A friend of my fathers. Has took a early retirement and started to do some logging on the side. He has an old john deere 690 B ( i havent seen the equipment ) And truck / trailer. He doesnt own a skidder, and was looking for something to pull the logs ( he does light wood trees ) from the wood where their cut by a sawman to the excavator to be loaded. Sunday he came by and asked me if he could borrow my 2008 Yamaha Grizzly 350 4x4 to see how a four-wheeler did with the task. ( i have pics of the 4 wheeler on my phone. If someone can post a pic for me i can send it to your phone! ) He said it did fine, and he paid me for using the four wheeler. And said that he would like to use it for the rest of the week if i would let him. I told him go ahead. He plans on buying a Yamaha Grizzly 700 saturday from our Yamaha:usa dealer. What do you guys think about using the four wheeler for the logging?
Not sure about out there, but trees out here are in the 10,000 and up weight category. A 16' log could weigh a couple thousand pounds pretty easy, add some friction from dragging on the ground and you've got a lot of weight to move. I doubt that 4 wheeler will last a whole year pulling logs, regardless of weight, they just aren't made for that. Sure they can tow stuff occasionally, they surely aren't built to do serious towing daily.
I will PM you tomorrow with my cell # and post the pics for you. Anyway, I use my Yamaha Big Bear for pulling branches/small trees. Works great, just using a towing strap that a logger left behind when they cut down some of the / trees that were snapped.
Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Eventually, you will get hung up on something, and keep trying to pull, and snap something, whether it be crank, axle, chain, etc. The best method is still good old draft horses. If you think a skidder is fun, try controlling 6,000lb of pure muscle, it will amaze you.
Yea, what happens when that tow strap breaks, its headed for you, with nothing in between. Im sure if its something your doing once in a while, maybe that works. Ive pulled logs around on the farm with tractors. We never had the need for a skidder. We cut maybe 50 trees every 10 year. Without having a skidder, i prefer to use a backhoe. It works pretty good in the areas we have trees. Since they are not huge trees it works well. I can snake through the woods, make sharp twists and turns by swinging the boom around while i steer with the foot brakes or wheels.
Has anyone seen that new show "Ax Men" on the history channel I believe. It follows three logging comapnies in Oregon. It's a great show that gives you a first hand look into the logging industry. Anyhow, If that guy tries to drag a heavy log up a hill he might be in a world of hurt towing it with a four wheeler. The backhoe seems like a good idea because you can raise the log up so that you are not fighting all that friction by dragging the entire log on the ground.
Asked dad this morning how big the trees he was moving were. And he said right now he isnt moving anything probably over 15 foot long, and 6-8 inches thick. I have a feeling he's just cleaning up his own property right now. My fourhwheeler is still underwarranty. But still i told him that if he broke anything he pays for it. I dont think that it is a bad thing if you take your time. And tie the logs carefully. Not something to be done everyday of the year though. Still alot cheaper than a skidder ointhead -Michael-
Hmmm I donno man. It doesent matter how small they are, your still going to cause transmisson damage if the log gets hung up or caught on somthing, but I guess with a careful driver and low gear you can get the job done, but I wouldent recommend using the quad full time. Sounds like he should by a cheap tractor, unless the 2wd will be an issue.
yeah well after this week. I dont care what he uses. But i would like to give him good suggestions etc. He's a family friend. He's paying me 50$ a day to use it After a week. That's two months payments. So i'm happy. I bought the fourwheeler to have fun, and start my credit anyways. He is working in pretty open fields. And sometimes does need 4x4 though but hanging up isnt a big issue for him i dont think. Took more pics of it a little while ago. He came over with it on a trailer, and i took pics of it. -Michael-
For occasional, around your own property use, definately probably an okay route to go. But, an old skidder can be had for $15K or less. Or backhoe would work as someone mentioned.
yeah, i dont think he will log year round. Like i said he took an early retirement. And i guess is just looking for something to do witht he cash that he has. -Michael- Would love to have a Yamaha 700. But i love my 350 Can we start a ATV forum?
Pics One has come threw so far so here it is. Your phone doesn't take very big pics. I might try to size it up with photoshop. 2nd one is a test of resizing up.
I agree too much wear and tear for a four-wheeler to do day in and day out. A skidder is built for the purpose and does a good job. Having a winch saves you from driving into areas that can get tricky. A skidder is the machine to have if you want to log for a living. Farm tractors are an alternative if you build something for the 3 point to lift the logs off the ground. This keeps the logs from dragging and transfers some weight to the tractor for traction as well as keeping the logs cleaner. It is not real good for saw blades to have mud and sand ground into logs when it comes time to cut them. Two-wheel drive tractors can get the job done in good conditions but four-wheel drive is better. With four-wheel drive you can do a lot with a 40 horse tractor. Having a loader with forks instead of the bucket allows you to load the logs onto the trailer so you only need one piece of machinery. Good tractors are readily available and are easily resold if the idea doesn't pan out. Most logs that are cut for lumber are going to be to much for a four-wheeler. Around here good timber starts around 20" diameter and just gets bigger. You also have to pull atleast an 8' length so the weight adds up fast.
pics Here are the rest of your images I just got.
YEP couldent agree more. Chains or blades are not cheap and dirt on the log that you cut into will dull the hell out of a chain, so like bobbyg said, either a skidder or a three point hitch "rig" on the back of a tractor will work.
Thanks agent! I think he is done with my fourwheeler for now. He paid me another 50. And told me that he would call me if he needed it again. And headed to our local tractor/ atv dealer -Michael-
Yeah, weird that one came and then the rest came like 20 minutes later. But I got um done. Think he is going to get a tractor or an atv?
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums bobbyg! :drinkup
A small tractor would be a much better option, and really not a whole lot more costly than a nice fourwheeler. You can actually get a skidding winch for the 3 point on a tractor
Isn't a 690 kinda overkill for any logs that you can pull with an ATV? Dude is looking at getting an ATV to pull logs? We need a "smells fishy" smiley.
It was an excavator that he aquired without cost. To my knowledge like i said i havent seen the equipment. And he was going to see how one worked! The trees arent that big. If my fourwheeler moved them. A 700 would move them with less strain. -Michael- He didnt buy anything today. He is thinking of looking into a backhoe... Or going to visit the local kubota/ deere dealer.
4x4 Kubota BC24 is nice, it is what I am getting. http://www.kubota.com/f/products/bx24.cfm
I prefer using my 450D dozer to pull logs when I'm clearing.Need that screened protection for the occasional oopsy when a log snags or a chain breaks.
the underlying story here When I read your post, something caught my eye, and I thought it only right to speak up. You said "...and start my credit anyways"..do me a favor YoungOne.. Listen to a guy on the radio, his name is Dave Ramsey, and then perhaps you might rethink that attitude..
I found with my Kawasaki Praire 450 I was able to pull up to 12" or so alders. Though it was best going down hill... You need something to keep the tip of the log up so it doesn't dig into the ground causing even more strain. I found using the winch on the fourwheeler better, though I don't really recommend it... At least he tried...
If I were going to pull logs with an atv, I would buy or build a 'log arch', they get the front end off the ground and out of the dirt, also helps prevent snagging. There's a couple different styles around, here's one type I found quickly while googling. http://www.hud-son.com/Log_Skidder_Arch.htm
I am nineteen years old. I own a brandnew car. Year and a half ahead on payments ( my drill check pays for it ) And i still havent gotten a credit limit. Life revolves around credit. If you dont have good credit you can't get the things that you might want in life. The fourwheeler payment isnt that expensive it is like $54 for the minimum payment. I send them 100$ a month. And bank what i can. Americans arent buying things. And i am going to get my credit started while i have a great paying job. Where i can afford my bills, and enjoy the things i own. All while banking money for the future. Im not going to stay here at home and milk off my parents for the rest of my life. I have alot bigger plans for my life. Than most nineteen year olds you talk too. Some include military. Some include civilian. None of them include. Being lazy like most POS'S my age. Drugs, Achohol. Or even a wife. I dont want to have a wife. Living paycheck to paycheck. I'm 19 and i need to get my life going the right direction now. -Michael- You can't beat life, without it beating you first.
sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and are planning correctly. good credit is a must and what you are doing is right on track. just don't f it up because repairing credit takes longer usually than building good credit. Another thing credit companies look at is revolving accounts (credit cards). A nice low 500 max CC that you make a big purchase on and pay off the same month will do wonders for build credit. At least it did for me.
Let me just say that building your credit is a good plan. I had zero credit up until a year ago, got a credit card, got off my parent's cell phone plan and got my own, got a small $2500 personal loan and paid my car insurance online every month with my credit card. I never ran a balance on the credit card, paid it off in full every month. Now I have a 700 credit score I've built in the last year, not astounding, but it's not too darn bad. I bought property about 6 months ago and almost qualified on my own, I just didn't make quite enough money so my parents signed with me. Credit is extremely important.