A set of log dogs, or tongs, and a boom pole are two of the handiest things you can own for that tractor. Also, that new tire sticker on the left rear tire is very satisfying!
Hahahaha! I see that sticker but can't bring myself to remove it! I was thinking about your tractor when I made my boom. I don't think I have enough lead in my pencil to keep the front end down if I made it as long as yours.
@@NorthwestSawyer heck i dragged a couple monsters up a hill with the boom pole gramps built ( about 5ft vertical then 1ft raduis 90° then 1ft horizontal. 3/8 slip hook at tip with 2 3/8 grab hooks on each end of 3/8 plate gusset reiforcement of radius) couldnt even use hooks cause it kept picking up my front end i had to wrap chain around the top link bracket.
One thing I’ve learned is you don’t want to cradle the log in the tongs but let it ‘pinch ‘the end of the log as close to the end as possible so you don’t bend up the tongs. Also by doing that once you stop at your destination you should be able to back up releasing the tongs and then pulling away without ever having to get off of the tractor. Just my two cents. Thanks for sharing your video.
Kirk DeHart, I agree, as I watched this I was thinking, he is making more work of this than needed, , but that comes with experience in using a particular tool, I am sure he will master this,
I have has one of those tongs for just over a year now using it with a 35 hp Tractor skidding mostly oak and hickory logs. That thig is amazing and has not let me down yet. If I can get it between the pnts, I can skid it if the tractor can pull it.
I just stumbled on this old video. I thought only I did this. The first thing I noticed when trying out my log tongs was some amazing traction! I can get into gnarly places and pull big logs out easier now.
Over the years, there has been a lot of logs come off the hills to saw mills with tongs. I have three pair that I use to gather firewood logs in the brush with my TO-30 Ferguson tractors. Logs drag a lot easier w/one end off the ground. good watch
The fender controls have got to be the best additions to a tractor in a long time! Gotta save tons of time hooking up stuff!!Nice boom addition to the 3 point rig!
Nice job on the boom set up! Me personally, I use a nylon choker, never lets go, especially on those smaller trees it did look like good quality though. Good luck and thanks for sharing 😊
I had a couple thoughts. Yes that rear mounted 3 point control is sweet! I tried a set of the Timber Tuff tongs, mine came with some weird points on them that were held on with C clips, I tore the points off and twisted the tongs first time I used them. Beware they are kind of soft. I also don't like the fact that your set up is on swivels and here is why. I have mine (which have no swivels) slung on a cross chain under my bucket with a shackle system that makes them hang 90 deg to my direction of travel. I can drive in centered up on log and usually drop them down and grab log ith out getting off Big Blue Tractor. That little notch you put in the top horizontal bar to catch your slack chain is a nice touch!
I bought a log tong, took down 2 cottonwood trees, one was 150 feet +, so cut logs into 8 foot sections and going to pull them with my truck, will drill a hole on each side to get tongs to hold, I only need to pull the logs around 30 feet. Hopefully it works
Those tongs work well. Your 3 pt set-up for skidding is very similar to what I made. I have a couple of old ones that I picked up over the years. One set the points are not at enough of an angle so it just slips off the log. They don't work for big or small logs. The other set works great for pulling or lifting logs.
I built mine out of 3"X6" I beam, with a hook on the end for the log tongs the new tractor it's hydraulics were stiff and slow but after a short while they loosened up and were easy to use. I would just back up to the log and lower the boom, then jiggle it a little and then the tongs would open so lifted it and brought it to be loaded . I did some 50 ,000 Bdft of that. The biggest log was 485 bdft. Lifting it higher keeps the sand/dirt off of where someone is going to cut. So the saw stays sharper longer. =s less work.
Sir: I think you got a great deal on those tongs! I learn a lot from your videos and they are great! You are a highly squared away individual! Thanks for all the great information! Semper Fidelis Bruce.
Good to see the tongs are working out for you man! We are close to loading the maple slabs you cut for us into a kiln, will be sure to send you some pics when we get them made into tables. All the best!
I've got a similar pair with replaceable spikes, they were worth the $$. You've got some great timber out there. Wish we had wood like that in New England.
I think your fabricated skidding rig is really cool. I've seen the tongs at Rural King and thanks to your review would be confident buying them. Thanks!
Great thing about tools with simple physics is that they dont care what price tag they have, they just do what nature intended as long as the material is strong enough. All tongs be good tongs as long as the tongs are tonging ;)
That is a very efficient system for moving your logs to your mill with not much effort. Plus your logs are much cleaner as opposed to dragging the entire log in the dirt and then having to clean the logs at the mill to protect your saw blade from dirt.
I've been looking for a skidding idea for my Kioti. You've hit the nail on the head with this one. I love the landscape in the Northwest. It reminds me of my time in Washington state. Anyway, thanks for the idea. Todd in New Hampshire at granitestatewoods.
Great video. I love your fabricated boom pole. I'll be purchasing a used John Deere 5100 shortly and could use a setup like you have. Would it be possible to get the dimensions, specs, and measurements of the steel used in your build?
That tractor looks too shiny to be in the woods. Also is nice to be able to gang logs up at a “staging area” then hook to a trip of 4 or 5 at a time to drag to the landing. Especially if you have a ways to go to get to the landing.
Ialso made one of these ,simular to youres but.a little diff(round pipe,heavy wall ),but the same princaple i was able to log out two tri axle loads of logs with it,with my old trusty 990 david brown ,and my old 064 stilh im 65 now so i dont go real fast but steady!
Thank you! We have just over 13 acres but our property backs up to thousands of acres of forest land. This time of year the creek runs so hard you can hear it from anywhere on the property. I’d like to build some off-grid cabins to air B&B
@@NorthwestSawyer That would be the way to go to make some money. I'd just be kinda crazy with people coming and going. You just can't trust people nowadays. That 10% is up to no good. But good luck with whatever you do my friend.
I have two suggestion for you, [ #1 ] would be to get a Arch type trailer to put on the back of the log to pick it up out of the dirt, suggestion [ #2 ] would be to invest in a battery operated chain saw like a greenwood 80 volt Lipton battery,bar length is 18 inches , cost about $350-$380, you could use to liming up the logs.
I have only one suggestion for you. Send me $2,000. 😬 I’m not worried about the log being in the dirt because my sawmill has a de-barker and if it’s too bad I can pressure wash them. If you watch my video called “saving oak logs from the chipper”, you’ll se me use this setup to drag oak logs out of a yard that I never would’ve gotten an arch into. The logs I was dragging here were merely to test the cheap tongs. I have three chainsaws I just didn’t feel the need to go through all the trouble for a simple test.
Thanks. That is a super helpful review...I've had those tongs in my Amazon list for a year. Now - how can I get you to build me that 3-point boom?!!! :-)
Typically you don’t want your lift point higher than a horizontal line of your rear axle.... that’s how you flip tractors over. Your tractor seems heavy enough, but keep an eye out. Very dangerous
That is true. Because I’m dragging the logs, the majority of the force stays inline with the tractor. If I got caught up steering around trees or stumps it could be a different story.
You have another good educational video. I noticed that you have some very large old stumps on your property. I'm guessing those trees were cut down in the early 1900s. I would like to have been there and watched them being brought down. Have you ever noticed if there's any notches in the stumps were the spring boards were put in? Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.
One of the first things I noticed when we were looking at this property three years ago was the huge stumps with spring board notches in them. Have some footage in one of my videos of them but have been meaning to do a "timber cruise" video showing some of the really neat history on my land. The lady we bought from said the stumps were young trees when Christopher Columbus came to America.
Where did you get the chain with the big spring clip/carabiner that you used in this video? Does it have a specific name? Also have you thought of using a separate chain from the tongs to the tractor draw bar to steady it some? I saw that on another video. Great boom design and video. Thanks.
At 1:48 your rear wheel lifted off the ground. Not good! You should consider having the rear tires filled with a liquid ballast. It lowers the center of gravity of the tractor and keeps you planted firmly on the ground. Good luck
Really impressed with your boom arm, worked perfect and keeps the log out of the dirt. Is there anything you can't fabricate or build (lol). 94 degrees and very high humidity here in southern Indiana. Did not get much done outside, too dang hot. Great video.
Nice test - do you think 17inch skidding tongs are a decent size for an amateur logging escapade? We've got a few dozen trees fallen down on our property and I wouldn't mind starting to collect this.
@@NorthwestSawyer good point. I don't think the logs will be too big, they all appear smaller than what you were grabbing. Thanks again for the review!
Boy they sure do look like they work great....and a side point...I'm not sure if that is your trade or if you were taught welding but dang your welds look perfect....I am impressed......thanx for another video.
Thanks, Don! I’ve been a heavy equipment operator for 26 years. I just invested in a really nice welder that makes me look like I know what I’m doing 😬
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_cFbOg2Rpsc.html This video shows a second one I made a little closer. It shouldn’t be too hard to copy it from the video. I just measured my tractor and built it to fit. Good luck!
It is. Here’s a video I made on it. 3 point reciever hitch and log skidding boom for John Deere ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_cFbOg2Rpsc.html
If you hit something and destroy or damage the blade while cutting wood for a customer, do you charge for the blade?If not and it is their log does that make a difference?
@@NorthwestSawyer I'm excluding cannonballs of course. It would be nice to see the setup on a better surface like gravel and a shed structure over to protect it. I saw a vid where they pressure washed the log to get gravel off that had been ground in while dragging it around the yard. I know the Woodmizer has a device that scores the log and removes the bark on the cut line. Rather like a scoring blade on a tablesaw.
