In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Skidder Versus Chainsaw

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by LodgedTree, Oct 16, 2017.

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Old Loggers: More impressed with a Skidder or the Chainsaw?

  1. Chainsaw

    13 vote(s)
    81.3%
  2. Skidder

    3 vote(s)
    18.8%
  1. LodgedTree

    LodgedTree

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    For years my Grandfather has always said this: "The old timers would be impressed with a chainsaw, but the skidder is what would blow them away?"

    I have wondered for years if this is true? I don't have an answer though I have contemplated it for 20 years or more.

    I never used a horse for logging, but I could see where it would be limited, so having the ability to hook onto a tree and just drive off with it (or 10 of them) would be impressive, but more than a chainsaw? I know it took about an hour to fell a decent sized tree by axe and crosscut saw. Considering they called them a "misery whip", well it kind of says it all.

    And not just in felling, but limbing and bucking too. We are impressed if a person bucks up a ton of firewood with a chainsaw, but to buck up firewood by hand? I don't know, it seems maybe the chainsaw would win out.

    Still the skidder is an impressive machine. Blade, winch, big tires...if you can stuff it between two big trees, it will go anywhere, and mud, hills, and snow do not stop it, so maybe my Grandfather is right, a skidder would blow them away.

    So what do you think: which is more impressive, chainsaw or skidder?

    (I am leaving mechanized logging out of this discussion because my Grandfather has said this long before we got our first feller-buncher and other related equipment).

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  2. NYCountry

    NYCountry

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    I have never used a skidder but would love to, I don't think it would help me more then a chainsaw, my grand father and father used horses and mules for pulling trees and used an axe for chopping it , If they would of had a saw they would of been in heaven
     
  3. Mwalsh9152

    Mwalsh9152

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    I dont have much input on the subject, Im just glad to read that you didnt run over another saw after reading the title
     
  4. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    My thought, too.
    I was getting ready to :picard:
    :rofl: :lol:
     
  5. bang

    bang

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    Great question that I have no answer for, but I do have a question. I've been occasionally watching, from a distance, a pair of loggers working on property next to mine. The terrain is a valley with very steep sides at places. They use a skidder and a dozer and it looks to me they use the dozer on the steepest parts. I would have thought the skidder would go anywhere a dozer could go. I'm guessing the dozer is about a d6 size. Is the dozer a better option on steep hills?
     
  6. Rope

    Rope

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    My grandfather used horses, mules then tractors to skidders. And for cutting, it was axes and hand saws then cordwood to chainsaws. As a kid I remember him always saying how easy we have it, as he work my *$$ off. Maybe he is the reason I like cutting wood.

    After pondering this a moment chainsaw. Seems that the saw would reduce their manual labor more than a skidder. Mules and draft horse's did lots of work, a skidder would blow their minds. but the saw may have saved their backs.
     
  7. dingbat

    dingbat

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    I've only skidded with a dump truck, and been around skidders working. Sure make that end of the work easy. Talking with some fellas that used to use horses though, seems you could hook a log or two to them, and they'd take it down to the saw by themselves. Guy running the saw would unhook them, and they'd come back to find you. Show me a skidder that does that.
     
  8. Jack Straw

    Jack Straw

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    What good is a skidder if you don’t have a chainsaw? :thumbs:
     
  9. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    :rofl: :lol:
    Spawt awn, ol' Chap!:sir:
     
  10. CDF_USAF

    CDF_USAF

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    Great question, I would think the skidder with it's agility when you really think about it. They had steam powered tractors when the chainsaw came around, with impressive power, but not the ability to weave in and around the woods.

    If you're even in the Adirondacks, check out the Adirondack museum for any and all logging history of that area.

    I've personally only used oxen and old tractors for skidding.
     
  11. LodgedTree

    LodgedTree

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    Skidders are very top heavy. They have clearance for stumps, snow and mud, but they are very tippy on hillsides. Part of that is the fact that as they articulate, their stance changes. Lets say you are on a side hill and steer to the uphill, that elongates the side on the downhill, making the tractor more stable. BUT the opposite holds true if the operator has to steer downhill. The lower side contracts, lessening its wheel base and make the tractor more tippy.

    It takes a lot to flip a skidder over. Their oscillating axles pivot a lot for stumps and rocks, so when you hit a stump on a side hill, it sure FEELS like you are going over, but the reality is, you probably would just flop over until the axle hit the frame. At that point it would take an awful lot to go completely over because all of the tractor would have to go beyond the center of gravity, but even before that point you, are already so far over, it makes the "pucker factor" quite high.

    In contrast a bulldozer (or tracked skidder...there is a difference) has a very low center of gravity, same stance all the time, and steers completely different. This really stands in contrast to a skidder that has all components up high; engine, tranny, rear-ends, etc. A bulldozer has everything down low; engine, tranny, final drives, tracks, etc, and the blade is wider then the tracks, unlike a narrow bladed skidder.

    It takes a lot to flip a skidder, but it is almost impossible to flip a bulldozer; I've tried.

    They really complement each other well. My land is not steep at all, but I still like the bulldozer/skidder combination in terms of economics. I bulldoze my main twitch trails so I can fly over them with the skidder since they have no stumps or rocks in the way, but as much as I use my skidder, my wife says I only smile when I am on my bulldozer. I grew up cutting wood on a dozer and have always loved them.
     
  12. bushpilot

    bushpilot

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    Yep, that is where I thought this was going :rofl: :lol:
     
  13. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Me too...
     
  14. Jon_E

    Jon_E

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    If a person were hired to log my property and they showed up with hand tools and a big skidder, I would make some (not-politically-correct) remarks and fire them. Waste my time and make a big mess? No thank you.

    If the person showed up with a capable team of horses or oxen, and a suitable chainsaw or two, I would be impressed with their dedication to low-impact logging and conservation.
     
  15. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    Having a little experience working in the woods I have to vote for the chainsaw. I've never skidded with horses but have worked in the same woods with them. They were used to skid the logs to the trails then loaded onto a dray which were usually pulled with dozers or large tractors. The big skidders can be nice and they can be very powerful but it also depends much on the operator. I've seen some woods really tore up badly after the skidders did a poor job. On the other hand I've seen some good skidder operators do some good work. One of the biggest problems I've seen with the skidders is when the tires begin to wear. Then they will really tear up the trails and that is what happened in our woods. It really made a mess of things and I had to put a stop to it. We still fight some of the ruts they made.

    On the other hand, having the saws that are available today is really a blessing. Back when I worked in the woods we did have some big saws and they were heavy beasts too. No automatic oilers. No chain brakes, etc. Today's saws are much improved and with the right saw, one can fell a lot of trees in a day.

    One also has to keep in mind that logging is much different than cutting firewood.
     
    fuelrod, Dancan, blacksmith and 8 others like this.
  16. BigPapi

    BigPapi

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    I bet I know what the horses would say if they had a vote. ;)
     
  17. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Nay?


    :D
     
  18. XXL

    XXL

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    Everyone that lives/works/plays in the bush has benefited from the development of the chainsaw. Typically only commercial operations benefit from the skidder. I have worked in the bush with a good horse team and operator and it's impressive what they can do. May not be as quick as a skidder but the bush doesn't look near as tore up when you're finished either.

    What would the old guys says if they saw a Feller Buncher in action :)
     
  19. Will C

    Will C

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    I'm not an old logger, but my dad was -started in the 1940's with cross cut saws and horses, then a tractor, and then got their first saws in the 50's. He got a bulldozer in the early 60's. He never talked about the change in skidders, but he thoughts saws were special.

    He started with the old gear drive McCullochs, and his last saw was a Pro Mac 850. He just loved that saw. He wasn't logging then-stopped in the early 1970's to concentrate on his excavation business, but often said he wished he had the 850 when he was logging.
     
  20. CDF_USAF

    CDF_USAF

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    If you relate it to other things, hunting isn't work until you shoot something, growing potatoes is easy until you need to dig them up, raising meat chickens is easy till butchering day, and making hay isnt to bad until your baling and then putting it in the barn, and no we didn't have a kicker!