Simple "Garden Tractor" Log Skidder

Simple "Garden Tractor" Log Skidder WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 34-4-17 "It works like a dream and lets me skid logs up to 18 in. dia. and 15 ft. long," says Dan Jacobson about his "garden tractor" log skidder. The log skidder mounts on front of Jacobson's Yanmar 18 hp garden tractor. A hand-operated, 2,000-lb. boat winch is used to lift one end of the log 10 to 12 in. off the ground. The operator drives backward to skid the log. "It does a great job. I use it all year long," says Jacobson. "A big advantage is that I can leave the log skidder on the tractor all the time. It's never in the way of rear-mounted attachments." To support the winch he welded together a 3-in. channel iron "boom" that bolts onto the tractor's front bumper. It extends up 18 in. and out 12 in., where the winch is mounted. The boom is reinforced by a pair of angled, galvanized steel pipes. To lift a log, Jacobson screws a bracket into the top of it with two 4-in. lag screws, using a cordless impact driver he carries on the tractor. "It's a simple idea but it really works well, and it didn't cost much to build. My total cost was only about $50. Commercial rear-mounted log skidders mounted on wheels sell for $300 or more. Driving backward is a bit inconvenient. It isn't the answer if you have to pull logs out of the woods a long ways, but for short distances it's the cat's meow." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dan Jacobson, 8913 Weaver Lake Dr., Pequot Lakes, Minn. 56472 (ph 218 543-6623).

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