Pulling trees, what to use?

[Stitchit1]

I just recently received my brand new m7060. Love it! What is the best way to pull trees with a tractor? On my rear blade for my L3200, I welded hooks onto a rear blade for choker chains. It worked great. However, with as much horsepower the 7060 has, I’m not wanting to do it the same way out of concern it may bend the rear blade. The trees are all limbed. Maples about 30’ long. 18” average diameter. Or just a bit larger. Is there a way to pull multiple at a time? I’d like to lift the butts of them up off the ground as I’m pulling. I’d think the drawbar for the 3 point would work? (Just wanting to know before vs after possibly damaging something on the tractor).

Thank you!

 

[Vlach7]

Get a larger tractor with a BH.

 

[Stitchit1]

Thanks! I actually have a Kubota kx057-5 so I’m all set in that regard.

 

[Bee-Positive]

Thanks! I actually have a Kubota kx057-5 so I’m all set in that retards

Let's not get personal.

Don't use the blade - get a 3 pt. log skidder. Depending on your needs and budget you can spend a couple hundred or thousands.

 

[Stitchit1]

Let's not get personal.

Don't use the blade - get a 3 pt. log skidder. Depending on your needs and budget you can spend a couple hundred or thousands.

Hahaha!!! Omg,…. I DEFINITELY need to correct that ! Thank you and thanks for the response.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

I think beyond pulling from draw bar, a step up would be using a skidding plate. If you want to take that up a notch I think logging winch (skidding plate with a winch)…something like this(but with an M probably could get a bigger unit - I believe they go up to a 150 model number with Wally but there are other brands. Link below has both the winches and stand alone plates.). If winch not enough for you, I think go full on slider, but my assumption is you want use tractor?!)

Wallenstein Equipment

All Wallenstein products are backed with a 5-year Warranty

www.wallensteinequipment.com

Wallenstein FX110

Good day. Weather finally allowed me to pick up the Wally FX110. I hope to play with that this when the ground forms up. It’s mud season right now. Hydraulic top link arrived recently so I brought that along too (it’s in the box leaning on the skidding plate.)

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[Stitchit1]

I think beyond pulling from draw bar, a step up would be using a skidding plate. If you want to take that up a notch I think logging winch (skidding plate with a winch)…something like this(but with an M probably could get a bigger unit - I believe they go up to a 150 model number with Wally but there are other brands. Link below has both the winches and stand alone plates.). If winch not enough for you, I think go full on slider, but my assumption is you want use tractor?!)

Wallenstein Equipment

All Wallenstein products are backed with a 5-year Warranty

www.wallensteinequipment.com

Wallenstein FX110

Good day. Weather finally allowed me to pick up the Wally FX110. I hope to play with that this when the ground forms up. It’s mud season right now. Hydraulic top link arrived recently so I brought that along too (it’s in the box leaning on the skidding plate.)

www.orangetractortalks.com

Would the skidding plate fasten to drawbar?

 

[Caden]

tractor with a BH.

Personally I would strongly NOT advise using a BH to drag logs.

As others have said there are dedicated skidding attachments but a drawbar on the 3ph is my favorite way to go. Gets you just enough lift.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Would the skidding plate fasten to drawbar?

The skidding plate is a 3pt attachment…logging winch also 3pt attach but it adds ‘more power’.

with the skidding plate assuming you could back up to log and choke it up to plate, when you lift the 3pt, it would lift the butt end of logs. Does that make sense?

 

[Stitchit1]

The skidding plate is a 3pt attachment…logging winch also 3pt attach but it adds ‘more power’.

with the skidding plate assuming you could back up to log and choke it up to plate, when you lift the 3pt, it would lift the butt and of logs. Does that make sense?

Ah! Yes it does. Thank you for explaining. I can back up to the logs/trees with no problem as I use my excavator to position them. I was told by a farmer that he would use a hood off an old bus. Back when they made them out of the thick metal. But it seems like there’d be a lot of drag on the road, causing a major rut in it.

 

[Stitchit1]

I came across this on YouTube and It looks like it may fit my needs quite well. Amazon makes me nervous tho. lol

https://a.co/d/0cltJU8U

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Ah! Yes it does. Thank you for explaining. I can back up to the logs/trees with no problem as I use my excavator to position them. I was told by a farmer that he would use a hood off an old bus. Back when they made them out of the thick metal. But it seems like there’d be a lot of drag on the road, causing a major rut in it.

I think if you wanted a cheaper solution you could make something (I did with the base of a back blade…there is a thread here somewhere with pics but I sure can’t find it) but also, honestly if you have a back blade or found an old used one, just put some hooks on the back side of blade and then you have something to choke the log chains to. I think that would work pretty well, although there would be more leverage on the machine with the work(logs) further behind the rear axle compared to a skidding plate…just don’t attach so many logs at once.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

I can’t find the thread of what I mentioned above but here is what I did…(catalog engineering at its finest)…there are much simpler and cheaper solutions online. Or just find a backblade and add some hooks or slots for the chains. (A logging plate would be cheaper than what I did but I was not aware of them at that time) maybe this will give you some ideas?

 

[NCL4701]

I take it you’re wanting to skid 30’ logs that are on the ground, not trying to pull 18”+ trees out of the ground. There are a variety of methods which vary in cost and efficiency. Generally, cost and efficiency are directly related. Also makes a difference if you need to be able to winch the logs from some remote place (steep, swampy, down in a bunch of other trees you don’t want to take out, etc.) before lifting and skidding with the tractor.

Probably the most efficient and most expensive would be a rotator grapple such as https://www.getbsg.com/3-point-tractor-grapple.

Next most expensive and efficient would be a skidding winch. I have a Farmi, which I like very much. Wallenstein has an excellent reputation as do several others.

Cheapest designed for skidding would be something like this. https://www.maxxtuff.com/three-poin...hain?msclkid=4a2b7d11103416b3f1ff170b1da12db3

Modern version of the old bus hood is a thing called a skidding cone. Never used one. Looks like it would be a bit fiddly to set up but don’t really know. https://www.portablewinch.com/products/skidding-cone-for-logs

Personally, I’ve used:
1) A pond scoop with a chain to the top of the scoop frame. Face the opening backward, extend toplink to angle down a bit to slide under the log(s), lift and chain it up to skid.
2) A chain from a shackle on the drawbar run over the back of a boxblade. Lift the boxblade and the front of the log(s) raise for skidding. Leaves a dent in the top edge of the boxblade and removes paint in said dent. Chain mark on boxblade is notable, but doesn’t impair function and works decently for skidding.
3) Currently use a skidding winch. Allows me access to things in areas far too steep to run a tractor.

All you need is something to get the front of the log off the ground. How you go about it depends to a large degree on whether this is a one time job or if it’s something you’ll be doing regularly. That and how challenging the terrain is.

Since people here seem to like pictures…


Skidding winch.
A couple chains and a boxblade, complete with chain scar.
Pond scoop (and the tractor it was used on). Take off the board to use for dirt work or skidding.

 

[Stitchit1]

I can’t find the thread of what I mentioned above but here is what I did…(catalog engineering at its finest)…there are much simpler and cheaper solutions online. Or just find a backblade and add some hooks or slots for the chains. (A logging plate would be cheaper than what I did but I was not aware of them at that time) maybe this will give you some ideas?
View attachment 175194 View attachment 175195 View attachment 175196

Wow! That’s impressive. Thanks for posting.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Wow! That’s impressive. Thanks for posting.

NP…last piece of advice I would offer is that winches are not cheap but they are awesome. After the first time you let a winch pull your log in, you will never want to do manually again (pun intended - they really are that awesome)

 

[NCL4701]

NP…last piece of advice I would offer is that winches are not cheap but they are awesome. After the first time you let a winch pull your log, in you will never want to do manually again (pun intended - they already are that awesome)

Regardless which way I read that; agree.

 

[NordTrac]

A skidding winch is awesome...

 

[SDT]

I just recently received my brand new m7060. Love it! What is the best way to pull trees with a tractor? On my rear blade for my L3200, I welded hooks onto a rear blade for choker chains. It worked great. However, with as much horsepower the 7060 has, I’m not wanting to do it the same way out of concern it may bend the rear blade. The trees are all limbed. Maples about 30’ long. 18” average diameter. Or just a bit larger. Is there a way to pull multiple at a time? I’d like to lift the butts of them up off the ground as I’m pulling. I’d think the drawbar for the 3 point would work? (Just wanting to know before vs after possibly damaging something on the tractor).

Thank you!

Those are large trees.

Pull one at a time and do not pull from your rear blade.

I've pulled hundreds of trees, some larger than 18", with and without limbs, and with various tractors.

I nearly always simply wrapped a chain around the tree and pulled away with the chain hooked to the swinging (not three point) drawbar.