Handy tools to have in the woods.

I usually only bring two chainsaws with extra chains, one as a backup. A felling axe, a hatchet, an assortment of wedges, a few ropes, a hand winch (come-along) fuel and oil, and a couple tow straps.

The tow straps come in handy when I'm using another tree to attach the ropes to. It keeps from injuring the other tree. Plus it can give extra length if needed. I also use a tow strap to create my version of a canthook (cantilever) by wrapping the log a couple of times and then hooking the strap to itself. Then find a fair sized branch and wrap the tow strap around it in both directions. Then pull on the branch which in turn tightens the strap and over it goes. I have rolled logs upwards of 4 feet across with no issue that way.

Eye protection of some sort as well as other protective wear is a necessity, but I usually wear those going into the woods.

I also won't fell anything if it's fairly windy since I prefer to have as much control over the fell as possible. The same applies to wet ground since I need to have adequate or better footing.

 

Pic is worth a thousand words...

Plus usual safety gear.

 

I like your grapple Josh. That's an interesting way to rig the hydraulics to open the claw. Was there another use for the hyd ram... ?

 

Tourniquet

 

Thanks. No, this would built just for that. since I mounted this on my forks, I wanted to find a way to make the claw open fully and still give me a full range of closed to be able to pick up smaller material, like a small log. The claw has 2 mounting holes to accomplish that. But I had to get a long enough stroke on a cylinder to give me that range. I'm not thrilled with the way it turned out, looks wise, but it works.

 

Looks like it's good and rugged...

 

2 saws
Files
Spare chains
2 wrenches (one stays on the UTV or else it gets lots too)
Log stand / peavy
Marking paint
Length guage (scrap wood)
Cell phone for emergencies
Eye / ear protection
Leather gloves
Steel wedges / sledge hammer (splitting larger rounds to make them more manageable)
John Deere Gator (would be lost without this work horse)

 

A needle to pick out slivers.

bob

 

A pair of leather gloves to avoid getting slivers.

 

Pulled the trigger order one up with a hundred feet of rope included

 

Terrific I doubt you will be dissapointed.

 

Yeah I don't think I'll be disappointed, was 110 bucks for what I got, Amazon free shipping. there is a bunch of small widow makers out in a neighbors property I have to get out, and some others I will use it as a bull line and I need a way to get my splitter up the ramp and into my trailer by my self.
Was thinking about buying a hand winch but that's only good for so many things, I could have used my come along for that but that doesn't work that great.
If I had known these things existed I probably would have had one long time ago

 

Years ago when I was young and dumb and didn't know any better just starting to do residential tree work. I used a come along to to ensure the direction of fall on a tree between a rock and a hard place. It had 35 ft of cable iirc. I needed 40. I was able to work my way out of it by wedging the tree the rest of the way. When I told my boss about it he turned me on to the rope puller.

Been using one ever since. Much more handy than a come along IMHO. More pulling capacity too if you rig a block and tackle.

Im on my third one. Had the other 2 stolen. The one was a hop head just grabbing what he could. I watched him out the window of the restaurant I was having breakfast in. Man crack heads can run! He earned that brokeback 021 and rope puller! The other was a dirt bag employee.