Mini excavator for logging

[Delmer]

Not in Wisconsin you wouldn't. The chunkers are homemade machines that use common axles, and don't take much power at all to run, probably much less than a chainsaw. They burn the small chunks for "gasification" boilers, or wood gas generators.

No way you'd pay for the other equipment in WI. There is a woodchip industry, but I think they use bigger equipment and chip as a byproduct of pulp yards, or bigger logging jobs.

 

[a.paul]

I was actually thinking mostly about the people in the video--2 tractors, chipper and wagon. Or the other one, with the ex feeding the chipper. I know how bad the chip market is in NH, I can't imagine making any money wandering the woods picking up limbs and such.

 

[melli]

I was actually thinking mostly about the people in the video--2 tractors, chipper and wagon. Or the other one, with the ex feeding the chipper. I know how bad the chip market is in NH, I can't imagine making any money wandering the woods picking up limbs and such.

I tried to get someone, anyone to take away the nicely piled slash and 'pecker' poles (pic on previous page). I then looked into get it taken to a chipping plant...$250 per load plus drop off fee...haha. A couple of days of smoke and all gone. Shame. I would have paid something, but not 3 grand.

The other problem is stumps...noticed no stumps going through the Scandinavian setup. Looked like they were careful not to put rocks through the machine. In some respects, I needed the slash so as to get a hot fire to burn the stumps.

I wonder if there was some subsidy for picking up all that slash...I agree Paul that there is no money in North America for an operation like that, unless your getting gov handouts.

Lastly, just read an article about slash...beyond it's nutrient value for new seedlings, it also protects replanting from deer and whatnot. Of course, some areas need the slash gone because of the fire hazard....

 

[Delmer]

The big difference between Europe and WI is the market, not just the price paid, but also the location of the markets. I think there may be two industrial scale wood power plants in WI that I've heard talk of, not sure if either is actually operating/buying. There may be a few schools burning wood chips, not sure.

Small and medium size wood chip boilers are much more common in some parts of europe, so that kind of operation (tractor, log loader, chipper, trailer) might travel around, but the product would be delivered locally, maybe even under a mile? The chips would be competing with firewood, fuel oil or gas, not at as a byproduct of pulpwood.

 

[Oxbow]

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Lastly, just read an article about slash...beyond it's nutrient value for new seedlings, it also protects replanting from deer and whatnot. Of course, some areas need the slash gone because of the fire hazard....

I was wondering about this as well. I think the forest needs to retain much of the slash to provide and maintain the forest "duff" that allows for quicker regeneration of seedlings and provides erosion control. We have done a number of Forest Service small mine reclamations and the Forest Service is always emphatic about spreading slash and de-compacting soils to provide proper conditions for re-vegetation.

Sorry, got off topic a bit.

 

[Nolimit]

The Fabricator I use has made a cool little harvesting machine from about a 75 or 100 size late nineties komatsu I believe. he has made a custom boom that allows him to cut down the standing tree, he has a stroke de-limber attached to the boom and once it has cut the tree the machine de-limbs it. It then spins around with the tree to the blade end of the mini and there is a large grapple that can hold several trees at once and drag them out. The way it is set up the machine can basically rotate on it's own footprint with the log so it can selectively pull trees without damaging other ones. He has also built a hydraulically controlled counterweight for it so if you are outstretched with a log the counterweight will tilt backwards so that you are not unstable. I'll see if he will let me snap a few photos next time i am there. Pretty neat little machine though.

 

[maddog]

I want to start a bio mass harvesting operation to follow loggers of large timber and to thin tree plantations in hilly Wisconsin. I'd want to pick up the larger limbs and put them on a wagon.
I am aware that Valby grapples with rotators can be used with excavators.
I also need to buy or rent used to begin with. I assume a 50 hp, over 12,000 lb machine would be required.
Are steel tracks a must?

I use a baby mini(under 4000lbs) and a 8500lb 30hp machine for basically the same thing your mentioning. I was going to hook a hitch to the blade for pulling a trailer but as of now just use a tractor. I also have NO issue's with rubber tracks IMO they're better if there are hidden rocks. We have VERY rocky conditions in this area. You'd be surprised at what a smaller machine can handle plus you can get into tight spots. Many times I jump on the 4000lb baby mini to do the job, will lift a fair sized log and is easy to maneuver in the woods. One down thing to the baby mini is the tip factor, being slim they are much tippier then there bigger brothers/sisters(want to be PC correct ). I strongly agree with those that wrote get some experience before playing on a hill. IMHO 50hp 12000lb is on the big side for what you need, but I also understand you'll have to get what you can find on your particular budget.

How steep a side hill can these operate or drive on (even if a flat spot needs to be made for picking)? (our land is 20% sloped, or greater, and often roads are made on the traverse of steeper slopes to winch to.)

Again this depends on the operator, I have had both my machines operating on very steep slopes, many times I have had to dig a foot area before moving logs. Experience will be your best bet on this answer, I have had folks hold their breathe when they see how steep a bank I'll work on, I have also had others say "no big deal". My personal feeling is if I can balance my self enough to get were I need to be{many times using the bucket to creep/keep machine somewhat level while moving** I'll go for it.

Is is possible to design a way to pull a farm wagon style trailer with a machine so that it follow the excavator to be loaded on a trail?
There is a tremendous need to harvest this material to use for alternative power and heat generation in our area.

As I wrote earlier it would not be all that hard to weld/fabricate a reciever on the blade(there was a video on utube of a person that did just this, not sure if it's still there). I do not believe you'd have any issue's with pulling as long as you use common sense.

I have a sawmill and am designing a Combined Heat and Power system to make power and to use the waste heat to dry wood chips for sale to larger plants. This operation will not work without some material handling beyond my current farm tractor.

sounds like a plan