Thoughts and Observations on equipment selection for Low Impact Logging by Ryan Willock
I am going to start off where we left off last time, talking about equipment. I prefer to call the European style of logging that my wife and I practice Low Impact logging. We really try to focus on doing as little damage as possible while increasing the quality of the residual stand. To do this we carefully evaluate each tree on an individual and collective basis. I then proceed to individually fell the trees selected for harvest with a chain saw. My wife or myself then skid them out to a landing which is a place where we will buck them into logs and load them on a truck.
To properly get the trees out without undue damage to the remaining stand requires the right sized equipment. We prefer four wheel drive farm tractors with front end loaders in the 75-100hp range. As stated in the last post, we have two New Hollands, a TN75 (75hp) and a T5050(100hp). We like tractors in this size class because they are very flexible. We use them in our beef cattle operation and for logging. I have logged with as small as a 40hp compact tractor when in real tight spaces with smaller timber such as in a small timber stand improvement cut. On those jobs usually there is not much in the way of larger saw timber if any so the smaller tractor works well.
The size tractor that is required is based on multiple factors. There is a big difference between someone who is going to just take care of a few acres that will be primarily firewood and someone who is logging daily at least part of the year professionally for a living. Terrain and size of the timber also plays a very large factor. The steeper the terrain up to a point the larger the tractor. This is primarily due to the need for more machine weight for stability. Light tractors are NOT your friend. I highly recommend filling all four tires with fluid for increased traction and stability.
How to select you tractor?
If you are purchasing a new tractor ask you dealer about tire spacing during pre delivery setup. Most dealers include tire spacing in their standard setup cost. I recommend having them set the spacing to the most popular for your area. That should give you the best stability. Having said that not all tires combinations can be adjusted, such as R4’s which are popular on compacts. Most of those the wheels have no provision for adjustment. I don’t recommend R4’s for general logging or farming/homesteading anyway due to lack of traction. They are really dangerous on wet hillsides. I much prefer R1’s, and on larger tractors wide R1 radials.
If a person is just taking care of say 5-20 acres and the land lays good they can do quite well with a 30hp-40hp small frame compact tractor. That size is still large enough to get out some smaller saw timber, usually one log at a time or multiple fire wood logs in the 8”-14” or so range. Regardless of tractor size you are much better off and safer to go with what the tractor will comfortably pull. If it feels like too much behind you, drop a log or so off and come back for them. When you are learning start with smaller loads and work your way up as experience allows.
The large frame compacts are where things really start to get more interesting. Those tractors are generally 45-60hp and generally weigh over 5,000lbs with a loader not counting the winch. One thing to watch out for is that some tractor manufactures are using cast aluminum in their rear ends. That makes the tractor lighter. Weight is your friend. A good quick way to tell is to see if a magnet will stick to it. Tractors in this size class are very popular with people that run portable sawmills as the increased weight allows them to also have more loader capacity as a general rule. They can also handle larger timber than the small frames. I like them for people that are managing their own land and up to about 30 acres or so. These are excellent choices for deer hunters managing their own land and for larger homesteaders.
Next up is the 50-75hp small frame utility tractors. This is the class where you start to get into real performance with logging. These tractors, especially at the upper end are where you get into pro use so to speak and are generally the most versatile. This size class will generally start somewhere around 7,000lbs set up with fluid and a loader and can get up around 10,000 for the upper end. They will handle skidding saw timber on a daily basis. They are just small enough to be able to comfortably haul behind a ¾ ton pickup but large enough to do the job under most conditions. All of the components on them are much larger and stronger than the compact class of tractors.
Last but not least is the 80-120hp class of what I call medium sized utility tractors. These would be your New Holland T4s or John Deere 5 series. These tractors will handle large saw timber day in and day out even in mountainous terrain like we deal with. They have the horsepower and weight to handle it while still giving us good maneuverability and a reasonably small but stable foot print. We get into a lot of 36” to 48” timber with ours and have no trouble skidding it out. Some times we take the whole tree minus the limbs and top then some times we have to drop back to a single short log. We take what we think we can get quickly and safely without over loading the tractor. If you are constantly having to drive and winch or the load is pulling you down hill when traversing a hillside then you have too much weight behind you.
How to select you winch?
Now that we have covered the basics of tractor selection lets talk about winch selection and pairing them up with a tractor to get the optimal performance from both machines.
The first question that people that are new to this ask is ”my tractor is xxhp, what size winch do I need?”. To me that is the third thing I’m normally worried about. First and foremost is what is the rear three point hitch lift capacity of your tractor? I like a winch to weigh no more than 30% of the lift capacity at 24” behind the link ends.
My preference is to be 20-25% possibly a little less. The reason being is once I winch the logs up to me I need to be able to pick up not only the weight of the winch but the logs as well. I don’t need to go up to full height, 8”-12” is normally enough to get them off the ground so that you aren’t plowing with them. As an example my TN75 has 4,000lbs at 24”, my EGV 55 AHK weighs right around 800lbs. It pairs perfectly with that tractor and we feel the performance is optimal. We could run an EGV 65 AHK, as we have the hp to do it, but it would be a little heavy and reduce how much wood we could skid behind us. Conversely the 55 is a little small behind our T5050 which has 5400lbs of capacity so an EGV 65 or even an 85 would be a better match up on that tractor for us with a 65 being a workable compromise as it weighs 1,200lbs. If you stay in those weight perimeters you should be in pretty good shape.
As far as winch selection I can brake it down like this. The smallest of them the EGV 35A is really good for someone who’s main point is just personal firewood use or around the homestead. This is not because it is built different from the larger ones. Quite the contrary. The 35/45/55 all have the same size three disc clutch assembly so they are built brute strong. At roughly 8,000lbs pulling power its still strong enough to pull a decent size saw log. The Egv 45 is a big step up at 10,000lbs capacity. That is the size where I believe you start to get enough power and production for heavy use in saw timber or large scale fire wood harvest. For someone with either a lot of their own timber to harvest/manage or someone looking to make a full or part time living logging, I highly recommend the 55/65 size of winches. That is a real sweet spot. The larger ones are really good for some one running T5 or T6 size tractor looking to put out the highest possible production. At this point you will probably have at least one or two other people working together as a crew to maximize things.
Mechanical or hydraulic winch?
Last would be the choice between a mechanically operated winch or a hydraulically operated one. One of the big things that I really like about Tajfun winches is the fact that you give up nothing as far as quality or durability between the two. On a model to model comparison (ie, a 45a to a 45AHK) the only difference is the hydraulics operate the clutch and brake instead of the manual act of pulling the ropes. Its the same internals. So some one starting out on a budget can start with a manual winch and if and when they chose they can sell that one and upgrade to a hydraulic. We run the AHK Sgs, which are hydraulic with powered upper pulleys which makes pulling cable much easier on us, especially in our terrain.
Another big benefit is that the powered upper pulley maintains some level of tension when winding up loose cable. Tajfun winches spool the cable up nicely anyway so does the increased distance between the top pulley and the drum. That is one reason the pto shaft is offset so as to increase the distance as much as possible. We also run the radio remote control which again makes life much easier and greatly increases our daily production. A 75hp tractor like ours running an EGV 55 will compare very favorably to a JD440 size skidder in average conditions. I’m not saying it will pull as much in one drag necessarily but end of day production should be similar. Our T5050 gets similar production as our old JD 540B but with better maneuverability and far more versatility.
The great thing about this style of logging is the versatility and cost of the equipment involved. Most landowners and farmers already have a tractor or two sitting around so why not get as much use out of it as possible by adding a winch? With the declining number of family farms and the average age of the American farmer sitting at 58 years old this alternative form of income with minimal investment could help keep our kids on the farm and provide a livable income.