A skidder is a four-wheel-drive machine designed to drag felled trees from the cutting area to the roadside landing. They have been a staple in logging operations since the 1960s, when they replaced horses and crawler tractors in most timber harvesting applications.
Cable Skidders vs. Grapple Skidders
Cable skidders use a winch and choker cables to attach to logs, making them well suited for selective cutting where the operator needs to pull logs from tight spaces between standing timber.
Grapple skidders use a hydraulic grapple mounted at the rear to clamp onto bunched trees, which makes them faster in clear-cut operations where a
feller buncher has already piled the stems.
Common Manufacturers
The most widely used skidders in North America come from Caterpillar (CAT), John Deere, Tigercat, and Weiler. Tigercat and Weiler are particularly popular in the southeastern US forestry market.
What to Look For
Hours, undercarriage condition, and tire wear are the first things any buyer checks. A well-maintained skidder with 8,000-12,000 hours still has plenty of life left, but anything above 15,000 hours needs a careful inspection. Check the winch on cable models and the
grapple pivot points on grapple machines — that is where the money goes.
Browse used skidders for sale from Forestry First.
