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2014 - Volume #38, Issue #5, Page #26

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"ATV" Log Skidder

Charles Irwin, Martville, N.Y., recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a log skidder he built to pull behind his ATV.
    “It’s easy to load and lets me safely haul logs up or downhill, without tearing up the ground,” he says.
    The log skidder rides on 13-in. flat-free tires that support a 1/4-in. thick steel shelf made from 6-in. sq. tubing. The shelf sets 2 ft. above the ground. A 2-ft. steel upright bolts onto each side of the shelf. Each is secured by a bolt that is double nutted. There’s a pin 2 in. above it. By removing the pin, Irwin can lower the upright to the ground to form a ramp on either side.
    To skid out a log he drives alongside the log, then unhooks the skidder from the ATV and drives it up to the opposite side of the log. There, he pulls cable from the ATV’s electric winch out to the log and hooks it onto a chain placed under the log. The winch then rolls the log up the ramp and onto the shelf. The last step is to hook the ATV back up to the skidder.
    “The skidder’s tongue is made from 2-in. sq. tubing and is light enough that I can easily lift it up onto a ball mounted on back of the 4-wheeler,” says Irwin. “I can load up to 4 logs at a time. When I’m done loading logs I pin the upright back into its vertical position. Then I wrap a chain around all the logs and under the skidder’s tongue and use a chain tightener.
    “I’m amazed at how much the ATV can pull. Most of the weight is on the skidder’s wheels, so all the ATV has to do is pull. Before I built it I made a model out of wood just to see if it would work and to see how much wood the 4-wheeler could haul. I spent about $1,000 to build it.”
    Irwin says he’s willing to build the log skidder for others, or tell them how to make one. “I’d be glad to provide drawings and measurements. I think it’s a good idea and I just want to share it with others,” he says.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles Irwin, 1901 Onionville Rd., Martville, N.Y. 13111 (ph 315 564-6381).

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ATV Log Skidder ATV S Charles Irwin Martville N Y recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a log skidder he built to pull behind his ATV “It’s easy to load and lets me safely haul logs up or downhill without tearing up the ground ” he says The log skidder rides on 13-in flat-free tires that support a 1/4-in thick steel shelf made from 6-in sq tubing The shelf sets 2 ft above the ground A 2-ft steel upright bolts onto each side of the shelf Each is secured by a bolt that is double nutted There’s a pin 2 in above it By removing the pin Irwin can lower the upright to the ground to form a ramp on either side To skid out a log he drives alongside the log then unhooks the skidder from the ATV and drives it up to the opposite side of the log There he pulls cable from the ATV’s electric winch out to the log and hooks it onto a chain placed under the log The winch then rolls the log up the ramp and onto the shelf The last step is to hook the ATV back up to the skidder “The skidder’s tongue is made from 2-in sq tubing and is light enough that I can easily lift it up onto a ball mounted on back of the 4-wheeler ” says Irwin “I can load up to 4 logs at a time When I’m done loading logs I pin the upright back into its vertical position Then I wrap a chain around all the logs and under the skidder’s tongue and use a chain tightener “I’m amazed at how much the ATV can pull Most of the weight is on the skidder’s wheels so all the ATV has to do is pull Before I built it I made a model out of wood just to see if it would work and to see how much wood the 4-wheeler could haul I spent about $1 000 to build it ” Irwin says he’s willing to build the log skidder for others or tell them how to make one “I’d be glad to provide drawings and measurements I think it’s a good idea and I just want to share it with others ” he says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Charles Irwin 1901 Onionville Rd Martville N Y 13111 ph 315 564-6381

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