2005 - Volume #29, Issue #2, Page #11

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Tree Skidder Makes Log Hauling Easy

Tree Skidder Makes Log Hauling Easy WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 29-2-11 Van Arnette can cut a tree of any size in almost any location, and pull it home with a small tractor without tearing up the road or yard, thanks to his home-built tree skidder. When he finds a tree on his farm that's dead or dying, he hires a portable sawmill to come in and cut it up into lumber. "I use the lumber to make buildings on my farm or do other projects," Arnette says. "I wanted a simple, low cost method of transporting single trees home for this purpose." The Hamer, South Carolina man built his log skidder using the frame and wheels from a large truck's front end. He added 8-in. I-beams from a scrap yard, and finished it off with a 2 1/2-ton hoist and chain. He simply hooks a chain around the butt end of the tree and hoists it up. "When the tree butt is higher than the bottom of the frame, you back the tractor up about three feet. That causes the hoist to move forward on the rollers (toward the tractor)," he says. "Then you use the hoist to let the butt down so it rests on the base of the frame. Next, you take another chain and tie the butt down securely to the frame. Then, you can take off and go anywhere. The small end of the tree is dragging, but it doesn't cause much friction or ground disturbance." Arnette points out that during transport, there's no tension on the hoist because the tree is lying on the I-beam frame. He originally made it to haul bulldozer blades, and thinks it could also be used for engine blocks or transmissions. He estimates that the unit can haul up to 6 tons. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Van Arnette, 1316 Pleasant Hill Rd., Hamer, S.C. 29547 (ph 843 774-6884).