Skidder or Tractor?????????

[KodiakII]

I have been sitting idle for months now because of our "good old fashioned" winter. I usually get my wood in via my Kodiak four wheeler and a bush buggy trailer, but the snow is so deep it has been useless.
I have been cruising the local Kijiji ads and have been considering buying a small skidder, one in decent shape can be had for less than a good 4x4 tractor (especially with the addition of a log winch). The tractor would be more multi-purpose than the skidder, but there are skidding jobs that could be done as a income supplement.
These two are good examples of what can be had in my area:
http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...ies-c5-tree-farmer-skidder-W0QQAdIdZ512126975
http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...55-4x4-tractor-with-loader-W0QQAdIdZ535370365
Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Jags]

Oh heck - you are talking about a real skidder. I thought at first you were talking about a "skid-steer". How much firewood are you making per year???

 

[bmblank]

Yeah, I thought the same thing. A real skidder will pull a pile of logs out. It's big and hard to store. Way overboard. Unless of course you do a lot of wood. Alot...

 

[Firewood Bandit]

Steel cable and chains are a very high maintenance and expensive item on skidders. Chains don't last real long until they wear out.

 

[KodiakII]

Don't do that much firewood myself, but this weather any my inability to get around in it has me really pissed off. Skid-steers are readily accessible for me, but are virtually useless right now. There have been enough ads in the local papers for people looking to hire a skidder that I thought it might be a viable service.

 

[cityboy172]

I feel the tractor would be a more versitile machine overall. If maintained, value won't take much of a hit with the price range your in.Unless your going through, or handleing a VERY large amount of wood, I wouldn't even touch the skidder. Nothing on that looks cheap to replace.

 

[KodiakII]

I feel the tractor would be a more versitile machine overall. If maintained, value won't take much of a hit with the price range your in.Unless your going through, or handleing a VERY large amount of wood, I wouldn't even touch the skidder. Nothing on that looks cheap to replace.

Other than chains and tires, the other parts aren't too bad. Most of them run 3 or 4 cyl diesels that are pretty cheap to rebuild. We did an inframe one time right in the woods in the winter, not bad to do and being a 3cyl detroit the parts were pretty cheap.

 

[firefighterjake]

Tractor ... more versatile.

 

[Ehouse]

Another option is a small dozer with or without a winch. Like a Deere 1010 or a Case 310. If you're good with equipment. I've used a 310 for years and it is great in the woods. It's hard to find one in good shape but worth the search. If you've got a few bucks Komatsu makes a small one I think.

 

[greg13]

I've run both ways, If you want to move logs, a skidder is the way to go. If you can find a grapple skidder, you would not believe how much faster they are. You simply back up to the pile, drop & close the grapple and away you go. You never have to leave the seat. A skidder will go places that a 4wd tractor only dreams of going, I've run through almost 3' of mud with one.

Greg

 

[bigbarf48]

I like the idea of the skidder, based mainly on the cool factor; although it will be easier to haul with since thats what its designed for.

But in reality, a tractor will probably be more versatile and useful for other things

 

[TreePointer]

As mentioned, tractor is more versatile. You can skid from behind, pile firewood in front bucket, stack logs on front pallet forks, and load brush and logs with a front grapple. If you have a lot of hills, the skidder certainly will be more agile.

 

[razerface]

For sure a tractor unless you can make money with the skidder. I like making money, then use for yourself too after other people pay for it.

Buy 4x4. I use 4wheel drive a lot in my woods dragging logs. It is a must have for me. I use a D3dozer a lot too. I take trees down,, and fix what other equip tears up in the woods. I have no wish to make 3' deep mud tracks in my woods.

The tractor I use the most is a small 35 hp Massey 4x4. I always cut the logs shorter anyway before pulling them out. Long logs rub and kill other trees on the way out, so huge power is not needed. Then that same tractor pulls trailers of split wood, splitters, tiller, bush hog, mows my runway, levels driveway,,,,ect, ect.

You have more snow,,,need bigger tractor maybe.

 

[curtis]

If your going to be working a lot of hills then defiantly a cable skidded is the way to go. Grapple skidder is only fast if you can back right up to the wood. Where I'm at a lot of places you have to run the cable 100ft down a hill that you couldn't get with a grapple. My father inlaw has a timber jack similar to that tree farmer. With a set of chains with the big round ring in the middle of the treads with the lugs welded to the ring that thing will go just about anywhere.

 

[Whitepine2]

Tractor keep looking for 4x4 bigger the better,farmie wench or equal you won't be sorry. I found one for 6K 65 HP
needed some tlc about $200 and haven't looked back.When that skidder fails big $$$ for parts if you can get them.
Tractor can be used for other things as has been mentioned. Another thing a tractor can get around in the woods much better than skidder. If you are going big time go for skidder if not it will be sitting around doing nothing but tractor will always be useful. Just don't be in a hurry keep checking the list something will show up.

Whitepine2

 

[greg13]

Check ironplanet.com, You never know what they may have up for auction.

Greg

 

[Smoke Stack]

A skidder is going to take money to maintain. The engine is not what you should be thinking of in terms of replacing parts. The drive train is most important: transmission, torque converter, planetary gears, etc...

You might also want to consider how you're going to move the skidder around to all these different jobs. You're going to need access to a decent size truck and trailer if you don't already have one. It's a big commitment. If you think you can make it work, then I say go for it!

 

[paul bunion]

Please research what it will cost you to insure yourself and that rig before you become a part time logger. I think the purchase cost will become a minor consideration.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I vote skidder, however, that skidder looks older than me and I see that in the add the model year is not listed so it likely is older than me. Also, you're going to need a lot of truck to haul that thing around. But I still vote skidder.

 

[JustWood]

Tree Farmer/Franklin forestry equipment went bankrupt 5 years ago . Good luck getting brand specific parts.
If youre going to log to make $. Buy a skidder. Faster , more agile in the woods, and built for what you want to do. I have a tractor and had a Farmi winch ( just sold it ). We used it on small jobs for the simple fact that it was small, easy to transport, and people didn't think you were an earth raper when you moved into a residential area to take out 20-50 trees. I promise you that you will beat the piss out of a tractor in the woods logging unless you put a logging garb package on it. THINK PHAT COIN NOW .
If I were to buy an older used skidder now it wood be a late 70's early 80's Deere. Parts are still widely available and so are parts machines. They made a boat load of them in that time period.

 

[Jags]

earth raper

Thanks for that diet coke sinus enema.

 

[Flamestead]

I've asked myself this same question many times. Today I've got a 50hp 4wd farm tractor with a skidding winch, and am doing 15-20 cord per year on my own land. Skidding mostly in January/February so the logs stay clean on the snow. I need the tractor for farming (beef cattle) and for moving snow, so it made more sense than the skidder.

But, as pointed out above, the shielding on a farm tractor is nothing like that on a skidder. You can add it to the tractor, for a price. Hydraulic filters and lines are in jeopardy on my tractor. I clean away essentially all the brush from my trails, which takes time. You also lack the overhead shielding on a farm tractor (falling branches).

I am trying to improve the best trees in the woods by "releasing" them (cutting and burning the low quality wood, while giving the best trees more space to grow). Because of this, I love having the winch (versus a grapple). I don't have to be able to drive to the tree, and I can snake logs out of damp or steep areas without tearing up the roots of the trees I want growing. I use a self-releasing snatch block to winch around corners - it is very, very rare that I inflict any collateral damage while removing the firewood.

I am sure if I had a skidder the world would look different. I could get further up the hill. I could pull more stems at a time. I could drive through wet areas (the ruts from a previous owner attest to where it could go). I am happy to work from the farm tractor, but I also have my eye out for an older, smaller skidder at the right price (JD 440?).

If you are moving around to different woodlots consider the trucking cost for a skidder ($200-$300 per move?).

 

[Wildo]

Get tha Skiddah!

 

[Wildo]

The trees will quiver when they hear that Detroit coming. They probably know what that sound means instinctively.

 

[jeffesonm]

Maybe consider a crawler tractor... small, maneuverable, never loses traction. There is a guy in Kingston that sells machines and parts: https://www.facebook.com/OliverCrawlers