# Yarder graveyard pictures



## jeremym (Mar 30, 2009)

I have uploaded a bunch of old yarder and other logging equipment to Flikr. They are mostly from the Chehalis and Centralia, WA area. I was able to wander thru a few yards and take pictures and document some of this great old equipment. Thanks to the folks at McPaul and Ramsey that let me do this! More will be coming after the 1st when my upload count is reset.
Jeremy



http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157616139229436/


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## 2dogs (Mar 31, 2009)

Those are great pics. I need to look into Flickr deeper.


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## Rookie1 (Mar 31, 2009)

Cool pics. Keep up the good work!


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## jeremym (Apr 1, 2009)

Thanks! Should be able to upload some more tomorrow. I think I will reduce the size this time so I can load more. The guy at Ramsey was a yarder guy from way back, especially Washington and Madill's and was fascinating to talk to. Wish I could have stayed more. I may try to get up there again soon when it's not snowing.


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## slowp (Apr 1, 2009)

It was kind of a sad thing. A lot of those were working around here when I first moved to this side of the mountains. A Thunderbird like the one that looks old in the picture, was brand new and the company waxed and shined it up and hauled it through Morton for the Jubilee parade. They had to shoo people off the sidewalk to make the turn in the parade route. Then they drove it up on the sidewalk and barely made it. 

On the landings, I tried to never look up at the top of the tubes. They were wiggling so much it was scary. 

There were also the tongs on cable log loaders, but the operators were quite skilled, and the logs were big.


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## Burvol (Apr 1, 2009)

slowp said:


> It was kind of a sad thing. A lot of those were working around here when I first moved to this side of the mountains. A Thunderbird like the one that looks old in the picture, was brand new and the company waxed and shined it up and hauled it through Morton for the Jubilee parade. They had to shoo people off the sidewalk to make the turn in the parade route. Then they drove it up on the sidewalk and barely made it.
> 
> On the landings, I tried to never look up at the top of the tubes. They were wiggling so much it was scary.
> 
> There were also the tongs on cable log loaders, but the operators were quite skilled, and the logs were big.



Adios!!! 
I consider myself lucky to have cut some of the nicer timber I have in the last few years. Not much big wood for sale, but the eastern slopes seem to have more and push more. A lot of mistletoe too. Maybe that is part of it? 
Been on a few DNR sales of big, dying timber.


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## Burvol (Apr 1, 2009)

slowp said:


> It was kind of a sad thing. A lot of those were working around here when I first moved to this side of the mountains. A Thunderbird like the one that looks old in the picture, was brand new and the company waxed and shined it up and hauled it through Morton for the Jubilee parade. They had to shoo people off the sidewalk to make the turn in the parade route. Then they drove it up on the sidewalk and barely made it.
> 
> On the landings, I tried to never look up at the top of the tubes. They were wiggling so much it was scary.
> 
> There were also the tongs on cable log loaders, but the operators were quite skilled, and the logs were big.



Your not feeling old are you??? Ah...Nastalgic. Gotcha :hmm3grin2orange:


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## thejdman04 (Apr 1, 2009)

Nice pics


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## slowp (Apr 1, 2009)

Burvol said:


> Your not feeling old are you??? Ah...Nastalgic. Gotcha :hmm3grin2orange:



It isn't fair. We had those big logs, which were easier to walk on. I was able to end up in the middle of a swamp, by walking on the big old blowdowns and then had a heck of a time figuring out how I ended up out there and how to get back. Now it is an average diameter of 15" seems like, and they are harder to walk very far out on. I'd fall into the swamp!

I think the young fallers should clear the limbs OFF the logs so they are easier to walk on. :hmm3grin2orange:


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## jeremym (Apr 1, 2009)

The Thunderbirds are alongside I5 @ Exit 57 with a Skagit. You have probably seen them slowp.

I just posted another big set of pics. There was some massive Washington and Madill yarders with 110' spars in amongst them :jawdrop: Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157616243333276/


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## Philbert (Apr 2, 2009)

Careful! Melvin Lardy from Stump Branch Logging might see these and think that they are in better shape than what he has! We could see them on Axemen Season 3!

(Nice photos - thanks)

Philbert


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## jeremym (Apr 3, 2009)

Melvin's not there this year. Guess his "Green Gold" count wasn't high enough. Plus they found the father/son river loggers, which is almost too irritating to watch.


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## Humptulips (Apr 4, 2009)

slowp said:


> It was kind of a sad thing. A lot of those were working around here when I first moved to this side of the mountains. A Thunderbird like the one that looks old in the picture, was brand new and the company waxed and shined it up and hauled it through Morton for the Jubilee parade. They had to shoo people off the sidewalk to make the turn in the parade route. Then they drove it up on the sidewalk and barely made it.
> 
> On the landings, I tried to never look up at the top of the tubes. They were wiggling so much it was scary.
> 
> There were also the tongs on cable log loaders, but the operators were quite skilled, and the logs were big.



You sure those weren't grapples or maybe you're a lot older then I thought. LOL

I know what you're talking about those towers wiggling a lot. Didn't worry me until one time we broke the telescoping line on a Mark 5 Berger while it was standing. I had to climb up the inside of the tube to take the guard off the bottom of the top section so we could rethread. Burgers have a hole at the bottom of the tube you can get in. After looking at the welds on the inside it worried me to be around them after that. 
Stood on top of a 90 foot Madill once while the crew yarded a turn. It moves around a lot up there. Think I already told that story so I won't repeat myself.


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## slowp (Apr 4, 2009)

Humptulips said:


> You sure those weren't grapples or maybe you're a lot older then I thought. LOL
> 
> I know what you're talking about those towers wiggling a lot. Didn't worry me until one time we broke the telescoping line on a Mark 5 Berger while it was standing. I had to climb up the inside of the tube to take the guard off the bottom of the top section so we could rethread. Burgers have a hole at the bottom of the tube you can get in. After looking at the welds on the inside it worried me to be around them after that.
> Stood on top of a 90 foot Madill once while the crew yarded a turn. It moves around a lot up there. Think I already told that story so I won't repeat myself.



I was trying to figure out whether they were grapples or what? I must've goofed. They weren't hydraulic, that's for sure. I spent most of my time on the run, there was only time to go to a unit, approve a landing, maybe do a quick walk down and up, then off to the next one, and was pretty cowed by all the stuff going on. Got run off the road, etc. and trying to learn stuff but too scared to ask many questions cuz the loggers were scary. Now, I ask questions. 

I think I drove by that place yesterday. Mind you, a lot of the yarders didn't look that great when they were operating. One scary time, I went out to the sale with a guy, and we went down to check stuff. I noticed the line looked pretty frayed, and a guyline was buried in a deck (which is all right to do) and the deck was moving and shaking, and we knew the hooktender was a druggie. They were trying to get a monster up, high lead, no deflection, and it wasn't going. There was a deep ditch that they'd plowed up earlier and I kept sidling to it, and he kept sidling to it and afterwards we found out we both were getting ready to jump in when the line broke--which it didn't. He said he was wondering how bad I was going to get hurt, because I obviously was going to beat him to the ditch bottom, and he figured he was going to land on top of me. He was a big guy and I was not. 

The budget here was planned for one totalled pickup every year and we always made that target....not me. A different world.


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## Humptulips (Apr 4, 2009)

Yea, the tongs were gone for everyday use before my time. I think early 60s is when the line grapples came into general use.
Been my experience that when the line breaks it's too late to jump. Had some close calls with that. One time we were north bending. The slinger was about arms length from me. We broke the skyline and it flew sidewise. It hit the ground between us. No time to be scared. It's all over before you know it.


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## John Ellison (Apr 5, 2009)

I liked to watch an old timer run a cable loader when they would cast for a log. Unbelieveable how far they could grab one. You did'nt learn how to do that overnight.
Ever seen one with a snorkel?
When hydraulic loaders first came out, the cable loaders would still get the nod if there was big wood involved because they could lift more.
My brother was on the landing and they were towering up a Washington 208 when the raising line broke just as they were trying to put the dogs in. Nobody got hurt but it was frantic with the guylines flopping around.
Humptulips, you've got more huevos than me. I cant imagine standing on top the tube when they are yarding a turn in. Never was good at heights anyway. Was a line crossed or what?


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## Humptulips (Apr 6, 2009)

John Ellison said:


> I liked to watch an old timer run a cable loader when they would cast for a log. Unbelieveable how far they could grab one. You did'nt learn how to do that overnight.
> Ever seen one with a snorkel?
> When hydraulic loaders first came out, the cable loaders would still get the nod if there was big wood involved because they could lift more.
> My brother was on the landing and they were towering up a Washington 208 when the raising line broke just as they were trying to put the dogs in. Nobody got hurt but it was frantic with the guylines flopping around.
> Humptulips, you've got more huevos than me. I cant imagine standing on top the tube when they are yarding a turn in. Never was good at heights anyway. Was a line crossed or what?



No, actually done it twice. First time we had a problem with the sheaves in the back of the tube below the fairleads on a Washington 127. It had been repaired and we thought it was allowing the skidding line to saw the skyline when it was tight. Went up tied in where I could watch and picked the skyline up tight. Didn't rub so had the crew grab a couple turns. It rubbed the skyline when tight and line on one side of drum.
The other time I was in AK and the mainline fairlead started smoking on a Madill 009. I went up greased it and the owner asked if I could see if it was getting hot so he could order parts. Tied in and had the crew yard a couple turns. It was OK. Never really worried about it. Heck if I thought the tower was going to come down I wouldn't have let them turn a wheel. I was tied in good so no real problem. It does move around a lot up there though.


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## jeremym (Apr 6, 2009)

From the top of the tube, that would be quite the picture or better yet video! I've taken pictures and videos from the top of 250' towers, but theres heck of alot more room up there and it's not moving too bad unless the wind is blowing hard.


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## slowp (Apr 6, 2009)

Hey! I just figured out that my printer scans!  I'll (later) try to scan my one picture of the Thunderbird set up in the Mineral Block. It isn't a close up though.


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## jeremym (Apr 7, 2009)

Looking forward to seeing your pictures slowp!


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## slowp (Apr 8, 2009)

Here it is. A bad picture of the brand new Thunderbird on its first job. My first scan job. Scanning is easy!






This was taken just outside of Morton. It was a clearcut, you can't see the steep part. The road was so bad they hired independent truckers to haul on it. I didn't have a 4x4 so walked in. It was second growth, one of the loggers said his dad was in on the original logging of it. The part above the yarder was downhilled to the landing. 

This is the unit where the cutters didn't buck all the way through the logs and were told to get back and buck them on the landing or else. I was walking around the unit boundary, trying to check the cutting, but you didn't dare go into the unit, logs would shift and roll on their own. I'm glad I don't have to work on that kind of ground now. It would be a 5 ibuprofen unit.


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## rdbrumfield (Apr 9, 2009)

reminds me of grisdale. Only with wood spars and steam donkeys. Now that is when we had wood.


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## jeremym (Apr 13, 2009)

Nice picture! I hate to be on the landing with a turn coming down the hill at you quickly! There's some rough country up there, need to take a field trip up that way sometime. I haven't been up Hwy 12 that way in forever


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## RTSlater (Apr 14, 2009)

*Watch the haulback!*

It was May and I was 16. I had been setting chokers about a week on a high lead rig at Dyer Logging near Kelsey Bay, B.C. While the turn was going in I asked the Rigging Slinger if I could get a drink at a trickle of water about 40 feet from the centerline of the 3/4 inch haul-back. He said, "yeah, but watch the haul-back, OK?" So I'm on my knees in the mud bending over my aluminum hardhat pushing the rim into the mud and the trickle of water to separate out a little water clean enough to drink when a loud Whack! I see the flash of the cable hit square across the brim and disappear in a flash! It was the first time I knew a person could jump backwards over 6 feet from a kneeling position! The Rigging Slinger was quite amused and advised me, sotto voice, "Gotta keep an eye on that Haul-back, eh?" Of course from then I did! It was my first exposure to the "Gallows Humor" loggers use daily. I wore that hat with the crease in the brim until I left the woods the next January to go into the RCAF.
RTSlater


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