# I'm looking for ideas on getting logs/bucks out of woods easier



## WiscWoody (Jan 25, 2014)

I have been cutting some heavy hard maple on a 80 acre wood lot and I buck them in the woods and carry the rounds to my truck some 30 yards away sometimes tripping on growth and going down log and all.
I suppose if I use some log tongs with a long chain and leave to tree in longer pieces until it's out to the road that would make more sense. I have a lot of chain. A winch would be nice and I thought about somehow mounting one in my truck bed by the cab. The old back isn't what it used to be and every round of wood is a struggle when it's in the woods.


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## tcassavaugh (Jan 25, 2014)

yeah, its no fun when you have to run the wood to the truck. you talk about a winch......my brother has one that he mounted in the ball hitch receiver in the back of his truck. works pretty good for him. you can get the receiver mounts at a lot of places. that makes it easy as you don't have to permanently mount it and you can remove it easily when not in use......just a thought. I think he may have gotten it at harbor freight or northern tool..... good luck, and take care of that back.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 25, 2014)

The problem with dragging logs is getting dirt in them. If you continue to buck in the woods, using a winch would be so super slow you'd quickly go back to the way you are doing it now. 

Can you get a garden tractor in there? An old lawn mower without the deck? An atv? Even using some simple tools will lessen the work  you do and certainly will be easier on the back. For example:



We have two of these and it is amazing just how much they seem to lessen the work load. With smaller logs, you can carry one in each hand. One other trick we do is to cut in 4' lengths. Then just using one of these, drag it out. It is amazing just how much more you can do using these tongs. 

On the other hand, something like this works well:






The top 2 pictures are a dray I threw together for about $10. It really works slick hauling logs and works either in snow or on bare ground. We  use a simple ratchet strap to hold the logs in place. Click on the second picture to see the eyebolts and ratchet strap.

The trailer is an atv trailer and we also use this behind our Cub Cadet. It is very low to the ground so putting a large round in is not a problem. In addition, it does have a tilt bed in case the round is too large to handle. Using a cant hook to roll those kind is the best way to go. But there are many on the forum how simply use a lawn mower and cart and get along just fine.


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## WiscWoody (Jan 25, 2014)

I could probably get my ATV with its dump/swivel ATV trailer in there but I'd have to load the quad on the truck and try to get the trailer on too. I do have a long box so that helps. I'll have to try a few things and see how it goes. I have dragged some longer logs before and I tried to brush the dirt off of them with a wire brush to save the chain as much as I could. Thanks for ideas!


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## red oak (Jan 25, 2014)

I often find myself in this situation, since everything I cut is in the woods, either mine, someone else's, or National Forest.  What I have found that helps is to get the truck, or whatever vehicle you're using, as close as possible, and/or downhill.  Sometimes I've been able to roll the rounds to the truck.  Also, have you considered splitting in the woods?  In recent years I've taken to splitting in half anything that's over 14" diameter.  This means more pieces to carry but each one is lighter - and my back definitely feels the difference.  Lastly, if I have to walk 20 yards or more I check for a path first.  Anything I might trip over either gets cut or I find an easy way around it.


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## Flatbedford (Jan 25, 2014)

I try to skid stuff with my truck whenever possible. I have an assortment of wire rope lengths and shackles plus a few snatch blocks. I always try to move the wood in the largest chunks possible over ground if I can't get the truck right to it. I have never really sweated over some dirt on the logs. I carry files and sharpen when necessary. I also split rounds into manageable pieces before I try to lift them onto the truck .


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## bigbarf48 (Jan 25, 2014)

How about a wheelbarrow?


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## WiscWoody (Jan 25, 2014)

bigbarf48 said:


> How about a wheelbarrow?


So simple... I never thought of it...


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## Get Wood (Jan 25, 2014)

You can get a blue barrel take the lid off and cut a 2 or 3 inch hole in the bottom with a hole saw then run a cat choker cable through the hole then just slide the open end up to the log and winch it in.  It won't dig into the dirt and if the ground is frozen it should slide over it without getting to dirty.


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## BEConklin (Jan 25, 2014)

I split the round into halves or quarters in the woods then wheelbarrow the splits out to the truck - which, hopefully, is not that far off. Sometimes I split it right down to firewood right there if it's easy splitting - using a round as a block. That way I can get more wood into the back of my Ranger.


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## tcassavaugh (Jan 26, 2014)

bigbarf48 said:


> How about a wheelbarrow?


 I've always liked the two wheel kind. get more in them  and they usually don't tip over.


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## Jon1270 (Jan 26, 2014)

In a similar spirit to the wheelbarrow idea, I use a plastic utility sled.  It really shines on snow, but works pretty well on dirt, grass and leaves too.


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## jebatty (Jan 26, 2014)

Get Wood said:


> You can get a blue barrel take the lid off and cut a 2 or 3 inch hole in the bottom with a hole saw then run a cat choker cable through the hole then just slide the open end up to the log and winch it in.  It won't dig into the dirt and if the ground is frozen it should slide over it without getting to dirty.


Great idea. Does the barrel hold up to the abrasion?


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## Get Wood (Jan 26, 2014)

jebatty said:


> Great idea. Does the barrel hold up to the abrasion?




Yes I drag it across rock and anything, it would take something pretty sharp to cut through it.  I was going it post a pic but I don't have any pictures.
If you make one drill the hole about 4 inches in from the edge.


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## tsquini (Jan 26, 2014)

hermancm said:


> I have been cutting some heavy hard maple on a 80 acre wood lot and I buck them in the woods and carry the rounds to my truck some 30 yards away sometimes tripping on growth and going down log and all.
> I suppose if I use some log tongs with a long chain and leave to tree in longer pieces until it's out to the road that would make more sense. I have a lot of chain. A winch would be nice and I thought about somehow mounting one in my truck bed by the cab. The old back isn't what it used to be and every round of wood is a struggle when it's in the woods.


 longer logs are always quicker for skidding. You want to have the chain as short as possible. If you need to make any turns when skidding you will get the log suck on the inside of the turn.


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## Ehouse (Jan 26, 2014)

Those log tongs look great for hand skidding smaller logs.  A machete or hatchet stuck in the end of the log is a back saver as well.


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## paul bunion (Jan 26, 2014)

Human powered grapple.  I've never done it but I've heard it works quite well if you are going downhill. 






http://store.peaveymfg.com/cart/product/9063/48_Swivel_Timber_Carrier/#


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## weatherguy (Jan 26, 2014)

I have two of these I use, TSC carries them now too

http://www.baileysonline.com/Forest.../Lockhart-s-Firewood-Gripper-15---18-Logs.axd


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 26, 2014)

hermancm said:


> So simple... I never thought of it...



A 2 wheeled wheelbarrow or a 2 wheeled cart (high wheels not low).


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## nmaho (Jan 26, 2014)

I just use my sons old big wagon to wheel out of the woods works good just have to make a few trips.


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## MDFisherman (Jan 26, 2014)

I usually end up cutting a road in the woods so I can get my truck right next to the tree. By the time I clear all the saplings and brush I wonder if it would have been easier to just carry the wood to the truck.

I also try and pull the tree to a nicer area to work, I keep the chain as short as possible and that seams to help keep the log from digging in the mud. Sometimes u can get the bark to fall off which clears the dirt off.


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## gzecc (Jan 26, 2014)

I once turned down a big load of locust because it was just too labor intensive to get them out. It was down hill and around turns. Would have had split it manually down there, then wheelbarrow up, a couple at a time. Just too much work.


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## Isaac Carlson (Jan 27, 2014)

I turned down quite a few cord of locust last year because I was not going to carry it all up a 20-30 foot bank with loose soil.  I don't regret it either.


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## Isaac Carlson (Jan 27, 2014)

I like to drive right up to the wood.  I noodle big rounds into halves, quarters, sixths, etc so I can lift them into the truck.


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## gzecc (Jan 27, 2014)

I once was given a few fallen trees from a customer of mine. I needed to buck them and carry them out of the woods. It was totally inaccessable, except to walk in and out. Rocks everywhere sticking out of the ground. Realized, breaking an ankle or leg just wasn't worth $100 in firewood that needed two yrs to season. I did it, but never again.


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## Flatbedford (Jan 27, 2014)

There is a point when "free" wood can be to costly to be worth it.


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## bassJAM (Jan 27, 2014)

After spending several years in college pushing mulch for a landscaping company, I always opted for the single wheel wheel barrows over the double.  The extra weight and friction of 2 wheels made them really hard to push when loaded down, and any hills of obstacles made things even worse.  If you end up going that route get a Jackson.  It's $100 well spent and will hold up to the abuse better than anything other brand, even at similar prices.

I've also seen some motorized wheel barrows and carts, not sure how practical they are.


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## Boil&Toil (Jan 27, 2014)

Won't help much with uphill unless you have a tractor, horse, or ATV to pull with, but a skidding arch will get the log up out of the dirt and make it easier to move. There are ones made just for hand-use, this version looks to be a tractor/ATV version with a hand dolly in it. The old-timer trick was to cut (or at least haul) in the snow, where simple sledges work fairly well, and there's less dirt getting onto the logs.


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## Lumber-Jack (Jan 27, 2014)

Getting easy access to the wood is probably the single biggest hurdle I have had to overcome over the years. On one hand it seems like it should be easy when we can get free wood permits for cutting wood on crown lands, and since crown lands actually cover 94% of the province, and most of that is timbered, you would think it would be a piece of cake. But that is not always the case. The problem comes down to accessibility. Any easy wood, wood that is wood that is right beside the road, usually gets taken right away, so that means you generally have to drive off road or pack your wood out. Skidding logs out of the bush with motorized vehicles is not allowed under the rules of the permit. Packing wood out of the bush is too much work for me, so I generally find a way to drive in to where the trees are. The problem with that is the terrain. BC is a pretty mountainous province, and even where it's flat the roads often have berms that are too high to comfortable navigate without bottoming out your truck. These berms might not be too bad heading into the bush with an empty truck, but coming out with a full load is another thing.
Over the years I have developed a sort of system that often requires a little bit of surveying skills, a little bit of engineering skills and a little bit of camouflage. 

The surveying entails finding an area where I could conceivably access with a little bit of clearing work, and there is a large enough grove of standing dead trees to make the next couple steps worth while. Also it's important that the area be hidden from the road. This part is especially important if I end up putting much work into the next engineering part.

The engineering part usually entails cutting out saplings an stumps out of the way, but also often means a bit of shovel work along the road berm. Not too much to make it an obvious road leading into the bush, but just enough to make sure I don't bottom out on the way out with the load of wood. I try to make a curved path into where the wood is, this is important for the next step. When I'm doing the surveying I try to figure out before hand the exact path that I will be clearing in. The reason I like to find a spot hidden from the road and make a curved path in is because if I do it right I can often keep the spot for myself, and if there is enough wood in there I can cut from the same spot for a few years. To help insure I can keep the spot to myself I also employ my final step...

Camouflage. After I've cut my load of wood and successfully navigate it back out to the road I try to cover my tracks. After all the surveying, and finding a worthwhile grove of hidden trees that I can access, and clearing a decent enough path that I can get in and out with a full load of wood in my 3/4 ton tuck, I want to try and keep it secret so I can come back again and again to get the rest of the wood. If I don't try to cover my tracks the next time I come back all the wood will likely be gone. So on my way out I will pull dead trees and stumps across the clear path I made into my hidden area. Even out by the road where I've often knocked and flattened the road berm down I'll roll a couple big rocks across the berm, and rake or toss some loose dirt across any obvious tire tracks leading into the bush. The whole process often takes less that 10 minutes, but by doing this I sometimes manage to cut out of the same wood lot area for 3 years in a row until all the wood is gone.
I have only once had someone find one of my stashes and uncover my hidden path into the wood cutting area, but i didn't feel too bad, I actually had to give him some credit for being smart enough to find it. I just wish he had taken the time to cover it back up when he left. 
The only downside of camouflaging my trail into the bush is I sometimes have trouble finding it again, but I have gotten around that now by marking it as a way point on my GPS.


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## rideau (Jan 27, 2014)

Use a wheel barrow all the time. Very handy.  I often pull it behind me rather than pushing...find it easier, and I don't end up tripping.  Have fairly flat, but very rocky woods with many, many saplings, so few straight routes.  My two wheel cart, which is great for gardening, would be useless in my woods.

Also use the wheel barrow to bring firewood from my stacks to my sliding glass door.  Store it upside down over the Bilko door entrance to my basement = a lot less shoveling in the winter, no freezing of the doors, etc. 

Simple wheelbarrow is a great tool.


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## 12pack (Jan 27, 2014)

I use a hand truck to move logs from the pile to the splitter. easier than lifting into a wheelbarrow for me


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