Now with the sawmill no longer in the mix, I’m focused on trying to make my firewood production as simple as possible. With that in mind, I tried to take to heart the parts of the job that are messiest, as well as most frustrating. One of these annoyances occurs out in the bush, trying to thread a chain under the end of a log in the mud or brush before my log arch can pick it up. To that end, I decided to try out a skidding tong.
Hitting up Amazon proved to be the most economical option, so I waited patiently for it to arrive. Once it did, I at first tried to use a short chain between the tong’s hook, and the hook on my arch. The tong hangs down a fair distance though, so I realized that every change to shorten the chain would help in lifting the logs higher off the ground. To that end, I eventually removed the hook from the arch, and simply bolted the chain directly to the roller on the arch.
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| One can see how low the hooks hang here. In this photo I have already bolted the chain directly to the roller, and the tongs can be hooked on to the best position for the situation. |
Since then, the tongs have worked in an acceptable manner. They aren’t quite as trouble free as I would have liked – small diameter logs don’t easily get picked up by them, and require some nursing before I can drive off with confidence.
Occasionally, a log does shake free of the points – of course, this could happen with the chain too.
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| This is a pretty decent sized log for our property, and it fits onto the tongs well. |
I’m not sure if I would consider purchasing it in the future – perhaps once I see it pick up some nicer sized logs that I’d have had to muck about to retrieve, but for now, it’s not a whole lot better than a simple chain and slip hook have been.
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| Lots of brush under this log, it would have been a mixed bag to thread a chain around it in the bush. |