How do you do it?

Jehinten

Jehinten

Been here much more than a while
Location
Evansville
Just curious for the small up and coming businesses, how do you load the larger wood? I'd love to have a mini but that's not the currently in the cards. Do you guys just muscle it into your trucks and trailers? I have incorporated a winch into my operation which helps tremendously, just wanted to see what other options are out there
 
I cut it all into firewood lengths and throw it or roll it into the trailer. If I have really big rounds, I take the log splitter with me. Stand the bed up vertical, roll the big rounds up to it, flop them over under the splitter and start splitting it up. Time consuming, but I can get it all out of there by myself.
 
I've done all of the previously mentioned before, and still do when there's not much to load.

Here's a couple of pics of what I've been using lately. I've got a winch mounted to the front of my chip box, and a pulley at the back of it for lifting the wood. It's not a perfect solution, but it has saved me a lot of work.
 

Attachments

  • 20170409_171035.webp
    20170409_171035.webp
    483.7 KB · Views: 110
  • 20170502_132913.webp
    20170502_132913.webp
    129.7 KB · Views: 106
Find a grapple truck service.

Do not muscle it. Finesse it. I used to wrestle boulders for trail work rock feature building. Granite is about 175-200 pounds/ cu ft.. There was no winning by trying brawn alone. Work smart.

Roll don't lift.

Buy an Alaskan mill and slab it and sell it.

Get a wood splitter, rent it when you're not using it (pays for itself over time), quarter the rounds. Get them onto hand truck or other dolly WITHOUT picking it up...let the ground do most of the work via the wheels and frame.

I welded 1/4" flat-plate 'horns' on my Harbor Freight hand truck ($100) 'blade'. 45 degrees off each corner, protruding about 3". Had it about 10 years now. Just bent the frame working the snot out of it with 8' oak mill logs. The horns help you to lever up a long log (smaller diameter) onto the blade near the COG which can then be swiveled, keeps the log from sliding off, and allows you to move through narrow areas lengthwise. Two of those would allow you to lever up two ends of a larger log. Strap the one to the tail end, handle forward/ under log, making a stationary axle. and the other hand truck at the other end is the steering axle.
These horns help you to get under larger rounds, too. A ratchet strap (already on truck) can bind the heavy round to the hand truck. It sometimes works better than my AT. It did today. We used both for various short logs and big rounds, according to size/ shape compatibility.

I can get pics later.


Oh, i dug up the thread I was thinking about, using Tom D's magic search tip that is in the Stickies. http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/hand-truck-modifications-easy-and-useful.15476/

Unfortunately, a bunch of pictures are missing.
 
I like your setup. I've been thinking about a winch for the front of my trailer. I have pulled some big logs up my ramps with my fiddle block, but a winch would be better for that.

Are you a one man show? Do you haul all of your logs in your chipper truck?

I bought a log arch a few weeks ago and it has worked great for me and increased the size of wood I can handle. It works great for my trailer, but there's no way you could load a taller trailer or truck with it. An arch definitely saves your back and could get logs to your truck. There are couple of pics in a thread I posted recently: http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/fun-job-and-new-equipment-for-fledgling-tree-service.35522/

Keep in mind, you won't be able to move logs as big as the ones frashdog posted. An arch is not a mini skid, but they don't cost near as much either. I think they're a good option for a startup trying to avoid debt.
 
Early on I gave the wood away. I had enough work that I didn't need to spend time on firewood. I found 2 or 3 solid people that I trusted and just sent one of them the address. Cut it small enough to lift and left it at the curb. Raked up and rolled out. Home owners were accepting of this practice in my market.
 
southsoundtree said:
PS, to get better thread feedback, use a better thread title, such as "How can a small biz handle lg. wood without owning equipment"
Click to expand...

I did think about that, guess I decided on a little more mystery in the title. I've pretty much got the answer I was looking for, unless a new idea is added. It looks as if most people just muscle it in, or make friends with someone who owns the equipment, if they don't own it themselves.
 
CaPowell said:
I like your setup. I've been thinking about a winch for the front of my trailer. I have pulled some big logs up my ramps with my fiddle block, but a winch would be better for that.

Are you a one man show? Do you haul all of your logs in your chipper truck?

I bought a log arch a few weeks ago and it has worked great for me and increased the size of wood I can handle. It works great for my trailer, but there's no way you could load a taller trailer or truck with it. An arch definitely saves your back and could get logs to your truck. There are couple of pics in a thread I posted recently: http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/fun-job-and-new-equipment-for-fledgling-tree-service.35522/

Keep in mind, you won't be able to move logs as big as the ones frashdog posted. An arch is not a mini skid, but they don't cost near as much either. I think they're a good option for a startup trying to avoid debt.
Click to expand...

Some days I'm a one man outfit, but most days my wife helps me on the ground.

I've looked at those arches, and the trolly and have been giving both some serious thought. If your already considering adding a winch and see the benefit of an arch, you might look into one of these. Here's a video of arches mounted on trailers for loading large logs
 
I sub all of the big wood hauling. $250/load. I cannot manage my wood debris anywhere near that efficiently. Even the big companies in my market sub out wood hauling.

I managed debris from my first large tree by myself. Front yard, ~26" laurel oak. Cut 12" rounds, roll to curb, lift onto flatbed. By the end of lifting all those rounds 1' onto my flatbed trailer, I realized that I was not working in a sustainable manner. I bought a used high-hour mini skid and took on a loan. The mini broke down - everything broke except the hydraulic system - over the next two years. I felt like I was working for the mini, which was discouraging. When it's in the shop, it doesn't lift your logs, it costs a mechanic bill, and it still requires a monthly payment - a negative threefer. In retrospect, I would have bought an arb trolley, and subbed out wood hauling from the curb. So much easier on the morale. @CaPowell is doing it right. Check out his posts.
 
Jehinten said:
Some days I'm a one man outfit, but most days my wife helps me on the ground.

I've looked at those arches, and the trolly and have been giving both some serious thought. If your already considering adding a winch and see the benefit of an arch, you might look into one of these. Here's a video of arches mounted on trailers for loading large logs
Click to expand...

The arbor trolley is well worth the money. I use it on almost every job, except for the ones right by the curb. I load it up with my climbing bag and rigging gear for the first trip to the tree to save a little extra energy. It saves me a lot of time and energy dragging too. You can also move pretty big logs with it. The only problem is you have to get them loaded onto it. This can be a pain with big stumps when working by yourself.

I've seen videos of the trailer arch before. I'm still loading brush on a trailer though, so I don't know if it would be in my way dragging brush off. It wasn't bad in the video you posted, but I've seen some where the back of the trailer was super squat and the back of the truck was off the ground. I was wondering what kind of impact that would have on your leaf springs after repeated use.
 
frashdog said:
Become friends with a guy with a truck like this who has an out door wood boiler. kboom can lift 7000lbs naxt to it onto a 20' flat bed dump. He thanks us! Cuts some of our big jobs in half.View attachment 44283Buy a mini (like the toro TX1000)
and branch manager grapple!
We loaded this pig with it! back up to log, get one end in, go to the other end and lift and shove!
View attachment 44284
Click to expand...


I actually just looked at something like this. I'm just starting out and currently have my Toyota Tacoma and a 5x8 trailer. I want to keep large sections of wood when possible for milling in the future, so I thought to my self how something like an 4x4 International 7300 with a knuckle boom crane and flat dump bed would be perfect. It would be perfect, and they actually had the exact truck I wanted already spaced out sold and sold to another customer, for $220,000!!! I knew medium duty trucks weren't cheap but I almost passed out when he said that price. Apparently the palfinger crane and bed were around 90 grand by them selves but good God that was a sweet truck.
 
I saw this a while back:

I know the name of our game is efficiency. This isn't nearly as efficient as a loader, but might be good for the right situation. Fewer cuts and less lifting is always a good thing as long as it doesn't take way too much time. I often think that something would be easier and then have to ask myself how long it will take to do it that way.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom