How do you do it?

CaPowell said:
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.
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I'm not sure if I've seen the videos your referring to with the trailer squatting, but one thing to notice in the video I posted was the two trailer Jacks on the rear end of the trailer. These help support the weight as the log is being loaded/unloaded. Once the log is properly loaded, raise the Jacks and it is like hauling any other load, with no more strain on your truck than hauling anything else of similar weught.
 
Jehinten said:
I'm not sure if I've seen the videos your referring to with the trailer squatting, but one thing to notice in the video I posted was the two trailer Jacks on the rear end of the trailer. These help support the weight as the log is being loaded/unloaded. Once the log is properly loaded, raise the Jacks and it is like hauling any other load, with no more strain on your truck than hauling anything else of similar weught.
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Ah, I see the jacks now. That solves the problem. The videos I watched before definitely didn't have jacks. I would feel more comfortable with that.
 
So, another way is to rent a crane, right? A small operator can take on some jobs by craning butts and trunks to the curb and subbing to haul wood from curb. Not many jobs are like that, but I could show up to that job on a bicycle, sub $750, and gross the rest to my company... The overheads are low with that business model.
 
I've contracted with local tree cos that have their own log trucks, crane ops who specialize in tree work as well. Unless its junk wood that isn't worth much more than firewood, I find a way to get it out in usable pieces. leave the wood in manageable lengths for a skid steer then rent one to haul it out. Do the math on the numbers and you'll find that the equipment will very quickly pay for itself in improved productivity and less wear and tear on you and the rest of your gear. The sooner you make the move the sooner the gains.
 
It's been a while since I started this thread, and I am doing things a bit different now.

Meet Mildred the miniScreenshot_20180719-204718.webp

We've been getting along pretty good the last week or so, and I suspect it will only get better once I get a BMG.
 
I would have to agree with the guys that are saying call the grapple truck service. When I first started my company it was just me and one guy. I noticed that when I called a grapple truck and on my larger jobs I could do $2500 a day instead of 1500 and most importantly I was saving my back. It’s 3:50 AM right now and I’m on my way into work. I was just talking to my wife in my garage about how if I would’ve known that my body was gonna hurt this bad at 31 years old I would’ve done some things differently 10 years ago. Be smart! You will not last forever, take care of your body or it will not take care of you. I used to be out there trying to be the bad ass picking up the biggest logs, and now my back hurts the most. Find a grapple truck service call and then when you need them. If you can’t put enough money on the job to pay for the grapple then don’t do the job because it’s not worth your health.
 
CaPowell said:
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.
Click to expand...


I have 'landing legs' that go down to support the rear of trailers that I put my mini or heavy logs on.

Blocks of wood beneath the rear of the trailer help avoid the squat.
 
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