Log Hauler Has Lift Arm

Log Hauler has lift arm ENERGY Wood Handling 14-1-27 Small wood lot owners will be interested in this log hauler built by Quebec farmer Malcolm Bums. "For many years part of our farm income has come from the harvest of wood. Originally I hauled wood with a tractor and a tandem trailer with a capacity of about one cord. But loading wood is hard work and I wanted to find a faster and easier way to handle it. I couldn't justify the price of a commercial hydraulic loader and didn't like the light construction anyway, so I decided to build my own. "I built the loader arm in my shop and, other than two broken pins in the hydraulic clam grapple, I've had no problems in four years of use. "This past winter I built a new wood-hauling trailer out of an old army truck and installed my loader on it. I cut off the truck just behind the cab and made a new 3 by 6-in. tube frame in a "V" shape under the truck frame with a swivel tongue for hitching to the tractor. The driveshafts from the two rear axles are connected to a transfer case which reverses the direction of the tractor pto. I installed a 4-speed GM transmission between the tractorpto and the transfer case on the trailer. I'm able to match the tractor's low-range gears with the wheel speed of the trailer. "As an added special feature I installed a homemade posi-drive ratchet on the transmission's imput shaft. On solid ground the tractor pulls the trailer with no assist from the drive axles but whenever the tractors wheels slip, even if only slightly, the ratchet engages and the trailer moves along on its own power. "I can haul 1,500 ft. of logs, or about 2 cords. Clearance beneath the differentials is approximately 15 in. The tandem axles lets the trailer ride easily over stumps and small hollows. Building the loader and trailer cost about $7,000, not including labor." For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Malcolm Burns, Rt. 1, Cookshire, Quebec JOB IMO Canada (ph 819 875-5371).

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