From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Dragging Logs
Date: 29 Dec 92 17:57:18 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <C00uwF.601@ruacad.ac.runet.edu> ddabay@ruacad.ac.runet.edu (Dave Dabay) writes:
|In article <1992Dec28.203756.2596@nntp.nta.no> BARANSKI@veamf1.nusc.navy.mil (Jim Baranski) writes:
|>I have 15 acres of hilly woods which needs to be thinned out.  I have about a
|>semi of 1-2 ft diameter red oak, hemlock and beech which I would like to cut
|>down, and cut into beams and boards and use for various projects.

|>What's the best method for dragging logs?  Tractor?  Horse?  Other?  What size
|>tactor would I need to drag logs?  I don't currently have a tractor, and I
|>don't really want to spend a lot of money for a huge tractor, but if I can drag
|>the logs with a small tractor, it might be worth it.  How much HP would I need?
|>Would a 'garden' 20 HP tractor do it?

|Unless you are experienced with logging with a horse, stay away form this 
|method as you could hurt both the horse and yourself.  There is definitelt
|an art to logging by horse on a hill.  On the flats you should be OK.

|Small "lawn" tractors are also fairly useless as they just don't have the 
|weight and pulling power to do what you want. 

You need *big* tractors.  A lawn tractor wouldn't have a hope even on the level.

I used a 12HP lawntractor with tire chains and weights to help dismantle the bottom
4 feet of a 24" diameter tree that broke into three ~150 pound pieces after
being sawn off at the stump.  Even downhill, the tractor had major problems
pulling the pieces 20 feet.  And ripped up the area something awful.

Tractors:
	- are hideously dangerous on slopes.  Even on the level they can
	  rotate over on top of themselves when you hit a snag or the log
	  simply decides to bury itself.
	- tear the ratshit out of the terrain.

Horses:
	- are smarter than a tractor, and better know their limits...
	- are less damaging, and have better ability to adjust direction
	  of pull.

Your best bet is to enquire around and see if you can get someone to do it
for you.  Decide for yourself whether tearing up the place is worth the
ease of finding people with tractors who're willing.  Ie: get a pro.  Either
route, get someone who knows how to do this.  Especially with horses.

You will often be able to find someone who's willing to pull them out for
you at the cost of a couple of the logs.

|The safest (read slowest) is to use winches, cables and comealongs.  Be 
|cautious of using an F-150 as an anchor point....I have seen them (the 
|truck) hanging in trees before, when a winch gets out of control or the
|truck slips..

I'd be *real* careful about using fixed-point comealongs.  Getting logs
to move requires small jerks and direction changes.  With a comealong, you
only have pure pull - more likely to break something.  It'll work mostly,
but with lots of pulling, something's liable to go.

|Be careful

F'r sure.

|>Another idea I had was to have a small cart with a electric or hydraulic winch
|>powered by a battery or lawnmower sized engine.  I could haul this thing into
|>the woods wherever I wanted to pretty easily, chain it to a tree about a cable
|>length away from the log in the direction I want to go, reel out the cable,
|>latch onto the log and drag it up to the winch, and repeat untill I have the
|>log where I want it.

|Sounds intersting...

Same problem as with comealongs.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca