i could watch this for 30 mins straight 1000x better than axmen

[2yb3]

[video=youtube;KpBQczS57es]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpBQczS57es[/video]

[video=youtube;WJbb_t3qggw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJbb_t3qggw&feature=related[/video]
nasty looking snag there

[video=youtube;Iz9Kuu4RDuM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz9Kuu4RDuM&feature=related[/video]
gets funny around 5 mins "he got the logs a little close to the headache rack just a tad.."

[video=youtube;9eRWNBuW5lU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eRWNBuW5lU&feature=related[/video]
i like his invention at the end very handy

i wonder if he is on here.

 

[RVALUE]

Nice job, thanks for posting.

 

[Mill_wannabe]

Great stuff!

 

[Slamm]

Good videos, I like them.

I wish I could understand how they make money like that. I just seems for the amount of wood moved there are so many $100K+ machines that have to touch each log. I do not evy them, but I sure do respect that operation.

Thanks for posting,

Sam

 

[slowp]

Good videos, I like them.

I wish I could understand how they make money like that. I just seems for the amount of wood moved there are so many $100K+ machines that have to touch each log. I do not evy them, but I sure do respect that operation.

Thanks for posting,

Sam

Efficiency, lower insurance costs, and good bidding. Plus, I suspect that they pay dirt cheap stumpage prices in Canada. But, I may be wrong. I talked to a Canadian forester years ago. The process for timber harvest was that a large conglomerate was awarded a big area of ground, and the private company was in charge of much of the planning and harvest. I'm not sure how they pay the government for it.

The Canadians said they didn't have near the control of the harvest like we do here.

In our neck of the woods, logging pays off when the markets are good. The biggest outfit I worked with had most of their equipment paid off during the good times. They laid off some folks, and have been able to keep going. They were scraping by and said they could survive a year of no profits. Luckily, prices went up a bit, then the export market became good, and they have kept going. They run about 5 or 6 sides--mechanized and yarders when things are good. Doug-fir is our main species, and it, along with the white woods (Hemlock, Silver Fir etc.) are what is used for studs.

Our local mill sells to Home Depot.

The lower insurance rates kick in when the logging is mechanized. For instance, the Hoechuck, which we call shovel logging, has only a knotbumper on the landing exposed. State industrial rates will be less. If you have a crew of guys setting chokers, their hourly insurance rate comes close to equalling their hourly wage.
That is in Warshington State. Rates, and wages are less in our neighbor to the south.

Insurance rates were raised just days after the last election. I do know that one gypo was mulling over either ditching his yarder side, or just using it in Oregon.

I'm sure others can explain this better.

 

[Slamm]

Thanks, Slowp,

I can fully admit that I certainly lack the "skin" for such endeavors, there is a lot of financial risk out there, for my nerve level. I like my flat ground and low cost, low overhead machines/operation, LOL. Right now mudd is my only enemy, and I will conquer him.

I can see more money being spent in diesel in one day in these videos than I would spend in a week, for moving the same board footage. Like I said that is a lot of high dollar machines and wages just to move one stick up that hill/mountain ................. then you have to truck that log all the way back down the mountain you just pulled it up, LOL. A necessary evil I understand, but simply amazes me, how a dollar can be made or what the profit margins must be.

What is their price per board foot on average to "cut and skid" or are things bid differently out west?

Thanks, I stand in respectful, and non-envious amazement.

Sam

 

[imagineero]

So much machinery, so little wood.

Doesn't seem like the way it ought to be.

Shaun

 

[Rookie1]

Nice videos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Garmins dad]

Thanks for sharing the vids.. I was visiting with my ole man.. He was complaining about the price of lumber. I asked him how about if he was to go cut mill and dry the wood.. cost and time. I asked him about the logging trucks going past every day and their cost plus the equipment out on the hills.. After pointing out what it takes ot make a 2x4 i think he realized the price is not all that bad.. I certainly would pay more for lumber if i knew the cash trickled down to the guys on the front line.. not just stopping int he pockets of the guy behind a desk. Yes i realize it takes em all to make it happen.. BUT fair is fair..

 

[OregonSawyer]

Shouldn't he have "bored and wedged" all the little whips around that snag? I mean, you don't want to let them get away. "Total control til the very last second."

 

[hammerlogging]

Thanks, Slowp,

I can fully admit that I certainly lack the "skin" for such endeavors, there is a lot of financial risk out there, for my nerve level. I like my flat ground and low cost, low overhead machines/operation, LOL. Right now mudd is my only enemy, and I will conquer him.

I can see more money being spent in diesel in one day in these videos than I would spend in a week, for moving the same board footage. Like I said that is a lot of high dollar machines and wages just to move one stick up that hill/mountain ................. then you have to truck that log all the way back down the mountain you just pulled it up, LOL. A necessary evil I understand, but simply amazes me, how a dollar can be made or what the profit margins must be.

What is their price per board foot on average to "cut and skid" or are things bid differently out west?

Thanks, I stand in respectful, and non-envious amazement.

Sam

I understand that your system is suited for your situation, given all sorts of variables-- tract size, quotas, propensity for thinnings, vol./acre, etc. But their $/ton is cheaper than yours. Shovel logging, though it looks expensive and slow, is exceptionally productive. $/ton, tons/day, it works out in their favor. Doesn't mean it should be right for you, but if you could, you should.


Ex. From one position, a shovel can reach, depending on model, 45 feet in any direction. say stems are 60' long. touch a stem and move it up to 45+45+60 feet without ever moving the tracks. next shovel can move it 45+45+60 feet. If r=45' and pi*r^2 is your area, think vol/acre, it all adds up to lots of wood with little work. Esp. if its a clearcut on less than 35 percent slopes!!! little caveat there.