Log skidding,Never done it, tips, and advice

[Backwoods Savage]

The only advise I have if your pulling stuff with that grizzly is to use low gear !! You will take out the one-way bearing that controls your engine braking. dont ask me how I know this -haha my griz 700 is at about 3800 miles so far and I am an expert at changing that bearing now.

That's interesting Jack. One thing I will say though is that when we pull logs (on the dray) out of the woods we rarely even have to use 4 wheel drive. It simply pulls that easy, so I see no reason there should be a problem and why a problem with that particular bearing. However, your griz has a few more miles than ours. 99% of the miles put on it is right here on our own place doing work.

I might add that about the only time I use low gear is when pulling equipment working up ground. Then it is a must to use low range.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

A heavy old blanket will also work.

Or a tarp.

 

[KenLockett]

Yes Ken. If you would like some close up shots let me know and I'll get them tomorrow.

If you have time I would definitely like to see some closeup shops. Thanks.

 

[Flatbedford]

I like the high pulley trick Bogy Dave

 

[Ashful]

Or a tarp.

Or a small child.

 

[captjack]

Backwoods- it will pull stuff all day long in high gear - i used mine to pull a decoy trailer for goose hunting It pulled fine but after a while the engine break stopped working. I have had to replace the bearing a few times.
I do a lot of riding with it and belong to several atv forums grizzlycentral.com is a good source for info. Its the best atv I have ever owned as far as riding goes - its just not a tractor even though i treat it like one most of the time haha

 

[lukem]

This might just be my imagination here, but I find that if you undercut through dirty bark it doesn't dull the chain nearly as quick as if you are top cutting. I'll generally top cut the clean side, roll it, then finish the cut with an undercut on the dirty side.

 

[BobUrban]

in a pinch when you are putting a lot of strain on a winch cable or whatever in a pulling situation even laying some limbs or brush over the cable will provide some security VS. naked rope. All you need is something to take advantage of gravity and eliminate the potential energy burst.

Interesting info on the Grizz bearing - I use my 550 to haul things but it only has about 450mile on it in 3 years so I am not hauling a lot. I was always worried about high revs running low gear but I will just take it slow. I like the bearings that came in it - at least I like them for as long as I can preserve them

 

[captjack]

the "one way bearing" as it is called by yammi is located in the wet clutch system - it controls the engine braking on the griz - when it goes the engine braking stops - so when your going down a hill the bike will not slow down on its own. easy to fix just annoying.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Jack, I still do not understand why pulling something would ruin the engine braking system. But even if you didn't have engine braking, would it still not work and only have to use the brake more?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If you have time I would definitely like to see some closeup shops. Thanks.

Ken, I misled you on the eyebolts. As you can see I just put bolts with large washers to hold the chain. I took a close up of the cross beam. It does not show well but I left at least 1/2" of bolt up and the reason for this is to grab the log as you are rolling it on. If you were to build a large dray then you would recess the cross beams and also would want a couple short planks for rolling the logs up. We used to use the old teeth from the circular saws and drive them into some 2 x 6's and that gave us great gripping for loading the second tier of logs. You can also see the eye bolt and there is one on each side on the middle cross beam for hooking in to with a ratchet strap. A larger dray you would want to bolt a chain there. A short chain on each side then using a log binder to hold the load. I did not want to load but one tier of logs so not much strapping down is needed.

But as you can see, I built this about as simple as one could go, I think. It was just old lumber we had around so all I bought were a couple bolts.

 

[jeffesonm]

I made a similar log sled using some old landscape timbers and a few bolts.... works great. Easier to pull and keeps everything out of the dirt. Plus you can get a few in one trip.

 

[pyroholic]

It's not gravity that is the factor with the coat, tarp, towel, or small child. No way is a 2lb coat is going to overcome the thousands of pounds of potential energy released with a chain or cable break. The idea is that the coat greatly slows the speed of the slingshotted chain through wind drag.

Don't get me wrong, it works well and is important, just not using gravity.

 

[Flatbedford]

I was always taught that the coat, tarp, floor mat, etc. makes the broken chain, rope, or wire drop to the ground where is should be less lethal.

 

[BobUrban]

Yea Flatbead - with gravity. But I understand the point about stopping the slingshot but the tool used to stop it is gravity

 

[Flatbedford]

I see what you mean now.

 

[Ashful]

Not really sure I care why it works, just that it does. Whenever I'm pushing a cable near its test strength, I'll have something dangling on it. I do not do the same with chain, as I've always been taught that chain won't slingshot like cable. I'm hoping that was good advice.

 

[Flatbedford]

Being heavier, gravity will push chain to the ground and stop it sooner than it would rope or wire. Just keep in mind that when it does break, there will be lots of energy released. The stronger the broken component, the more force.

 

[Ashful]

Being heavier, gravity will push chain to the ground and stop it sooner than it would rope or wire. Just keep in mind that when it does break, there will be lots of energy released. The stronger the broken component, the more force.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Energy released is a function of energy stored, which simply the product of work, force * displacement = stretch. Cable releases a bunch of energy on breakage because of stretch. If a chain does not stretch far before failing, then there's little energy to be released.

To put it in simpler terms everyone can understand, the failure of a vessel or hose containing incompressible hydraulic fluid at a few hundred PSI is fairly un-eventful. The fluid is incompressible, so there is no displacement, no work, no energy. The same failure of a vessel containing a compressible gas (air compressor) can be quite exciting / catastrophic. Same force, vastly different energy.

I'm not saying chain does or does not stretch equally to cable, just that your reasoning above is not correct.

 

[Flatbedford]

If a wire rope with a SWL of 10,000 lbs breaks it will be flying through the air with much more force than one with a SWL of 3000 lbs.

 

[TimJ]

we need Alex Johnson on this one

 

[pyroholic]

Being heavier, gravity will push chain to the ground and stop it sooner than it would rope or wire. Just keep in mind that when it does break, there will be lots of energy released. The stronger the broken component, the more force.

Had a chain go through a windshield that broke truck on truck in mud. Very much slingshot action. It was when I was younger and dumber, but it can happen.