Log Arch or similar for small ATV

[KNOT]

We are a group of volunteers who have made real progress in getting our 15 ha mixed broadleaf and conifer woodland slowly back into shape by a good deal of ‘grunt’ work using minimal machinery (a Wheel Horse tractor mainly) and bringing in contactors as needed for the bigger operations such as thining Corsican pine and Norway spruce for chip.
We do find ourselves needing to move 3 meter butts, which we could cut into 1 m lengths for firewood but sometimes they are much more valuable to us in the longer lengths.
We are therefore considering raising some funds to purchase a wheeled Log Arch that we can man-handle and/or tow with a small ATV. We are looking for the capacity of moving a 10ft butt weighing up to 500Kg to our loading area.
I have seen a couple of bits of kit:
one a Logster Log Arch by TCF based in NE England another is the Kellfri Forestry Trailer with a crane winch designed by a Scandinavian company.

Any one with experience of these bits of kit at work or indeed any other suggestions of equipment that will handle the odd bits that we would not want to bring in a tractor and trailer into our woods for?
Best wishes
Knot

[Wendelspanswick]

I think if I was going to buy a log arch I would go for the Logosol Clivus:
https://youtu.be/Gs09WG8xhrE
Just from the fact that it automatically picks up the log and will also drop the log if it tries to overtake the tow vehicle, say if you stopped going down a steep slope.

[oldclaypaws]

The very first question I asked on this forum some three years ago was pretty much the same; low impact removal of big oak trees. They're too big for horses. It morphed into a debate about management of the wood and I was left to make my own research and consider alternatives.

Like Wendelpanswick and Knot my initial thoughts were log arches and I looked at the alternatives. The best looking are the American Logrite but they are prohibitively expensive for the big ones, TCF are better value and can build a custom one. Not heard of the Clivus before but it looks dinky.

Having built my barn I've now started felling and moving tree sections, so actually have some experience to go on rather than web reviews and theory ! One day my farmer pal turned up with his telehandler and asked "D'you want to pull a tree out then?" He had a couple of duplex straps and a chain and was up for it. It was remarkably quick, easy and left virtually no visual impact on the wood, although it has to be said my ground is firm and well drained. We just put the straps round the log, lifted it and dragged out a 20 foot butt in about 2 minutes. A tractor using a pallet / fork lift on the back could do the same, as would just using the tractors hydraulic lift, they all lift the log off the ground. As such, I'm not sure I see the need for a log arch unless you're covering long distances over soft or stoney ground. My chum who distributes the excellent Turbosaw sawmill has shifted dozens of big trees, and again just uses a tractor and chains, he has a cheap old International with a 2 ton fork on the back which is also good for handling the logs in the yard.

I was going to buy a tractor but appear to have a willing experienced pal available for the foreseeable future who has the kit and rather enjoys mucking about in my wood. Sorted.

[oldclaypaws]

Stack of logs to be milled building up nicely outside the barn....

[Wendelspanswick]

If you do drag logs it might an idea to either debark or power wash the log first to avoid premature wear on the milling blades, especially if it picks up a lump of flint in the bark.
They never used to in the yard I worked in but blade wear and tear was factored in to the running costs and the band's were cheap to replace or resharpen but when our saw was out of action the contractor who came in with his mobile saw debarked every log with a large flat blade on the end of a pole.
The TrakMet bandmill comes with a debarking blade that runs along the line of the saw cut ahead of the main blade.

As an aside you might be able to sell your oak bark to the tannery in Colyton as we occasionally took a load down there for good money and I see they are still in business.
http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk

[oldclaypaws]

Thanks for the thoughts on saving my blades, WP. I was aware of the issue. The main consideration is, I don't have any blades ! The Turbosaw has 4 tungsten carbide tips on the circular saw which do the cutting, and they are far more tolerant of muck, hard and dried old wood than a bandsaw. They seldom need replacing (at a low cost) and sharpening can be done by the owner in 5 minutes with an electric 12v sharpener that comes with the mill. This was one of the several advantageous reasons I went for the Turbosaw, the others being cost, portability, simplicity, robustness, ability to do vertical and horizontal cuts, and having seen one impressively in action first.

Additionally, my ground isn't stoney, its fine clay. I did consider debarking, but so far don't seem to have needed to.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the Colyton tannery, that's interesting, I'll check it out. I wonder if they want oak sawdust too, not short of that !

[Wendelspanswick]

I realised that the Turbosaw uses TCT teeth which is why I mentioned it. Tungsten Carbide is very hard but one of the downsides is that it's also very brittle. If a tooth hits a stone/nail etc. they tend to chip as I found out to my cost on my PTO log saw table, the blade has a diameter of 750mm and 60 TCT teeth and I chipped about 10 of them after finding a stone in a tree crook. Nothing that a trip to EPS* couldn't sort but it did mean my saw was out of action while it was repaired.

*http://www.eps-services.co.uk

[oldclaypaws]

Another useful contact WP, many thanks . I just rang them and a worse case scenario is 4 new tips and a service which will cost £50 + vat, they have all the proper kit and experience. There's also Davenports at Yeovil. Turbosaw do a jig for TCT tipping so anyone who does brazing can put tips on, but its always better to use someone experienced. It might be an idea to have a spare saw blade so if one is in for repair I have a backup. With the modest volume I'm doing, maybe 20 cu metres a year max, I shouldn't be getting through too many teeth.

[Rich]

The best looking are the American Logrite but they are prohibitively expensive for the big ones,

They are 'almost' prohibitively expensive, but very well made. I rang the company direct and had the 'Junior' shipped over from the states, along with a few accessories and a cant hook which enjoyed the flight for the same cost. I saved $200 over buying it from the distributor in the UK, that despite the import duty, VAT and airfreight.

If you were getting a larger one to use behind an ATV it might be even more cost effective?

[oldclaypaws]

I'm not disputing that they look the biz Rich, but when I checked the price on the big T36 to cope with my oaks it was several thousand and most of my tractor budget !

As said before, fortunately we seem to have got by fine in our wood using just a Telehandler and chains to skid them, but different people will have different requirements.