Grapple Action

You will see two different types of skidders if you hang around logging jobs.  Cable skidders have a winch, and they require a man on the ground to set chokers on the logs to be pulled.  Grapple skidders like this one only require the operator, so they are very handy in Illinois, where workman's comp insurance makes logging strictly a family operation.

Cable skidders have a big advantage when crossing streams.  The operator kicks out the clutch on the winch, crosses the stream, and then pulls his logs back to the machine.   Grapple skidders have to hang onto their load all the way to the landing, so bridges have to be put in place for stream crossings.

These machines always remind me of a big old pinching bug.  Below is a little action from our timber harvest in 2012.  Grapple skidders are really handy for sorting logs, and moving them around where you want them.