Giving the Country Manufacturing log arch a good workout

Let's find out!

I was going to pick up the atv trailer when I was there also but was out of money after replacing all the tires on the truck and toy hauler. .

 

Yes
Chains can be challenging

 

He can do that for hours!



Then he does this for hours

 

Yes
The extra weight and power would be nice. And the 850 twin is smoother running!

 

I had a buddy that owned a sawmill that hated the dirt on logs so he put another arch at the back of the log and used a come along to pull the back end of the log up to the top of the arch. Then another arch at the front and when pulling the log was suspended in the air, lot less dirt and mess in the bark to contend with. Pulled like a trailer.

 

I would buy a skid steer, tractor with loader or dozer before shelling out for a huge 4 wheeler.
I always run in low range when in the woods with my 4 wheelers. They will go 30 mph or so in low. I sure don't need or want to go that fast in the brush.
Lodged Tree has the PUURRFECT thing for logs in the woods with his little self loader trailer. What a great thing that is !!!!
But , the setup you have works pretty Great. I'm very impressed with how it DOES NOT come unhooked from the log until you want it to. Very slick piece of equipment !!

 

Might get away with that on flat ground...
Pretty hilly here, so sometimes it's good to have the end of the log on the ground. And the log will slide down out of the arch when going down a hill to keep from pushing the machine out of control

 

All good points !
I already had the quad. Just added the $400 log arch to make it easier to get firewood off the neighbor's ground.

A skid steer and tractor wouldn't go through the bush like the quad. I am quite often just boring through the woods where there's no trail. I have to bring the trees out one at a time to the main trail.

 

Almost anything is smoother running! ...or at least sounds smoother!
First time I heard that machine I thought I was gonna hafta duck for a flying rod at any moment!
Either that or it was a diesel

 

I haven't run a 550 xp. The 500ho is super smooth for a single. Is the 550 really that raucous?

 

I like that log arch.. haven't justified the expense/reward ratio quite yet.. and haven't settled on a "cheap" home-made solution. (ie.. none of what I've thought of would be "cheap" to make)

I used to haul logs off the hill with our Suzuki Kingquad 450axi, till the tranny (transmission) started to make squealing noises.

Then spent $300 for a good haul behind cart.
Told Jill, better to spend $300 every few years rather than $8K on a new 4-wheeler.
That cart still holds up to everything I've thrown at it. It also has been on it's side a time or two.

Biggest drawback for the cart vs. the arch.. the cart only holds about 1/3 face cord per haul.
Spent more time moving wood around than cutting/splitting.
That's why we started getting tri-axles delivered. 20 fc of hardwood for $850.. done.

Still has to be processed, but still ahead of the game vs. fuel oil.

As an aside, I don't take my dog up far in the woods as once she has been there, she feels it's fair game.
She's a well behaved dog, and is never completely unsupervised, although I do have to stop cutting once in a while to spot her.

I don't need neighbor issues if she should stray, and if someone shot her.. that would not go over well.


Chaz

 

Looks like I'm finding the week spots on the Country Manufacturing Log arch. The tongue is bolted on to the main frame to make it easier to ship, but the bolts apparently aren't strong enough...


Looks like I'll have to take it to the welder and get it fixed up....TurboDiesel style!
I have a welder/coworker that we nicknamed...Donk ...he'll have a way to make it last.

 

Oh well, a welder will do the trick

 

Same thing happened to mine probably a dozen times now. That’s what I was talking about at Walt’s place. If they get even a little bit loose, they’ll shear as soon as there is any stress on them.

I happened to have an entire box of those type of bolts cause they’re the same ones I ship with my sawbucks. But I gotta get it over to my dads and have him weld it.

 

Locktite, lock washers, and locknuts in the meantime?

 

Yeah they'll shear a lot easier when loose.

Bingo, grade 8s and some green Loctite along with a nylock nut...she ain't going nowhere without tearing something else up too...unless there are just flat out undersized.

 

They are (cheap) 1/2 x 3.5 bolts, but the connection is a really poor design! The tongue is always pulling directly on the bolts. Not the box tube frame of the arch.
There should have been a "C" channel on the tongue for the frame of the arch to sit in. The channel should cradle the frame and all the bolts would do is keep the frame from falling out.

(Doesn't matter how much loctite, lock washers, and lock nuts you use if the your pulling directly on the bolts. You can't really tighten the bolts because you'll just crush/flatten the box tube.)

It think maybe I'll get rid of the bolted connection altogether and probably weld the tongue on solid then add/weld a triangle of flat steel over the whole area

 

Best fix

 

A bolted in triangle plate of 1/4" aluminum would probably be enough.