B7100 Skidding Firewood

[Piker]

Worked 6 hrs. today with my 1980 B7100 cutting & skidding firewood. Pulled with 5/16" galv. chain & slide hook attached to my 3 point "hand crafted" trailer hitch/skidding attachment. Geometry isn't perfect (trailer hitch sticks out too far - will fab up a shorter one with a loop only, no ball) but damn it worked good! Never once attempted to lift the front of the tractor even when I couldn't lift the logs & had to drag them all the way. The only log that the little Kubota refused to pull was a 16", tree-length Maple that I had to cut in half (2 X 16'). Having the ground frozen & a little snow helps also. Should finish cutting/skidding tomorrow morning & then start chunking up to take home. The Kubota is amazing, small enough to get anywhere I'm cutting without cutting/clearing roads & light enough to get across the small stream/black bog without breaking through & strong enough to handle any tree I want to cut. Beats working for a living!

 

[skeets]

I have got to learn how to WELD!!!!

 

[Stumpy]

That looks like fun! I've dragged small stuff before with garden tractors but that's real work.

If you want to learn to weld stick is the cheapest to get into and one of the harder ones to screw up.

 

[Piker]

Yer right Stumpy, get a used 220v stick welder & go to it. I learned on a $100 Miller Thunderbolt. I've built all my gardening implements for my Kubota, my 3 point swivelling rear blade & a mount for a front blade that I raise/lower with a 12v winch. I have the best luck with #6011 for rusty stuff & #7014 for covering it up & for everything else. Some welds aren't text book pretty but nothing has ever let go. Worked the snot out of my B7100 again today & my "hand crafted" trailer hitch/skidder attachment is still in one piece.

 

[Kingcreek]

I've got a home-made chain skidder for my quick hitch. I've got some logs to bring out this weekend. One of them is a storm damaged black walnut 3 feet in diameter. grunt work and I'm gonna have to take it in several pieces!