Small Log Skidder Handles Big Logs

Small Log Skidder Handles Big Logs WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 34-4-17 "It lets me skid logs that far outweigh my tractor, and is also equipped with a winch that lets me haul big logs up the steepest hillsides," says Gene Geiss, Enumclaw, Wash., about his home-built, 2-wheeled log skidder. The heavy-duty tow truck winch is belt-driven by a Briggs & Stratton 6 1/2 hp engine that mounts on the skidder's frame. "The winch lets me park the skidder at the top of a hill and block the wheels against a tree stump, then winch logs up onto the hill and skid them out," says Geiss. "If the log is too heavy for the tractor to drag out, I can lift the back end of the log onto a separate dolly so that it's completely off the ground. "I like this system because I can use it with a small tractor and get into tight places. Some commercial skidders can handle big logs but they can't winch them up steep hills. Or if they can, they're so big they require a big tractor that can't get into tight places." He used 1/4-in. thick, 3-in. sq. tubing to build the 2-wheeled dolly, which has an open arch design. The wheels are off a Ford Bronco and were reversed so the valve stems are on the inside, protected from trees and brush. A pair of levers are used to operate the winch's clutch and brake. He made a metal subframe on the skidder and mounted the engine crossways. The engine belt-drives the worm-drive style winch at a right angle. "The winch has a multi-disc clutch so I can disengage the worm drive and freespool the cable out. That way I can leave the engine running at idle all the time I'm using the winch," says Geiss. A separate dolly on back is used to support big logs weighing 1,500 lbs. or more. Geiss uses the skidder's winch to lift the front end of the log off the ground, then places a block under the log just back of dead center to form a pivot point. He releases the brake and lets the front end of the log down, which causes the back end of the log to lift up off the ground. Then he walks back to the dolly and places the wheels under the back end of the log. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Geiss, 21840 S.E. 364th, Enumclaw, Wash. 98022 (ph 253 833-6607; geissmetal@hotmail.com).

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