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Compact Logging Arch Built For Small Tree Farms
"It's small enough to fit through narrow openings between trees without scarring them, and light enough to keep from tearing up the ground. Yet it'll handle logs up to 70 ft. long with no problem," says Thomas Esteb, Yacolt, Wash., about his home-built logging arch.
Esteb operates a small tree farm and built th
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Compact Logging Arch Built For Small Tree Farms WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 31-6-35 "It's small enough to fit through narrow openings between trees without scarring them, and light enough to keep from tearing up the ground. Yet it'll handle logs up to 70 ft. long with no problem," says Thomas Esteb, Yacolt, Wash., about his home-built logging arch.
Esteb operates a small tree farm and built the logging arch to pull behind his ATV. Made from 2 1/2-in. dia. exhaust pipe, the 2-wheeled unit measures about 4 ft. long and weighs only about 70 lbs. It's equipped with a 3,200-lb., 2-speed, hand-operated winch. "The lifting point is located 14 in. ahead of the axle, which eliminates all the friction of one end of the log dragging and makes it much easier for the ATV to pull the log without spinning its wheels," says Esteb.
He uses the logging arch to thin out 25-year-old Douglas Fir trees that average about 65 ft. tall.
"Last year I used it to haul 171 logs out of my woods in just two and a half days. The trees averaged 12 inches in diameter and were anywhere from 60 to 70 ft. long. The tongue has a 2-in. ball hitch welded onto it that's free to swivel 360 degrees. As a result, I hardly even know that the logging arch is behind me," says Esteb. He has worked in the timber industry all his life, but never logged his own woods because he saw what happens when you try to thin out trees with tractors and conventional logging arches. "I wanted a logging arch that would work with an ATV, but I wasn't satisfied with the ones on the market. On most commercial logging arches, the winch is located directly above the axle so all the log's weight goes onto the logging arch and the ATV's wheels just spin."
He says the unit can also be used to lift and haul 600 to 800-lb. rocks.
Esteb says he's willing to build the logging arch for about $1,200. He says he also plans to build a model equipped with an electric winch.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Thomas Esteb, Jr., 26218 N.E. Gillette Road, Yacolt, Wash. 98675 (360 686-3927 or 360 921-5097; thomasesteb@yahoo.com).
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