or grapple holds the trees while the skidder drags them to a landing area. Nowadays, cable skidders are less popular than in the past. They are more labor-intensive than grapple skidders because someone (the operator or a second person) must drag the winch line out to the logs and hook them up. This is helpful where it is not possible to drive the machine close to the log (such as in steep hills). Grapple skidders Grapple skidders use a loader crane boom with a hydraulic grapple bucket to grab and lift the timber. There are three types of 'fixed boom' grapple skidders. A single-function boom type has two hydraulic cylinders, only allowing the boom to lower in one position. Dual-function booms (as pictured) have four cylinders, which allows for adjusting the boom in two different places. The third type permits the grapple boom to be swung from side to side, allowing spread out trees to be grabbed at once. In some areas, loggers have combined a hydraulic claw on the side with the blade of their grapple skidders, making it possible to pile logs in some cases. More common on cable skidders, this also permits hauling back bark and tops when returning from a landing area to fallen timber. Clambunk skidders Clambunk skidders are more of a middle ground between skidder and a forwarder. They have a large free swivelling hydraulic jaws position on the back of the chassis that clamp the logs. They usually don't have self-loading capability and require feller buncher or other machine with loader arm. See also Feller buncher Forwarder Harvester Michigan logging wheels Washington Iron Works Skidder External links Development of the Rubber Tired Log Skidder RitchieWiki:Skidder Engineering vehicles Log transport Logging Forestry equipment