OK, so it is older

[GB SISSON]

Just got back from the annual Puget Sound Antique tractor and Machinery show at Lynden Wa. Haven't missed in 36 years. A big show for the West coast. Brought my cut down AA log skidder which was made in the 40s at a shingle mill at Big Lake in Mt Vernon Wa. I should post in the A section, but I don't know any of those guys. This group is my neighborhood. There must be truly 400 tractors there. The vast majority beautifully restored and MANY with really low serial numbers, rare attachments, special options... but still there were people who enjoyed my crudely built, unrestored 'tractor'. I added the old tin roof the day before the show, as rain was expected.

 

[Ray in La Mesa]

Kool AA log skidder! I'm mostly over on the A side but lurk here daily. Love reading of your activities & seeing your vehicles. Ray

 

[Lawrie]

I have just been down the valley yesterday in the 33 to my mates old sawmill,they have a jail bar V8 truck with a log winch skidder thing on it,it’s made of timber,
It’s in a lantanner bush and long grass which would harbour snakes as we have seen a few big black ones there so I didn’t get too close,
I can get it for nothing and if I was 20 yrs younger I would build a caravan on the back,

Lawrie

 

[51504bat]

I like it. Roof looks good. Not sure how it would go over on the A side. Thanks for the photos.

 

[rufus39]

Cool looking rig GB.. thanks for posting. Would also be neat to see more of what all was there

 

[corvette8n]

Neat skidder GB, tell us about the mechanicals, does it have two transmissions?
My Uncle built a doodlebug from a couple of model A’s. I remember it had one transmission in the middle and one near the back, when he put both of them in low, it went really slow, he used it to plow/tend a really big garden.

 

[D. Jones]

Reminds me of the tractor that my father-in-law built out of a model A. I don't know what happened to it, I suppose that it was scrapped when the place sold. People of the generation just older than me had to be creative as they didn't have much money or the needed solution hadn't been invented yet. My first logging job was driving a skidder made from an old military 4 x 4 vehicle. A few years later modern rubber tired skidders were the thing in logging, replacing the crawler tractor for the most part, in our area.

 

[Als48]

My dad allowed a logger to harvest some red oak trees off of the family farm around 2001. He was happy to get $10,000 for the trees, but they made a terrible mess of the land with the rubber tired skidder they used which had slick tires. It was probably in March or April after the winter thaw and they plowed ruts all over dad's 63 acres. Many of which are still there, after 20 years. I never was very happy with dad's $10k deal, because the loggers did more damage than that to the land. Wish they had used a track dozer.

Al Hook

 

[tubman]

When I was a kid, I had a neighbor (you know, an old guy about 35) who just loved Model "A"'s (he always had 2 or 3 around). He would have never cut one up to make a "Doodlebug"

Now, a '32 Dodge was a completely different deal, complete with the second transmission.

 

[cas3]

I like the roof on your AA , GB, should be built on permanent. I too was at an old tractor event yesterday. A small local club was proud to have a new display up and running that they had been rebuilding since 2016. A gigantic steam pump from a Hormel meat packing plant. Twin pumps actually, like a big H with an 18' flywheel in the cross of the H. They had to add on to the shed, a room with a basement for the bottom half of the flywheel, a 30 ton hunk of iron. may be some pics here, I did not go thru them all. https://www.scottcarverthreshers.org/

 

[GB SISSON]

It does have two transmissions, but I wish it had three because the second one controls the winch. The winch is homemade too. It has a plymouth 3 speed transmission driven my a double roller chain off of a PTO. After the plymouth trans it runs into a plymouth differential with one side cut off. The remaining axle is the winch shaft and has two steel brake drums about 2' apart. This winch drum has hardwood slats fastened to the shaft where the cable spools up. The rig still has truck gearing and I have had it in 3rd gear on the road. Fast enough with those 8.25 x 20s. One of the front tires is showing cord and has no valve stem showing, yet it's so stiff it never looks flat. During the show I found it to be down a quart of oil so I topped it off with chain saw bar oil. Ran a bit quieter too!

 

[tubman]

GB, I think you may be getting a little too "rustic" for your own good.

 

[GB SISSON]

GB, I think you may be getting a little too "rustic" for your own good.

I work very hard at it.....

 

[Tinker]

Ughh I hate it. What would anyone ever do with a doodlebug.


I always thought welding a cherry picker on the back of one would make pulling engines better.


Fantastic pictures.


.

 

[flatford8]

I drive by this on my way to work. I never have stopped because if they don’t want much, it’ll be in my yard. It has got a Quick Switch plow......and I’ve been plowing with a wide open tractor for years......Hmmmmm.......maybe I’ll stop tomorrow !! ...LOL.......Mark

 

[41ford1]

I drive by this on my way to work. I never have stopped because if they don’t want much, it’ll be in my yard. It has got a Quick Switch plow......and I’ve been plowing with a wide open tractor for years......Hmmmmm.......maybe I’ll stop tomorrow !! ...LOL.......Mark

If you stop, you KNOW it will follow you home.

 

[sugarmaker]

GB,
Awesome pictures! Thanks for taking and sharing them with us! My friend Jim has a doodle bug That I am interested in helping him get it running and driving.
(Jim if your watching, get that thing over here!)
flatford8, You better not stop that will be in your yard. I know how this works! Ok just find out how much they want for it. Yea thats it!
Regards,
Chris

 

[PeteVS]

Which of the Jail Bars did you use to drag the thing to the show? Got pix?

 

[Ol' Ron]

I love all this old stuff, when I was a kid, it was all new.
Gramps