The Ultimate Low Budget Logging Machine

[@cascademtman5901]

70 y.o. here, using the same truck for the last 34 years on 640 acres of forest. Wench front and back, 8' bed, 4x4 and manual. Plus I can sleep in it and drive it home. But I do wish I had a million dollars of equipment!

[@saltymofo5870]

With a “wench” on front and back, you would definitely need at least an 8’ bed😮😂

[@blaydCA]

I could use a wench too! My kitchen is a mess!

[@wayneallan2550]

I am staggeredredly (a new word too) at the quality and amount of editing you do for all your videos. Hats of tou you.

[@karlhedlund]

And that is why I watch this channel as a common landowner learning your creative wisdom.

[@lpeterman]

As your "neighbor to the North" I heartily approve this message. It's a function of: Start where you are, use what you've got and do what you can. Our trusty Polaris EV and a bespoke log-arch can move quite a few logs to our Timbery M100 5Hp electric mill. Thanks for the shout out, stay warm in this chilly January. Cheers! from your neighbor to the North in Linn County.

[@gotwoodinhead6814]

As your neighbor to the south and Wilson's neighbor to the north, I approve this message. I mainly use a small Dodge Raider 4x4 for skidding or a 4-wheeler. Use what you got.

[@lpeterman]

@@gotwoodinhead6814 We should start a "Wilson's Neighbor to the..." Club. We could get jackets. Very exclusive -- well, mebbe not, as everyone is Wilson's neighbor in some direction.

[@sameddleman4991]

Glad I found you in Wilson's comments Lee, still taking inspiration from your property, especially for our low lying and wet areas. 👍

[@davebloggs]

A good friend of mine used a Toyota hilux for years, he beat the crap ,out of that thing hauled fire wood and logs etc, He was a master at rigging lines and pulleys , making me smile now just remember some of the crazy huge oak logs he moved. good times that is for sure. he also owned 3 tractors but it was often cheaper to take the truck rather than a tractor.. you could not kill that truck no matter how hard you tried,

[@kevinstephens1109]

Yoober Tuber is officially a word now!! 😊😅

[@victormarinelli5660]

Wise words from a wise man.

[@SteveLeingang-q3o]

yuber tuber

[@jimputnam2044]

I burnt wood for years. Got a permit from local Government to cut on crown owned land ( with all kinds of restrictions) All I had was a 4x4 old ford f150 and a winch on the front with 50 FT. cable and some chains. Got 8 or 9 cord every year for 20+ years.

[@AaronT-i3q]

Those logging blocks that release when the log gets to them are always fun to watch, and different than the ones we use for trail work. Moving big things is always fun. When doing it again you should make another video on it.

[@kenbrown2808]

the family I grew up with had cheap logging skidders. they even ran on 100% renewable fuel. you did have to be careful not to step in the exhaust, though.

[@mahnamahna3252]

That's the kind I want Plus our right to repair isn't an issue

[@blaydCA]

And the exhaust grew some nice vegetables as well!

[@kenbrown2808]

@ you pretty much have to take one of those to an authorized repair center. even putting retreads on is out of most shadetree mechanics' abilities.

[@blaydCA]

@@kenbrown2808 My Summer Camp neighbor is a retired retreading specialist. It's farm country, so if I needed other work done, it shouldn't be a problem to find a mechanic. And since it's USA made, it won't spend it's entire life waiting for a Chinese computer chip It's been a long time since I operated one. Unfortunately, my camp doesn't have the required fuel for proper operation, so I'd have to import expensive fuel.

[@Bushman9]

An ATV with a winch and a good array of rigging options is surprisingly useful. Plus you get an ATV!

[@everythingnerd7168]

Love the content. It’s been very inspiring for me. I originally studied policy and biology to get into land management and conservation. I had a hard time finding job openings in this field when I graduated and ended up using my research skills to get a job as an analyst. Your content has gotten me to start looking again.

[@dungeonmaster6292]

There are jobs in the field they just don't pay anything. You're only real hope is government conservation offices and freelance/contract work

[@MechanizedMedic]

A 3/4 ton pickup with a dual axel flatbed trailer is about the best "get shit done" setup I can imagine. Add a winch, chainsaw, some snatch blocks and some basic hand tools and you're really cookin.

[@blaydCA]

Having both a truck and a loader backhoe, Work today and could breakdown tomorrow. Both nice to have until one or the other needs an eye watering expensive part. High pressure fuel pump $1500, rear tire $1000, and those are the inexpensive items!

[@977Hlogger]

Back in the early 80s and 90s my dad and I used an old unimog 411 that had a PTO winch on the back and an arch we cobbled together. I don't know how many truckloads of logs that thing drug out of the bush but it sure worked well, and it was nimble enough to go almost anywhere. It struggled some with some of the larger douglas fir we had, even with the brakes locked it would just pull itself back into the bush... but once it picked up enough of the log with the arch and gained some traction it would pull! Later I bought an old D6 9U for $900 and like you say it needed repairs, but once repaired the unimog was sidelined as a skidder. Later still I picked up a 977H crawler loader for a great price with a winch and it is now my primary logging machine. It's amazing how much that thing will pull!

[@Jumanjini]

Hey Wilson I love your content. Can you please do a video on double leaders and how best to manage them? I don't recall seeing them much out west back when I was there but we have them a ton here in Missouri. How can one cut a double leader into a single without killing the tree? I have heard opinions but I would like yours. Thanks!

[@tt600pch]

Always used a daily driver pickup. 1993 My dad said I needed a Jammer. He built the frictions and winch, powered by a 231 V6 chevy. He brought it over on a sub frame and I put it on a 68 Chevy 3/4 ton with 14 foot of swinging stick. Skidded post n poles that summer and used it to skid firewood later on. Any tamarack or red fir on the lower side of the road within 400 feet was fair game. Used it to fall trees uphill as well. Between me and my son, we could get a cord of wood an hour up on the road to saw up. Inlaws required about 20 cord a year and I needed about 8 to get by. They are gone now so I only worry about my wood shed now. I have old equipment that works and is paid for. 99 Cummins Dodge, 3165 MF backhoe, 1835 Case skidsteer and now a free 72 Ford F7 with hydraulic boom and winch. Built a small bucksaw with live infeed when I had a log truck load of wood to saw up. I have options...

[@janking2762]

You clearly also have the most useful multi tool ever, your brain!

[@TomTammyOffGridHomestead]

Mike - your videos are always informative and a hoot to watch. 👍👍👍

[@saltymofo5870]

Years ago I skidded all my firewood with a 77 Bronco, built a high hitch for it and hooked up tight. It would lift pretty big logs off the ground for dragging in. A high hooking point, and being able to hook real tight is key, as it will lift the log and load the weight to the truck as you drive

[@matthewward631]

I to am 70 y.o…….. Until I retired from my job…… my pickup trucks skidded more logs than I could ever count. They also carried firewood and tools out and into the woods. Upon retirement I bought a tractor. Having a loader and that dig in traction, low range torque sure has made my life easier. Tractor or truck….. either way works for me, but like you said… it is a tractor!

[@georgesjunk]

we need some more pickup truck logging. maybe build a log arch?

[@georgehofgren6123]

Excellent video. After years (decades) of using a pickup and then just a garden tractor and homemade log arch, i broke the piggy bank and got a mini-ex. Of course you Know what a back-saver that might be. You touched on Many good points.. I'm thinking about converting a regular 3pt log winch to hydraulic and mounting it in place of the bucket. Then i have a real winch that i can offset and place in spots a machine won't fit 😉 Thanks 🍻

[@popswrench2]

good recounting . we started just for our own firewood ; JD-B $1000 , chainsaw ms270 $350 trailer , save enuff fuel oil to pay for in 2yrs . but Dang , thats rare .

[@jameswest3021]

I as a teenager pulled 20" x 20ft pine out of the woods with a 1/2 ton 4x4 with standard tires and then loaded it onto an old wagon 3ft high with nothing but chain and 2 cedar post because I couldn't afford to fix the tractor. Trucks are great but if you can't find one that's affordable I'd freehand jungle mill the wood on site or wench it over to a band-saw mill.

[@RobertVogelgesang]

and this is why i follow you!! you keep it simple and down to earth, i have a 1954 ford Jubilee tractor for my 20 acres, its main purpose is cutting grass, but its secondary use is my firewood operation and it does a fine job doing both!!

[@recordbutton1845]

You are so correct, Mr. Wison. When a big KZbin channel with a million followers who is basically a hobby farmer breaks down how much money they made with 100 chickens, I can't even watch the video. The farm is a hobby farm studio for their channel. Period. When the estimated income from your channel is $80k/month those 100 chickens ain't geese laying golden eggs.

[@ToddAdams1234]

I don’t have enough coin and I’m NOT a logger. I DO heat my little home with nothing else but wood. That said, I’m using my little Tacoma (1st gen) and then I use it mainly for my portable work “crummy”. It’s also my sharpening station and saw transport/storage are. It ALWAYS brings me home and it’s never let me down EXCEPT for the fact that it can’t haul much firewood wood. That’s OK because most of my wood gets brought to me by my buddy the arborist. 😁👍

[@bl9531]

My setup exactly … it works

[@ToddAdams1234]

@ Yes sir! 🫡

[@janking2762]

A simple utility trailer ( get a galvanized one if you are near the ocean or in snow country) will hugely increase how much wood you can haul. Plus you will suddenly find a lot more uses for it. No delivery fees from the box store, etc. Can help your friends move/ move stuff.

[@ToddAdams1234]

@ Yes, because I’ve got one. It’s very handy for my 4wheelin excorcising when I actually take it with me on our little “adventures”. It performs beautifully out on the trails and it’s got its own BEAUTIFUL quirkiness due to the fact that it’s got exactly the same track width as the truck. I paid $400 for it about 20yr back and it’s been the BEST money that I’ve ever spent. I wouldn’t trade it for the world (unless I lost my truck). Truck and trailer both use the same tire/wheel and bolt pattern, so the truck spare fits it. I’m proud to say that I had something to do with that. 😁

[@Shawn-s8o]

I'm with you on that I see a lot of KZbin's buy equipment that they are not train to run. Now if they were on a job this would be a big problem for me but I do believe and if you have the money hey test your limits. FYI,LA Cal may start demanding metal construction but wood is still going to be a necessary necessity you may want to start back up your forestry work. Everything in construction material is going to go sky high.

[@RavenOregon]

Your haulback has gotta be in good shape!

[@florianlindinger6430]

I have 30 acres of really dense and steep forest and i have a 4wd Ford 4610 with a Font loader and a Krpan 6EHP 6T winch, a Ford 6600 2WD with a Log grapple and a quad to pull small stuff in the really thick parts of my land

[@bruceduncan2346]

BECAUSE ITS A TRACTOR!

[@jasonpinnix1905]

How right you are . If you buy it really cheep it’s broken I know from experience.

[@mrob1128]

I’m a firm believer that even if you don’t have the work to warrant getting a tractor once you get the tractor you’ll start doing and getting jobs that you didn’t know you’d be able to do.

[@alexguir903]

Very nice and informative.

[@janking2762]

The exhaust will work fine in your garden!

[@KestrelOwens]

The logging we do we just haul it out by hand, but we are just getting stuff for personal construction projects around our place.

[@VIVA4EVER2001]

Great video as always but I think maybe you have missed the best option for a small enterprise and thats a horse 😀 Could you try one and show us how it goes please 😉

[@tomt8320]

Those are some beautiful roads on your property. For a truck to be viable, your first piece of equipment needs to be a dozer. 😂

[@gorrister2977]

I use an MF6195 with a winch for logging. Far overpowered. Was for heavy soil field plowing initially. I use what I have available.

[@Tommy-h4b]

I like both but I think I would go with a pickup truck.

[@Tommy-h4b]

It's a very tough choice.

[@jeffpeters1014]

I work 54 acres of woodland with 2 atvs, both have winches. They have been fine for the work I have to do.

[@dab.]

ATV's are great but too light for hauling or winching the heavy logs shown in this video. A winch would pull the vehicle toward the load and anchoring the vehicle risks twisting the chassis.

[@jeffpeters1014]

@ I realize the machines limitations. I’m primarily a firewood guy but occasionally I drag some 9’ers down and my neighbor saws them into lumber.

[@Tommy-h4b]

Thank you very much for the video sir.

[@recordbutton1845]

Oxford is going to release a new dictionary with a special sub section for new words attributed to my favorite Youber Tuber Wilson Forrest Lands....

[@Woodburner100]

There are a couple of yoobertoobers I’m thinking of that wreak of grift. They seem to have a lot of new equipment far too often for KZbin or a 9-5 job could support. The show-off factor with those channels seems awfully high and I suspect they’re getting much of the equipment for either a very low cost or free in return for lots of screen time for it. It’s a sellout in my eyes when people do that, no matter how good the machine might be. Channels like those paint a picture of the activity that’s a fantasy and in real life wouldn’t work. People need to realize that and see it as entertainment only.

[@CUTigerfan82]

I know exactly what channels you are thinking of! Still fun to watch but not “reality”. Like The Old Yankee Workshop, where Norm makes a table in a building with $100k in power tools…

[@Poppy_love59]

I own 40 acres in Ontario Canada, If anyone is interested I haven't logged or done anything with it for 30 years!

[@beerdrinker6452]

Nice video. A lot of common sense.

[@delprice3007]

I pray American industry figures it out in time to refocus on producing practical equipment.

[@Kriss_L]

Just don't hold your breath.

[@indisputablefacts8507]

I think it's time to go forward with yoobertoober all the time.

[@allenandmain]

Thanks for show

[@mvblitzyo]

most excellent information ..

[@lukeblackford1677]

I like, “If you find used equipment at a low price, it’s broken.”

[@karlscaife6970]

I liked the video

[@BillHale-p9d]

If you are in the over 70 a lot depends on depends 😂

[@edisoncarteresq9111]

You already out priced me. It takes half a day to get a chord of wood, for my use only. Then I drive home. 73 year old boomer!

[@Token_Civilian]

"...it's uhhh....tractor!" Classic.

[@ajpsawmill4314]

All ya need is a loader, truck, trailer, sawmill, excavator and skid steer 😂

[@Syncop8rNZ]

Perhaps one of the old pickups could be based at the coast property? 🤔

[@Crazylalalalala]

the old pickups were so much cooler.

[@jamespeck4895]

Would an old tow truck be somewhere in between a pickup and a tractor with the built in winch/arch/crane on the back?

[@ToddAdams1234]

Correction: you can have cold WITHOUT frosty, but you CAN’T have frosty without the cold. Just in case you’re curious. 😁

[@vanderfleet-martin]

I think the question is which tool does everything you need. It’s hard to load logs on a trailer with just a pickup truck

[@dylano7242]

Uh theres these things called atvs that have capabilities of adding winches and tow log haulers trailer, pto or hydraulics pump with stand alone set up. I dont log to sell. But have a permit in colorado mountains high country. To get to places without roads, i have a used $1000 suzuki king quad . It basically a tractor with all kinds of locking differentials , 4x4, winch placements, and tows 2000lbs but I've towed way more thsn thatdue to the locking differenials. Then i have log arch trailer for the atv. Most time i just buck into smaller pieces on stite then load the pickup and utility box trailer. If i was cutting to mill and sell i'd still use the atv rather than big tractors. The atv can easily get into and more importantly out of places no tractor or truck can. They are cheap to maintain, cheap to repair, cheap to buy used. Especially the suzuki king quad which are essentially just a tractor in atv form . The suzuki king quad is used as a major farm implementation in Japan because is so versatile . And you can add hydraulics to it or pto.

[@paulherzmann6237]

Is the red F250 has or a powerstroke?

[@lukeblackford1677]

Awesome, now show us what the heck an arch for a pickup looks like. Please.

[@hobbyfarmer62]

When e bought our acreage in 2002 I bought an old Ferguson tractor and she ran well till 2016. But then my 1949 tractor had something break deep inside so now she has a thump when you try to start her, and won't start. So you buy a cheap used tractor you risk having it break down. Be realistic about what you need compared to what you want, because want will drive you into a deep hole that will be impossible to get out of.

[@mcblaggart8565]

Thousands of dollars for a winch? I never would have thought.

[@TheSeastar19]

My answer to both of these solutions to low budget logging is Neither! The Ford truck was built for driving on already cleared tracks and roads and the tractor was built for farming work, usually this is working in an open environment, and by the time you purchase the tractor add a winch or grapple and maybe a front dozer or front end loader, you could have purchased an older Log Skidder, maybe a cheaper older machine, there are some nice condition units out there for under 15K and you can go straight to work with the right type of Forestry guarding and Tires and a winch and front dozer, also the machine will be articulated where as the tractor isn't and not having and articulated machine, is a real pain in the forest. Let's face it Timberjack's first log skidder had a rigid frame and steered on the front axle only but it wasn't long and they designed and built the articulated frame, there was a very good reason for this. So the cheapest way to log is by using an older type smaller log skidder, the machine that was built ground up for skidding wood.

[@piotr84ru]

instead of pickup truck I recommend audi quattro

[@Nphen]

No one mentioned rental, or (for some) to borrow equipment from a neighbor. Get to know your neighbors, whether it's a vacation or hunting property or your full time residence. Folks in Michigan will help their neighbors. Some folks love to overbuy equipment (sometimes even New Holland) and are looking for an excuse to use it. You don't seem like the type who will ever have a shiny blue though!

[@firewoodmillionaire]

Awesome.

[@wildandliving]

Let's see it was 8100 to out in a drive way.. spent 42k on a tractor then 8k on a trailer so 50k then 650 for a culvert and 3k on gravel. So for 53.6k I saved 8k.. so yah it adds up quick. Now I also did way more work with it after and adding up all those costs I paid for the equipment.. removed stumps grinding them up with a balmalight stump grinder leveling the property moving logs and sticks out of the way. Could've been done by hand but you have to take physical ability into consideration and time. Tractor is totally worth it if you have enough work to do on your property

[@kdegraa]

Oh well I have a tractor and don’t have a truck/ute. The tractor is used for a lot of tasks besides timber work.

[@Autigers2013]

A tractor can be dangerous too, a man turned one over on the land we live on now and died, but trucks are dangerous too. My best friends little bother back in the early 90s was helping a man pull up stumps, and the chain broke, went thru the back window, and killed the little guy. So be careful!

[@sacha11666]

Cants -> tractor

[@EINNHOJ100]

Maybe if you left the limbs on the trees they could crawl out on their own

[@janking2762]

You guys are starting to sound like Wilson…

[@bobhoward9016]

Hindsight is 20/20. An excavator is always your most articulate implement. Start there

[@johnroot8215]

Bloody good advice! Thanks.

[@Kriss_L]

So what you're saying is you don't need a $50,000 dump trailer with a crane to thin out a 5 acre piece of property? I'm shocked!

[@davebloggs]

oh forgot to mention Love the new word youber tubers hahahaha

[@Ruger41mag]

you big youber tuber ...... well not big but big

[@richardabernathy6242]

Get a four wheel drive.

[@jameskringlee8974]

"a tractor or a pickup?" neither

[@csehszlovakze]

lmao youbertubers

[@bille5217]

Youber toobers.

[@arnoldpraesent174]

Soo much in this video. First: is it your business or is it hobby. Shall it bring money or is it ok to cost money. 2. dont trust what you see on youtube and do not measure yourself against it - i thking thats the best adivice - rest is common sense. Maybe one aspect in addition. I’m hobbyist and have 12 acres forest. Not much - just hobby. I run a tractor of the 70’s but bought new winch for it. I never ever would buy a new tractor just for logging for the following reasons. I dont need a newer better nicer more shiny tractor because it would just bring more productivity and convenience but it would come with the costs of the equipment and with the costs of that new equipment will not last for 50 years so that my kids can use it further and it will come with the cost of that putting tooo much money on a hobby to gain something which is not necessary for the hobby will destroy the hobby! This closes the circle to the first statement - dont believe what you see on youtube or at leaat evaluate what it means for yourself. In short. Throwing a lot of money on something which kills your loved hobby to be someone on the internet what is a not real or at least does not match with yourself - doesnt make sense - right? Do what ever you want to do but have fun doing it - and its soo much easier to spend money on something instead of learning something or inceasing skills with what you have.