[perchhauler]

P.S. thinking of buying a gooseneck flatbed trailer. I could fit my corral pannels, skid cart, sled, arch, pvc lengths, and sheeting on it when starting a job, and I’ll weld uprights on it to haul logs on small jobs, good winch on-er and I’m all set..

[perchhauler]

I have corral pannels I can make 12’x12′ boxes for each horse.. If i want a roof over them I’ve used pvc tied in the corners with elbows, drilled to drop a bolt through, to make a frame for a tarp or you can tie a piece or two of old metal roofing on.. In nasty weather I put this close to my trailer for a windbrake..

[perchhauler]

Havent been on here in a long time, read your post, seems to be mainly a matter of opinion or better yet need.. If a machine is used on a landing to load logs, deck on a small landing, or work so a log truck can get into the landing I dont think its contaminating the operation.. As long as you’re still doing all your skidding and forwarding with horses you’re saving alot of young growth rather than having to put roads through a woodlot for skidders in a select cut or thinning operation, and thats what horselogging is about saving young growth when harvesting timber, looking at the future of the woodlot.. I have recently battled with the thought of possibly having to buy a machine for the landing myself but am trying to avoid it simply something else to keep up, break downs, ect.. I lived in Pa. all my life never needed a machine to load logs with due to all the tri-axle log trucks in Pa. having loaders, butbrecently I moved to Va. and not as many self-loaders here due to weight laws.. But think I’ll get by without having to buy a machine to load with, have found enough haulers with loaders, however it is handy to have something to load, deck, and clear a truck a path in.. Its all time vs. money, the need, and in my case if it can be avioded a mavhine for me is more of a pain to deal with, when its not needed all the time… Steve

[perchhauler]

Kat, a peavey is used like a cant hook but has the point to dig in the ground for more leverage.. I actually like the cant hook better, I have a short handle and a long handle cant hook and only one peavey.. Not sure of the origon of these tools.. Steve

[perchhauler]

I sometimes use a skid cart with a team, but just ground skid when using a single horse.. You can use a scoot, or use a cart with shaft’s for a single horse… Steve

[perchhauler]

Jennifer, a tear drop is a grab link to slide your choker through, and adjust it at any length, its known as a tear drop because of its shape, I usually use a clevis on the single tree and two tear drops n chokers.. A cant hook is a hand tool used to turn or roll a log, they usually have a wood handle 3′ to 5′ long with a tong to grab the log, a peavey is similar, but with a point at the end.. Steve

[perchhauler]

Starting out part time is a good idea, I log somewhat part time myself.. I work a job thats seasonal, mainly in the summer, so in the fall winter and spring I log quite a bit, and in the summer when I’m working elsewhare I can cut on weekday’s after work and skid on the weekend.. As far as clients having you log their land because you’re part time usually will make no difference… Steve

[perchhauler]

You can log with one horse, but you dont have enough lift to log big timber with one horse, I usually just use one horse at a time for paperwood, however my horses are 2,100lb. drafts that have worked in the woods since started.. Starting out in the woods green, with a green horse is a very dangerous adventure!! If you have only ground driven your boy, and he’s never skid a stick in his life, I would consider checking into an older experienced logging horse for you to start with, til you get your feet wet, meanwhile you can be starting your boy, slowly working him into the woods.. You have to start somewhere, just be careful!! bare necessities would be, good work harness and well fitted collar, singletree, tear drop, chokers, two good saws, cant hook, and off you go.. You’ll get into your own groove so to speak and realize other tools you’ll need to do your job, but that much should get you started.. It would be a good idea if you’re able to tag along with an experienced horse logger for a while, hope this helps, best of luck, have fun:) and be careful!!! Steve

[perchhauler]

I can relate to your last post Carl, thats why I like my homemade skid cart sooo much and have never bought an arch.. My cart sits high like most arch carts, so the draw bar is up high, but its not an arch because my point of draft where my evener pins on is below the team pole, down low where it should be, just as if they were ground skidding or hooked to a sled.. On my sled I pin the evener to the team pole because its low on she sled.. My cart works very nice, I just cant pull over big stumps, and logs ect… Steve

[perchhauler]

Well, you boys will get a good laugh from this one I’m sure, but it works for me.. I’m not able to put pics on myself, however in the future I’ll try n get some of it and have my sister put em on for ya.. In a case where you have a little bit of big timber that has to come uphill out of a nasty hole, or a large tree hung my redneck horsedrawn yarder works very nice.. Its a home made heavy worksled, with an 8,500 lb. (100′ 5/16 cable on the winch) winch on the back, set my generator onboard to charge the battery, drag er to the top of a nasty steep grade in a situation where logs have to come up, and cable the sled to a tree.. Works like a charm:)! logging with horses, if you hang a big oak, sometime even a good team cant get er down, this animal gets you out of a pinch…. Ok, there it is, laugh away, but it works… Steve

[perchhauler]

Its bad around here as well, however most of the mills I sell to are still in business… I’m stuck in paperwood, just finished a paperwood job, and heading back into a paperwood job in the same general area, about 50 miles from here, I just bought a camper, gonna stick it on my landing with my corral pannels… For a while at the beginning of this thing every landowner and their brother were selling, scared, broke, who knows, but now not only is timber hard to sell, prices down but also work is very hard to find.. Landowners are hanging on to their timber, very wise, unless they have big red oak that are visibly going bad at the butt, abd will only make firewood soon, because this does not look like its going to turn around any time soon… So I’m about to just get into firewood, the paperwood I sold brought $32. a ton at the mill, actually very good for here, but the trucking eats you up… Better off screwing with firewood, hey its fun as well:)! Hurtin but keepin my chin up, my geldings, my mare, and my rottie help me with that one for sure:).. Steve

[perchhauler]

Hey thanks Jason!! The name kind of rings a bell, I have talked to Ira on Rural Heritage front porch, I’m a good two hours south east of Erie Pa., I’m on the south side of the largest tract of undeveloped/ state land in Pa., beautiful country… I log private land, alot of select cut, and thinning.. I work another job april, til winter kicks in, and I’m off most of the winter, so I get into the logging real heavy in the winter, and when I’m working my other job I cut on weeknights after work, and skid a load on the weekend… I have three Percheron’s, a pair of black geldings, and a grey mare, all 17.3 – 18hh range, close to 2,100lbs… I use a skid cart to forward big stuff, but I also ground skid alot, I find myself using natural skid trails alot and I can get around better sometimes without the extra length of a cart… Hey, I sold a black gelding to a show hitch last december, and bought a black gelding from a friend of yours in north western Nc., Scotty Greene, very nice people!! Looking forward to the winters work, and chatting on here.. Steve

[Author]

Posts