[Does’ Leap]

We use a huge tire off a front end loader. I built a simple wood deck inside the tire, sit on the tire itself with my feet inside, and wrap a chain around the tire. It does a great job packing ski trails weighing 500+ lbs. You should be able to get a free tire from any contractor with large equipment.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Mark:

I post my pictures on picassa.com. Once you have the picture on picassa (or any other picture hosting website), right click on the picture, select properties, and copy the http/ address. In your message on DAP, click insert image and paste the http/ address in (make sure the http address is followed by the jpg extension at the end). It should come out normal size.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Try Zimmerman’s Harness in Pennsylvania (717.354.5667 – phone). She is very reasonably priced and skilled. Refer to other threads regarding the length of the front trace (18″ ?) on the d-ring.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Thanks for the responses and advice. Seems like having the buyer/s here looking at logs is a good idea. Artie, looks like a great website, however the “tips” links are all non-existent. Do you know how I can access them?

Carl, you mention felling trees on “benches”. I have appreciated the usefulness of benches when I had inadvertently used them in the past and will try to plan accordingly in the future. What is your approach when there are no suitable benches and your limbed tree is partially embedded in the forest floor in need of bucking (a situation I continually find myself in) and the tree is too big to pull (or peavey) to a more suitable location for cutting into logs?

George

[Does’ Leap]

Iron Rose:

Nice unit. Did you build it? If so, how did you bend your runners or are they cut and re-welded?

George

[Does’ Leap]

Turns out the mill where I am selling my hemlock is not buying pine right now, but will start up again this spring. So I will have some time to develop a plan. In the meantime I will keep plugging away at the hemlock (price seems decent at $275/mbf).

So far the sheave seems best suited to my situation as many of these trees are down a steep bank. Bobsled also seems to be a good logging tool. Mark, I am a big fan of the cradle hitch and always use it on my bigger logs.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Thanks for the good information. Jason, I would be interested in more information on the cable and sheave as I only have one team of horses. Carl, I am looking at a bobsled later this week. Have you ever used a travis sled? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages over the bobsled? I believe the travis sled (sp?) is a bob sled with a rear sled attached? I have a friend who pulled a lot of logs with one and swears by it.

George

[Does’ Leap]

We had some sore shoulders this summer while haying. We tried both the felt and cloth-faced (deer hair?) pads with no luck. I have been using some new vinyl pads while logging this past month and so far so good – they seem to be working well. Like Scott wrote, they are not still wet the next day.

George

[Does’ Leap]

I use 20′ 3/4″ beta lines for ground skidding. I like the feel and handling of the 3/4 lines. Zimmerman’s Harness in PA (717.354.5667) sells them for $40 and will sell you one black and one brown (Jason Rutledge’s idea) so you know immediately which lines you have in your hand.

George

[Does’ Leap]

@TaylorJohnson 11633 wrote:

Most of the time a single. A lot of the time I just fell the trees and bucked them ( bucking had more to do with my plan that the felling as far as my skidding went ) so I could hook a drag and skid it to another tree , stop the team and back the cart up unhook the drag hook some more pull it up hook the hole load and go. Sometimes I would pull up to a drag , let some slack out on the load that I had on the cart, pull over the skid I wanted to hook , hook both drags , pull them ahead , back the team up, hook the slack drag tight pull ahead to even them , set them both and go. (In the time it took me to write this down I would have already been on the landing LOL. I am a better logger than typer for sure. )

When I fell a tree putting it in the right spot for the forest is the most important thing. The next thing I do is plan my skid. In the pine in the pics I would use my tape measure out 2 8′ mark the bark on the first one make my cut on the 2nd one. this pine was 6 to 8 sticks ( most any way ) so I would measure out the rest of the sticks wile I was limbing then fell another tree.
After I had 2 fell , limbed and marked I would decide were to buck the wood so that I could easily put a skid together trying to keep every thing in at least 16′ lengths. Most of the time bunching the smaller logs up to the first cut letting the but cut log be hooked by its self. In this way in a row cut you can put big skids together with out a lot of trouble doing the hooking as I described up top.

Taylor:

I know this is a little off topic, but I am hoping you can explain your second paragraph. I cut and bunch logs like you mentioned in the first paragraph and I am interested in any new techniques. I couldn’t quite figure what you were describing.

Thanks.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Scott:

I have a Forest cart and like it a lot. It is well manufactured and does a nice job lifting the log. The seat on it isn’t great as it lacks suspension or springs. It is a real lumbar cruncher and I rarely use it. I plan to replace the seat soon. I have also made some modifications like a saw holder (a must, I think they now sell this) and a large box to hold chains, chaps, etc. As I become more comfortable with it, I am using it in situations where I never thought I could get a cart. If I can’t get the cart in, I’ll take a single horse unless it is a really big load. In summary, I highly recommend getting a cart and the Forest is a good choice, although I haven’t used other carts.

Good luck and keep us posted.

George

[Does’ Leap]

John:

Nice work and thanks for sharing. I’ve asked this before, but never mastered it. How did you get those pictures in your message? I can do attachments, but not the full pictures in the message.

George

[Does’ Leap]

We relied on intern labor for 10 years. For the last 5 years, we purchased workman’s comp for them for around $1200/year (we paid no stipend to interns just room and board). This summer we purchased the farm adjacent to ours. There is a family living in the new house who is working off their rent on our farm. We still have workman’s comp for this couple and they get their health insurance through the husband’s job.

Intern labor was generally high quality and cheap. However, it got tiring managing and teaching all the time. Now that we can afford to hire someone, it is a gives us a lot more freedom. Our new tenant/worker manages the majority of cheese production and rarely needs direction now that she’s trained.

Hope this helps.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Thanks for the replies. Anyone have a particular brand of punch they can recommend?

George

[Does’ Leap]

Our two geldings were only shooed in stocks and were not used to having their feet handled. We put up an electrified round pen 50′ in diameter. We worked on their feet slowly, using a rope to lift them up. 10 seconds rest. 20, 30 seconds, etc. We then started picking them up, same routine. If they put their foot down, we would send them for 5 – 10 laps at a trot or longer until they chose to come to the center of the pen. The center is where we worked on their feet. Then we would start over picking up their feet. There is a lot on round penning. I happen to have a Clinton Anderson DVD and like it. Our horses are perfectly relaxed now having their feet trimmed, handled, unwrapping logging chains, etc. The round pen works well b/c the horse is choosing to have their feet handled rather than trotting around the pen. It may take them awhile, but eventually they figure out it is easier to pick up their feet.

Good luck.

George

[Author]

Posts