Log Tongs Made From Old Hydraulic Cylinder Shafts WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 22-4-27 The steel shafts out of old hydraulic cylinders work great for making inexpensive log tongs, says Norman Smith, Walsh, Ill., who uses the tongs together with a 12-ft. long boom that mounts on his tractor's 3-pt. hitch. "These log tongs work as good as commercial tongs and cost very little to build," says Smith. He removed the shafts from the cylinders, keeping the steel ring already mounted on the end of each shaft. He used a portable grinder to grind the threaded ends of the shafts down to a point, then heated them and bent them so that they would hold the wood better. Then he drilled a hole through both shafts and ran a single bolt through to serve as a pivot point. The boom is a length of 4-in. dia., 1/4-in. thick oil well pipe. Smith welded a steel bracket on top of the pipe that supports a chain that's connected to the ring on each shaft. "It works great for logs up to 20 in. in diameter," says Smith. "I saw the logs into 20 to 24-in. lengths so I can get them in my wood splitter. The top link on the 3-pt. is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder, providing a double lift for the boom. The boom raises up to 15 ft. high. "The cylinder shafts were originally mounted on a front-end loader. They were bent when I got them because someone using the loader had overloaded them." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Norman Smith, 7302 Walsh Road, Walsh, Ill. 62297 (ph 618 774-2960).

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