what you are shooting at. That was the way I was taught.
Give me a new saw chain and I can find you a rock in a heartbeat.

mesquite buckeye

Quote from: drobertson on December 15, 2014, 12:09:45 PM
You have it figured out!  Just wondering here, would the brush piles work for wildlife? or is this not an option there?  Years ago my uncle has us taking down the tops to very manageable pieces to handle and then pile in a nice small pile, they reduce pretty soon if the sight is bearable.

I try to drop the tops of several trees on top of each other. Turkeys love to nest in there and the deer don't eat the little cherry trees that come up inside. The whole thing is generally gone in 10 or so years, depending upon the species of tree and the diameter of the branches. If it's just pole thinning type stuff, most of it is gone in 5 or so seasons. ;D
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

thecfarm

@luvmexfood,that is a diffeant way of looking at something.  ;) How true.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Puffergas

Thanks 101mph, I'm going to get one of those rope pullers.   :)

Here's two pictures of my micro or maybe pico skidder:



 

One more:


 
The above pic was the first way using the sieve hitch. Next I built a wheeled arch and now a winch arch attached to the back as in the below pic.


 

I've started to build an articulated version.

Anybody ever build a skidder out of a 4wd trencher or a cable plow???? I've always thought about it....
Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

Maine logger88

Those old wheel horses are tough! We have a few kicking around. I've seen a pasqualli used for twitching wood I guess they worked ok
79 TJ 225 81 JD 540B Husky and Jonsered saws

Holmes

Anybody ever build a skidder out of a 4wd trencher or a cable plow???? I've always thought about it....
A few years ago someone did just that . Trencher I think. We will have to look .  I will get Ray {thecfarm} on it right away ;D :)
Think like a farmer.


Puffergas

Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

Puffergas

Got that rope puller ordered today..  8)

My Christmas present was good weather to pull out some of my poll wood today.



one more



When I put my new tires on the rims I put them both on the same way, ouch. And I double checked them, old age I guess. The one going the wrong direction is almost always the one to spin out...   >:(

And a vid of two small logs headed for the mill.

http://youtu.be/XZh7Quw1Rfc
Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

Puffergas

Quote from: Maine logger88 on December 24, 2014, 05:42:33 PM
Those old wheel horses are tough! We have a few kicking around. I've seen a pasqualli used for twitching wood I guess they worked ok


The pasqualli looks a bit pricey....  :o

Twitching must mean a short skid ? Maybe with small wood. If so that would be a good name for my machine; twitcher instead of a skidder..  ???
Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

thecfarm

Twitching wood,the way I use it,is to pull or drag wood out of the woods. Be it with a skidder,dozer,tractor,truck,woods buggy,horses,oxens.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

lopet

Puffergras  nice drag for that little horse. ;D  Are you gonna tell us a little more about your fancy front weight ?
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

thecfarm

Uses wood as fuel?? 
That is quite the skidder you got there.  ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

lopet

Thanks BT
I actually thought it puffs gas.  Interesting set up anyways.  Must have  missed that thread. :(
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

Puffergas

Quote from: lopet on December 27, 2014, 05:04:49 PM
Puffergras  nice drag for that little horse. ;D  Are you gonna tell us a little more about your fancy front weight ?

That the "Back To The Future" device.. Time travel or what not..  :laugh:

OK, some of the tree ends up in the "fancy front weight" thingy and that fuels the engine. In other words it's a charcoal gasifier or I like the old term Gas Producer. I just can't say no to forestry products.....  8)

Thanks for asking.
Jeff
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie.

GEHL 5624 skid steer, Trojan 114, Timberjack 225D, D&L SB1020 mill, Steiger Bearcat II

lopet

Gotcha !!!      I remember my grandpa telling me as a kid a lot of the tractors In Europe ran on wood fuel during WW 2.
I always take my hat off for people who try to use renewable resources as a alternative. smiley_thumbsup 
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

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