Hello jason Just just found out about your youtube chanel some weeks ago and was looking at your videos. Very interesting stuff. Sorry for my english i am in Qc, near Gatineau otttawa region. We just got a 270 acres and i am planing to exploite our land like you do. Could talk to you for hours about this project of yours and also mine. About this video you did on big decisions to make. I think you should keep it small but efficient as possible on every aspect. Keep the kranman and kubota tractor. Your best machine and simple methode to harvest trees is this. Kubota excavator 040 or 057 size. Buy a rotating tree shear and of you go. In the comfort of your cabine you will be able to harvest wood anytime anywhere. Those kubota are real work horse. Tree shear for a 057 excavator can cut trees in seconde and take them down real fast and easy. You can use it as a grapple. Only to cylinders and a blade. You can cut trees to 10 inches with those. Complet with a good set of buckets and your roads and trails will be in top shape in no time. I made 8km of roads and trails in one summer on weekends. Roads i can go with my truck no problem there. I got a auger and brush cutter for my excavator and there is nothing you cant do. Very efficient way to work and kubota excavator are the best period. Could go on and on. I am new to this internet, youtube thing. Give me a email so i can write to you, send pictures of what i mean about tree shear etc. Keep up the good work💪👍

It's all about the size. You could sell the Kubota/Kranman package and go for a tractor with processor and a trailer, or go for a newer tractor/excavator with a cuttinghead. Or a Jarcrac Magnapro. All this depends on if you aim for processorwood 250-300mm or bigger. Finnish standard: ~100-150hp tractor with a ~9 ton trailer. Crane on tractor (if processor use) or trailer depending on preferences. I would consider frontloader for versatile use all year round. Just take it off when going into the woods. Btw, Swedish Terri ain't bad either 😁...

Propose to Kranman that you will be their Sales Agent for their harvesters in Canada. New business opportunity for you and for Kranman👍 You could demo the machines and give potential buyers an opportunity to test the equipment before ordering. Sounds very strange that they would not want to export these to Canada Good luck with the new business opportunity

I would continue what you're doing, provided you get enjoyment out of it. Managing the forrest is an important part of growing healthy trees worthy of making quality wood instead of firewood. This management in itself allows you to still collect more than enough firewood for the coming years. If you event have a lot that comes to maturity, then you can hire to have it cut. You will likely have quality wood that will bring more money than just firewood. However, it may unfortunately be more profitable to have somebody simply drop the wood and let you collect and process it as firewood.

Hello Jason, we chose The Bobcat T650 with the Halverson, Quick Attach tree shear and Titan Grapple, just found excavators not as versatile as a track loader, now that we are living will our decision, The Stihl 500i makes it all fun😂🪵👍🏼🇺🇸

Hi, Yes a small feller buncher that will mount on a skid steer. Runs around $6000 plus a skid steer. Here are 4 that I have been looking at; DFM, Dougherty Forestry; Baumalight a great machine; and Top Cat made in Austin, Texas about $6000; also AGT about $5200. These all require a skid steer. But that also a machine that can have maybe a 100 different attachments. Ron USCG RET

advantages for step feeders: Cheaper to buy, cheaper and easier to repair, low oil flow required, Advantages of roller feeders, significantly faster to feed up a tree, about 5 times faster depending on the machine. Have you looked at other machines such as Terri (I think it's more expensive than Malwa though, don't know) jarack (Finnish), Vimek, maybe a tractor-driven processor (hypro brand), Maybe a used Malwa so it goes down from the price when it’s new. Tip is to make a budget about the forest and what equipment should be used.

Cinetic k437 and AM300 prosessor (combi) could be what you are looking for. They are produced in finland and they got a dealer in canada. Pricy machine but a lot less than Malwa, more like the kranmann. Naavra 23 stroke delimber can work on the kranman but cuts only 8´´.

I’m not a fan of the idea of debt at this point in life either. Your side hustle firewood business is going really well. Your woods look great. I would keep doing what you’re doing as long as your body can manage it. Have 100 acre sections selectively logged in the future for extra cash. I hope you achieve peace with whatever choice you make.

Hi Jason I would continue what you are doing but thin out to try to produce some sawlogs for the future as there will be a shortage. Maple lumber is expensive With sawmills closing down across Canada due to timber shortage the price of logs should be a good investment . I would get advice from a owner of wood processor to see if they work okay on a tree that has a crown top in other words a number in tops running in different directions. You seem very good at running all your equipment the only change I would make is a chainsaw with a longer bar to keep from bending over.If you are the person playing the blues guitar sounds good.

IMHO if you do go the excavator/processor head, my thoughts lean toward getting the best built, most efficient processor head you can, as it's the actual "tool" and you could always switch whatever excavator/machine (the motor that moves the tool around) it was attached to based on needs at the time. Kind of similar to having a travel trailer instead of a motor home. Its easy to swap out the truck. It is a big decision to make in a troubling time, and I wish you the best in it.

For your operation a mini excavator with some type of head on it would be the best bet. You get a harvester but can also do earthwork and build roads. The dedicated forestry machines are best for full time contractors. I have a few friends with TMK shears that harvest with them. They work great for dealing with unmerchantables and small wood then you can cut the bigger stuff with a saw. I’m going to go that route for my lot. I also have a friend with a 6 ton and Jobo harvester head. It’s a very impressive small harvester.

Talk to skider kev. They use skidsteers to harvest trees.. probably the cheapest way to start off.. if your planning on buying new.. did you think of resale value of what your buying?? What sort of production are you looking to do.. might be quite beneficial for you to really look into this. 500 acres is a great start.. and you can help others maintain as well..

I like the just keep doing what you're doing approach. Down the road select log parts, maybe 50 acres a year. You would supplement your income at no expense and could still cut firewood . I'm in Southwest Montana and I only see big feller bunchers and boom delimbers that cost half a million dollars so I can't be any help on the type of equipment that would work for you . If what you have is paid for or close to it, that is a good thing. Hope you have a good summer.

As a fellow cranman owner (and Swede) i would love the cranman harvesters it looks just perfect for small forestry, sorry to hear they won't export to Canada

Hi Jason, maybe this is something for youTMK tree shear Hypro felling grapple or Hypro tractor processor. kind regards from Richard from the Netherlands

As i am new to your channel and yes i subscribed lol i hope to see more of your process. I am very interested in the kranman trailer. I would like to see your next setup lol

Often thought you could increase productivity with a newer winch setup/tractor. Ive seen the difference replacement of an old international to a mx5200 can make on a woodlot. In 20years those trees will really work the kranman. Enjoy the videos no matter what you decide!

It's a good thing to have this thinking now. I understand running the chainsaw is the part you would like to remove from the process. All of it? Or some parts of it? Felling trees? Delimbing trees? and/or cutting down to length for the processor? I haven't seen much harvester working in hardwood lands. My guess is most likely because the shape of those trees is so often odd and not practical for the machine. Any machine you will buy will have a resale value. So the final cost might not be so high. But the cost to borrow money at this moment is a factor here. In my opinion, the key element is locking this huge amount of money for a long period of time. This is going to lock your future projects. So this is where the choice has to happen. That is my 2 cents! Thanks!

Well Jason- I like math, it never lies… Figure out your ROI on each scenario, keeping in mind that you’re likely the only one who can operate a harvester, so if you want to take time off or heaven forbid you get sick or injured- the payments don’t take a sick day. It’s very easy to get over leveraged, and in my experience, I can only focus on harvesting OR processing- I don’t have time for both. The ideal situation for me is to concentrate on making the saleable product, and hire or contract a crew to cut my land and make sure I’m supplied enough wood to meet my sales demands. Great video by the way. :)

Hello bro..👍👍🙏🏻

Make more video really using the kubota rtvx1100 !!!!

I just purchased a used John Deere 490e harvester/ processor. I haven’t even picked up yet. As your aware most of them are pretty good size. Mine is on the smaller end and weighs about 26k. You can find used for between $45 and $80k. I’m hoping to reduce risk and increase production. I’m pretty certain it will do both. Valmet and Rottne also make some smaller machines.

Hi Jason, have you talked to the Alstor Company in Sweden? Alstor 840 pro and 841 pro. Price is around the same as the Kranman 960 👍 Love your videos 👏

I've heard a lot of great things about the Alstor machines, also from the same area in sweden as Kranman. Though I'm not sure what their export policy is. There are also machines such as the self driven ones that Kranman makes that cut and limb the tree wich only leaves you with the felling. Those can also be found as tractor attachments either hydraulic or I believ pto driven, since you already have a couple of nice tractors. For example the FARMA 5 - 15 B👍

5 tone Hitachi excavator is the go 10 years old

You should check out Alstor harvesters

Hi Jason. I don’t think there such a thing as no interest, they build the finance charges into the price. There is a cash price and a no interest price, the no interest price is usually much higher. Someone has to pay for the interest on the machinery and it’s not usually the dealer. Cheers my friend.

Jason, I have toyed with the same thoughts. BUT, like some viewers have said, the math doesn't lie. I have an 8 ton excavator and to put a basic stroker type head on it is over 100,000. It just doesn't work financially for us little guys. Keep up the great work, your doing fine.

Jason they have all the cutters on display at Booneville NY woodsmans field days anything you want. Come on down its close to my woodyard

Biggest thing I can say is take a look at your operation and see where the bottleneck is for me it's my splitter I can skid and buck up way faster than I can split so I need a industrial size splitter and with the crazy price of them now I think I'm down to building one myself

Isent it a possibility to by a used kranman 620 in Sweden and import it youself? Seems like that would be the most cost efficient alternative.

Love the channel from here in Nova Scotia! Have you looked into the Hypro machines? Several models. Farm Tractor mounted. Basically they do the Cut to Length and Delimbing semi-manually. All y ou have to do is fell the tree. Would likely save a ton of manual labour. Not sure on availability in Canada though.

This is the challenge of managing growth. You live in a ''forestry'' environment, I'm convince there is people in your area with the equipment you are looking after, you can ''hire'' or ''rent'' their services. Need to look at this cost versus buying, short and long term cost.

a lot to chew on for sure, how much is mature, how much is not, is the big question, thinning, silvaculture companies can do a lot for thinning out, harvesters are a money pit, unless you have a lot of money to put towards it, secondhand ones are beat to pieces, hire a young buck with chainsaw experience, selective cut what you have to cut, and thin out what needs to be thinned out, at this point in the game going into debt is a big personal effort with the way the economy is, by the way a harvester can clear 500 acres in no time, leaving the machine idle, as i said unless you have money to burn, u do have decisions to make, good luck with them!!

Hi Jason, if you would invest in the larger equipment, could expand your business by micro management of other people Lans for them.

As a norwegian, these brand names are very known to me here in scandinavia, surprised that someone from NA even knows about them tho, do they sell it there aswell?

It’s a crap shoot with the inflation interest rates fuel costs and availability of equipment. I will watch and see what you do keep up the great vids 😊😊

Kranman p25

You may want to look at alstor. A Swedish company that makes small forestry forwarders and harvesters. Are your kids not interested in learning how to maintain a wood lot? Adam at the Hometown Acres (youtube channel) recently hired a company to come in an thin out the trees in his forest. They weren't your typical logging company. Perhaps you could find a similar company in your area that would do the work for you.

Jason, maybe it isn’t about equipment. Maybe you hire students in the future to do the chainsaw work? Is there a local forestry college that you could connect with?

I’m not 100% but I think they sell an attachment for your backhoe

Hi Jason!!😀😀 I'll sell you my Takeuchi TB1140 excavator tree harvester. My health has took a turn for the worse. So I'm unable to operate it anymore. I cut with it every day up until a year ago. It's in good shape for its age and would work great for managing your property. It's capable of cutting up to a 21 inch tree. I'm asking 60,000 for it. Give it a thought. TTYL!!😀😀 Logger Al

Hi Jason I dont think 500 acres would be big enough to justify a wood processor. To get away from a chainsaw you will also need

I would just get a contractor every year to remove a amount of trees you want in ireland they charge about 25 euro a ton

Look at this link i am look at the same

May not what you want to hear, but way not hire a couple of guys to to the work. Surely not as fast as a harvester. But may help out the people in the community that maybe looking for extra income. And I know what your gunna say, but just a thought.

Vimek

Will this capital investment in yourselves extend your career, do you enjoy this as a retirement duty, will this increase your income after all expenses including operating and maintence enough to pay for the investment, if you can answer these basic questions positively I would not hesitate to move forward. Keep in mind that if you change directions most of your investment can be re-couped as well maintained industrial equipment keep a large part as residual value (what you can sell it for) Ray Stormont

What about this setup with the Kranman P25 processor pulled behind your timber trailer? You´ll save your back since you don't need to de limb the stems manually. And felling is the fun part, right! I 've got a 150ha lot together with my brother and sister. I just need to convince them about the investment ;) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7R5rM-rvternGg.html

I cant be good guidance here as I am terribly risk averse, besides you are already way out of my league as I have only 40 acres and minimal equipment....a 20year old MX tractor, a dump trailer , 3 point log splitter and 3 chainsaws, everything bought used long ago.

So you produce 30 is cord of wood. You have a Hakki Pilke 33 and a forwarder trailer. (Those are the two pieces that are dedicated to firewood). And you are considering another very expensive piece of harvesting equipment to bring your production up to possibly 130 cord. Sounds like a very expensive hobby. I can’t see where that would actually earn its keep.. Now it’s not for me to tell you what to do. But you did ask. This is my opinion, let the forest grow while you take what little you are taking now. When you retire decide then if you are going to hire a logger who will selectively cut your land or buy a machine of your own to do it. But again it’s not my land, it’s not my risk, it’s not my health, so in all honesty I would say it’s up to you and your circle of close friends and family and possibly a licensed and trusted forester to weigh all the options. Leave the equipment dealers out of the discussion.

if your interested in a stroke delimber check out metavic. i have a log forwarding trailer made by them and its a wonderful machine, very well built, The stroke delimber they make mounts on a small mini ex. Love the channel keep up the good work