# Understanding choker use on the show



## Curlycherry1 (Aug 28, 2009)

Something that puzzles me about the show and sky cable logging in general. Why do the guys in the brush not have two sets of chokers? One on the turn going up the hill and a second down in the brush they are connecting while the turn with the other choker is going up to the landing. When the turn is dumped the chokers are sent down with the skycar and then those chokers are dropped and the second set is instantly hooked to the skycar dragline and sent up the hill.

That way the guys in the brush are always connecting chokers to logs and not spending time waiting for the skycar to come back down.

I have seen that and thought it was a poor use of time because they wait and wait and then scramble like fools to choker up the logs and get out of the way.

So, why not two sets of chokers?


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## 2dogs (Aug 28, 2009)

Well for one thing you still need to get to the dropline from the carraige and drag it to the logs. The dropline runs through each choker which may be some distance apart from each other so you would have to go to each set twice rather then one dog grabbing the end choker and another setting the second. Bigger yarder/carriages have more chokers.

We do keep an extra set in the brush for spares and for very long runs downhill/sidehill from the carriage. Then the choker dog can just run the hook down. That is rare though.

The chute needs to be cleared between runs most of the time also. We have a small yarder and set up in some pretty dang tight places on occasion.


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## slowp (Aug 28, 2009)

They often do. It is called presetting. They'll hook the chokers up while the carriage is going up or down, but, as 2dogs said, they still have to hook the chokers to the dropline. It does speed things up a little bit.


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## Curlycherry1 (Aug 28, 2009)

I saw them hooking 4-6 choker ends to the dropline when it came down, but on the show they were still dropping the line with the chokers, each runner was setting a choker and then they brought them back to the central drop of the line and hooked them up. They should be waiting there at the drop point with all the chokers set and ready to just connect to the drop line.

As my dad used to say if you are not moving you are not making him money!


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## oregoncutter (Aug 29, 2009)

*Pre-setting with a dropline carriage!*



slowp said:


> They often do. It is called presetting. They'll hook the chokers up while the carriage is going up or down, but, as 2dogs said, they still have to hook the chokers to the dropline. It does speed things up a little bit.



:agree2: Right on the money! I have worked with alot of different carriages back in my riggin days. In the right situation (good ground, logs close together, safe distance from the landing, alot of times delimbers and other machinery can lose or knock loose chunks, rocks, or logs, and it's not feasable to be clearing out that side of the lines, and no sense in trying to preset close to the landing if you are waiting on chokers to be set, You don't want to crowd the lines ever!) I have worked up to 4 chokersetters with 12 chokers before, basically 2 crew each having 6 chokers. Start out with 6 set em, send you're turn in blow 2 shorts when it's landed followed by 12 they come back to ya with 12 on the hook or T-bar, cut em out, set and send one set hot, other guy's as safety allows have their set belled up with eyes laid out in a manner that won't burn (side pull binding from choker eye to drop line when set at improper angles) the dropline. When the first 6 come back they are cut from the hook whether it be at the stop point or down the hill some, the 1st crew takes them to set em the riggin slinger or good chokersetter takes the hook or t-bar and if it's a hook gathers the eyes in proper order and closes the latch and away they go. The t-bar is waht I preffered eyes did'nt have to all meet up, but you had to have a little more thinking going on when picking turns and good chokersetters helped. Sometimes distance between logs won't even allow for using alot of chokers especially with a hook. In the right situation pre-setting will speed things up but alot has to be taken in to consideration!


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## 2dogs (Aug 29, 2009)

We call the t-bar the hook. It is all we have so I gues we could call it anything we want.


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## oregoncutter (Aug 29, 2009)

2dogs said:


> We call the t-bar the hook. It is all we have so I gues we could call it anything we want.



It gets called that a t-bar is a chain assembly with a bar across the bottom connected to the dropline with a nub keeping the sleeve on. In Oregon during fire season their use is restricted, also you should be using ring end chokers with the t-bar they can burn the line bad enough if You have too much side bite going on. The hook of course is attached in the same manner, but has a pivoting clasp that has a spring lock, and uses eye chokers. I prefer the T-bar it's definitely alot more verastile.


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## 2dogs (Aug 29, 2009)

oregoncutter said:


> It gets called that a t-bar is a chain assembly with a bar across the bottom connected to the dropline with a nub keeping the sleeve on. In Oregon during fire season their use is restricted, also you should be using ring end chokers with the t-bar they can burn the line bad enough if You have too much side bite going on. The hook of course is attached in the same manner, but has a pivoting clasp that has a spring lock, and uses eye chokers. I prefer the T-bar it's definitely alot more verastile.



Right! Our yarder has a t-bar and we use ring end chokers.
Why the fire season restriction?


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## oregoncutter (Aug 29, 2009)

*restrictions*



2dogs said:


> Right! Our yarder has a t-bar and we use ring end chokers.
> Why the fire season restriction?


The drop line runs through those rings, as you pull the cable it creates friction, and or heat or possibly sparks which in turn could start a fire.


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## 2dogs (Aug 29, 2009)

oregoncutter said:


> The drop line runs through those rings, as you pull the cable it creates friction, and or heat or possibly sparks which in turn could start a fire.



Thanks! We have Red Flag days, just like now, when you can't do much. slowp called them Hoot Owl days I think. Should be called "hot owl" days


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## Humptulips (Sep 3, 2009)

I really prefer the hook when presetting but it takes a little savy to pick the turns so you can fill the chokers and not leave anything behind to pick up. The thing with the T-bar is I hate pulling them ring chokers. Those rings will grab anything.
Not smart to preset under the lines but to the side works like a charm. We would often just log out under the lines and then when I would get done on the back end I would come up and help the slinger. Slinger would take the dropline and chokerman would go the opposite way with the chokers. Alternate turns on each side of the line. It can be a workout and it will keep you hopping to pick good turns. Not so bad in thinning, things go so much slower. We used to call it (uck the dog log).Usually the presetting only paid off in a clearcut.


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## oregoncutter (Sep 4, 2009)

Humptulips said:


> I really prefer the hook when presetting but it takes a little savy to pick the turns so you can fill the chokers and not leave anything behind to pick up. The thing with the T-bar is I hate pulling them ring chokers. Those rings will grab anything.
> Not smart to preset under the lines but to the side works like a charm. We would often just log out under the lines and then when I would get done on the back end I would come up and help the slinger. Slinger would take the dropline and chokerman would go the opposite way with the chokers. Alternate turns on each side of the line. It can be a workout and it will keep you hopping to pick good turns. Not so bad in thinning, things go so much slower. We used to call it (uck the dog log).Usually the presetting only paid off in a clearcut.



I agree, I used to prefer the hook aslo with pisspoor or (unexperienced chokersettters) I had a few that if up to them the dropline wouldv'e onlylasted a few turns. The t-bar is nice when the logs are far apart. Yeah them rings like to catch lims, stobs, small rocks etc. I used to preset like You mentioned we would take swath from under the lines, then work both sides of the lines, alot depended on the ground, and wood.


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