# Logging Pics In My Time Away From AS



## sILlogger (Jun 16, 2012)

My skidder that I bought a couple years ago, 2003 Timberjack 460D (rebadged JD 648 GIII)






A pretty good sized black walnut i cut early last year









the only tree that my skidder has not been able to pull in one piece, a pin oak that scaled 2200 bdft, had a little bit of a rise and it was wheelying out. this is two 12' sections after i bucked it off





this is from a job i worked on the river bluffs to start the year





climbed the cliff with the dozer, tied it to a tree midway up, winched myself up backwards to a flat-ish spot, and then tied off to another tree on top and winched it the rest of the way up, cut the timber on top and shoved it off the bluff, retrieved it from the bottom with the skidder.


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## sILlogger (Jun 16, 2012)

Some pretty nice white oak i cut back in march in central IL













Me and the pup from a job last week





046BB that have ran forever finally came apart last week


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## Oldtimer (Jun 16, 2012)

Great pictures! I envy you guys down that way, you have some seriously large hardwood as compared to the average up here. I know of some oak that compares to the stuff in your pictures, but it'll never be cut. What a shame. Damn bugs will eat it.


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## huskyhank (Jun 16, 2012)

046BB that have ran forever finally came apart last week







[/QUOTE]


A little JB Weld and it'll be good as new.

:msp_scared:


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## jnl502 (Jun 16, 2012)

Those are some great pictures. I cut some large hardwoods in NE Ark. years ago. Was hard work but I miss it now. Looks like you have some nice equipment and do good work. My hats off to you. Always hate to hear of a good saw that gives up but seems you got alot of run time in and hope it will run again. Again great pictures keep them comming if you got them.
opcorn:


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## sILlogger (Jun 16, 2012)

jnl502 said:


> Those are some great pictures. I cut some large hardwoods in NE Ark. years ago. Was hard work but I miss it now. Looks like you have some nice equipment and do good work. My hats off to you. Always hate to hear of a good saw that gives up but seems you got alot of run time in and hope it will run again. Again great pictures keep them comming if you got them.
> opcorn:



surprising enough it didn't hurt the crank or cylinder, i cleaned up the crankcase and there is no issues there, im gonna hone the cylinder and put in a new piston, this saw does nothing but buck up logs.


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## sILlogger (Jun 16, 2012)

sorting some logs with my loader, sycamore has a shade over 1500 bdft in it.


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## Oldtimer (Jun 16, 2012)

I have never cut a Sycamore. What is it worth, that log on the payloader? What is it used for?


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## coastalfaller (Jun 16, 2012)

Nice pics!


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## rwoods (Jun 16, 2012)

Nice pictures and pretty country. I too am curious about the Sycamore. What is it used for - pallets? There is quite a bit down here along the creeks. Ron


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## mdavlee (Jun 16, 2012)

Nice pictures.

Sycamore is used for cross ties around here Ron.


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## Rounder (Jun 16, 2012)

rwoods said:


> Nice pictures and pretty country. I too am curious about the Sycamore. What is it used for - pallets? There is quite a bit down here along the creeks. Ron



Button wood.


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## rwoods (Jun 16, 2012)

Rounder said:


> Button wood.



Buttons as in the round things on your shirt? Not familiar with the term. Ron


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## ShaneLogs (Jun 16, 2012)

Nice looking pics! I like that 344 E loader too. My uncle had one a few years back now and it was awesome, It carried everything! I don't think we picked up one log that it couldn't carry. Good job! Rep sent!


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## KYLogger (Jun 16, 2012)

And I was excited about getting my 70' something 440B tonight! I was gonna post pics..........but now I guess I won't. LOL I feel inadequate...........

Nice pictures, I wish the ground around here laid like that. Played with the skidder tonight, probly gonna put it in the woods tomorrow, will attempt to post some pics if my feeble mind can figure out how to post em'!

Tom

Would it be wrong to rebadge my 440 as a 540 GIII??? LOL, after seeing those pictures it feels a little inadequate too......:msp_wink:


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## tramp bushler (Jun 16, 2012)

Really great pics. workin in those bluffs is interesting. Thats good to know it will winch itself up. I'm very impressed with the size of your timber. What is sycamore like. Hard like oak or soft like cottonwood? ?
Nice lookin show you have there. !!


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## Johny Utah (Jun 16, 2012)

Awesome pics of that massive timber. I get a woody just thinking about having that kind of wood around these parts.:msp_smile:


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## mdavlee (Jun 17, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> Really great pics. workin in those bluffs is interesting. Thats good to know it will winch itself up. I'm very impressed with the size of your timber. What is sycamore like. Hard like oak or soft like cottonwood? ?
> Nice lookin show you have there. !!



It seems to depend on elevation how hard the sycamore gets. It is probably like cherry or so when green. When it gets dry it's hard to split by hand.I had a standing dead fall in my yard and I give it away as firewood. They told me they couldn't split a lot of the 8" round stuff with an 8 lb maul. It would just bounce.


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## Oldtimer (Jun 17, 2012)

KYLogger said:


> And I was excited about getting my 70' something 440B tonight! I was gonna post pics..........but now I guess I won't. LOL I feel inadequate...........
> 
> Nice pictures, I wish the ground around here laid like that. Played with the skidder tonight, probly gonna put it in the woods tomorrow, will attempt to post some pics if my feeble mind can figure out how to post em'!
> 
> ...



HEY! Don't be so quick to hang yourself! The 440B is a legend! They will run forever and a day, and they are like a go-cart in the woods, extremely agile and nimble. Parts are available and cheap. The only thing to remember is they are not super stable on slopes, and they are not over-powerful. Load light and run often. They are very quick, use that to your advantage.
You did the right thing buying a JD. The lock-in axles are the best thing since sliced bread. No crabbing like a Tree Farmer or old Clark or TJ. Oh, and the 440B will run a week on a tank of fuel! Try that with a 648G-III !!


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## sILlogger (Jun 17, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> I have never cut a Sycamore. What is it worth, that log on the payloader? What is it used for?





rwoods said:


> Nice pictures and pretty country. I too am curious about the Sycamore. What is it used for - pallets? There is quite a bit down here along the creeks. Ron



sycamore can be used for pallet stock, ties, mine timbers, or in this instance it was gonna be sawed into roof bolt blocks for the coal mines, its in the .20-.35 price bracket.



ShaneLogs said:


> Nice looking pics! I like that 344 E loader too. My uncle had one a few years back now and it was awesome, It carried everything! I don't think we picked up one log that it couldn't carry. Good job! Rep sent!



That 344E is sweet, when i got it i didn't know if it would be big enough (was really looking for a 444 E,G or H series) but now i love the thing, I haven't found a log it won't pick up yet, and since i can move any length of log if it is big i can just cut it short enough to handle, rather than sending a big 20' (for mine timbers) i can cut it back to 2 10' and the pay is the same with half the strain. i found that machine in michigan, it was a 1990 and had 1135 original hrs on it!! i jumped all over it and haven't looked back!



KYLogger said:


> And I was excited about getting my 70' something 440B tonight! I was gonna post pics..........but now I guess I won't. LOL I feel inadequate...........
> 
> Nice pictures, I wish the ground around here laid like that. Played with the skidder tonight, probly gonna put it in the woods tomorrow, will attempt to post some pics if my feeble mind can figure out how to post em'!
> 
> ...



Everybody has to start somewhere, its a big leap of faith to jump out and buy equipment. i was 23 when i bought my skidder, i had been logging for several years, but it was definitely a gut check to spend as much money as i could have bought a house for on a piece of equipment and jump into it. 

as for the 540 GIII's, that is my favorite series of skidder, for a cable machine i would want nothing other than one of those, personally i would get a GII or GIII because the cab jacks over, once you have one that does that you will never look back. 



tramp bushler said:


> Really great pics. workin in those bluffs is interesting. Thats good to know it will winch itself up. I'm very impressed with the size of your timber. What is sycamore like. Hard like oak or soft like cottonwood? ?
> Nice lookin show you have there. !!



That was a nice piece of property that i was logging with the bluffs, but it was a bit of a pain to log. was prolly that most road building i had ever had to do on a job, the ground was broke up enough i was building roads with the dozer just to run the skidder, i prolly have close to 3-4 miles of roads running through that property due to the way the ground laid out. 

Without the winch i would have never got to the top, the spot i had to go up was the least steep, but was still to much to climb and i had to turn in the middle of it, i never had the dozer hanging by the cable, but the machine would slide if the slack was taken off the cable... it would have been no good if the cable would have broke. there was about 3-4 acres of good timber on top (box canyon on one side and forest service on the other-thats why i had to go up the bluff) which is why it was still there cuz the last guys didnt wanna/couldn't get it. 

as far as sycamore goes, i would call it a medium hardwood. it isn't like cottonwood and it isn't hard like hickory or sugar maple... honestly i would compare it too a nice red oak, with a good chain you can motor right through it, it is a fairly dense and has a bit of weight to it, and this time of year generally quite a bit of water, (bottomland species)



Oldtimer said:


> HEY! Don't be so quick to hang yourself! The 440B is a legend! They will run forever and a day, and they are like a go-cart in the woods, extremely agile and nimble. Parts are available and cheap. The only thing to remember is they are not super stable on slopes, and they are not over-powerful. Load light and run often. They are very quick, use that to your advantage.
> You did the right thing buying a JD. The lock-in axles are the best thing since sliced bread. No crabbing like a Tree Farmer or old Clark or TJ. Oh, and the 440B will run a week on a tank of fuel! Try that with a 648G-III !!



The 440B are good skidders, agreeable with Oldtimer on the stability of the machines though, they are light and don't have a real wide stance, there fore you can flip one just by catching a stob or root with the tire.

I was honestly looking for a 548 G-GIII when i went to buy equipment, but couldn't find what i wanted, this machine was local. I got to run it on a job and new what i needed when i got it. and now that i'm used to it i like the size. I could have saved myself quite a bit of money by going smaller, but when im cutting timber i can't stand waiting on a skidder, so i want a machine that can keep up. 

to go along with that, i keep pretty good track of machine hours and fuel consumed, when i pull onto a job i right down the hours of each machine and know how much fuel i have, and keep track of the number of trees cut, when the job is all said and done i know what the total bdft was, how many trees and how many machine hours and how much fuel it took and keep a mental log of the terrian/conditions. Therefore when i look at a job it have an idea of volumes/hr that i can produce and gives me an idea of how long it will take and what kind of inputs i have. 

I'm a thinker, and its alot of numbers (which im good with) but it helps me keep better track of things. on a rough hill job or a really long skid the skidder will average 1500 bdft/machine hour, an average job it bumps up to 2000-2200, and ive had it up as high as 4500-5000 bdft/hr (15 trees/ hour on flat bottom jobs) When i bought that 648 everybody was saying it will be a big fuel hog, and yes it does burn more fuel but it gets more work done. if you can get it in the grapple it will pull it. a good turn is around 1000 bdft (3x350bdft trees) it will pull more than that, but you spend more time trying to grapple them and regrapple them if you lose any on the way to the landing. and ive seen it continuously make 1500-2000 bdft turns cutting big bottom timber, so yes i burn more fuel but this thing is a horse!! it all boils down to averaging 500 bdft/gallon of diesel in the skidder.

as for the loader, it isn't too hard on fuel at all, and it averages around 6000 bdft/hr, that is sorting, stacking, and loading trucks, so that isn't too bad. 

and when i'm cutting timber i usually average 8-10 trees per hr, that is cutting and topping. that is a long running average, some hours it is 15, some it is 5, lol.. but day in day out 8-10, so usually works out to around 2-3000 bdft per hr. 

clear as mud, right??? i keep pretty good track of stuff so if you have any questions about how i figure things just ask.


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## Oldtimer (Jun 17, 2012)

Great summary. I run a 648D D/A, and it too will pull whatever I can get into the grapple if it's limbed / topped. I have found hitches with tops on that made it rear up on the back tires.
I have never used a single funtion grapple, but I guess it would only limit you a minor amount. I don't think I'd buy one over a D/A personally.

I wondered about those dozered roads in the pictures. Was that done just to eliminate the mud?
If I tried that here I'd need a 345 Cat excavator and a D6. Then I'd be shot by the landowner.
Why don't you run chains? If you think it pulls now, load the front tires with Beet Juice and put rings / stud chains on.


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## Rounder (Jun 17, 2012)

rwoods said:


> Buttons as in the round things on your shirt? Not familiar with the term. Ron



They used to make ladies buttons out of sycamore. My father in law's a retired log cutter from TN, that's where I heard the term.


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## tramp bushler (Jun 17, 2012)

S L . thats an execellent sumary. 8-10 trees an hour makes you a good above average faller. As I guess you are select cutting thats even better as I think select falling is quite abit harder than clearcut. 
my logging production is so bad that I don't keep track of it, too depressing. 

O T . what is Beet Juice? ?


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## Gologit (Jun 17, 2012)

Caleb...great pictures. Good to see that you're up and rolling.


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## Rounder (Jun 17, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> S L . thats an execellent sumary. 8-10 trees an hour makes you a good above average faller. As I guess you are select cutting thats even better as I think select falling is quite abit harder than clearcut.
> my logging production is so bad that I don't keep track of it, too depressing.
> 
> O T . what is Beet Juice? ?



Rigging rats like to ##### about the fact that every isn't laid perfectly down the hill.......I wonder if an inability to see leave trees is a requirement to set chokers?


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## Oldtimer (Jun 17, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> O T . what is Beet Juice? ?



Just what it sounds like, Tramp! It's the de-sugared juice from beets.

LINK TO SOURCE MATERIAL.

Comparing Types of Liquid Tire Ballast

So after thinking about it and considering the reasons to ballast your tires, you might find yourself wondering what liquid makes the best ballast. There are a few options available and depending on your climate, budget and access to some of these liquids in bulk quantities.

Water
Water has been used as ballast inside the rear tires of tractors operated in warmer climates for years. In geographical locations where freezing occurs, an additive is necessary to prevent the water from becoming an ice block inside the tire. Ballast that does freeze inside the tractor will make those tires unstable and general operation of the tractor unsafe. Water is the least expensive form of liquid ballasting and weighs 8.3lbs per gallon.
Advantages
•readily available
•no cost
•safe to use – non-toxic, non-flammable
•easy to install into tires
Disadvantages
•not suitable for cold climates

Calcium Chloride
Calcium chloride, CaCl2, in powdered form can be mixed with water to produce a liquid that will resist freezing up to -50F, depending on the strength of the concentration. Calcium chloride weighs about 11.5lbs/gallon mixed, so more ballast weight is achieved in the same volume, allowing a heavier ballast. This type of liquid ballast is a highly corrosive mixture so care must be taken in handling this product. CaCl2 should be installed into tubes regardless of whether or not the tire on the tractor is tubeless. Without being contained in a tube the mixture will rust the rim flange area right out.
Advantages
•easily obtained in large quantities
•high weight/volume ratio (almost 40% more than water alone)
•very high freeze resistance
Disadvantages
•care taken when used – corrosive mixture
•must be installed into tubes – extra cost
•if installed without tubes corrosion/rust of the rim will occur
•puncturing a tire filled with CaCl2 will spray rust-causing mixture everywhere, damaging sheet metal and vegetation


A typical 50lb bag of calcium chloride with inset image showing powder consistency.

Ethylene Glycol Antifreeze
Antifreeze, mixed 50/50 with water, and installed into your Kubota’s rear tires, will provide the same amount of weight per gallon as water and will resist freezing to approx -40F. Ethylene glycol antifreeze is classified by Canada’s Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous waste after it reaches the end of its useful life. Care must be taken when disposing of this type of ballast – and in the case of a tractor tire, there will be a lot of mix to deal with.
Advantages
•easily obtained in large quantities
•high freeze resistance
•safe to mix – non-flammable but is toxic if ingested
Disadvantages
•hazardous to the environment, animals and people – care must be taken regarding its disposal
•could get costly if your only source is 1 gallon jugs at a Walmart

Propylene Glycol Antifreeze
Propylene glycol is known as a non-toxic or people/animal friendly antifreeze. Besides its antifreeze properties, it is actually used in many cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, shampoos and as a food additive. Dow, who manufacturers 35% of the world’s supply of of propylene glycol, reports that in the United States, 22% of production is used for antifreeze or de-icing. When installed into your tires as a ballast in a 50/50 mix, expect similar properties to ethylene glycol, high freeze resistance with ballast weight similar to that of water alone. AMSOIL makes this type antifreeze available by the gallon or 55 gallon drum.
Advantages
•easily obtained in large quantities
•high freeze resistance
•safe to humans, animals and vegetation, non-flammable, non-toxic and biodegradable
Disadvantages
•more costly than plain old toxic ethylene glycol – sources we used, quoted prices of 33%-120% more per gallon

Windshield Washer Fluid
Washer fluid, installed right from the jug is freeze protected to about -20F and provides about the same ballast weight properties as water does. Washer fluid has some of the same chemicals in it that antifreeze does, but at milder concentrations. Disposing of gallons and gallons of washer fluid, as in the case of tire ballast, would require care.
Advantages
•easily obtained in large quantities
•low cost
•adequate freeze resistance
•no mixing required – use as is, non-flammable but is toxic
Disadvantages
•hazardous to the environment, animals and people – care must be taken regarding its disposal

Methanol
Methanol is highly flammable and if you decide to use this product it must be mixed with water to make it so you do not blow yourself up while mixing it, installing it, or driving your tractor with it in there. Depending on strength of mixture, methanol and water is good to around -15F temperatures. We are not recommending the use of methanol and water because of the danger – but it is an option available for tire ballasting.
Advantages
•easily obtained in large quantities
•adequate freeze resistance
Disadvantages
•extremely flammable
•mixing required with water
•hazardous to the environment, animals and people – care must be taken regarding its disposal

Beet Juice
Beet juice, a liquid byproduct made from de-sugared sugar beets. This food grade product is available in the US under the trade and brand name, RimGuard. This liquid weighs about 30% more than straight water and resists freezing to about -35F. Best of all, it will not solidify until the temp drops to -50F. Natural, non-corrosive, safe to the environment and humans. If beet juice is available in your location, we believe this your best bet – safe to use and provides extra ballast weight.
Advantages
•high weight/volume ratio (about 30% more than water alone)
•very high freeze resistance
•anti-rust properties
•a natural product – environmentally friendly and safe
Disadvantages
•may not be available in all locations

Polyurethane Foam/Flat Fill
This ballast method is essentially a run-flat polyurethane fill that is injected into the tire through the valve stem. Two liquid components are pumped into the tire and they react with one another so that 24-36 hours later, you are left with a solid rubber core – the air inside the tire is completely displaced. The term “foam” is a bit misleading – the core is actually very much a black solid. It is sometimes called foam because air bubbles are injected into the mix to control the density of the end product. 



This ballast method obviously adds serious weight gains to each tire and also has the nice benefit of eliminating flat tires and associated repair costs. Because the tire is run-flat there is no risk of corrosive/toxic ballast spraying all over your tractor and scorching vegetation if you do spring a leak. You will have to find a dealer near you that performs this service (Brannon Tire in Stockton, California for example).
Advantages
•high weight/volume ratio (about 20-50% more than water depending on type of fill)
•cannot freeze
•tire is run-flat
•simple – have it done once, ballasted forever
Disadvantages
•may not be available in all locations
•high cost – prices range around $0.95-1.25 lbs injected, or $300+ per tire
•tire must be cut off rim after tread wears out – best for new or nearly new tires
•if performed on steering tires, heavy duty weight gains will put more stress on steering components
•no air in tires to absorb humps and bumps so you will get a very rough ride – could be jarring for long distance travel


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## ShaneLogs (Jun 17, 2012)

That is awesome SiLLogger! I would deffinetly make the drive for that loader too, Do you have pallet forks on it ? I use a brush grabber end on our loader. Keep up the good work. You have a nice production going on there. I am jealous!


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## sILlogger (Jun 17, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> S L . thats an execellent sumary. 8-10 trees an hour makes you a good above average faller. As I guess you are select cutting thats even better as I think select falling is quite abit harder than clearcut.
> my logging production is so bad that I don't keep track of it, too depressing.
> 
> O T . what is Beet Juice? ?



This is all select cut, none if it is marked, it is all by diameter, i carry a diameter tape in my pocket, 18" dbh is usually about the smallest we cut. normally 20", so spot a tree, if it is close measure it and cut it, if its small go to the next one. In a good patch of timber you don't have to go far, on a thin one you may have to do a bit of walking. that is why the 8-10 is pretty much a straight through year around average. I don't cut much marked timber, it just takes too much time, i cut over 4000 trees a year, if i had to mark all of them that is all i'd be doing. 



ShaneLogs said:


> That is awesome SiLLogger! I would deffinetly make the drive for that loader too, Do you have pallet forks on it ? I use a brush grabber end on our loader. Keep up the good work. You have a nice production going on there. I am jealous!



That is the kicker.. it was the original owner, i got all the original paperwork, original bill of sale, the JD bucket that was on it, AND a set of JRB forks that i don't know if they had even been put on the machine.


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## Birdhunter1 (Jun 19, 2012)

Is the bluff you winched your dozer up down on the southe end of the bottoms at Shoal Creek? The bluff itself looked familiar and a box canyon and USFS land bordering up makes me think that's where you were. 
I've been in that area quite a bit, my dads mother actually grew up in a little farm house (no longer there) maybe 100 yards west of that bluff. My other grandmother grew up on the northwest side of that same bottomland area along the muddy.


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## GASoline71 (Jun 19, 2012)

Nice pics Caleb! Nice to see you puttin''em on the ground!

Gary


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## ShaneLogs (Jun 19, 2012)

That is cool! Keep that loader working!


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## 802climber (Jun 21, 2012)

Can someone fill me in on the JD 540G II Cable skidder?

I am curious what the G stands for.. obviously not Grapple.


Congrats on the nice looking operation! Do you do all your own cutting?

If you don't mind me asking - how are you cutting that nice white oak and walnut and getting your 8-10 trees an hour? Some kind of hinge-cutting, chase cutting, spur cutting, flat cutting, etc...?


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## stihl 440 (Jun 21, 2012)

Nice job SI..nice job you got yourself a nice little company going there and nice setup..only difference with me is we run cable skidders franklin and timberjack. And its been awhile since i've been on too because i dont really have time. I've been really busy cutting right of ways for gas pipeline and logging alot sometimes 7 days a week. I hope you dont mind me adding some pics too but here is what i've been up to....View attachment 242563
View attachment 242564
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View attachment 242567


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## sILlogger (Jun 21, 2012)

dieseldirt said:


> Can someone fill me in on the JD 540G II Cable skidder?
> 
> I am curious what the G stands for.. obviously not Grapple.
> 
> ...



the G is just a model designation, started in the '70's as a 540, then, 540A, 540B, 540C, 540D, 540E, skipped F, 540 G, 540 GII starting in '99 i believe, 540 GIII '02 if memory serves me. 

8-10 trees an hour is a long running average, cutting trees, like that walnut and white oak you may only cut 4-5 trees an hour, some of those trees you'll burn just about a tank of gas putting them on the ground. and other hours i'll cut 12-15 trees, that is why the 8-10 is just an average of day in day out. 

walnut and white oak like that is not what i cut straight through every day, and im glad for it, because then it would not be special, and wouldn't be worth the money that it is, therefore it wouldn't even be picture worthy, lol.

For the most part i do all my own cutting, i have a guy running the skidder, and another guy that is a bit of a floater, he cuts a few trees, basically because i own/run everything there are times in which i can't be cutting timber, (marking lines, looking at timber, running parts, getting fuel, marking logs, running the loader, coordinating trucks, loading trucks, maintenance, etc-i could stay busy and never even step in the woods) i brought on another guy to a few months ago to pick up a bit of slack, but i'd say i still cut the majority of the timber, i just can't do everything, lol.


as far as cutting technique, that all depends on the tree, lay, and what needs to be done, but for the most part i leave the two corners holding, alot of times i set one corner and walk around it if i can get away with it, if not i set it up with a trigger, whatever works that is not gonna damage the tree and will lay it out to the best of my ability.


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## bitzer (Jun 21, 2012)

Nice pictures man! Looks like a lot of the wood around here. Keep em comin! 8-10 laying out and topping in a select cut is pretty reasonable. Like you said sometimes its 4-5, sometimes its more like 15. I'd say I average 6-7, but thats with buckin and pulpin in the woods. There are a lot of variables in select hardwood cutting. You making just logs or firewood/pulp as well? Nice operation.


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## sILlogger (Jun 21, 2012)

bitzer said:


> Nice pictures man! Looks like a lot of the wood around here. Keep em comin! 8-10 laying out and topping in a select cut is pretty reasonable. Like you said sometimes its 4-5, sometimes its more like 15. I'd say I average 6-7, but thats with buckin and pulpin in the woods. There are a lot of variables in select hardwood cutting. You making just logs or firewood/pulp as well? Nice operation.



i don't chase pulp/firewood too hard, but if it is somewhat readily available, "feasible to get" i'll go for it while topping. we don't have a whole lot of market for it, so i'm pretty picky as far as that goes. most the it i just use for firewood and haul home with my gooseneck dump trailer and supply my family and friends with firewood. i've considered getting a commercial firewood splitter or processor but that would just be another thing that i'd have to keep track of, and i got enough the way it is.


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## bitzer (Jun 22, 2012)

sILlogger said:


> i don't chase pulp/firewood too hard, but if it is somewhat readily available, "feasible to get" i'll go for it while topping. we don't have a whole lot of market for it, so i'm pretty picky as far as that goes. most the it i just use for firewood and haul home with my gooseneck dump trailer and supply my family and friends with firewood. i've considered getting a commercial firewood splitter or processor but that would just be another thing that i'd have to keep track of, and i got enough the way it is.



Everyone who lives out in the country up here burns firewood so it is pretty good buisness. 8 ft sticks- 12 cords on a truck and pup and off they go. The pulp mill pays a touch better for hardwood pulp, but the difference plus some goes to the trucker for the long haul. Firewood cash is nice to have. I sell to a lot of guys who process wood and sell it to convienence stores/grocery stores etc. Thats a whole different ball game. 8' straight sticks are as far as I go, but chasing it too much will kill overall production. I learned that one the hard way.


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## 056 kid (Jun 26, 2012)

That Sycamore or "Sycumroe" as the country folk call it sure is fun cutting. Fast cutting and _usually_ easy to turn. 
Great pics btw!


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