Log skidding!

[ValleyCottageSplitter]

There are a lot of trees down from the winter storms, including a dead EAB Ash that I was about fell. The problem is that they are 100'+ into dense woods. Instead of dragging them by hand with a cart like last year I decided to try skidding them out with my Ridgeline. I'm in the suburbs; no heavy farm equipment around here. I bought a choker chain+100' of arborist rope and finally got a chance to test them out. It was just long enough and worked pretty well! A little tricky with my firewood buddy out sick, but got the 3 main bolts right up to the backyard ready for bucking!

Has anyone else tried this with a pickup, for those others without a tractor?

 

[fishki]

I do all my log pulling with my pickup, I have a 10,000 lb winch mounted in the bed with 100ft of rope and another 100ft in case I need it for longer pulls. Works great for places I cant drive back in to.

 

[ValleyCottageSplitter]

The winch looked way more useful, but I couldn't justify $500+ to pull $75-100 of ash. I was able to get a chain and 7500lb arborist rope for about $100 total. Also easy to hookup and remove.

I might look at that option if I'm in the wood game a bit longer...and finally get the stove.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

I've only recently been skidding and winching logs at the family property up in Maine. Started with an old Kuboda tractor at first, but it was way to tippy on the slopes, so we ended up using an '01 Ram 2500 with a 5,000lb winch on the back. Worked really well and so much more stable than the tractor. We get more efficient at the process each time we do it. It's lot's of fun actually I really like it.

 

[highanddryinco]

I do the rope skid all the time. Work's wonderfully. I skid my stuff out to the one road that cuts through the property and do all my final cutting, splitting and stacking and the road's edge.