Some of what I've been up to.

[redprospector]

I haven't been around too much lately so I thought I'd show a little of what I've been up to.
The job I've been on started out at 240 acres of thinning, the spec's were for total removal of all merchantable wood, and mastication of everything else. I'm down to my last 53 acre push, I've gotta be done by Dec. 31. The last 53 acres all looks about the same, I saved the best for last I guess. Here's a few pic's from this week.

This is what we started with.

This is what it looks like when I'm done.

Andy

 

[rmh3481]

Nice job Red, nice and neat. What is that a grinder or a brush mower on the front of the tractor?

 

[Samlock]

A very thin stand that is. It's hard to tell by the picture but it looks like 100-150 trees/acre. Is that a standard procedure down there?

 

[k5alive]

forestry mowers rock

 

[2dogs]

Nice! Can I borrow the mower for a month or so next spring?

 

[mdavlee]

Looks good Andy. Might help reduce fuels there by a lot.

 

[madhatte]

That is a nice-looking thin! Good on ya! It's ready for fire now, and I certainly hope that's part of the long-term plans the landowner has in mind.

Bummer on the Fecon head. We've had nothing but trouble with ours, though it does work well when it's not broken.

 

[Gologit]

Nice job, Andy.

 

[forestryworks]

I recognize that slope Andy. Thanks for the tour this summer!

A very thin stand that is. It's hard to tell by the picture but it looks like 100-150 trees/acre. Is that a standard procedure down there?

If I remember correctly, Andy said they are thinning for wildlife and fuels reduction.

 

[Samlock]

Ok, thanks for correcting. I'm just not familiar basically with any other thinning than economical. Less burning material for fire that is? Plus it's easier to shoot the game through a thin stand?

 

[redprospector]

Thanks for all the kind words guys.
This project has been far from typical for me in this area. The sole reason that the land owner bought this 450 acre spread is for the elk hunting. Now that he's had it for a few years fire has become a real concerne for him also. The land owner is a really good guy, and we have become pretty good friends over the course of this project. But when it comes to hunting he listens to an outfitter that lives down the road. Most outfitters don't know squat about thinning, but most doing the thinning can kill elk.
The slope in the pictures is a little thinner than a lot of this project for a couple of reasons. One, it is the south west property boundry and that is the direction most fires would come from here, and two, by the time I take out all the blister rust, mistletoe, bark beetle, etc, etc, there ain't much left. My main goal on this slope is to thin it to hopefully keep a fire on the ground when it comes through. This is the first line of defence on this property.
When we talk about thinning for wildlife, and fire prevention..................Well, it get's a little difficult to keep your focus sometimes. A lot of known game trails, and canyons that are regularly traveled by elk and deer are left dark, or un touched, while the areas around them are thinned for fire prevention. To reach a basil (spelling??) area that was acceptable to the state forestry, and still leave enough trees to be acceptable to the land owner I had to use groups of trees in my plan rather than individual trees. It seems to have made everyone happy so it must have been ok.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

That is a nice-looking thin! Good on ya! It's ready for fire now, and I certainly hope that's part of the long-term plans the landowner has in mind.

Bummer on the Fecon head. We've had nothing but trouble with ours, though it does work well when it's not broken.

I haven't had much trouble out of the Fecon head. I did break of a couple of tool (tooth) holders and had to use my Tushogg head while I was waiting for the parts to get here. I sure hope I didn't just jinx my luck with the Fecon.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

Nice job Red, nice and neat. What is that a grinder or a brush mower on the front of the tractor?

I'd call it a grinder.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

I recognize that slope Andy. Thanks for the tour this summer!

I thought you might. Any time.

Andy

 

[lfnh]

Andy -

What's the steepest slope the grinder worked on ?

Great pics. Thanks.

 

[Slamm]

How many horsepower is that machine?
What engine does it have in it?

Thanks,

Sam

 

[redprospector]

Andy -

What's the steepest slope the grinder worked on ?

Great pics. Thanks.

I haven't taken the time to measure many of the slopes we've done. You're more limited by the engines ability to pick up oil than by the machine's ability to climb. Just have to really watch your gauges (especially oil pressure) when on steep stuff.
I've had this little rig in places most people won't carry a quart of oil.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

How many horsepower is that machine?
What engine does it have in it?

Thanks,

Sam

87 horse power.
Deutz 2011.
They apparently had a lot of trouble with these little engines. It appears that I got one of the good ones.

Andy

 

[madhatte]

87 horse power.
Deutz 2011.
They apparently had a lot of trouble with these little engines. It appears that I got one of the good ones.

Ours is on a Caterpillar skid-steer with some monstrous 125 HP engine shoehorned in there by some outfit from Spokane whose name I currently misremember. Much of the trouble has been with the engine twisting out of its mounts, but the head has not been without trouble either. It just came back from a three-month tour of most of the fab shops in the region with a rock-solid guarantee that "it should work for awhile".

 

[redprospector]

Ours is on a Caterpillar skid-steer with some monstrous 125 HP engine shoehorned in there by some outfit from Spokane whose name I currently misremember. Much of the trouble has been with the engine twisting out of its mounts, but the head has not been without trouble either. It just came back from a three-month tour of most of the fab shops in the region with a rock-solid guarantee that "it should work for awhile".

Haha. Ya gotta love a "rock solid" guarantee like that.
I knew about the problem with the Deutz engine when I bought the Fecon, so I stashed back a 105 horse caterpillar engine just in case. The Cat engine will fit in the hole ok with new mounts, biggest obstacle I see is the Deutz is oil cooled, and the Cat is liquid cooled.

Andy