I would be attempting to get a burl or two out if possible. Might get a good one.... Nice work on the campfire stacks, I also have a separate pit and stacks for campfires..Keeps the bugs down too...
Thanks for asking! I couldn't get to the end of the thread fast enough to see if someone else had noticed it! That being said, I'll bet there is some interested grain patterns inside of it. Time to slab it and find out. Oh yeah, good luck on the hunt too!
Dave, we've used drays on some very uneven ground and had good luck with them. Only thing one wants to remember is never let off the gas on the way down a hill.
I tried a small one last year, it was to narrow & tipped over all the time on side hills so I quit using it. This one is 38" wide & so far working well most of the time. some roots cause a little problem but I have the trail cleaned up pretty good now. will make the new one for wood cutting here near 40" wide & maybe try some hinged side 2x4s for a ramp & to hold the log in place. After the success out there, I like how it work compared to skidding, & getting dirt/mud/rocks in the logs, just need to develop one that will work in the conditions at the wood cutting area. Some hillbilly engineering & I should be able get one that works. Wet birch is heavy , so heavy duty & pull-able will be key
I like your idea with the folding sides on the dray, maybe go to 2x6 and use a chain fixed on one side with an eyehook to hold the sides up in transport - I'm thinking bungy cords will stretch to much
Just a little hint. For the ramps (and you can also carry some if you want to put more logs on top of that bottom tier of logs) you can drive some nails in part way and cut the heads off or some screws in from the back side with just a bit protruding on the side where you roll the logs. This helps especially when you get a little snow or ice on the ramps but also makes it easier rolling because you can keep the logs straight while rolling them up onto the dray. And I do agree, a bit wider is nice. I made ours the same width as the atv tires so that the skids went right in the same track as the atv tires. When we used them around the mill, we'd cut some logs, maybe 12" diameter and then take a slab off the top and bottom. Then build from there.
Good point, a chain & hook would be more solid. Good idea. Be working on one incorporating several good ideas. After moose season though
I put eyebolts on the side and use a ratchet strap. Works fine. Naturally back when working in the woods we used chain and binder.
I saw a pic of yours a while back, with some pretty big logs on it You cant hook the log up & on with no ramp ? Think you could get & post a good pic of it? Not sure when , but the plan is to try one this year . Help keep pull more weight, chains sharper & wood cleaner
Sometimes, the best ideas come from way back. That dray concept had to come from pure need first. Years ago (1800s) farmers in Maine used oxen to haul heavy rocks, logs, stuff... with planked flat panels, like a dray, that made rolling the loads on, a lot easier. Not sure I've heard the name "dray". Cool stuff.
Yes Dave, I rolled them with a cant hook and no ramp. This is what I had in mind when I threw this thing together. You will also notice the bolts sticking up. That was the plan as those bolts act as teeth when rolling the logs. If needed, a short ramp can be used and either nails with heads cut off or screws the same way or driven in from the back side will provide teeth on the ramp. This can be especially good when the snow is packy and the logs want to spin. Also you can see the eye bolts in the pictures and we just use a ratchet strap. One will hold a lot. Even when I worked in the woods, of course that was chain and binder but one was all that was needed. You'll also notice that I sort of pressed the issue a bit when fastening the pull chain on in that the hole is close to the bottom. So far, so good but I wanted it close to the bottom as it tends to give the dray just a slight lift to make the front a bit lighter and also puts a bit of weight on the rear of the atv. If needed, you could easily haul a 14' log on this 8' dray but to go longer would perhaps be pushing things a bit.
