Skidder
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A skidder is any type of
History
Early skidders were pulled by a team of
The early mechanical skidders were steam powered. They traveled on railroads, known as "dummylines" and the felled trees were dragged or "skidded" to the railroad where they were later loaded onto rail cars. Some, such as the
Modern equivalents
Contemporary skidders are
The skidder can also be used for pulling tree stumps, pushing over small trees, and preliminary grading of a logging path known as a "skid road".
While wood is being yarded (pulled) by the skidder, tree particles and seeds are cultivated into the soil.[citation needed]
Skidder logging can be disadvantageous in thinning operations due to the damage caused to remaining trees as branches and trunks are dragged against them, tearing away the protective bark of living trees. Another ecological concern is the deep furrows in the topsoil sometimes made by skidders, especially when using tires with chains, which alter surface runoff patterns and increases the costs of forest rehabilitation and reforestation.
Versions
Logging arch
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A device similar to a skip tongue log skidder except that it is made of steel, including the spoked wheels
Cable skidders
On a cable skidder, the cable is reeled out and attached to a pull of cut timber, then the winch pulls the load toward the skidder. The winch or grapple holds the trees while the skidder drags them to a landing area. Cable skidders are more labor-intensive than grapple skidders because someone (the operator or a second person) must drag the winch line out to the logs and hook them up manually. Nowadays, cable skidders are less popular than in the past.[citation needed] These machines are most useful in areas where it is not possible to drive the machine close to the log (such as in steep hills).
Grapple skidders
Grapple skidders use a loader crane boom with a hydraulic grapple bucket to grab and lift the timber.
There are three types of 'fixed boom' grapple skidders. A single-function boom type has two hydraulic cylinders, only allowing the boom to lower in one position. Dual-function booms (as pictured) have four cylinders, which allows for adjusting the boom in two different places. The third type permits the grapple boom to be swung from side to side, allowing spread out trees to be grabbed at once.
In some areas, loggers have combined a hydraulic claw on the side with the blade of their grapple skidders, making it possible to pile logs in some cases. More common on cable skidders, this also permits hauling back bark and tops when returning from a landing area to fallen timber.
Clambunk skidders
Clambunk skidders are more of a middle ground between skidder and a forwarder. They have large free swiveling hydraulic jaws positioned on the back of the chassis that clamp the logs. They usually don't have self-loading capability and require feller buncher or other machine with loader arm.
See also
- Feller buncher
- Forwarder
- Harvester
- Michigan logging wheels
- Skidding (forestry)
- Washington Iron Works Skidder
External links
Media related to Skidders at Wikimedia Commons