Skidding logs with a 312-8

[Alrashid2 355]

I did see Harbor Freight had one a bit cheaper so maybe I'll go with that. I may actually have one laying around...

 

Thank you sir, and thank you all for your advice!

 

When the time comes I'll try to setup a tripod and snap a video!

[ebinmaine 69,413]

4 minutes ago, Alrashid2 said:

I did see Harbor Freight had one a bit cheaper so maybe I'll go with that. I may actually have one laying around...

 

Thank you sir, and thank you all for your advice!

 

When the time comes I'll try to setup a tripod and snap a video!

 

 

There's a time n place for Heavy Duty. 

Remember we're not pulling 60K lb trailers with 20K lb trucks here. 

All my rigging is older and heavily built but I wouldn't have a problem setting up a pull with a $10 piece instead of a $30 one.  

 

 

[Wayne0 684]

1 hour ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

One of the good ideas I saw someone do on youtube years ago was making a front sled type setup with the hood off an old VW bug.  They drilled a hole in the nose of the hood to run the chain through.  They would roll the front part of the log onto the hood, hood is upside down creating a sled effect.  Then wrap chain to log and drag it with the hood riding the front of the log over the ground.  It was going up and over about anything on the trail and not digging in on the front.  Just back end drag.  The hood metal was thick enough to handle this as he had been using it for years.  I am planning this or something similar if I can source the right hood or other piece of metal similar.  Thought about maybe a 55 gallon drum modification of some kind too. 

 

That's a @Pullstart deer drag!

[RED-Z06 2,368]

I put one of these on my loader tractors rear weight bar, drop on any trailer or use the hook.

 

ORCISH Trailer Hitch Tri-Ball Mount with Hook & Pin, Trailer Ball Size 1-7/8", 2" and 2-5/16", Fit 2 Inch Hitch Receiver, Max 10,000 LBS Ball Hitch, Towing Hitch for RVs, SUVs, ATVs, and Trucks https://a.co/d/0lzjFKf

[ebinmaine 69,413]

@OutdoorEnvy

 

I've seen a video wherein someone used a cut/shaped poly (something) barrel to make a firewood skid puller like that.  

Slick move. 

We've done similar things but smaller scale in the past. 

[Wayne0 684]

I just loop the chain over the hitch ball on the draw bar.

I can adjust chain length by running the hook back as far as i want, then hook it to the chain.

Slip hook is on the other end.

All my chains are set up with a slip on one end and lock on the other.

[Pullstart 63,357]

As for cloth/nylon vs chain:  If this were a 4,000+ lb machine using high horsepower and torque to move a stuck 4,000+ load, I’d use some nylon straps to give, stretch, and yank.  Chains are a huge no-no for that, because the tensile strength can load up a ton of energy and create a bullet if a link breaks.  I’ve put a chain through my back window and piled it up on the dash of my mud truck.  No more chains.  Tractors, skidding, and whatnot?  Absolutely chains.

[peter lena 8,957]

@Alrashid2  https://www.google.com/search?q=chain+hooks+for+loader+bucket%2C+chain+grab+hook+&sca_esv=9cf692461ce39f51&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS866US866&sxsrf=AHTn8zqnkz3MP2EWvRC3vAp2z47yPHNGTg%3A1738192880663&ei=8LeaZ9mOKJOu5NoPnMPl8QM&ved=0ahUKEwjZxs- makes a chain snag easy  .   also get a plastic snow boggin , for under tree slide . pete 

[adsm08 2,330]

How big are these logs? I didn't see that addressed at all. 10-20 feet at 3 inches across is a LOT different than 10-20 feet at a foot across. And a 2-feet across you have a sizable hunk of wood that a WH is not moving. I'd be skeptical that the physics supports moving a 20x1 log any distance with a garden tractor.

 

Remember, depending on traction your tractor and rider need to at least get close to, if not exceed, the weight of the load or you aren't going anywhere dragging it along the ground.

 

 

We lost a few big ash trees at work a few years ago and I needed the 4x4 in my truck just to get enough traction to drag them through the fine gravel where they fell. Those chunks were about 20x2.

[Alrashid2 355]

Thanks all for the continued advice and discussion!!

 

@adsm08 the logs I'll be attempting here are 5 foot long, maybe 16" diameter. The largest I usually have at the house are 8 ft long, 24" diameter... for years I've been pulling them by hand with a rope so I figured the tractor could do it!

 

6 hours ago, Wayne0 said:

I just loop the chain over the hitch ball on the draw bar.

I can adjust chain length by running the hook back as far as i want, then hook it to the chain.

Slip hook is on the other end.

All my chains are set up with a slip on one end and lock on the other.

Hey could you explain more what you mean? My thought was to put two grab hooks on either end and use that - is a grab hook the same as a slip hook? What's the difference between one end of your chain and the other? 

[Pullstart 63,357]

@Alrashid2 @Wayne0 here’s a good image example from the Google machines.

One end will lock into the chain links, the other will allow the chain to slide through, creating a constant choke effect.

 

 

 

[Alrashid2 355]

9 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

@Alrashid2 @Wayne0 here’s a good image example from the Google machines.

One end will lock into the chain links, the other will allow the chain to slide through, creating a constant choke effect.

 

 

 

Thank you, I understand now!

So can I not use the hook on the right to lock into a chain link? I see it's wider but could I not still click onto a link and it would stay on with the latch?

[Ed Kennell 39,585]

May be this will help.

Bing Videos

[Wayne0 684]

10 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

Thanks all for the continued advice and discussion!!

 

@adsm08 the logs I'll be attempting here are 5 foot long, maybe 16" diameter. The largest I usually have at the house are 8 ft long, 24" diameter... for years I've been pulling them by hand with a rope so I figured the tractor could do it!

 

Hey could you explain more what you mean? My thought was to put two grab hooks on either end and use that - is a grab hook the same as a slip hook? What's the difference between one end of your chain and the other? 

A slip allows you to use that end as a choker.

[Alrashid2 355]

Thanks guys will check out the video at lunch time

 

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, can I use the slip as a grab too? Id like to just make 1 chain with 2 slips that has multiple uses

[ebinmaine 69,413]

19 minutes ago, Alrashid2 said:

Thanks guys will check out the video at lunch time

 

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, can I use the slip as a grab too? Id like to just make 1 chain with 2 slips that has multiple uses

 

 

You can put the slip side around the log as the choker and use the grab end in a tight formation around something like a trailer ball or clevis pin through the tractor hitch. I've done that with good success.

[Alrashid2 355]

Ok maybe that's what I'll do then - slip on one end and grab on the other.

 

Maybe when I have them I'll understand more but was curious why I couldn't just use a slip as a grab hook ?

[ebinmaine 69,413]

1 minute ago, Alrashid2 said:

Ok maybe that's what I'll do then - slip on one end and grab on the other.

 

Maybe when I have them I'll understand more but was curious why I couldn't just use a slip as a grab hook ?

 

I'd have to see it set up to answer that accurately.

 

You'll find situations change with every pull.  

 

 

[Pullstart 63,357]

24 minutes ago, Alrashid2 said:

Ok maybe that's what I'll do then - slip on one end and grab on the other.

 

Maybe when I have them I'll understand more but was curious why I couldn't just use a slip as a grab hook ?

The end of the slip hook is physically too large to fit into the side of a chain link.  So, to safely use it if it has slip ends on both ends, would be basically full length at all times.  The beauty of the grab hook, is that you can make a short loop to drop over say a hitch ball, or you can make a large loop to cut the chain length in half.

[Alrashid2 355]

58 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

The end of the slip hook is physically too large to fit into the side of a chain link.  So, to safely use it if it has slip ends on both ends, would be basically full length at all times.  The beauty of the grab hook, is that you can make a short loop to drop over say a hitch ball, or you can make a large loop to cut the chain length in half.

Ahh I understand now I think! Like I said I think itd make sense once I have the hooks in my hand but looking at them next to each other online I see now that the slip hook is much thicker. Didn't realize it was so thick it wouldnt fit into a chain link!

 

Thanks pullstart and ebinmaine and everyone else who has contributed! 

 

Edited January 30 by Alrashid2

[Alrashid2 355]

Wanted to ask, anything wrong with this chain from Harbor Freight? The load limit seems well within what I'd use it for at 1900 lbs, and it's a much better price than buying it by the foot from Lowes or Ace. HF doesnt list the grade but I believe it is 5/16" chain Grade 30. 

 

Is Grade 30 good enough for my uses? Or do I need to upgrade to Grade 70? Doing some reading, it sounds like Grade 70 is always coated in that yellow/gold protective coating. Watching various videos online, I'm just seeing many garden tractors using silver chain, so that makes me think theyre using just Grade 30...

[TonyToro Jr. 1,703]

15 minutes ago, Alrashid2 said:

Wanted to ask, anything wrong with this chain from Harbor Freight? The load limit seems well within what I'd use it for at 1900 lbs, and it's a much better price than buying it by the foot from Lowes or Ace. HF doesnt list the grade but I believe it is 5/16" chain Grade 30. 

 

Is Grade 30 good enough for my uses? Or do I need to upgrade to Grade 70? Doing some reading, it sounds like Grade 70 is always coated in that yellow/gold protective coating. Watching various videos online, I'm just seeing many garden tractors using silver chain, so that makes me think theyre using just Grade 30...

Better to be safe then sorry.

[ebinmaine 69,413]

3 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

Is Grade 30 good enough for my uses? Or do I need to upgrade to Grade 70? Doing some reading, it sounds like Grade 70 is always coated in that yellow/gold protective coating. Watching various videos online, I'm just seeing many garden tractors using silver chain, so that makes me think theyre using just Grade 30.

 

2 hours ago, TonyToro Jr. said:

Better to be safe then sorry.

 

 

Definitely better as Tony says.

 

 

I know from my training in cranes that the various grades of any sort of lifting mechanism or rigging piece are supposed to meet minimum standards. That should be obvious. But it isn't necessarily.

 

One of the biggest mistakes that we find as Operators and Riggers is the lack of understanding between a static weight and a dynamic weight.

 

As eluded to in one of the previous posts on this thread you really should not do any sort of a jerking motion.

That would be a primary example of the difference between a static weight and a dynamic weight. Static non-moving weights can be a small fraction of the exact same item moving and causing Dynamic pressures.

 

I'm highly trained over the course of a couple decades in what I do and I'm very comfortable with the decisions I make and the mechanical equipment I've put in place.

 

 

I say all that to say this. Go big or go home. Don't go inexpensive or low capacity on lifting and pulling equipment.

 

I have purchased almost nothing new. Most of my things have been hand me downs either from family or places I've worked that couldn't use them because of improper labeling or age. But everything I have has been carefully inspected.

 

[Alrashid2 355]

Thank you guys, this is all great to know. Appreciate the input. 

[bassJAM 86]

3 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

Wanted to ask, anything wrong with this chain from Harbor Freight? The load limit seems well within what I'd use it for at 1900 lbs, and it's a much better price than buying it by the foot from Lowes or Ace. HF doesnt list the grade but I believe it is 5/16" chain Grade 30. 

 

Is Grade 30 good enough for my uses? Or do I need to upgrade to Grade 70? Doing some reading, it sounds like Grade 70 is always coated in that yellow/gold protective coating. Watching various videos online, I'm just seeing many garden tractors using silver chain, so that makes me think theyre using just Grade 30...

 

Harbor Freight 43 grade and 70 is commonly known to be good chain.  I have probably 5 lengths of their 3/8" 43 grade.  If I had to do it over again I'd go with the 5/16" 70 grade since it's a longer length of chain.

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/material-handling/ropes-chains-hoists/chains-hooks/3-8-eighth-inch-x-14-ft-truckers-chain-97711.html

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/material-handling/ropes-chains-hoists/chains-hooks/516-in-x-20-ft-grade-70-truckers-chain-60667.html