Skidding Tongs - A Handy Tool

Skidding tongs are a handy item to have if you're a person who hauls logs or power poles in association with outbuilding construction, log milling, or wood processing for home heating. The tool allows you to drag heavy timber instead of lifting it.

The interesting part about skidding tongs is unlike most tongs we're familiar with, these have no handles. Instead, there are rings or a hook on the top of the tongs that cause a scissors action that closes the jaws of the tool to hold the wood with two sharpened points. The way it works is rather simple - the heavier the load, the more force that is exerted on the tongs, and this creates a tighter grip on the log or pole.

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I use this type of tool several times each year when I get ready to cut logs and split them for firewood. My tool is an antique, but it works every bit as good as any modern version. Such tongs are commonly used by lumberjacks and individuals handling logs and power poles.

Skidding Tongs - A Handy Tool

Friends of mine have borrowed my tongs to pull fence posts as well. The tool works the same way, only instead of pulling sideways, the jaws are used to pull straight up. Again, when force is applied, the tongs exert a scissors action that grips the post from opposite sides with the sharp points of the tool. To pull posts, the tongs must be attached to a chain and the chain must be lifted by a hydraulic arm of heavy equipment.

The most amazing part about skidding tongs is that hundreds or even thousands of pounds of weight can be dragged along the ground, using only about a quarter of an inch "bite" into the log or wood pole. It is amazing how much weight can be moved with a truck or tractor using only those two relatively small steel teeth.

Skidding Tongs - A Handy Tool

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