Kiwilogger
ArboristSite Operative
a_lopa said:
nah, dangerous is relative mate.
Use your head, play by the rules and you're safe. We have not had a LTI (lost time injury) in our crew since I have worked there.
Haulers.
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nah, dangerous is relative mate.
Use your head, play by the rules and you're safe. We have not had a LTI (lost time injury) in our crew since I have worked there.
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
Logging In Redwood Country
I could not agree more pulling in heavy turns is a great high. here in the redwoods we get to pull real hard, as its not uncommon to pull in a log 8 feet in diameter and 20 feet long. we have the same cat turbo engine in our Washington. Its common to have a single log that you cant pull in 3rd gear. On a few occasions we have used 1st gear to move a big one, but if 2nd gear wont move it you are better off ripping it in half, since im sure you know 1st gear will break any, and every cable you have. Thats action! Our log trucks haul 40 tons legally. On a good day we will log 20 loads or 800 tons as you would say. We have clickers in the yarder cab to count the cycles and number of logs brought in per day. We average 300 pieces, and around 80 to 100 cycles. I love swing yarders for the shorter skidding distances. I find them very versatile since you dont even need a landing, you can yard right from the truck road. this allows us to attack the cut block from more angles, and keep the skids short with maximum lift. I am not a fan of the motorized carriage, they are to fragile. our mechanical carriage is bullet proof. Do you guys work year round? What is your winter weather like? We work year round rain or snow, 54 hours a week in the summer and 40 in the winter. Do loggers earn a decent living there? Here it is a good paying job, but they cant find young guys that are willing to do the hard labor anymore. My crew works short handed all year (5 or 6 guys) because they run adds in the news paper only to get applicants that cant pass a drug test! Here is a picture of one of our winter days! LATER!
I could not agree more pulling in heavy turns is a great high. here in the redwoods we get to pull real hard, as its not uncommon to pull in a log 8 feet in diameter and 20 feet long. we have the same cat turbo engine in our Washington. Its common to have a single log that you cant pull in 3rd gear. On a few occasions we have used 1st gear to move a big one, but if 2nd gear wont move it you are better off ripping it in half, since im sure you know 1st gear will break any, and every cable you have. Thats action! Our log trucks haul 40 tons legally. On a good day we will log 20 loads or 800 tons as you would say. We have clickers in the yarder cab to count the cycles and number of logs brought in per day. We average 300 pieces, and around 80 to 100 cycles. I love swing yarders for the shorter skidding distances. I find them very versatile since you dont even need a landing, you can yard right from the truck road. this allows us to attack the cut block from more angles, and keep the skids short with maximum lift. I am not a fan of the motorized carriage, they are to fragile. our mechanical carriage is bullet proof. Do you guys work year round? What is your winter weather like? We work year round rain or snow, 54 hours a week in the summer and 40 in the winter. Do loggers earn a decent living there? Here it is a good paying job, but they cant find young guys that are willing to do the hard labor anymore. My crew works short handed all year (5 or 6 guys) because they run adds in the news paper only to get applicants that cant pass a drug test! Here is a picture of one of our winter days! LATER!
Hey Redwood logger, looks nice! Every day is a picknic in the woods.
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
yarder logging
Its funny you would say that! We always say two moon light rides and a picnic in the woods, how could it get any better! When times are tough I always say "if it were easy there would be a bunch of women and kids out here doing it". Theres seldom a dull moment logging.
Its funny you would say that! We always say two moon light rides and a picnic in the woods, how could it get any better! When times are tough I always say "if it were easy there would be a bunch of women and kids out here doing it". Theres seldom a dull moment logging.
Kiwilogger
ArboristSite Operative
Logging in snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heck redwood, that looks like FUN, logging in the snow...
We log all year round, all weather except lightening, we had a guy badly hurt hooking up a drag when the lightning hit the skyline a couple of years ago!
I agree with you about the motorised carriage being fragile, they dont like hitting the ground, or being rammed into the backline if the hauler driver has a "momentary lapse of reason." But, they are pretty awesome for pulling wood, we run up to 4 strops off ours. At $100,000 a pop, you gotta have a top notch operator
300 logs and 80-100 cycles is bloody good going, but I guess a swinger would have a bit faster cycle time? We would pull 180-200 butts (whole stems) plus 50 pieces (broken/part stems) per day, with around the same number of cycles of 75-100, depending on terrain, height and all the other things sent to try us loggers out!
Pay is reasonable, not fantastic, but an experienced feller would take home NZ$1000 per week (US$700), an average skiddie would take home NZ$750 (US$550ish) Its hard getting good men here too. We work 60 hrs/week all year. But we don't get the snow. lol.
Pretty much we dont use 1st gear on the thunderbird, like you say, it'll rip a main in half in a heartbeat. Been there, done that. I dont like long splicing that much.
I'd love to see those big redwoods being dragged up the hill. That would be a sight! Our pines are 3ft diameter for a BIG one, but up to 100+ ft long.
Catch ya round...........
Heck redwood, that looks like FUN, logging in the snow...
We log all year round, all weather except lightening, we had a guy badly hurt hooking up a drag when the lightning hit the skyline a couple of years ago!I agree with you about the motorised carriage being fragile, they dont like hitting the ground, or being rammed into the backline if the hauler driver has a "momentary lapse of reason." But, they are pretty awesome for pulling wood, we run up to 4 strops off ours. At $100,000 a pop, you gotta have a top notch operator
300 logs and 80-100 cycles is bloody good going, but I guess a swinger would have a bit faster cycle time? We would pull 180-200 butts (whole stems) plus 50 pieces (broken/part stems) per day, with around the same number of cycles of 75-100, depending on terrain, height and all the other things sent to try us loggers out!
Pay is reasonable, not fantastic, but an experienced feller would take home NZ$1000 per week (US$700), an average skiddie would take home NZ$750 (US$550ish) Its hard getting good men here too. We work 60 hrs/week all year. But we don't get the snow. lol.
Pretty much we dont use 1st gear on the thunderbird, like you say, it'll rip a main in half in a heartbeat. Been there, done that. I dont like long splicing that much.
I'd love to see those big redwoods being dragged up the hill. That would be a sight! Our pines are 3ft diameter for a BIG one, but up to 100+ ft long.
Catch ya round...........
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
Hey Kiwi!
Sounds like you guys are moving the wood at a pretty good pace to get that many cycles when you are dragging them that far! You must keep that riggin smokin up and down the hill! You say you run 4 strops off your carriage, im guessing that a strop is what we call a choker (the cable that actually goes around the log)? We run 3 at a time presetting 3 while those 3 are going up the hill. That way when the carriage gets back you just hook the other 3 up and away you go again! Around here a logger can make between $ 35,000 and $80,000 depending on what job you do. The operater of a swing machine makes about $50,000 a year. The cost of living is a little high here, with a starter home selling for $300,000. You can rent a 2 bedroom house for $1,200 per month. Sounds like you guys are putting in lots of hours for your money. Do you work 5 or 6 days a week? I have got some more pictures for you, not huge logs but nice ones!
Sounds like you guys are moving the wood at a pretty good pace to get that many cycles when you are dragging them that far! You must keep that riggin smokin up and down the hill! You say you run 4 strops off your carriage, im guessing that a strop is what we call a choker (the cable that actually goes around the log)? We run 3 at a time presetting 3 while those 3 are going up the hill. That way when the carriage gets back you just hook the other 3 up and away you go again! Around here a logger can make between $ 35,000 and $80,000 depending on what job you do. The operater of a swing machine makes about $50,000 a year. The cost of living is a little high here, with a starter home selling for $300,000. You can rent a 2 bedroom house for $1,200 per month. Sounds like you guys are putting in lots of hours for your money. Do you work 5 or 6 days a week? I have got some more pictures for you, not huge logs but nice ones!
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
More Pics
Here are a couple more for you, I am the guy on the right side in the first picture, and up in the tree rigging it for a tail spar.
Here are a couple more for you, I am the guy on the right side in the first picture, and up in the tree rigging it for a tail spar.
Kiwilogger
ArboristSite Operative
yeah, we give it heaps, cycle times are the key to pulling tonnage. We only get up to the 100 drag mark on shorter settings. On our rigging, or the carriage, we run chains, not chokers. It would only be in smaller wood that we run 4, normally only 2, or 3. Where we live, the cost of living is quite reasonable, a starter house will set you back around NZ$250,000and rent a nice house for arond NZ$1000/month.
I made a mistake in the hours we work too, a standard 5 day week is 47 & 1/2hrs, but we work every 2nd saturday.
Nice wood you guys have there mate.
back soon.....
I made a mistake in the hours we work too, a standard 5 day week is 47 & 1/2hrs, but we work every 2nd saturday.
Nice wood you guys have there mate.
back soon.....
Kiwilogger
ArboristSite Operative
man, thats big wood........
wow, just looked at your other pics. That is some awesome wood there. We used to have stuff like that here 100 years ago. Native stuff. Kauri, rimu, totara, but pretty much all the big stuff is gone. There is a bit here and there, but bugger all really. Its all protected now, its illegal to cut down any native timber. HUGE fines.
As to tailspars, I have never seen one done, let alone rigged one. Hardly any tree climbing is done here, except for specialist residential felling and the like.
We had an american guy over here a few years ago teaching us a bit of stuff. He was pretty good. Brian Tua was his name (dunno about the spelling of the surname)
wow, just looked at your other pics. That is some awesome wood there. We used to have stuff like that here 100 years ago. Native stuff. Kauri, rimu, totara, but pretty much all the big stuff is gone. There is a bit here and there, but bugger all really. Its all protected now, its illegal to cut down any native timber. HUGE fines.
As to tailspars, I have never seen one done, let alone rigged one. Hardly any tree climbing is done here, except for specialist residential felling and the like.
We had an american guy over here a few years ago teaching us a bit of stuff. He was pretty good. Brian Tua was his name (dunno about the spelling of the surname)
Great pics, thanks for sharing those.
Ryan Willock
Addicted to ArboristSite
Red Wood, what does a faller make out there? How about a cat skinner?
brian660
ArboristSite Operative
hey redwood where do I sign up, i`m drug free and hard working, I may not know much about dropping giant trees but I can probably fix any piece of equipment out there 
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
Big wood
These logs you see in my pictures are not what we log every day. those are old growth redwoods that are the better part of 1000 years old. All the old growth forests are parks now,but we still come across the occasional tree that the old time loggers left behind 80 yraes ago. Back then they would walk right past one of these 6ft dia. trees to get to a real tree 20ft in dia. These trees you see in my pictures are on privately owned timber lands.
Kiwi I have never heard of anyone using chains instead of chokers, I cant even imagine such a thing! What advantages do you see in using chain?
As for the timber fallers around here, they get paid by the board feet they cut per day. A real hard working faller can gross $80,000 per year, but thats contracting on your own. you are responsible for your own insurance and all that. A mechanic in the woods will make around $18 per hour. Timber fallers and mechanics are not in high demand here,they have a hard time finding entry level guys (choker setters for the yarder operations). A choker setter around here will make between $14 and $17 per hour depending on what company you work for and your experience level.
Here are some more pics for you guys!
These logs you see in my pictures are not what we log every day. those are old growth redwoods that are the better part of 1000 years old. All the old growth forests are parks now,but we still come across the occasional tree that the old time loggers left behind 80 yraes ago. Back then they would walk right past one of these 6ft dia. trees to get to a real tree 20ft in dia. These trees you see in my pictures are on privately owned timber lands.
Kiwi I have never heard of anyone using chains instead of chokers, I cant even imagine such a thing! What advantages do you see in using chain?
As for the timber fallers around here, they get paid by the board feet they cut per day. A real hard working faller can gross $80,000 per year, but thats contracting on your own. you are responsible for your own insurance and all that. A mechanic in the woods will make around $18 per hour. Timber fallers and mechanics are not in high demand here,they have a hard time finding entry level guys (choker setters for the yarder operations). A choker setter around here will make between $14 and $17 per hour depending on what company you work for and your experience level.
Here are some more pics for you guys!
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redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
I forgot one Ryan!
Sorry Ryan I forgot about a cat skinner, they make $15 to $18 per hour, but it is hard to find year round work since our forest practice rules dont allow the use of tractors in the winter period oct. 15 thru may or so. They dont use cats as much as they used to around here, the governing agencies dont like to see bare dirt. they say it promotes erosion. It is too bad since it is one of the cheapest ways to log. LATER!
Sorry Ryan I forgot about a cat skinner, they make $15 to $18 per hour, but it is hard to find year round work since our forest practice rules dont allow the use of tractors in the winter period oct. 15 thru may or so. They dont use cats as much as they used to around here, the governing agencies dont like to see bare dirt. they say it promotes erosion. It is too bad since it is one of the cheapest ways to log. LATER!
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
Any More Pic's Kiwi
I would love to see more pictures Kiwi! How about some of those chains and riggin you use. How about your names for different jobs, who does what and so on. Around here you have the Hooktender (lead man) the Riggin slinger, Yarder engineer, choker setter, 2 landing men and the loader operater. This would be cosidered a full crew. We seldom have that many people.
By the way, how do you post your pictures so they pop right up instead of having to click on a link? Later
I would love to see more pictures Kiwi! How about some of those chains and riggin you use. How about your names for different jobs, who does what and so on. Around here you have the Hooktender (lead man) the Riggin slinger, Yarder engineer, choker setter, 2 landing men and the loader operater. This would be cosidered a full crew. We seldom have that many people.
By the way, how do you post your pictures so they pop right up instead of having to click on a link? Later
Kiwilogger
ArboristSite Operative
redwood logger said:
Hiya redwood. Yep. I will get some pics done. I just bought a new camera and am waiting for it to turn up. OK, our lead man is just called the foreman, we run 3 skiddies (the guys on saws trimming and "bucking." 1 logmaker, he grades and marks the logs for cutting. 1 poleman who unhooks the logs, coils up strawline etc. We have 2 (sometimes 3 if we are running 3 chains on the butt rigging) breaker-outs , these guys hook the logs up, set up the backline, move the ropes, tractor etc. Both carry talkie tooters and a radio. We have 2 loaders going on the skid. And a hauler driver. The foreman "manages" the breaking out, sets up stumps etc for the hauler organises our next settings and skids. What do you call your tailrope pulleys? Ours are called "blocks." We have the "working block" and the "non-working block" Pretty self explanatory. When we have the sky out and are running Northbend we have the fallblock which the mainrope goes thru and the main is attached to the rider block on the sky. Ill post some pics soon.
As to the photos I have my photos stored on http://www.photobucket.com
and they have this "thing" that you click on that you just copy and paste into here and it comes up automatically. Its free to register and use.
Catch you later.....
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
It's me again!
Thanks for the photo bucket tip! We call our pulleys blocks also, seems to be one of the few common words between your logging lingo and ours. Thay does'nt suprise me though, I changed jobs 3 years ago, and although I was only 50 miles away the lingo was a little different. We only have 1 tail block since we use a running sky line system, with a 130 feet of drop line. Our blocks are 15 inch young blocks. we have 10 inchers for hanging in lift trees. How big is the company you work for.? how many Haulers do they run? How many employees? Does anyone over there log with a running sky line system? Are there any swing machines around? Later!
Thanks for the photo bucket tip! We call our pulleys blocks also, seems to be one of the few common words between your logging lingo and ours. Thay does'nt suprise me though, I changed jobs 3 years ago, and although I was only 50 miles away the lingo was a little different. We only have 1 tail block since we use a running sky line system, with a 130 feet of drop line. Our blocks are 15 inch young blocks. we have 10 inchers for hanging in lift trees. How big is the company you work for.? how many Haulers do they run? How many employees? Does anyone over there log with a running sky line system? Are there any swing machines around? Later!
Kiwilogger
ArboristSite Operative
The company I work for are pretty big, they have 2 TTY 70's (tracked), 2 TMY 70's (wheeled) a TTY 45 (old & in retirement at the moment) And they run 2 forwarder gangs and another 2 groundbased gangs with skidders and tractors.
At the moment we are using a running skyline we call it "scab skyline." We run 2 blocks at the back but not far apart. The tail runs through them and joins to the rigging which has a strop (chain) at each end and in the middle of the rigging is a block on a short chain which runs on the tailrope. The mainline is joined to the rigging, on the opposite end to the tail. Damn simple system, great for shorter settings where there is good height. Hard on ropes, and brakes though.
We have 15" ropemaster blocks. Pretty similar to the youngs.
The boss just asked me today if I want to learn to drive the harvester!! Might just give it a go. It has a computer in it and does the logmaking too. Pretty cool machine.
We do have swing yarders over here, but they tend to get the smaller easier terrain settings. I've never seen a swinger up close.
Oh yeah, we run a tag line on our hauler, its a smaller rope, a bit bigger than strawline, it attaches to the rider block (on the sky) and you can stop the rider block anywhere on the skyline to make the gear split off (we call it bridle) from the skyline. We use it to straighten up the lines of wood, and also to widen the haul path, ie: reach more wood off the one line. Handy when good stumps are in short supply.
Later........
At the moment we are using a running skyline we call it "scab skyline." We run 2 blocks at the back but not far apart. The tail runs through them and joins to the rigging which has a strop (chain) at each end and in the middle of the rigging is a block on a short chain which runs on the tailrope. The mainline is joined to the rigging, on the opposite end to the tail. Damn simple system, great for shorter settings where there is good height. Hard on ropes, and brakes though.
We have 15" ropemaster blocks. Pretty similar to the youngs.
The boss just asked me today if I want to learn to drive the harvester!! Might just give it a go. It has a computer in it and does the logmaking too. Pretty cool machine.
We do have swing yarders over here, but they tend to get the smaller easier terrain settings. I've never seen a swinger up close.
Oh yeah, we run a tag line on our hauler, its a smaller rope, a bit bigger than strawline, it attaches to the rider block (on the sky) and you can stop the rider block anywhere on the skyline to make the gear split off (we call it bridle) from the skyline. We use it to straighten up the lines of wood, and also to widen the haul path, ie: reach more wood off the one line. Handy when good stumps are in short supply.
Later........
redwood logger
ArboristSite Member
More Logging Talk
Well kiwi, ive got to admit, Idont really understand what kind of riggin set up you guys are using.(looking forward to some pics) Your running sky line system sounds different then ours. Seems like every where you go people log a little different. Sounds like you guys know what your doing.
The company I work for owns timberland in 3 states, CA,OR, and WA. There are two divisions in CA. The southern being the one I work for. In this division we have 3 working yarders, 2 washingtons and 1 madill (all swingers with mechanical carriages) The madill can also run grapples, which the company did a lot of in the past. They have 7 other ground based sides, but no cats or skidders, They do all the logging with the loader out in the brush. We call this shovel logging. The loader goes out in the brush and swings all the logs to the truck road, covering his tracks as he goes to make it look like no machine has been there. When he gets them all to the road he loads them all out. This is not as efficient as cat logging, but we have really strickt regulations on our logging. The company also has 3 mills here, and about a dozen contractors logging on their property. There are only 2 or 3 tower yarders working around here, that I know of, and maybe 25 swingers. There are alsoa few of what we call yoaders (a loader with winches on it to make a small yarder) These are a cheap way for logging real short ground. We dont have very many harvesters,since our ground is steep and it rains a lot here the governing agencies only let tractors on the mild terrain, and only in the summer. I think running something like that would be a real fun challenge! They sure look cool! Let me know how it goes. Well iv'e typed to long the trees are gaining on us (they never sleep,just keep growing back)
Catch up with you later
Well kiwi, ive got to admit, Idont really understand what kind of riggin set up you guys are using.(looking forward to some pics) Your running sky line system sounds different then ours. Seems like every where you go people log a little different. Sounds like you guys know what your doing.
The company I work for owns timberland in 3 states, CA,OR, and WA. There are two divisions in CA. The southern being the one I work for. In this division we have 3 working yarders, 2 washingtons and 1 madill (all swingers with mechanical carriages) The madill can also run grapples, which the company did a lot of in the past. They have 7 other ground based sides, but no cats or skidders, They do all the logging with the loader out in the brush. We call this shovel logging. The loader goes out in the brush and swings all the logs to the truck road, covering his tracks as he goes to make it look like no machine has been there. When he gets them all to the road he loads them all out. This is not as efficient as cat logging, but we have really strickt regulations on our logging. The company also has 3 mills here, and about a dozen contractors logging on their property. There are only 2 or 3 tower yarders working around here, that I know of, and maybe 25 swingers. There are alsoa few of what we call yoaders (a loader with winches on it to make a small yarder) These are a cheap way for logging real short ground. We dont have very many harvesters,since our ground is steep and it rains a lot here the governing agencies only let tractors on the mild terrain, and only in the summer. I think running something like that would be a real fun challenge! They sure look cool! Let me know how it goes. Well iv'e typed to long the trees are gaining on us (they never sleep,just keep growing back)
Catch up with you later
