Skidding logs 3 pt hitch

Hugh, you're one of the sources of SOLID information here, but just HOW IN THE HECK does someone manage to flip a log on top of his rig in the manner you describe? The force needed to do this is astounding. What was he doing? Ripping along in 4th gear with the botton edge/face of a log meeting a curb or rock?

Over the past three years, between the mess a sheep-killin' logger left me and the aftermath of of windstorm in 2003 and our ice storm of 12/23/2004, I've skidded a bunch of stuff on my place and Mom's with our 460. My impression is the 460 simply doesn't have enough in its pants to flip a log over onto itself in this manner.

I skidded some pretty bodacious cherry at Mom's three weeks ago. When the log was digging in, the Old Girl soiled her knickers just trying to get up over a grade in 2nd.

Thinking about this though...I reckon it could happen if you're bookin' downhill with a log--the "at rest" angle of the log is way above 90 degrees and therefore, not too much flip rotation angle is needed to go "over-center".

We used to skid 5 days per week 8 hours per day, all through Jan. and Feb. Never had any problems, but I never liked short trees. I expect we piled up close to 100,000 board feet every winter. In 1975 I went to a John Deere forestry skidder. Workplace safety guys were on me quite bad allowing hired employees to drive the 560 skidding logs. By then I was milking 100 cows and just didn't have the time to operate 560 myself. Skidder had the protection for both operator and machine.

I know a guy decided on pulling short logs with a Farmall 460. Log dug in at front flipped, came down between he and the rear tire. 12" log 16' long, destroyed his clamshell fender, left light and TA lever. That log weighed better part of a ton. Think what could have happened had it come down on top of the operator. I saw the fender, let me assure you no one will ever straighten it to use. Be careful with logs under 20' length, even longer if small.

I have a Farmi skidder for my Ford 860 and it works like a dream compared to all the other approches I have used. There are several good makes of skidding winches for the smaller tractors out there and they can do ten lots more work in much less time.
It took me almost 20 years to learn this.