Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 30 of 30

Thread: Getting heavy logs into pickup truck.

  1. My brother had a Chestnut Oak come down on his property last year. He had a local tree service come by and buck it to length, load it on their trailer, and haul it to the mill for what I though was a VERY nominal fee. You might look into that if you don't find another option you like.

    And I'll add to the chorus shouting "Don't put that in a pickup truck bed." There's no such thing as free wood. You can pay a little up front to get this done right, or potentially pay a lot on the back end when something goes wrong. A standard pickup bed isn't engineered to handle this much mass in the event of an accident or sudden change of direction.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    San Jose, CA
    Posts
    96
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    Lots of people want to make things from their own wood, and your own wood is often - let's say, eccentric - in it's quality. I sawed up an old red pine for a friend into 8/4 stock a couple of years ago. Awful stuff - all knots, sap inclusions, and insect damage. Completely worthless from a "what would you pay at the lumber yard" point of view.

    But stickered and dried for a couple of years, I used it to build benches for him recently. The results were absolutely gorgeous, if you have a place for knotty pine in your decor. Most importantly - they are in his house, from his wood.

    Steve got it spot on. Less about getting wood that I could buy from a lumber yard, and more about celebrating the tree right outside my door step. My buddy also put together a little mill and part of the fun for him is watching the log turn from log to board.

    Best,
    John

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    San Jose, CA
    Posts
    96
    Quote Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan View Post
    you probably don't have a truck that's setup for this if you're asking how to do it.
    Correct. Trailer it is.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Arlington, TX
    Posts
    452
    I would echo the concern about modern pick-up bed ruggedness for this task.

    When I was a kid in the late 60s or early 70's I "helped" my dad, brother and grandfather load a big (~24" dia, 8'+ long) walnut log about 8 feet long into by grandfather's F100 pickup. No problems, used a heavy pipe tripod with a chain hoist. The tailgate was already off, since the pickup was set up for a big cab-over camper.

    But todays half-ton pickups have MUCH thinner sheet metal (for less weight/cost and better gas mileage) than they did back then. Even my F-250 bed sheet metal is thinner than that on that old F-100.

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

  5. #20
    Can't tell for sure from the photo, but looks like there is a bit of a hill involved. If you can locate your trailer downhill and parallel to the logs, 3 "Strong" men should be able to roll the logs up 2 ramp boards.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
    6,824
    Quote Originally Posted by John Strong View Post
    Steve got it spot on. Less about getting wood that I could buy from a lumber yard, and more about celebrating the tree right outside my door step. My buddy also put together a little mill and part of the fun for him is watching the log turn from log to board.

    Best,
    John
    Don't let anyone talk you out of it. It will be a conversation piece, certainly.

    Not for nothing, is the bandsaw mill portable?

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by John Strong View Post
    ... My buddy also put together a little mill and part of the fun for him is watching the log turn from log to board.
    ...
    That is HUGE fun! I got a small Woodmizer in maybe '04 or '05 and that's the most enjoyable part of milling, watching the hidden magic emerge, often a big surprise. (An even bigger and not near as pleasant surprise when hitting a nail, screwdriver, clothesline hook or once, a railroad spike!) If your buddy is experienced with sawing he should know to watch for iron stain and use a metal detector before every board on a yard tree or have plenty of spare blades on hand!

    I generally cut 4/4 and posts for farm building construction/siding, 8/4 to 16/4 for later conversion to woodturning blanks. Sometimes prep short log sections into big bowl and platter blanks for friends.

    sawmill_cedar_IMG_20171204_165233_909.jpg

    sawmill_blocks_P2253140.jpg sawmill_blocks_P2253156.jpg

    sawmill_gordon_jake_2_3_18.jpg

    It's a shame I don't do much flat woodwork, I once sawed a bunch of beautiful 4/4 cherry with good intentions and ended up using some of it for construction and the rest is just aging in the barn loft.

    JKJ

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Cedar Park, TX - Boulder Creek, CA
    Posts
    832
    I don't remember how I got it back in when I finally hauled it to the dump. But it had rotted to a little lower weight by then.

    105-0517_IMG.JPG

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    Lots of people want to make things from their own wood, and your own wood is often - let's say, eccentric - in it's quality. I sawed up an old red pine for a friend into 8/4 stock a couple of years ago. Awful stuff - all knots, sap inclusions, and insect damage. Completely worthless from a "what would you pay at the lumber yard" point of view.

    But stickered and dried for a couple of years, I used it to build benches for him recently. The results were absolutely gorgeous, if you have a place for knotty pine in your decor. Most importantly - they are in his house, from his wood.
    I realize all that and agree to an extent. I am still a sucker for marginal logs, but I would set the bar higher for a saw log than what I see in the photo. The amount of work involved is more than I would put in for a yard tree with big limbs like that and the potential for hitting metal. If I were intent on using the wood for sentimental reasons I would block out some turning or carving blanks with a chainsaw.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,645
    One like this would be best.





    As long as you can get near the log it's an easy operation. Even without a log arch you could make a tripod out of 4x4's with a chainfall and lift the end of the log up enough to back the trailer under it, then pick up the other end with the tripod and back up enough to get it aboard, then use a come a long to pull it completely in.

    John

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    SCal
    Posts
    1,478
    JOhn, that is cool!
    what is it called?
    I assume you lower the arch over the log.
    Chain arch to the log...
    the hoist pulls the hinged arch, which lifts and drags the log into the trailer?
    or does it lift the log the entire trip into the trailer?
    Brilliant!

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Will, if you want to see this kind log arch in action, a number of Matt Cremona's videos on the 'Tube show that and he moves BIG logs, especially with his new, custom built trailer that can handle something like 9000 lbs.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    SCal
    Posts
    1,478
    Wow, Matt is fearless! Gotta love youth! Impressive trailer design and function.
    It worked just like I imagined... and he only had to re adjust the chain a couple of times to move it onto the trailer.

    Now if he can move around 8K lb logs with no muscle, then we gotta stop complaining about moving around 500 - 1K lb objects in our shop! JJ, I will always complain as the task seems daunting when working solo. Rigging is its own field, which requires a mix of gear, brains and imagination. (and often space, which many of us do NOT have)

    I just moved a 750lb bandsaw from the street, on a crate, up a 13% sloped 25ft driveway into garage. The number of obstacles were amazing. Only two of us, and both of us have physical limitations. A nice pallet jack would be the obvious solution, but we were fighting for inches to fit the saw under garage door with the pallet removed. A mix of strategies and 3hrs later, it was in!

    I fully agree with a previous poster, nothing beats 6 strong guys to overcome moving obstacles!

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Will Blick View Post
    ...I fully agree with a previous poster, nothing beats 6 strong guys to overcome moving obstacles!
    I once moved a player piano in a U-Haul trailer from PA to TN. At the house, I had to get it down some outside stairs to the back of the house then into the house. I knew it wouldn't go through the door so I removed a picture window to pass it thru. I would never have gotten it into the house without those six strong guys. Well, five strong guys and me...

    JKJ

  15. #30
    Get the mill to you if it is portable

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •