skyline yarding with an atv winch. is it possible? [updated with pics]

[m0jumb0]

I've been mulling over the possibility of rigging a skyline to yard some downed logs out a steep gully on my property. Hate to see good trees go to waste, and it's fun to rig something up to help work smarter (not harder ). I have a 2k lb winch on my atv, and I was wondering if anybody had used one for this sort of task. I know they're typically rated for a pretty short duty cycle, but I think I'd probably be ok since I'd be going up and down to set and disconnect chokers. I can get most of the way down the gully, but the last bit down to the tree in question is too steep. I figure I can yard them up to that point and then skid them out like I normally do. Obviously I'd have to buck the logs relatively short (8-10'). Am I crazy, or is it so crazy that it'd work?

also, I saw this: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/deaton0601.html, but unfortunately I don't have any old tillers lying around was going to try and use what I had if it would work.


pics, as promised:

here's a view from further up the gully, there's a flat place next to that old pumphouse that would be my landing
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view of the tree from the landing. the ground drops off here and becomes V-shaped and narrow because of the spring that constantly runs
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same view, but down a little bit to see the tree better
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a view of the dropoff... it's hard to see how steep it is because of the snow, but it's steep enough to keep me from getting down there with the atv
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a view up the hill towards the rim. there's a narrowish trail at the top between the woods and a fence. when i was down there today i thought of the possibility of just pulling stuff to the top of that hill. might be easier
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an ice tube that formed by the inlet to the old cistern/pump house. we have city water now so this is no longer in use
(broken image removed)

 

[smokinj]

sound ok if you have enough cable,and keep the weight really low under 200-300 lbs

 

[Flatbedford]

Interesting rig.
I think your two issues would be, as you mentioned, the duty cycle of the winch, and the weight of the ATV. You might end up pulling the ATV into the gully rather than pulling the wood out. Try it. Take pictures ans share.

 

[m0jumb0]

Interesting rig.
I think your two issues would be, as you mentioned, the duty cycle of the winch, and the weight of the ATV. You might end up pulling the ATV into the gully rather than pulling the wood out. Try it. Take pictures ans share.

yeah i was concerned about that too.. It'll be a while before I get time to try it, but I'll try and post some pictures this weekend of the area so we can pontificate some more

 

[bogydave]

Sounds like a fun do-able project.
Let us know how it works.
Post some pictures, we love this kind of stuff.
Good ole American ingenuity.

 

[Flatbedford]

I like how the guy in the link gets around the need for two winches.
Look around at this site http://www.vannattabros.com/ for more on yarding, and just about anything else to do with logging.

 

[ROBERT F]

As long as you have enough line on the drum, and lash that quad to something secure so you dont pull it to the log, instead of the other way around. I like to pull the logs to staging points, so that dont have to keep reseting after so many fet of pull.

 

[YZF1R]

Besides the concerns already raised, you would probably need to raise the idle rpm set point when using it to keep the charging system pumping if it would even put out enough then, to keep the battery from going dead. Talk to anyone who plows snow with a lot of small accounts that require a lot of short push, idling, raising, angling of their blade verses plowing large areas where the driver mostly is rolling along with rpm up and not a lot of excessive plow maneuvers. As previously mentioned, I would also be concerned with duty cycle. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea if you can get it to work.

Steve

 

[m0jumb0]

Besides the concerns already raised, you would probably need to raise the idle rpm set point when using it to keep the charging system pumping if it would even put out enough then, to keep the battery from going dead. Talk to anyone who plows snow with a lot of small accounts that require a lot of short push, idling, raising, angling of their blade verses plowing large areas where the driver mostly is rolling along with rpm up and not a lot of excessive plow maneuvers. As previously mentioned, I would also be concerned with duty cycle. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea if you can get it to work.

Steve

yeah killing the battery was another concern of mine... we'll see how it does.

 

[Flatbedford]

Maybe you could pull the load up by driving the ATV rather than winching with it.

 

[m0jumb0]

Maybe you could pull the load up by driving the ATV rather than winching with it.

hey now there's an idea! i have a bit of an angle to work around, but I could probably make a "kink" with another pulley. hopefully I'll get an hour to head down and take some pics saturday

 

[m0jumb0]

bump for pics

 

[Flatbedford]

Sure is a bunch of wood down there. If you worked out a good system, it would be worth the effort. Do you know anybody with a helicopter? That might be easier.
A friend of mine has a similar situation at his house. Funny that he mentioned it to me about the same time you posted this. The difference is that he is on a small suburban lot and his house is on what would be the landing. I told him I'd help him rig something.

 

[smokinj]

not big timber I would use a bull rope and yank it out with a 4x4

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I like the idea, but as mentioned the weights and balances would be touchy. I heard a story a couple of weeks ago where a guy was cutting down large trees on his property and tied his jeep to the tree. The tree fell the wrong way and pulled his jeep up into the crotch of a tree!

 

[m0jumb0]

Sure is a bunch of wood down there. If you worked out a good system, it would be worth the effort. Do you know anybody with a helicopter? That might be easier.
A friend of mine has a similar situation at his house. Funny that he mentioned it to me about the same time you posted this. The difference is that he is on a small suburban lot and his house is on what would be the landing. I told him I'd help him rig something.

Yeah a helicopter would be nice! I need to cut into the wood and see what species it is and whether it's still any good. I'll probably wait until March or so when it dries out a bit to rig something up. I've been thinking over how I could use my tiller in a reversible way so that I could take it off of the yarder and still use it to till. But first I'm going to rig up my skyline and give it a shot with the atv. A yarder would be useful in a couple other places though.

not big timber I would use a bull rope and yank it out with a 4x4

It's big to me! It's probably 24-30" at the base, which is about as big as I cut.

It's a little tight to get a truck down there unfortunately, that, and my truck could get stuck in wet grass. There's a kink around the pumphouse so I can't get a straight pull up the gully, or I'd just hook up a long line and drag it up with the atv. I'm not even sure it's going to be feasible to drag logs up from the landing to my processing area because of a couple steepish spots. That's why I'm thinking about taking it up the big hill instead of up the gully.

 

[smokinj]

I like the idea, but as mentioned the weights and balances would be touchy. I heard a story a couple of weeks ago where a guy was cutting down large trees on his property and tied his jeep to the tree. The tree fell the wrong way and pulled his jeep up into the crotch of a tree!

I would run 250-300 feet of it and get the truck on flat land (even more if need be) yea them jeeps are light.

 

[smokinj]

Sure is a bunch of wood down there. If you worked out a good system, it would be worth the effort. Do you know anybody with a helicopter? That might be easier.
A friend of mine has a similar situation at his house. Funny that he mentioned it to me about the same time you posted this. The difference is that he is on a small suburban lot and his house is on what would be the landing. I told him I'd help him rig something.

Yeah a helicopter would be nice! I need to cut into the wood and see what species it is and whether it's still any good. I'll probably wait until March or so when it dries out a bit to rig something up. I've been thinking over how I could use my tiller in a reversible way so that I could take it off of the yarder and still use it to till. But first I'm going to rig up my skyline and give it a shot with the atv. A yarder would be useful in a couple other places though.

not big timber I would use a bull rope and yank it out with a 4x4

It's big to me! It's probably 24-30" at the base, which is about as big as I cut.

It's a little tight to get a truck down there unfortunately, that, and my truck could get stuck in wet grass. There's a kink around the pumphouse so I can't get a straight pull up the gully, or I'd just hook up a long line and drag it up with the atv. I'm not even sure it's going to be feasible to drag logs up from the landing to my processing area because of a couple steepish spots. That's why I'm thinking about taking it up the big hill instead of up the gully.

cant see a atv with enough power to pull it at 30in., 30in. would be big up that hill the pic doesnt do it justice.

 

[m0jumb0]

cant see a atv with enough power to pull it at 30in., 30in. would be big up that hill the pic doesnt do it justice.

Yeah, I have my doubts about the main trunk. I may have to leave that part.

 

[Gooserider]

Cut it short enough, should be able to grab it, even if you have to go to round length and pull up one cookie at a time... (maybe turn it 90° and put a bolt in each side for attaching, then roll it up the hill like a Flintstones wheel...)

Gooserider

 

[smokinj]

Cut it short enough, should be able to grab it, even if you have to go to round length and pull up one cookie at a time... (maybe turn it 90° and put a bolt in each side for attaching, then roll it up the hill like a Flintstones wheel...)

Gooserider

That's priceless Goose.