I'm brand new to the mini-x world and realise that I can trash my machine and anything within reach in a split second. How much is too much for say--pulling big trees out of the woods--I'm working on multiple future septic fields and scrubbing out and also removing big trees. I'm trying to be low impact and don't want to just drag them out so am "arming" them--[not lifting them--I'm hooking chain on end and pulling them straight into set down dozer blade--always straight in]. The biggest today was a 32" at the butt and 155' tall doug fir--small compared to whats next. [The woods up here are nothing like the east coast--it's a war zone of wind/dead fall and super elastic/tough vine maple that is like 1" to 8" sling shot tube--a 50 foot spider web of it. My machine will rip an 8" serpentine maize of it to shreds--which I love doing since I've been slapped silly by it on numerous occasions]. So--after felling the tree I limb it and cut the first 37-41 footer and arm them out while backing up--with repeated motions of the boom/dipper and bucket, using high test logging chain, looped around the 24" toothed bucket in such a way that the "bucket curl" helps pull her in--then I extend arm--back up and do it again and again. Once off the septic I turn around and hook to the hitch and skid them out. How do I know when it's too much for the arm/dipper/bucket??--I have hundreds left to do... [machine is a JCB 8040, 9500 lbs--it can easily grab an 8"x 40 foot hemlock and rip it outta the ground and "oops" break it in half with the bucket/thumb curl]. I rigged up this removable hitch and with self dumper, can push around 4 yds of dirt/gravel/whatever wherever I need it.
Just my .02Cents but you need a larger machine for a couple reasons. First is you'll be there forever with that small machine second is with trees that large if something goes wrong you have a major potential to be injured should a topcome out of nowhere. a cage is a must to keep the potential for spears from poking you as well. Third the machine may be able to do all that lifting and stuff but on one that small all the extra lifting and draggin can't be good on it especially those rubber tracks. All the stress on the arms and cylinders won't be very good for it either. This is just my opinion and there will be many just be safe. I like the hitch and all told it seems like a good operation.
How do you know when it's too much?When things either start breaking,hydraulic lines start bursting,when JCB minis start rolling over or all the above happen.You mention 8'' Pine, but those pics show some serious size trees which your mini is not going to move as timber logs.You need at least a 15 ton class excavator to safely and productively handle those big boys.
My mighty mini I know I'm way on the small side and guys in the trade would not even consider using it. It does have 16" track and a 78" blade so it is a real stable machine. I started job with a 14000 lb rental machine and blew $4800 in 6 weeks on it--so I bought the JCB. I'm a homeowner/doitmyselfer and plan to use this unit for the whole job. When I pull those trees out I'm not sure if I,m over stressing arm/dipper or not--they pretty much just come right along--when hooked to rear hitch and skidded, there's no effort at all. Along with 150 16-32"x 90-175', I've got about 50 that are 44-52"x 180-235 feet that once felled, I will just push them around and pointed right and rig up a piggy back snatch block/wire rope system. Yeh--the danger of being speared is very real and has almost happened several times--I,m trying to devise a retro fit cage or plexiglass panel enclosure.
if it moves it do what you can...but dont expect that machine to last you very long doing something that severe....i have a tak tb175 (17500lbs) and I wouldnt do much of that with mine....but if its working for you then go for it just be careful
Do you think the machine is straining when you skid the logs? If you do then most like it is. Most of the logs I have skidded have been quite easy assuming I was either pulling flat or down hill. Safety would be my biggest thing with do what you're doing. Draging logs ok. Pushing over/manhandling logs I would be much more worried about.
Here is too much I hooked chain on this 42"x 165 footer [base part cut to 38.5 feet] and started to curl it in--nope--no way. So I backed up and hooked chain to the hitch--no way. So I changed position to push it off the chain I just unhooked and nearly went ass first into a septic test hole--buried under slash-- a 3'x 8'x 6' hole. It was a lot worse than pic looks. I couldn't move the arm/bucket in back since I was at the exact teetering point and would of gone over--whew!. So I got more chain and used tree as a perfect fulcrum point. On all the other 37 footers--no--no great strain--no more than digging a full buckets worth. When I get logs to stage area [not the one pictured--thats the biggest I,ve cut yet and theres about 30 others that are a foot more diameter] I do tend to lift them into pile--mostly one end then other--and get up close. So what I'm gonna do is cut big ones, collect slash and push them out of way with my machine and once they're all down, rent a JD 120 for a couple days. Mucho thanks to the founder of this website/forum--it's great!
opcorn:drinkup
Falling in that test hole should never have happened.... It's too bad the way some people are on their work ethics for safety... like the way they leave a job site with dangers not called out for the other guy.... I always carry yellow caution tape in the truck... I say after the guy dug that test hole should have tied yellow tape all around that hole so you can't miss it... I like to leave every job as if I will be the one coming back...
What did you use to load the logs on the truck with?
Looks like a self loader, you can kindof see it by the headache rack.
Yeh--self loader So far I'm getting $1000--$1300/load--export J/K logs mixed with domestic and chippers. I did end up moving the big one [so far]--I nudged it around then hooked up to the rear hitch and pulled it out--some uncut big limbs underneath had it not wanting to go. The downhill grade helped--0 to minus 24' in 254 feet--what percent that is has me wishing I paid attention in math class. If I could figure out some sort of dolly to put on the end of log, it would be a breeze--no ditch digging and stopping to re-position. I'm going to weld up some drop in place fork lift style tines to go on blade, so I can pull up to a big pile of slash--slip forks underneath --then bear hug it in with the dipper/bucket/boom and go 200' over there to the chipper stage site. Thats the other thing--254 feet away from another bigger tree I clamped a 3' cardboard right triangle [level and plumb] onto the side of my bucket and backed up till I sited the top of tree by looking along the long [45 degree] part. When I set my tripod at tree and site/level out to extra tall rod set vertical next to triangle, I read 4" on rod. Measurements go down to base of triangle [eye site level] and read 211". So I subtract 4" and get 207"--17'3". So do I subtract it from 254 feet to obtain tree height?? [power lines/road/women children--at risk!!] I know--get a $100 clinometer--baileys--I guess I will. I felled another big one today--195 foot Doug fir that could of taken out 5 houses--within 5' of where planned. [Use saw gunsights/use saw gunsights/use saw gunsights...] As far as how much is too much--a mechanic told me that any kind of rattling/non straight ahead pulling/digging and sideways pushing with bucket/dipper/boom--is what really wears them out. If I was to hook on to a bridge abutment and try to arm it in--the hydraulics and engine would just quit--or relief valves blow--but no mechanical/physical damage to machine--don't know if that's true or not.
Semipro - When I read your thread I just get this mental imagine of a 20 tonne log headed downhill at a great rate of knots dragging a mini-ex behind it with the operator frantically trying to dig in somewhere ....visions of Wile.E.Cyote In seriousness, its amazing what you can do with a little machine, as long as you remember that you have much less of a FOS (Factor of Safety). Good luck with it.
semipro, You kinda gave yourself (semipro) away... ... That's some really good looking wood... not too bad a price either. At one time...5 or so years ago, maybe a little longer; when my brother and I were logging our own timber, we finally bumped $1,600 a load a few times. Short logs (little better scale usually) ... hauled on a flat bed, with home made bunks ( hay rack? ). Some of that sure looks like ponderosa pine, but it isn't, is it? Picture #1...post #7... nifty use of a "Handy Man" jack...even got a little bow in her... ... A lot of people don't know you can pull as well as push... I kinda miss working in the woods here, but the price of stumpage, and even good saw logs totally bit the dirt in our area. We only sold saw logs... and they were sent to Oregon on railcars.... Hoot...Hoot...Spoted Owl... Anyway, keep up the good work... looks like your doing a real fine job. OCR
Yeh--I,m only half a logger/equip operator. I did see somewhere on here that this site is for industry pros--so thanks for letting me in anyway:usa [I've been a carpenter/remodeler for 33 yrs] All logs are D fir and hemlock. I love that P Pine and built "Taos style" couches/chairs/tables with it when I lived in Sante Fe in the mid '70's. The wily e coyote scenario is pretty much how it's been going:drinkup
I hope the wording in my post wasn't misinterpreted... I was just funning your forum name..."semipro"... I would tend to rate you much higher than that... Keep up the good work and be safe...:usa OCR