Okay, I admit it, I am a bit gun shy on limbing now that I nearly got killed with a Spring Pole, but when I saw this on YouTube, I thought it was kind of neat. I recently got some confidence when I was able to cobble up my upside down woodsplitter with the meager fabrication tools that I have. So as I was looking at this machine, I tried to break down the functions, then visualize if I could build a simple machine that mimicked them. One big time suck on my Wallenstein Log Trailer is the amount of time it takes to measure, and then cut to length wood to go onto the trailer. So this was what I was thinking. a homemade Harwarder. For those that do not know, that is Harvester/Forwarder in one. I noticed a couple of things, the machine TILTS to the ground, and ANGLES forward and back. Well so does the blade of my bulldozer! What if I mounted a similar machine to the front of my bulldozer and use my six way blade to accomplish these functions? After that I would only have to fabricate a telescoping hydraulic cylinder, and then two delimbing/grabbing arms. A topping hydraulic saw would complete the unit, with a 12 volt linear actuator (or another hydraulic cylinder) to lower the saw into the tree to be bucked. Using the hydraulics off the bulldozer, I could power a separate set of controls to run these 4 functions. So how it would work is; the dozer would pull close to a felled, but unlimbed tree, grab it and delimb it. As it does the topping saw would cut the tree into 8 foot lengths to the left side of the dozer. Then I would drive ahead and pick the bucked up tree and load it into the back of my log trailer being pulled by my dozer. This would thus mechanize every aspect of logging except the actual felling of the tree, on a micro-scale using the advantage of steel tracks for low impact forestry. Its a wild idea at this point, but if I could build it for a reasonable amount of money, it may be worth doing.
That's gotta be Europe in that video. That wouldn't work with the trees we have in the USA and Canada that are being logged. It's still bad azz on a small scale though. I'd rather be doing that then going to my job everyday
I like it! One has to agree it does not appear it would be too difficult to fabricate a machine to do this. I say go for it and be sure to take many pictures.
Oh yeah, it has to be from Sweden, they are worst than Icelander's when it comes to needing toys. (as if I am any better) My only concern is if it would delimb hardwood. It might do okay on the smaller stuff, and honestly that is the hardest stuff to deal with. With big hardwood, that can be dragged out tree length in short order and make a truckload in no time...there is money in that, but the small stuff...you know 10 inches in diameter or less...you could cut 20 of them and not have a decent hitch behind you. However with my log trailer, a trailer load is half a cord, no matter how big the trees are. That is what I am doing now on this 30 acre tract. I am getting all the hardwood off it that is worthy of putting a choker around, and selling it for tree length. I got about all the bigger and medium sized stuff off, now the only thing that is left is some hemlock pulp, a lot of hemlock logs (no market), and a few loads of cedar. Then I'll go back on the small diameter hardwood and clean up, cutting it 8 foot and putting it on my trailer. With everything else whacked down, it should be easy to clean up. Then on to the next tract...
That would work with a tractor or your dozer . Pretty sure you'd still be cutting large hardwood limbs with a saw . Maybe a used stroke delimber could be made to work as well ?
