# Finally downloaded some pics of work.



## Oldtimer (Feb 12, 2012)

Various jobs / times / loads.


----------



## Slamm (Feb 12, 2012)

What model skidder are you using?

Looking good,

Sam


----------



## lmbrman (Feb 12, 2012)

great pics- thanks for sharing !!


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 13, 2012)

Slamm said:


> What model skidder are you using?
> 
> Looking good,
> 
> Sam



1988 Deere 648D D/A. Last of the "I can fix it myself" Deeres.


----------



## Slamm (Feb 13, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> 1988 Deere 648D D/A. Last of the "I can fix it myself" Deeres.




I hear you about the last of the "fix it yourself" Deeres. I have two of the baby versions of the 648, 540B's and I love those little skidders.

What engine do you have in yours? The 6414.

Does it have the 8 forward and 4 reverse gear shifter/tranny?

What size grapple do you have 11' or 13' or some other size?

Do you use a buck saw or buck with chainsaw?

Later,

Sam


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 13, 2012)

The serial number for the engine has 6414 in it, so that must be it. Turbo-six. All kinds of power for my needs. It does have the 8/4 transmission. LOVE that. No clutch, just pop it in and go from a stop. Only use the "cut-out" for the trans 2x a day, if that much.
I want to say it's a 10' bunching grapple, but I have never measured it. It's pretty damn big. See the biggest butt log on the front of the trailer? It will take two of those trees, limbs and all, like nothing.
I use Husqvarna saws. No loader / slasher yet. That's next- with a delimber. Then finally, a feller-buncher with at least a 22" saw. I figure it'll be another 6-8 years before I have them both.
By then I'll probably need a bit better skidder, but I have no idea what...I may buy another D and just keep refreshing them both.


----------



## alleyoop (Feb 15, 2012)

Are you using supper singles on those trucks if so how do they work


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 15, 2012)

alleyoop said:


> Are you using supper singles on those trucks if so how do they work



That's my trucker, and yes, the tractor trailer uses all super singles. He seems to like them well enough, as he's used them for some years now. The Straight-job (Tri-axle) uses them on the tag axle.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 15, 2012)

From today:

Decent 10 tree firewood hitch.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 15, 2012)

3 more from today, random.


----------



## SAW (Feb 15, 2012)

Nice setup you got there Oldtimer. 

How did you bunch all that firewood together with the skidder? Did you use the blade or use the grapple to get them all together like that? I'm used to running a cable skidder. 

How long have you been in the logging business?


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 16, 2012)

SAW said:


> Nice setup you got there Oldtimer.
> 
> How did you bunch all that firewood together with the skidder? Did you use the blade or use the grapple to get them all together like that? I'm used to running a cable skidder.
> 
> How long have you been in the logging business?



I push while my man chops 6-10 trees, then he gets out of the way while I grab them 2-3-4 at a time, whatever comes quickest, and then deck them on the trail for him to limb out. By the time I get back with another 3-4, he's got them done and he's ready for the next twitch. 
I drive up alongside, pull past a bit, then back up to get the butts all even. I drop them and go get the next twitch. 
Anyone who says you can't hand cut and "log" with a grapple is wrong. You just have to use your head and get good with the machine. This JD has increased production by over half.....and not one time did I use a winch since I bought it a year ago.

I have been logging, self employed, since 1996.


----------



## palogger390 (Feb 16, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> I push while my man chops 6-10 trees, then he gets out of the way while I grab them 2-3-4 at a time, whatever comes quickest, and then deck them on the trail for him to limb out. By the time I get back with another 3-4, he's got them done and he's ready for the next twitch.
> I drive up alongside, pull past a bit, then back up to get the butts all even. I drop them and go get the next twitch.
> Anyone who says you can't hand cut and "log" with a grapple is wrong. You just have to use your head and get good with the machine. This JD has increased production by over half.....and not one time did I use a winch since I bought it a year ago.
> 
> I have been logging, self employed, since 1996.



Yeah I agree. We have two Franklin grapple skidders and I can skid about 50% more with the grapple than I can hooking chokers if the terrain allows. Sometimes we cut some cliffs and have to pull cable, but not to often. I find that you save alot of time on the landing as well. Its a lot easier and faster to sort with a grapple than a cable skidder. I think you burn a little more fuel overall, but I'll sacrifice that for the production increase, not having soaked gloves in the winter, and not wrestling rattle snakes in the summer. But I sure miss the jolt of a swarm of ground bees going up my pant legs while hooking a choker.:hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## 380LGR (Feb 16, 2012)

When you are skidding keep the parallelogram bar on the back side of the grapple. As you go forward a tree can break it at the pinn boss. Just watch out when you are backing up you dont hit it on a tree.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 17, 2012)

380LGR said:


> When you are skidding keep the parallelogram bar on the back side of the grapple. As you go forward a tree can break it at the pinn boss. Just watch out when you are backing up you dont hit it on a tree.



Thanks!


----------



## DUGs-sawshop (Feb 17, 2012)

Nice load of pine in those first pics. My father seems to always be partial to big pine lots . Good pics. doug


----------



## tbow388 (Feb 17, 2012)

*Just to think*

Dang and he cut all of those with a 16" WildThing!!!!!

Thanks for posting pics. Looks like a lot of hard work!!!


----------



## Slamm (Feb 17, 2012)

I always drove with that grapple bar in the back too, but then spun it around if I was pushing trees or banging around in reverse. I have seen them bent on other peoples grapple skidders and didn't want mine to get bent.

Sam


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 17, 2012)

I have never gave it any consideration, to tell the truth. It's so damn big that I can't imagine harming it unless I were doing something real stupid.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 17, 2012)

DUGs-sawshop said:


> Nice load of pine in those first pics. My father seems to always be partial to big pine lots . Good pics. doug



Big pine = fast loads: fast loads = bigger paychecks.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 22, 2012)

*The night time...is the right time*

My trucker is double shifting his straight job, trying to get things picked up before the road bans.
So, he came to my job tonight @ 8 PM.. 
Some pics of the job in there too. Free pine.


----------



## tramp bushler (Feb 25, 2012)

O T . Nice looking outfit . It must b nice having easy snow conditions . Mine is crotch deep here .I have to push in roads to everything with my end loader . Thats my multi purpose loggin machine until I can get my skidder up+ running .


----------



## plasticweld (Feb 25, 2012)

Thanks for sharing the pictures, I wish we had some of that snow here in NY. I am battling mud and can only wonder how long I will be able to work before the town shuts down the road I am working on down for spring mud season. I left today with a load of fire wood and the road is already starting to break up


----------



## stihl~freak~13 (Feb 26, 2012)

The town has already shut us down here, and the fire wood logs a soaked in mud. Gonna make the 660 work a little harder and make the sharpening more frequent. Nice job oldtimer


----------



## nhlogga (Feb 26, 2012)

Nice pics. I know your trucker. Nice guy and does a super job hauling wood.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 26, 2012)

You know Bubby? He's always able to move wood.


----------



## nhlogga (Feb 26, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> You know Bubby? He's always able to move wood.



Yep. I know Squiggy.


----------



## nhlogga (Feb 26, 2012)

Oldtimer, was that you cutting on rt16 in wakefield/sanbornville area last summer? Looks like a job well done.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 27, 2012)

Yes. Took forever because I decided to work most of the HW pulp into firewood. A mistake.
Looks pretty good driving by though. Some small hardwoods have tipped in the wet soil and winds, but over-all I am pleased and so is the owner. Took 50K of pine, 20K of oak, and 400 cords of firewood off 34 acres.


----------



## possumtrapper (Feb 28, 2012)

Great pix Oldtimer. Looks like NHLogga knows who you are. What would you have done different on the firewooding job to make it not a mistake? (keen to learn from oldtimers)


----------



## nhlogga (Feb 28, 2012)

possumtrapper said:


> Great pix Oldtimer. Looks like NHLogga knows who you are. What would you have done different on the firewooding job to make it not a mistake? (keen to learn from oldtimers)



Nope. Never met oldtimer. Had i known it was oldtimer working on 16 last summer i woulda stopped in and said hello as i drove by there every day all summer.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 28, 2012)

Cut split and delivered firewood takes a lot of time and effort. If I managed to get 2 cords done and delivered in one day, that's a good day. (Using a maul, faster than the spiltter I own)
So say there was $360 made on 2 cord of green firewood. Sounds OK, right?
Well, I didn't do it alone. My man Dennis did the splitting. So give him his cut, call it $150.
That leaves $210. Fine, but now take the cost of the skidder out- $20 for fuel alone.
Now the cost of saw gas and bar oil- $5.
Now the cost of fuel in the truck to get to work, deliver 2 cord- 1 at a time- and get home..$50.
Now the cost of paying the landowner for the wood- $30.
Now the chain and files, figure it like it was depreciation- $2.

That leaves $103 for the day for me.

Now, do the math on a 9 cord load of firewood delivered on the log truck:
$900 delivered.
Subtract $200 for the trucking.
Subtract $150 for Dennis.
Subtract $20 for skidder fuel.
Subtract $30 for saw gas, chain, files, and getting to and from work.
Subtract $135 for the landowner.

Leaves $365...and it was less labor for both of us...and my trucker got a piece of it.

See, after doing firewood for a while, there's no check waiting for me from logging...I did firewood..
Well, now I am sort of stuck doing the wood: I need the money right away because I haven't been making what I should have and there no wood sent to the mills- so no check coming..

Make any sort of sense?


----------



## nhlogga (Feb 28, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> Cut split and delivered firewood takes a lot of time and effort. If I managed to get 2 cords done and delivered in one day, that's a good day. (Using a maul, faster than the spiltter I own)
> So say there was $360 made on 2 cord of green firewood. Sounds OK, right?
> Well, I didn't do it alone. My man Dennis did the splitting. So give him his cut, call it $150.
> That leaves $210. Fine, but now take the cost of the skidder out- $20 for fuel alone.
> ...




The profit margin in cut/split firewood is so small it seems almost not worth doing unless you can do it in volume. I would much rather put it on a log truck and be done with it.


----------



## possumtrapper (Feb 28, 2012)

Excellent reply OT. Thank you. Quite understandable now that it is easier and more profitable to pulp it due to your machinery. That's a kick as skidder. Gonna get me one of those when I grow up


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 29, 2012)

*Some from today's fun n games.*


----------



## mingo (Feb 29, 2012)

That A-frame is pretty close to ground zero. Looks like you were threading the needle on some of those nice job.


----------



## gsg (Feb 29, 2012)

Great pics! What part of nh are you in, sure looks like fun, wish I could come over and cut for you! VT seems to be yielding plenty of mud now. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Oldtimer (Feb 29, 2012)

gsg said:


> Great pics! What part of nh are you in, sure looks like fun, wish I could come over and cut for you! VT seems to be yielding plenty of mud now. Keep up the good work.



This job is in Conway.


----------



## gsg (Feb 29, 2012)

I hear you about the pain firewood can be at times vs pulp. We've been sending our hardwood pulp to ny state this fall/winter in 16 foot lenghs which works out nice. Adds up better and faster then 8 footers.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 1, 2012)

Ok . Thanks O T ..
I've been wondering what I was doing wrong . But my figures are similar to yours . Today I fell 10 trees . Logged 5 . 3 went to 1 customer who came and got his own .so I didn't have to buck , load or deliver it . I had logged some yesterday so that was on the landing . I bucked and loaded the truk . Delivered and bucked to stove length. A 400$ load . Just under 2 cord .i burned almost 14 gal of fuel @ 4.03 $ a gal . Plus a gal saw gas. The other customergot his cord for 110$ .plus I turned in an hour of loader time to the land owner for putting in roads . $ 120 I draw the line at splitting wood for people . . I work alone so I don't need to split the $$ with anyone . But I only put out about 3 cord this week so far . 2 work days .


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 1, 2012)

If I could find someone who could make me money I would hire them . 
If I could log the volume you can I would look for a mill to feed . . Can't at this point so I just slog along . A guy should be able to yake home 400 a day but that requires more iron . .:msp_scared:


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 1, 2012)

Labor that can even earn their own pay is rare. Labor that can earn you money beyond that is rarer still. My men (2 now) both earn me money besides their own pay.
Financing for equipment is tough even in good times. Right now- unless you have AAA credit and cash reserves- you'll need 2 tax returns showing you make good money, low debt to income ratio, collateral, and a co-signer on the loan. Even then, the loan won't be approved for much over $25K unless the collateral and co-signer are both substantial.

The key with logging, or any business, is FOCUS. You can't do firewood AND log out loads of timber too. You need to stay focused on one thing, and get good at it. You can try to hire on and get 3-4 things going at one time, but that only works 1 out of 20 times. The other 19 times ends in failure and debt. The only way to branch out from the core business is to build cash reserves first. When you can run the core business for 6 months on reserves, then you stand a chance of making a go of a second side business.

It's taken me 20 years to figure these things out...as nobody told me. I learned the "hard" way.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 1, 2012)

Ya . I'm learning . And man is it hard . 
I owne my Terex loader , a 10 yard dump truk and a Timberjack skidder . 

The skidder is still in Southeast and will cost about 3800$ to get up here .
Yes its old iron . 
I'm not running the dump truk now as I can't log the volume to offset the fuel (3)mpg and insurance
. I HATE being under the gun so I havn't done any bank loan stuff and won't . Hopefully I'll be as sucessful with the Tj as you were with your TwigFarmer .


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 1, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> Ya . I'm learning . And man is it hard .
> I owne my Terex loader , a 10 yard dump truk and a Timberjack skidder .
> 
> The skidder is still in Southeast and will cost about 3800$ to get up here .
> ...



Might be better off to sell the TJ in the south, add the $3800 to that, then finance a bit and end up with a dual arch & cable machine. A d/a grapple will almost double your production while easing your back pain..then there's a dozen other uses you'll find for it. The limit is your imagination with it really.
I can not overstate what a wonderful upgrade a grapple is for a one or two man crew.
This machine is a damn good deal, don't let the age scare you. The hours are low, and these machines are generally bulletproof. Same machine as I own. It's in BC.

HERE


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 1, 2012)

I believe you . What is a D/A grapple . 
Theres alot about Iron that I don't know .
what I really need is an FMC track skidder . 
There is a big patch of timber that will come available in the future but it is a winter only show and it gets alot of snow . Need a dozer also .

Oh ya . That is quite a skidder .. 3 , 6 week hitches in Prudhoe would cash it out and the transport .
More to think about . There may be a grapple skidder come available here come spring .


----------



## hammerlogging (Mar 1, 2012)

D/A = dual arch. better reach than a single, and overall allows more load getting and positioning. Its an extra set of hinge and hydraulics.


----------



## bitzer (Mar 1, 2012)

Hey Old Timer how do you stack your firewood at the landing? I mean when you're making sticks? Just curious. How is the topography where you are normally working?

From standing timber to wood stacked on the landing I average 2500bf per day and about 5-6 cords. That obviously depends on size of timber/density/skid distance/weather lately etc. When the ground was holding up I was able to do more, but I usually only get a few hours in the morning to skid when the ground is still frozen. If I'm just cutting pulp trees all day I usually can get out about 6 cords. I've been tossing around the idea of doing some splitting on the landing. We got buckets of rain yesterday and I don't think the ground will hold up for any heavy equipment for a while. The last time I split alone I think I did 2 cords in about 4 hours. This was with a gas splitter and a tractor with a rock bucket to pick up my sticks to saw them up, toss the splits into, and then pile them up. I was ####ing cranking. I have access to a 5 yard dumper that will hold about a cord that I could just off load my splits from the tractor into.


----------



## ChainsawmanXX (Mar 2, 2012)

alleyoop said:


> Are you using supper singles on those trucks if so how do they work



Them super singles are #### IMO 
With double tires, one can go flat and you can limp someplace (if your not loaded to heavy) them super singles you blow out a tire your dead in the water. 
Plus there a real pretty penny!!
There is one good thing, they distribute weight better, and there easier to chain up.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 2, 2012)

bitzer said:


> Hey Old Timer how do you stack your firewood at the landing? I mean when you're making sticks? Just curious. How is the topography where you are normally working?
> 
> From standing timber to wood stacked on the landing I average 2500bf per day and about 5-6 cords. That obviously depends on size of timber/density/skid distance/weather lately etc. When the ground was holding up I was able to do more, but I usually only get a few hours in the morning to skid when the ground is still frozen. If I'm just cutting pulp trees all day I usually can get out about 6 cords. I've been tossing around the idea of doing some splitting on the landing. We got buckets of rain yesterday and I don't think the ground will hold up for any heavy equipment for a while. The last time I split alone I think I did 2 cords in about 4 hours. This was with a gas splitter and a tractor with a rock bucket to pick up my sticks to saw them up, toss the splits into, and then pile them up. I was ####ing cranking. I have access to a 5 yard dumper that will hold about a cord that I could just off load my splits from the tractor into.


The ground I work can vary from flat as a pond to steep as the face of a horse.

When you say stacked, you mean tree length? I pull up with the skidder, dropping the hitch back as I get there, articulate the hitch towards the pile, back it up so the butts are up on the pile in good order, drop, pull up, back to the ends, grapple them up into the pile. If that becomes too hard because there's too much wood, I just blade it up best I can. However, I don't waste too much time on the piling, it doesn't pay any money. If I run out of room, I just drop hitches along the skid trails outside the landing while I wait for a truck.
I try my best to sort the firewood from the pulp, and also try to sort the logs to the front of the pile just to make life easier on the trucker.
When I am doing firewood, I grab 3-4 sticks with the grapple, about half way, and hold them up at waist height so as to saw it fast and easy. As I cut back on the trees, I move the whole thing ahead so the rounds are in one spot. Takes a bit of room, but it works well. With 2 guys (Me on the skidder, another sawing) we can cut up 4 cord an hour.

Alone, back in the day when I was "young" (29-30 years old) I would pull a trailer load of HW pulp out every day in ass deep snow with the old C5D twig Farmer....I ran just 5 sliders- 5 trees to a hitch, 6 or 7 if I pulled some trick shyte and doubled up on a few chains.. About 12 cords.
Now, alone, I do a tri-axle load of HW pulp a day if the wood is there and good sized. About 9 cords.
But I now have my 2 guys with me out there, and in the right wood we can move around 2 trailer loads of wood a day with the grapple and 2 saws.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 2, 2012)

hammerlogging said:


> D/A = dual arch. better reach than a single, and overall allows more load getting and positioning. Its an extra set of hinge and hydraulics.



Thanks Hammer ; So , does it swing left and right . Do the grapples rotate ? Do they have a rotator or bump swivel them ?

Old Timer ; how much fuel does your skidder burn in a days loggin . How many hours ?


----------



## sawinredneck (Mar 2, 2012)

Neat pics OT! Thanks!
The ONLY way to make any real money at firewood is a processor! Log length to firewood in one operation. I've made money selling firewood, but it's beer and bar money, without one!:hmm3grin2orange: Hell, I didn't even bother this year, they are selling Oak at $70 a face here! I have to drive 100 miles each way, cut it, load it, come home, buck and split it then stack it. I figure the first face pays for fuel and a little maintenance on the equipment, the rest I make some on. For years we got $125 all day, every day, for a face, but I can't compete with these fools, and I doubt they'll be around long at these prices either!
I run a small show, I can get two cord (the way I sell it, three face to a cord, 18-20" wood) on the trailer, and my "skidder".
Try not to laugh at the poor thing, but it's sure saved my butt and earns it's keep on a regular basis!
View attachment 227115


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 2, 2012)

Redneck ; that is cool . Did u make the grapple . 
Got any other pics of it ?


----------



## sawinredneck (Mar 2, 2012)

No, I didn't make it, it's a BMG grapple for mini skid steers,talk to TNTtree here, turns me into a three man crew, even with a bad back!
Let's see what I have for pics here.
View attachment 227139
View attachment 227140
View attachment 227141


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 3, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> Thanks Hammer ; So , does it swing left and right . Do the grapples rotate ? Do they have a rotator or bump swivel them ?
> 
> Old Timer ; how much fuel does your skidder burn in a days loggin . How many hours ?



Dual arch, note the 4 pistons that give it up/down-in/out.







Single arch, 2 pistons- up down in an arc.






Swing boom, basically a backhoe attachment with a grapple. Swings side to side, up/down-in/out.





------------------

My machine is a 6 cyl turbo. In steady use, it uses about 10 gallons in a 6 hour day if I run it right. I set the hand throttle @ 1/4 or so and go up a gear if I need more speed. Saves fuel. It can use 30 a day easily if you run it WFO like a dummy.

The machine just turned 20,000 hours a month ago. Still runs like a deere.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 3, 2012)

sawinredneck said:


> Neat pics OT! Thanks!
> The ONLY way to make any real money at firewood is a processor! Log length to firewood in one operation. I've made money selling firewood, but it's beer and bar money, without one!:hmm3grin2orange: Hell, I didn't even bother this year, they are selling Oak at $70 a face here! I have to drive 100 miles each way, cut it, load it, come home, buck and split it then stack it. I figure the first face pays for fuel and a little maintenance on the equipment, the rest I make some on. For years we got $125 all day, every day, for a face, but I can't compete with these fools, and I doubt they'll be around long at these prices either!
> I run a small show, I can get two cord (the way I sell it, three face to a cord, 18-20" wood) on the trailer, and my "skidder".
> Try not to laugh at the poor thing, but it's sure saved my butt and earns it's keep on a regular basis!
> View attachment 227115



That Dingo is wicked cool. Always wanted one!

Use that rig to load 4' lengths and sell it that way. Less work, almost the same money.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 3, 2012)

Thanks OT ; I can see the differences now . Alaska has always been behind the curveon loggin equipment .. Any one of those skidders would be years ahead of what Im using now . 10 gal. a day . Thats great . I'm burning that in my loader . 

Redneck . I've never seen one of those before . Its great . For 3 1/2 winters I've been loading my truck with 4' wood . By hand with a pulp hook . Now I use my loader . But I sure could have put a machine like yours to work . Thanks for the pics.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 3, 2012)

*Pictures of my fun last night.*

Figured to share these too. Went out after the fresh 11" of snow, good to be out there after such a long snowless winter. I do this for my club, no pay...except the joy of laying down a perfect ribbon of smooth trail.


----------



## sawinredneck (Mar 3, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> That Dingo is wicked cool. Always wanted one!
> 
> Use that rig to load 4' lengths and sell it that way. Less work, almost the same money.





tramp bushler said:


> Thanks OT ; I can see the differences now . Alaska has always been behind the curveon loggin equipment .. Any one of those skidders would be years ahead of what Im using now . 10 gal. a day . Thats great . I'm burning that in my loader .
> 
> Redneck . I've never seen one of those before . Its great . For 3 1/2 winters I've been loading my truck with 4' wood . By hand with a pulp hook . Now I use my loader . But I sure could have put a machine like yours to work . Thanks for the pics.



My trailer is 80" wide so I try to cut it into 80" lengths then bring the whole mess home and process it at my convince. When you hear the residential tree guys talk about "mini's" this is what they are referring to, they use the heck out of them to foreward to the grapple truck, dump trailer and chipper.
I've got the grapple, a bucket w/removable tooth bar, built some pallet forks a land leveler and am working on a brush hog/mower for it now. For small operations in tight areas they just can't be beat!


----------



## nhlogga (Mar 3, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> Figured to share these too. Went out after the fresh 11" of snow, good to be out there after such a long snowless winter. I do this for my club, no pay...except the joy of laying down a perfect ribbon of smooth trail.



I havent seen one of those all winter. There is a club maintained trail across the road from my place. Usually its non stop snowmobiles. Not this year.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 3, 2012)

nhlogga said:


> I havent seen one of those all winter. There is a club maintained trail across the road from my place. Usually its non stop snowmobiles. Not this year.



Where do you live?

With this last "big" snow our trails have been flooded with sleds. I counted over 50 between 5PM and 10:00 PM while grooming.


----------



## nhlogga (Mar 4, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> Where do you live?
> 
> With this last "big" snow our trails have been flooded with sleds. I counted over 50 between 5PM and 10:00 PM while grooming.



Farmington. Rt 11. I noticed this afternoon that the trail looked like it was all slush.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 4, 2012)

Yeah, down that far it's all over. Terrible winter for most. Our trails have been pretty good the last month or so. Better than anyone would have thought.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 7, 2012)

Today's logs.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 8, 2012)

Looks good OT . Are they 16s . Pine ? What will they be used for ?


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 8, 2012)

tramp bushler said:


> Looks good OT . Are they 16s . Pine ? What will they be used for ?



It's a mixed bag. Mostly 12', some 10', some 14', some 16'. The mill prefers 12' and 16'. Only 3-4 each of 10' and 14' to a load is the rule, but I refuse to waste good wood...so I cut a 10 or a 14 if that's what there is.
The mill is Hanckock Lumber, Bethel Maine.

[video=youtube;YDvDosXr_Wc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDvDosXr_Wc[/video]


----------



## Samlock (Mar 8, 2012)

Nice looking logs, Oldtimer.

The desired lengths are a lot shorter than over here. What about the minimum diameter of a saw log on the small end?


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 8, 2012)

Samlock said:


> Nice looking logs, Oldtimer.
> 
> The desired lengths are a lot shorter than over here. What about the minimum diameter of a saw log on the small end?



White Pine is milled into finish lumber here. Sometimes it's sawn as 5/4 or dimensional for furniture..maybe 5% of it. As such, the market has no need for any longer than 16'. It's used as trim or re-sawn into V-groove or tongue and groove or shiplap or clapboards..no structural to speak of.

Minimum small end @ Bethel Maine is 7" I think. Again, it's due to the product being made from it. If it were a stud mill cutting Spruce & fir the minimum would be around 4".

Max diameter on the logs is 52" I think.. I cut stuff that pushes 50" at times.


----------



## Samlock (Mar 8, 2012)

Oldtimer said:


> White Pine is milled into finish lumber here. Sometimes it's sawn as 5/4 or dimensional for furniture..maybe 5% of it. As such, the market has no need for any longer than 16'. It's used as trim or re-sawn into V-groove or tongue and groove or shiplap or clapboards..no structural to speak of.
> 
> Minimum small end @ Bethel Maine is 7" I think. Again, it's due to the product being made from it. If it were a stud mill cutting Spruce & fir the minimum would be around 4".
> 
> Max diameter on the logs is 52" I think.. I cut stuff that pushes 50" at times.



Those measures would be a wet dream for the land owners in my country... Shorter logs + smaller required diameters = less pulp = more money.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 12, 2012)

Heres a pic from Saturday



.
I did this just because I could .



.
this was a nice blowdown . If you haven't spent 3 winters in interior Alaska logging with a sno go +sled you may not be able to appreciate heavy equipment as well as I


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 12, 2012)

My 2nd faller at the wheel


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 12, 2012)

My 2nd faller/ saftey man at the wheel.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 12, 2012)

Net is kinda funky.


----------



## Oldtimer (Mar 13, 2012)

Good pics. If that were a Chevy, the springs would break ad the frame would crack.


----------



## tramp bushler (Mar 14, 2012)

Ya that Ford has been the best truck I've ever owned . I should put duals on it and I need some Timbren long bump stops or air bags . Before the winter is over I will have hauled 400 cord of wood on it . Not bad for a truck I only paid 3k$ for . I didn't mean to hijack your thread . Your skidder is way cooler than my loader . But for 2,000$ and 18 cord of wood its doing a real good job .


----------

