Log Skidding - One Person

[terry]

I do a small amount of logging on my property here in Vermont.. some Cherry, Maple etc. and firewood.

I need to bring out a few Cherry logs that are 200 or more feet from where I can get my trailer and truck. I have a GMC Yukon with front- mounted winch and a roller/hawse so that I can run the cable under the truck, over the trailer, and winch logs up a car-fixing ramp onto the trailer, usually single-handed, with a long winch control wire.

I have problems with logs snagging on rocks and stumps. With two people, one on a Peavey can guide the log, but often I am alone.

I envisioned a small "boat" or "guide" or "carriage" that the front of the log would ride on that has a "bow" shape that would ride up and over or around most obstructions.

Anyone seen something like this?? Any ideas?? I can make most stuff from steel / wood / cable etc.

Thanks! Regards, Terry King ..In The Woods In Vermont ..Back from the South China Sea in Shekou [e-mail]

[N Hurst]

Couldn't you just take a chainsaw to the front of the log and round it off some, or at least knock the edges off? That seems simpler than building something.

I guess if you wanted to get fancy you could build a log-sized version of a wire pulling grip you see for electrical wires

Cinch a cone-shaped toothed collar around the tip of the log with the cable attached to the tip of the collar, and detach when the log is loaded and move to the next one...

-Nathan

[Eigenvector]

Yeah a log sled would do what you need. It's basically a wood platform that the front of the log rides on - long spikes at the back edge that dig into the log keeping it on the platform. Probably only a foot or so of the log rest on the platform and you can shape the platform any way you want - most look like snow sleds.

[Harry K]

Visit your local wrecking yard and get a car hood - one from back in he days when they were made of heavier metal - say in the 50s/60s.

Torch a hole in the front of it, run your chain or cable through that hole and attach to the log - note that it does not fasten to the hood, just runs through that hole.

Work the back edge of the hood under the nose of the log an inch or so

- pull. the log will pull up onto the hood and whol assembly arrives at your truck with no snags.

You can also build a similar one with a bit of plate iron but you only get a single bend like this: ___/ . I used to have one for my garden tractor and it works amazingly well.

Harry K

[clare at snyder dot ontario do]

My brother logs with an ATV. he has made a"carriage" that lifts the front of the log a few inches off the ground and suspends it by a chain and has 2 car wheels on it and a tow bar. Has a skid plate on it IIRC. He made a second one to fit the rear of the log which allows him to "steer" the rear of the log to follow the trails out of his property when he has a second person available

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[Zz Yzx]

THat reminds me of something my Dad would have done.

-Zz

[Private]

A small power or manual mover can skid very large logs over rough ground when the front end of the log is free of the ground. Google 'logging arch'

'Grasshopper (Texas) pipe dolly' variations

then use your imagination.

Good luck, YMMV

[CC]

Go to the junkyard and buy a hood from any motor vehicle that has the shape you want use that for your front skid. CC

[Neon John]

Why don't you get one of the winch wireless remotes so that you can be at the log while operating the winch? That would seem to solve the immediate problem. Northern Tool sells 'em.

Of course, there's still the problem of the danger of doing this kind of work alone. I highly suggest getting yourself a "man down" alarm like firemen use. This gadget sends a radio alarm if it remains horizontal for longer than a specified number of seconds.

I'm in the same situation as you - I work alone in a remote area, though not involving logging. Nonetheless, I worry a LOT about getting injured and not being able to get help. I had a (now deceased) neighbor who had a heart attack a few years ago and laid on the floor of his cabin for over a week before someone found him. He survived the attack but died less than a year later from complications.

No cell service here so I carry a high powered cordless phone on my person at all times. When I'm out of range of that I have a ham radio walkie-talkie and a private phone patch. Still, I can envision situations where I couldn't get to the phone or the talkie. As soon as I figure out how to make the RF side work (range, perhaps a repeater in my truck, etc) I'm going to have a man-down alarm.

John

-- John De Armond See my website for my current email address

[J. Clarke]

I am curious--where does one find such a thing in the US? The PASS II that the fire fighters use is an audible alarm, not radio. There are radio systems but they require repeaters if they are more than a mile from the security office.

There is one available in the UK ("Soloprotect 350"

for 40 bucks a month including monitoring that works with a Bluetooth cell phone (should also work with a Bluetooth satphone but the only Bluetooth satphone I can find is a Thuraya that doesn't have coverage in the US), but it calls the manufacturer's monitoring center in the UK--it can be set up at time of purchase to call another number but I'm not sure that having an automated device set to call 911 would be such a good idea. They have a "live chat" link on their site so probably wouldn't hurt anything to talk to them.

[Modat22]

I made a log arch out of a mobile home axle. You can find pictures of them all over the Internet.

here's the one I made, its ugly but it works pretty well for logs up to 14 feet for me. Once I get into the 25 inch range I have to use the truck because the heavier logs lift the rear of my gator off the ground.

[TerryKing]

Thanks for all the replies and ideas!

I have a trailer that I can winch logs onto so I don't need to "skid" them long distances. BTW, a previous suggestion to use a car ramp (like used for changing oil etc.) to ramp logs onto the trailer works real well!

I have hilly property in Vermont, with only a couple of passable 'log roads' so I often have to winch logs up to 150 feet to the 'road'. With the typical log 'choker' attachment, the front end of the log digs in or snags often. So that's what I'm trying to solve.

The "Upside-down-hood" is the shape I need alright! Or some kind of "stone boat" type thing.

Other Topic: Communication from the woods.. John, we're on the same wavelength. Best cordless phone doesn't make it the 1/2 mile over-the- hill. I have a 2M/440 transceiver in the truck, and would hope to get to it :-). Maybe a hand-held repeating thru the truck?

Other Other Topic: I want a radio-controller for the winch; I have 100 feet of wire but it always a pain. I'll look at that. I'd build one if I had time..

I got a couple loads out today.. It'd be nice if the rain held off..

[clare at snyder dot ontario do]

Buy a couple heavy duty wheelbarrow buckets and cut the backs down. The type cement contractors use, not garden grade.

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