WLTB Skidder...

[Thor's Hammer]

Not sure if this is worth doing, but I'm possibly looking for a Skidder. CAT, JD or TJ, something around the 240 / 380TJ.

Thing is, I don't want a grapple skidder, I want a twin winch machine. (Pics of similar below) Not sure if that was even a thing in the US.

Anyway, if anybody sees anything like this, pass me the link on.

Thanks.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've never seen one like that. Why do you prefer it over a grapple?

 

[Reddog]

Never have seen a twin winch in the USA or Canada.
Always thought it was a slick setup with the winch plate being adjustable up and down.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

grapple is great for lots of trees laid by a buncher, or single BIG stems. On the poplar we're cutting, the brand new JD 548 grapple skidder can only grab 2 12m lengths at a time, but could easily pull 6 or even 8 pieces. Which is possible with a double drum winch.

 

[cory]

Good looking machines there. Never heard of or seen em in the US

So the whole arch drops into the dirt when winching? Interesting

 

[Thor's Hammer]

That particular one is made by CAMOX of france, who used to be the Timberjack importer. A lot of timber is winch up very steep slopes to the tracks, so anchoring your machine well is essential.

 

[cory]

Often I would hook the front blade on a stump or tree marked to be cut, to get the necessary purchase for winching uphill but that method of anchoring the arch is more versatile

 

[stig]

But that would mean the driver had to step out of the machine in order to hook the cables up.

That wouldn't work around here.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Your extraction guys using grapple skidders Stig?

 

[Dave Shepard]

I've seen a ton of machines like that on YouTube. The videos are usually in French. I think there are a lot of them in Canada. I've also seen a couple in German. Grapples suck in selective harvesting.

 

[stig]

They are a bunch of lard asses who don't step out of the cab unless they absolutely have to, so yes.


It is an old traditional feud here.
The fallers look down on the forwarder/skidder/harvester guys for not being brawny, manly men and they in turn look down on us for being too stupid to operate machinery larger than a chainsaw ( Which they would be unable to lift)

 

[squisher]

I've seen a ton of machines like that on YouTube. The videos are usually in French. I think there are a lot of them in Canada. I've also seen a couple in German. Grapples suck in selective harvesting.

I've never seen a critter like that around these parts. Maybe a eastern Canada thing?

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Grapples have their place, but so do winches. I might buy a little CAT 518 grapple and put a second winch on it.

Stig, in my crews, everybody has to be capable of doing any of the tasks. I've always encouraged a spirit of co-operation, so fallers will help set chokers, and skidder / forwarder drivers will go out of their way to help fallers, shifting brash, carrying their equipment etc.

 

[cory]

It is an old traditional feud here.
The fallers look down on the forwarder/skidder/harvester guys for not being brawny, manly men and they in turn look down on us for being too stupid to operate machinery larger than a chainsaw ( Which they would be unable to lift)

I totally get it but that is still hilarious. It reminds me of a military question: Who is more elite- fighter pilots or Navy SEAL type commandos?

shifting brash, .

What is brash?

 

[lumberjack]

Brash=brush

 

[Thor's Hammer]

I totally get it but that is still hilarious. It reminds me of a military question: Who is more elite- fighter pilots or Navy SEAL type commandos?



What is brash?

Carl knows it. Brash = Brush.

Military answer -

 

[cory]

OMG perfect!

 

[stig]

Ed, it is not like that any more.
That was back when I worked the private forests belonging to the estates of the gentry.
Back when they actually had people working in their woods and living on the estate. Today everybody are hired guns, like me.
So the hierarchy thing with loggers/machine operators is a thing of the past.

Your post just reminded me of it, so I brought it up.

We run our crew the same way. Everybody can do anything: climb, fall, rig and drag brush.
One exception, I refuse to operate heavy equipment, because I totally suck at it.
Since Richard loves it ( Give him a copule of years after I leave him the business, and he'll own a couple of forwarders and a harvester) and is very good at it, I leave it to him.

 

[MasterBlaster]

SEAL > Naval Aviator

The Navy doesn't have pilots.

 

[HolmenTree]

Never saw dual winch skidders in my area.
I can see from the pics there's no chokers , just choke wih the mainline.
Probably used skidding big hardwoods in rough terrain.
The lowering arch/butt plate would help anchor the machine while winching and keep long butts from winching up under the machine

 

[SoonerFan]

The Navy doesn't have pilots.

I respectfully disagree.


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