So I've been busy and haven't had a chance to do anything else on my trailer, but i have had time to think about stuff. I think I've got most of the trailer figured out, but I'm still left with the problem of backyard and harder to access material, and the fact that I'm still going to be left with feeding the brush by hand into a chipper. I've taken all suggestions to heart, and have been wondering why people always seem to choose the same things to accomplish this, namely minis then articulated loaders/ full size skids. Neither were developed for moving logs, the skids were designed to clean out turkey stalls and the articulated loaders for handing gravel. They have been adapted over the years to do almost everything, but i think the reason they are almost universally loved for tree work is the fact that they are maneuverable enough to use almost anywhere and can feed a chipper with long material, saving processing time. They also move and load logs, but honestly there are better machines to do either task, but it's very handy that it's a single machine that does everything. So although my cart with cable loader thing would be badass, I'm not sure it would be the best thing to really up production.
I'm sold on the idea of a forwarder type being likely absolutely ideal for a low impact "forwarding" tool but I'm starting to think that is likely only true if you have a full hydraulic loader on it so you can feed the chipper as well. Moving logs only, i think the ideal structure is a log arch until you get so big you can just move whole trees like a skidder, full size forwarder, etc. It uses the least material, lifts straight up, is super turf friendly, and balances everything on tires right by the balance point, and in doing so puts all the weight on those tires not the pulling implement. So for logs a log arch is likely best, but it can't feed a chipper.
A skid or wheel loader by itself isn't that good at moving tree debris, but when you add a grapple everything changes. The fork style grapples are the most efficient for carrying logs, but using mini skids didn't really take off until the dangle grapples came about, most notably the bmg. They were so ideal for handling brush that most people were recommending to buy the grapple before you even bought a mini, so you could use it on rentals until you were able to get financed for a mini. It's shortcomings of carrying logs were pretty much ignored because the brush was now effortless, and all it took was a few more cuts and the mini could do logs too, even loading them.
Carrying stuff longways is ideal for space, so any machine should ideally utilize that. Skidders, forwarders, log trucks, hell even cable logging all carry stuff longways. Loading is best achieved with a crane or excavator arm type loader, but lacking that a sideways forklift works very well too. Minis, skids, and wheel loaders all use a hydraulic loader arms, which while great for some applications like grading honestly suck for loading weight. Fork trucks rely on a mast setup, which is a much stronger and better design, as evidenced by the much higher lift capacity. The minis and the like are basically dangling the load in front, so the machine is always on its toes. This works, but their capacity is based exclusively on their weight and length, aka their torque.
So my idea is this, my 3 wheel cart idea is on the right path. The bell loaders, while also being a tip over style loader just like a skid steer, are highly maneuverable and are as turf friendly as a zero turn mower. But rather than doing a cart, I'm now thinking a self propelled log arch thing, with a loader arm reaching ahead of the tires giving clearance like a mini would. The drive wheels need to be like a bell loader or skid, where they steer by the forward/ reverse action. I'm thinking this is needed to feed a chipper. The arch would be much higher than normal, 6 or 7 feet high, which would give a sweet lead to lift the boom from, rather than having a heavy complicated loader arm setup. It would be powered by a winch, tension is far better than a cantilever loader arm, and is the most power per weight design there is. I could also use it for winch work too. The loader boom would stick a few feet past the wheels, and would be super simple, likely a shearleg thing just like the trailer with a heel. A dangle grapple would be at the end of it, and combined with the heel, would be able to pick up brush or logs, drop it on the chipper tray, and feed the chipper just like a mini skid would do.
This is all fine and dandy, it's basically a redneck version of a mini at this point, longer and taller but lighter. But the log arch design for the main part of it gives me something a mini can't do, lift a bunch more weight and skid it out with a turf friendly tire setup. So i can set the grapple on the end of the loader swing arm thing for handling brush and feeding the chipper, but when i get in the big wood i can simply move the grapple in between the tires and act like a giant self propelled log arch. For loading logs I'll have my loader on the trailer (and grapple truck if i ever get my cdl), but i can also turn the log sideways just like a mini or other loader, but will have the better structural lifting arrangement like a fork truck because it's a couple sets of shearlegs, no bending forces at all. The machine still acts as a cantilever as far the the lifting goes when loading or using the father out grapple attachment spot, but all the structural members are just like a lattice boom, in simple tension or compression. When using it like a log arch the limiting factor would become the tires and axle stubs, because the cog of the log would be inside the tires, which are in the most stable possible 3 point setup.
Thoughts anyone who has read this far? While this log arch thing would suck for grading (too high cog, no down pressure, and relying on weight distribution for traction), that's not my goal, i need to process tree debris and feed a chipper. I'm just now thinking through this basic geometry, obviously haven't ironed out the details of everything. I could do the grapple and the lift function both with winches if i wanted, which would also allow me to set this up as a baby mobile yarder (seeing a pattern yet?
). Here's a vid of a super old log loader, and how it's using a heel to manipulate logs, just like a bmg does. It is ridgid in this example, but i could fab up a simple cable style grapple like the picture. This would allow it to be a knockaround type like a bmg, run by a winch, and be pretty much bulletproof. I could do a hydraulic grapple too, but I'm really wanting a winch for the lifting function for the weight and power. Thanks for the feedback, and enjoy my continued excellence in artwork!
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