Now that I've got the tree down, how do I get it out of the woods?

[runningmike]

I've got a 35 acre woodlot with plenty of good hardwood and soft ready for the taking. The problem is how to get it outta there. Most of the terrain is pretty steep, climbing about 900' from front to back. I have access at the top of the property and at the bottom with an old jeep trail/skidder path that winds up the lot. I can't see a 4 wheeler really being able to control much of a load of wood. My '97 Dakota can handle about a face cord of cut/unsplit logs but those crappy little brakes aren't going to last long under these conditions. Thoughts?

 

[savageactor7]

If you lived on the lot I'd recommend a 4WD tractor with a 3PH. Otherwise just keep on trucking with half the load you're trucking now. Also an ATV using an arch could probably safely bring the logs down since the tail end of the log would still be dragging. Or hook the arch up to the truck.

 

[KarlP]

@ Autozone for '97 Dakota

ValueCraft (cheapo) front rotors $36 each with 1 year warranty.
Duralast lifetime warranty pads $27.

So your choice is ~$100 the first year and ~$75 each additional year in brake parts vs a $10k tractor plus maintenance?

 

[rowerwet]

get a realy big winch and pull them out with a cable then, cut them up

 

[wellbuilt home]

You can rent a skid steer and drag or carry out a lot of wood in a day . A skid with forks could carry 1/3rd of a cord of 5' logs over some rough terrain .
I use a 6500lb skid and can move 10 cord of logs about 800 feet in 30 trips . It takes about 11/2 hours . Less if i have a helper to strap the load, A grapple works good but doesn't carry as much . If its steep use a track machine . A 1/2 day with a skid costs around 400 bucks.

You could hire a guy with a skid to fix the road and bring the wood down . He mite even drop it at your house , I would John

 

[Meauran]

I'm glad that you asked. I've been looking for a reason to show off my little contraption. Here's what I came up with:

$50 for the hoist on Craigslist ($75 new from Harbor Freight). $25 for the "Made in China" load binder. (The US one was $45 and I just couldn't justify it for what I was going to be using it for.) Couple lengths of 2" X 3/16" wall square tube that I had laying around. I also picked up a hitch pin because the other ones I had are the locking type. Put it together with a few minutes on the welder and voila.

Try this link for a couple of pictures. (broken link removed to http://sites.google.com/site/photoshopcrap/)

The load binder lets you really set the chain for a good bite. I towed a 20' x 20" White Pine at about 30 mph down our asphalt road. There was a section about a foot from the end on the ground that had a flat spot and that was it. Did NO damage to the roadway. I probably dragged the thing a mile and a half.

Just thought I'd share.

 

[runningmike]

I do have a tractor, but the CG is way too high to safely negotiate the terrain. A fwd tractor might be better, but I'm still trying to convince myself that I'm burning wood to save money! I like the idea of the ATV and an arch, I think this has merit as a long term solution; however, see money saving notion above. I think a skidder would work well, but the guy who previously logged this property 15+ years ago tore it up pretty bad and I'm hesitant to do the same. For the time being, I guess I'll stick with the truck. The ground is finally drying out and I think I can get in and out OK...better bring a winch!

Thanks all!
Mike; proud daddy of a brand new Husky 455.

 

[SolarAndWood]

get a realy big winch and pull them out with a cable then, cut them up

It doesnt even take much of a winch. I use an 8000 lb cheapo ATV winch from Harbor Freight for mature maples in rough terrain. Not the fastest, but gets the job done.

 

[SolarAndWood]

get a realy big winch and pull them out with a cable then, cut them up

chainsaw chains dont like wood dragged on dirt

The perfect time for skidding in the Adirondacks is after the ground freezes but before the lake effect kicks in. Get your trees dropped lined up and ready to go because this is often a brief period depending on where you are.

 

[Gooserider]

I forget just where I saw it, but a while back I ran across an article on somebody that had built a really neat home brew "yarding" machine setup... He had a wood lot on a slope, and at the top built a VERY substantial anchoring point, with a well braced mast to support a cable that ran down to one of several anchor points he had set up at the bottom of the hill. This cable was tightened with a hand winch. On the cable he had a "trolley" mounted with a block that had a second cable run through it, with a choke chain on the business end, and a motorized (I think it was gas powered) winch at the anchor point...

He would drop all the trees he had selected within range of his main cable run, and go down with the cable and latch onto them with the choke chain, and drag them up the hill to just below his yarding machine... Move the main cable to the next anchor point and repeat.... Supposedly worked quite effectively, w/ minimal damage to the terrain or the logs.

Gooserider

 

[Bigg_Redd]

get a realy big winch and pull them out with a cable then, cut them up

chainsaw chains dont like wood dragged on dirt

I'd rather file chains than hump rounds out of the brush.

 

[savageactor7]

^Yup Bigg_Redd...I think what you think.

AdkMike that pseudo arch Meauran made for the truck bumper would be the least expensive solution for you.

 

[runningmike]

I like the idea of the zipline...sounds dangerous! Certainly an excellent project to stay busy with when I have little else to do.
;^)
In the meantime, the arch-behind-the-truck notion keeps eating at me...have to dwell on that for a while.
Thanks all!
Mike

 

[jebatty]

Just be more than careful if you are hauling or skidding horizontally on a slope. If the loose end of a log decides to slip down the slope, it can pull over a tractor or other vehicle faster than you may be able to save yourself or the vehicle. It is best to skid, arch or whatever vertically to the top of the slope and then haul the logs away on the flat.

 

[runningmike]

As I look through the Bailey's online catalogue, I see that they've already been through this discussion and figured out a variety of solutions for me (!) Arches, whether hand operated, atv, tractor, or pull behind my truck, there's some pretty good solutions there.
I still like the zipline idea though...

 

[mayhem]

Zipline would be cool.

How about a 4 wheel trailer like you pull to pick up hay with a tractor? You could load it with a pile of wood, either pull it direct with the truck or winch it up and than buck and load the truck right there. Make your descent in 4lo and let the engine do some of the braking.

You could also rig up a 2 wheel caddy to strap to the far end of the log and use something like Meauran's rig to haul it out. Make sure its got big tires and space them out so it won't tip easily and you can haul them right off the property to your processing spot. If you've ever seen telephone pole workers hauling a new pole or two out to a location you know exactly what I mean.

 

[smokinj]

I've got a 35 acre woodlot with plenty of good hardwood and soft ready for the taking. The problem is how to get it outta there. Most of the terrain is pretty steep, climbing about 900' from front to back. I have access at the top of the property and at the bottom with an old jeep trail/skidder path that winds up the lot. I can't see a 4 wheeler really being able to control much of a load of wood. My '97 Dakota can handle about a face cord of cut/unsplit logs but those crappy little brakes aren't going to last long under these conditions. Thoughts?

cut and splitt it where it sets then bring it out with your 4 wheeler with smaller trailer loads

 

[LLigetfa]

cut and splitt it where it sets then bring it out with your 4 wheeler with smaller trailer loads

That was my thought. I wonder if they make ATV trailers with brakes? I tried googling but got a million hits for trailers made to carry ATVs.

Here is the dream machine.
http://www.deere.com/en_US/cfd/forestry/deere_forestry/forwarders/810d_general.html

 

[smokinj]

Thats Awesome deal there! hate to see the price tag!

 

[Jags]

I've been looking for a reason to show off my little contraption.

That is one sweet little skidder add-on, ya got there. I love home-built solutions.

 

[Apprentice_GM]

Just out of interest, with such a slope, is there a way of making a relatively clear path so you could roll the rounds down it un-aided? Drop and buck then let gravity roll the rounds to the bottom trail . . . collect and throw in the truck / trailer. That way dirt gets on the wood post-chainsaw stage and doesn't really matter for splitting.

Otherwise, my dad made a great winch for hauling our catamaran up sand dunes to our home many years ago from a salvaged washing machine motor. It even had 2 gears for the different slopes, worked slow but did the job. Even had a control rope so the operator could switch gears from the cat making it a one handed operation. I reckon the description earlier of a DIY winch with solid anchor points sounds awesome.