(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Tips on skidding logs (Tops)

J

JW Axtell

Member
'53 Ford Jubilee.
I am looking for tips, ideas, or advice on log skidding with this light (and old) tractor. More accurately it's not really logs as I am cleaning up after the loggers; collecting the tops for firewood. Still, it's oak and pretty heavy. This involves dragging them some distance to a open meadow.
Today I experimented some. After dragging the top out of the heavy brush with a long chain I backed up to straddle the log with the 3 point then chained and raised the end up. However, about half the time the chains slipped off the log. I would like to keep the butts up to keep the wood cleaner and to keep the butt from catching.
Anyway that is my current project and as said above all tips are welcome. Thanks
 
very dangerous, i have a 1954 naa, ok , here in indiana the tops of most trees weight more than the log portion of the tree & most tractors "wood" not pull tops out of a woods, but if the timber in your area is smaller & your on somewhat level terrain it happens... my 2 cents

trim the part of the top that is not going to be used, thereby leaving it in the woods to rot, stop errsion , and provide cover for a varity of creatures.. thus reducing the weight being removed... possible cutting some tops into 2 0r more pcs also... then i would only lift the 3pt enought to get the pcs moving, more tractors turn over with the lift all the way up with a heavy load not designed for them to pull.. hardhat & chaps,, have fun TreeBoy
 
I am using the 3 point just to get the butt up. From there I attach another chain from the tree butt to below the axle on a fixed central draw bar. This is what does the actual pulling. Still, I know what you mean. The NAA was never designed for this. But, that is all I have. So, like everything else, I make do.
 
I have uses two ways to skid logs.
The one I like best is using a rear mount
scoop open to the back. Back to the log and
slide the butt into the scoop, chain it in place,
raise the scoop & log end, and drag.
I have also used a rear blade turned
backwards. Back to the log, chain the log to
the center and lift blade and log. The blade
and log raise higher than just the three point.

Wraping the chain twice around the log helps
keep the chain from slipping.
I hope this helps you.
 
i have been doing this for years. it is alot of fun but also can be dangerous. keep your eyes on the front wheels while moving forward, and one foot on the clutch. if the front end goes high you can slam the clutch down. its better than flipping over backwards. also shorten the chain. somehow. iether rap it around the log a few times or something. with a shorter chain you will be better able to get the end off of the ground doing two things. one keeping it cleaner as you wanted two, putting weight on the back wheels giving you better traction just know the weight limits of your tractor. and i always hook the chain under the rear of the tractor on the sway bar bracket up about under the seat then over the drawbar down to the log end. this will give some weight control. if the tractor can't pick up the end then cut it so that it can and pull away. please be careful. it is not hard to get in trouble quickly.
 
To keep the chain from slipping off the logs........use a pair of skidding tongs bolted directly to the 3-point hitch drawbar; use a slip hook instead of a grab hook; make a small loop in the end of the chain and pass the chain through the loop (like a rope)so it will tighten up on the log. You can safely log with that tractor; I used a M-F 50 for years........
 
A neighbor made an arch to skid logs out of a junk 501 ford mower. "just the arch and cut off everything else. He then added a set of tongs mounted from the top center. Works slick.
 
If you've got a trailer that you can drag to the logs you'll be a lot farther ahead. Block them up where they're at and load the blocks on the trailer.
Friggen around with a Jube in the woods is a good way to get killed.

Rod
 
If you can get to them with a tractor, you should be able to get a trailor there too. Cut them up and load it on the trailor. If you drag them your chain saw chain will get dull faster from all the dirt.
 
It's oak and pretty heavy.
This involves dragging them some distance.
Straddle the log with the 3 point then chained and raised the end up. Keep the butt from catching.


With full weight on a raised three point hitch. That 9N will be up, over and on top of you the 1st time the butt of the log catches something solid.
Fire department pulled a ford off a neighbout two years ago. He was the lucky exception and excaped with bumps nd bruises. Happened to be pulling maple tops in the bush/forest/woods.
Pulling from a drawbar would be safer.
As previously stated unless you are using a grab/slide hook and a couple wraps of chain. The log is going to slide.
 
My dad and I skidded logs for years with an 8N Ford- it had a loader, so more resistance to flipping over backwards. We were just pullng straight logs, so little danger of snagging on something- tops would be more dangereous, you need to cut off the branches before pulling. We just pulled from the 3 point drawbar- its actually safer than just a straight pull, because when you lift the front of the log with the 3 point, you eliminate the primary problem of the front of the log catching on a root or pothole and flipping you over. Would be willing to bet your're using a grab hook rather than a slip hook, hence the chain won't tighten under load, and it slips off.
 
I always cut them up where they were to keep the wood from getting dirty. That will dull your saw very quick. If they were big pieces I took my hydraulic floor jack along and raised them off the ground and put limbs under them so you wouldn't hit the ground. I often took my garden tractor & trailer along if the area was hard to get the truck in or the ground was soft. Hal
 
1) Are you using a slip hook on the log so it tightens? Are you hooking up to the largest end of the "log"?
2) Ask around to see if anyone in your area has a log skidder for small tractors. These skidders are a tremendous aid in moving wood with minimal dirt. (Having a FEL on the tractor makes almost all skidding safer)
3) Can you buck the wood in the woods and move it later with a trailer? You might be moving 50% less Weight and are most assured of not having dirt in the logs. No matter how you move wood by skidding it, it is hard not to have enough sand/dirt in the wood to dull a chain saw.
4) Does the ground freeze where you are at? If so it is almost always cleaner to skid on frozen or frozen and snow covered ground.

Having skidded a lot of wood with just a chain while using the 3 pt. I would have to confess that I never was able to keep it as clean as I wanted it to be. But good luck!
 
Been skidding logs the way Mike(WA) explained for a long time and find it to be efficient and safe.About the only thing I do differently is if the log is too far in to get the drawbar over the log I pull the skid chain out to the log,connect using the slip hook ,skid the log to where I can get the drawbar over the log, rehook ,raise the drawbar and off you go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
3 Days Wotking In The Woods
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
Frank 41
F
F
63 2000 134 gas front snout issue
Replies
7
Views
1K
showcrop
showcrop
K
Pulling logs
2
Replies
33
Views
6K
Zeusdog
Z
A
OT / Story on saftey issues-please add on
Replies
9
Views
1K
Anonymous-0
A
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top