Pulling wood out of the brush?

[sawinredneck]

I appoligize, I hate cross posting on two forums, but I am not getting much realistic advice elsewhere!

I've lost all my help, except maybe weekends so I am solo. Most jobs it's not so bad, but cutting Oak kills me!!
Used to be myself and a helper and we would bring back two cord. I am trying to figure out a realistic way of doing this solo.
This is sandy soil, not sand, but if it rains you are done!! Think Missouri or Oklahoma.
100 yards is not an unrealistic distance from the tree to the trailer.
I have a trailer for wood ONLY and a truck for anything else, so I am limited. Leaving anything behind is not an option! If they can't steal it, they will break it just so you can't use it. Whatever goes, HAS to come back that same trip!
I have thought of the fourwheeler, I am afraid it would be about useless on the soil, and it's a huge expense. A mini would be asome, but way to cost prohibitive!! As this is woodland a winch on the truck isn't a very realistic option either, no real straight lines, up and down hills, through the ravines around trees and rocks etc.
I thought of the Lewis winch, but it sounds kind of like a pain it the butt unless it is stet up almost perfect and even then might get you!
Any ideas at all?

 

[SkwerI]

Either a stout winch or else a good bull rope and 2-3 blocks and slings for redirects. Plan your drag route, set your blocks in the appropriate trees (bring a ladder and put 'em up a little higher if necessary) and use either the winch or your truck to pull the trees out to the road.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

We are struggling with the same dilemma here Andy... And we have tried one of a few solutions.. First try was a quad. We bought one and used it for extraction but eventually killed it in the process. Twice. Not much of a quad, 230 cc rear wheel drive and we had a 4X8 trailer behind it. We could only afford 1000.00 at the time. But there are some deals on 400cc or better used quads out there. Just don't over load it. The trailer was cheap and the quad went right up on it. 300.00 at harbor freight 1/2 ton cap.. Now we are looking at a couple options. One is a jeep, whillys or something for about 3000.00. Or thinking about a mule, yes the living breathing kind. Other thought was an army mule but they have gone from 5000.00 to 8000.00 plus (m274).
We are also looking at a gas powered winch and just add a capstan drum to it. But you are looking at almost 400.00 just for the winch and then you have to be able to drag a clear patch. I am working on a yarding idea for that winch using the height of a tree close buy to lift the load and run it up hill... Cheap mans yarder if you will.... Just some ideas bud.
Leaning towards the live mule as we have the land to keep it and it can be trained to pull wood and brush... Burns hay.. LOL

We have used trucks like Brian pointed out as long as you have a good run and can get close enough.

 

[sawinredneck]

The biggest problem is ONE truck, ONE trailer (for wood) and ONE person!!! Everything has to fit in this and come back!
Most times I am doing good to get close, and I am not that fond of unhooking the trailer, afraid it will sink as it gets loaded. Then the more you move the truck around, the more you raise the odds of getting stuck, VERY EASY TO DO!!! Expecially in a 2wd truck!

 

[arborworks1]

I like the cheap mans yarder. YOu might be able to take lifting those logs by hand completely out of the picture. Might take some practice to get it just right.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That's what we're thinking, cause basic principal is get a line in higher down the slope in a tree and on a pulley, continuous loop idea.. Then form loops on that line or use some sort of binder on the line that hooks to the wood. add tension on the capstan and up it goes and comes... like a reverse zip line.. if that makes sense.. basic idea anyway.

 

[lumberjack]

TNT has a couple of used mini's that can be had on the cheap ($3k). You could get the mini and a blank plate and use logging tongs until you had money for the proper grapple.

 

[Stumper]

Andy, Brian's blocks slings, ropes and skid logs out to the road is proabbly best. A really good wheelbarrow or large wheeled cart can serve you well on flat ground. Best deal is find something better to mess with than firewood.

 

[sawinredneck]

TNT has a couple of used mini's that can be had on the cheap ($3k). You could get the mini and a blank plate and use logging tongs until you had money for the proper grapple.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM................................

Got a link Carl

Lots of things can be done with a mini ya know

 

[CurSedVoyce]

P E R K ! Mini!

 

[lumberjack]

I'll PM you his cell number. The machine has about 1k hours on it, but the engine should still be fine (25hp Kohler) although the pump may be getting tired.

I'm sure you know that replacing the pump isn't a big deal. It currently has 2 section pump although I don't have a need for a 2 section. Even a 2 section can be had on the cheap.

It's a Thomas mini, same as mine, Brendon's, and Mangos, to name a few.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Me thinks I need to save some money and get with Carl..

 

[squisher]

If I were saving money to 'get' with someone. It sure as hell wouldn't be Carl.

 

[top hopper]

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahahaha.

 

[okietreedude]

redneck, whereabouts you cutting? Im not that far from you and if your getting 2.5 cords per trip and didnt mind sharing, I could bring my mini and we could each get 2.5 cords and score bigger time. Im always looking for more oak.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

VERY FUNNY GUYS... LOL
Get your minds out of the gutter..

 

[lumberjack]

For the record they aint mine, he doesn't have many (maybe just 1) of them, and I aint speaking for him.

The new boxers he's dealin are fuggin sick.

 

[top hopper]

Id agree with that. The boxers are like no mini Ive ever seen.

 

[sawinredneck]

redneck, whereabouts you cutting? Im not that far from you and if your getting 2.5 cords per trip and didnt mind sharing, I could bring my mini and we could each get 2.5 cords and score bigger time. Im always looking for more oak.

I am cutting in the Fredonia area, eightish miles straight south of Toronto.

 

[squisher]

Toronto! Can you see the CN tower?

 

[sawinredneck]

Toronto! Can you see the CN tower?

'tard

 

[Ax-Man]

Andy, sorry, I am not going to be much help other than to say to check into the rental of a rubber tracked skidsteer or find an old tow truck with a good winch. I saw a logger work with a 1 ton with a winch and a A frame. These small winches in the catologs aren't going to cut it for pulling trees if they are any size at all to make it worth your while.

I know where your coming from with this sandy ground business. We were asked to look at a job after a windstorm that had about 4 big oaks that had uprooted. All the trees were located below a hill on what was basically a flood plain with very soft sandy ground. Not good for fully loaded trucks with chips and dragging a chipper behind it and a grapple truck all loaded down with logs. I had experience with this before and it wasn't a good one even though the ground was dry our chip truck was really working to pull and position a chipper in that soft sandy ground.

We figured the job wasn't worth it unless we had some kind of loader. We priced it so high that we could rent or outright buy a loader. I wasn't about to pay a towing service to winch a truck out of a soft spot. Been there done that.

The owner was a little eccentric any way. I think what he wanted to hear us say was for us to do the clean-up work for the oak wood. No way of course as the wood wasn't worth the time and effort for what you would get for it. He finally found someone. My neighbor. He was all hot to trot over this deal and made him a 50/50 deal. He was doing all the work cutting and splitting stacking brush and so on. It lasted aqbout a week to 10 days and he quit. The owner thought he getting screwed somehow and then wanted him to do extra. The straw that broke the camel's back was when he asked him to dig down about a foot below ground to cut-off some scrub trees growning close to these windthrow root balls. That pissed him off royal I guess. Makes me glad we didn't get involved. I had a bad feeling any way about that job.

My hat is off to you if you are going to cart wood a 100yds.

 

[sotc]

electric= slow

 

[sawinredneck]

Decent ideas Larry!! A 4x4 tow truck, hmmmmmm....

I went out today, no love at all!!! I got in th drive to the field and saw water standing! I about got stuck just trying to back out empty! No wood today!
Afew pics so you have an idea what I am talking about though. The blow down is 32".