Jonsered Iron Horse

aceruk

pleacher man
Joined
May 14, 2005
Messages
24
Location
Nottinghamshire
Does anyone run one of these? I hear a lot of people say they're quite good for what they are, but I'd be interested to know how much you could typically shift in a day. I've asked the bloke who posted this video, but I don't know if he'll understand English, and I can't speak Swedish!

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They are good for swampy terrain, because of the wide belts.
Apart from that I feel that the 4 wheel atv has filled the niche that the Järnhäst used to occupy. They can pretty much do the same stuff and are a lot cheaper ( Järnhästen costs about 15.000$ just for the front part)+ they can move fast, when needed.
The Järnhäst only moves at walking speed, and a slow walk at that.
Gets on your nerves after a while.
So I'd say; cute but anacronistic!
 
As Stig says, maybe not something you'd buy nowadays, but if one just happened to be in the barn of the place you bought....looks useful around the farm.
 
A bit like these. :)

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There's a few good videos there.
 
I looked at the Iron Horse many years ago when I was just a firewood guy. Too expensive and too limited, especially if you are trying to make some money and value your time. Like Stig suggested an ATV is much faster for the task and more useful for other roles as well and half the cost.

In that first video he certainly isn't minimizing his "footprint" with those big wide skid trails needed to operate his set-up. My Kubota with a Farmi winch could very easily operate on those trails with 4X the load and 4X the speed. My Kubota can also do a dozen other useful things.
 
There is an Amish sawmill about 35 miles from me that still uses big old Belgian draft horse to yard their big oak logs .

For those who have never seen a big team in action you cannot believe how large of a log they can move . Only two horse power in a manner of speaking .

It must be cost effective because several years ago they were selling rough sawn oak for 45 cents a board foot when the other mills were getting over 2 bucks .
 
I doubt it is COMPLETE bullocks. Wide tires..tire tracks... spread out the weight and reduce ruts and such, damage to plants, especially in wet conditions. Still, the equipment may be heavier than horses, and may also require more space to do the job. Conditions will vary.
 
COMPLETE bollocks - Horses hooves will churn up the ground far worse than a low ground pressure tyre, and will have to make many, many more trips due to its low carrying capacity. In many instances, a horse would sink to its thighs in ground a 600 series tyre would float over.
We tend to think of horse logging as toy logging, usually grant funded by big corporations that want to do something 'green' (ish), and have very little place in proper forestry.
 
When I worked as a faller in Switzerland almost 30 years ago, the logs from the more inaccessible mountainsides were being taken out by horses.
Sometimes when I was way ahead of them with falling, I'd go work with the horseteams .
Al is right, it is unbelievable what a horse can move, log-wise.
A smooth-barked beech log, nicely sniped and some newfallen snow and you are in business.
It still took forever to get those logs out, compared to more modern methods, but it sure was fun doing it the oldfashioned way.
One of my best memories from working in the woods.
 
Edit to my prvious comments -
Its not that I think horses cant do the job, or that they are useless, But I hate seeing them touted as an 'environmentally friendly' option.
 
There have been a couple of guys around here that do it, but they need to charge about all the wood is worth to make a go of it. It's a feel good activity for land owners with money. One guy had a metavic trailer with a loader that worked great, but my Kubota made less mess pulling it.
 
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  • #17
There have been a couple of guys around here that do it, but they need to charge about all the wood is worth to make a go of it. It's a feel good activity for land owners with money. One guy had a metavic trailer with a loader that worked great, but my Kubota made less mess pulling it.

Are you talking iron horses or live ones?
 
Live ones, in response to others horse comments. I wonder if Sawmill and Woodlot magazine has done a review on the Iron Horse. That is right up their alley. I bet that iron horse would out pull an atv, especially with the weight of the load on the tracks.
 
I have a friend who grew up doing horse logging in Michigan. As much as he has fond memories of it he admitted to me that ATVs actually do much less damage, for the most part.
 
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  • #21
In answer to Thor,

Yea, it's a SSSI, a bit steep here and there, and gets pretty soft from mid Autumn. The job's been to fell the Western Red Cedar, but now they think it will never rot, so want it out. There's loads of other stuff I could use it for, but it needs to pay the finance! I see my competition as a bloke in the next county who has an Alstor, who seems to get a lot of these environmentally sensitive type jobs. I know he'd shift stuff faster, but I'm thinking in terms of cost / cubic m. I think the iron horse has other advantages, plus some disadvantages.

I understand the ATV idea, but we're talking UK health and safety here.
 
Thats what many horse loggers have told me Leon. I think the joy is in the peacefullness of working with the horses, although for me, the ultimate would be hauling BIG hardwoods with a team of Shires
RHW35436.jpg
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In answer to Thor,

Yea, it's a SSSI, a bit steep here and there, and gets pretty soft from mid Autumn. The job's been to fell the Western Red Cedar, but now they think it will never rot, so want it out. There's loads of other stuff I could use it for, but it needs to pay the finance! I see my competition as a bloke in the next county who has an Alstor, who seems to get a lot of these environmentally sensitive type jobs. I know he'd shift stuff faster, but I'm thinking in terms of cost / cubic m. I think the iron horse has other advantages, plus some disadvantages.

I understand the ATV idea, but we're talking UK health and safety here.

Here's your answer;)
http://www.gypoclimber.com/showthread.php?t=12645
 
I bet that iron horse would out pull an atv, especially with the weight of the load on the tracks.

It will, but like I said,it only has one speed, and that is SLOW!!

The only use I see for it nowadays is in bog-clearing, where you absolutely cannot put any pressure on the bround.
And for that, I'd much prefer the small cable yarder shown in another thread.
I have really been salivating over that.


25-30 years ago it was a great invention, but so was the steam train in it's heyday.
I have worked with both atv and iron horse and in my opinion the atv wins.
 
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