What the heck was I thinking???

[redprospector]

Ok, this is the project that I've been working on lately. It was burned in 2000 in the Scott Able Fire.
Now I've done clean up on burned ground before, and I figured this one would be just another dusty rotten mulching job...WRONG!
The stuff I looked at when I bid the job was pretty much normal, but the rest has been so hard a cat couldn't scratch it.
Here's a few Pic's.....I hope.

Starting out.


Things just weren't working out the way I'd planned.


Not what you want to see on a job that's already not going your way.


Finally broke down and started skidding the hard stuff.


Andy

 

[redprospector]

This stuff makes great firewood. Unfortunately, firewood isn't bringing enough to pay for the hauling.




I'm bringing it out on my "new to me" log hauling rig.


Things started taking shape.


Andy

 

[redprospector]

Had a few nice day's before Thanksgiving that helped keep the dust down.



When the fog lifted it didn't look too bad from a distance.


Working on part 2 of this project now. I'm the 4th contractor to tackle this job, I know now why the others walked off.
Ya know, there was a time when I felled timber for a living. Now it's evident that I'm just a glorified landscaper.

Andy

 

[Steve NW WI]

Andy, I've wrapped barbed wire into just about every rotating piece of machinery I own. I feel your pain, brotha. Most often it's gas axed out of there, but if there's a bunch of dry flammable stuff with it, or close to seals, it can be a long day with the side cutters and vice grips...

 

[lfnh]

Nice looking finish work.
Any reforestation planned or seed over for grasses ?

 

[Samlock]

Nothing wrong with landscaping. If someone's paying for it.

 

[Gologit]

Andy, thanks for the pictures. That must have been good country to fall...lots of long ground.

I never dealt with barb wire very much but I watched one of the hotsaw guys spend a couple of hours cussing and using bolt cutters when they were cutting in an old cow camp. The cow camps were great places for finding things in trees, too. Lots of big nails and fence staples.

 

[redprospector]

Andy, I've wrapped barbed wire into just about every rotating piece of machinery I own. I feel your pain, brotha. Most often it's gas axed out of there, but if there's a bunch of dry flammable stuff with it, or close to seals, it can be a long day with the side cutters and vice grips...

Channel locks, and fencing pliers. Took about an hour and a half, cut a little, pull a little, then repeat.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

Nice looking finish work.
Any reforestation planned or seed over for grasses ?

Thanks.
Land owner is going to have about 20 10' tall Ponderosa's planted just above the house. I'm trying to talk him into doing some replanting on the hill, but there's such a low success rate with replanting here he hasn't shown much interest. He's just hoping the grass will just come back on it's own, like it has in other places. Planting grass around here just calls in the Elk. When they get through digging up all the tender new growth the erosion starts.

Andy

 

[redprospector]

Nothing wrong with landscaping. If someone's paying for it.

He's paying for it...I've bought land for less than it's costing to clean this up.
I don't care if you call me a landscaper, as long as you call me on payday.

 

[redprospector]

Andy, thanks for the pictures. That must have been good country to fall...lots of long ground.

I never dealt with barb wire very much but I watched one of the hotsaw guys spend a couple of hours cussing and using bolt cutters when they were cutting in an old cow camp. The cow camps were great places for finding things in trees, too. Lots of big nails and fence staples.

Yeah, I've got some fond memories in that part of the country. There was (and still is in some places), some big trees (for Southern New Mexico). Most of this area was logged in the late 80's before the stud mill shut down. One thing I've noticed is that these hill's don't look any steeper than they did in 88, but when I throw my 460 and jugs on my shoulder and start up it sure feels a lot steeper than I remember. Probably my imagination.

Andy

 

[treeslayer2003]

I to feel for ya on the wire. this whole place is loaded with it.

 

[redprospector]

I to feel for ya on the wire. this whole place is loaded with it.

Yeah, this place has about 1/4 mile less of it now.

Andy

 

[paccity]

i've found my share of fence with the carlton. will pull 25' of fence in an eye blink. sucks.

 

[1270d]

That puts a real crimp in your day when ya meet up with wire. Glad you didn't ruin anything.

I was cutting a job with a lot of junk in the woods (cars, scrap, fence etc) and managed to get a bedspring tangled up in the feed rollers on the processor. Trying to cut that crap out gave me a whole new respect for spring steel. We didn't have a blue wrench on the job so it was a couple hours with hammer, chisel and prybar.

 

[redprospector]

i've found my share of fence with the carlton. will pull 25' of fence in an eye blink. sucks.

If it will only pull in 25' in an eye blink...you need to give her more throttle.
Did I mention that I hate wire that's been left laying around?

Andy

 

[redprospector]

That puts a real crimp in your day when ya meet up with wire. Glad you didn't ruin anything.

I was cutting a job with a lot of junk in the woods (cars, scrap, fence etc) and managed to get a bedspring tangled up in the feed rollers on the processor. Trying to cut that crap out gave me a whole new respect for spring steel. We didn't have a blue wrench on the job so it was a couple hours with hammer, chisel and prybar.

Bed springs are definitely the worst. I've never ran a processor so I can only imagine having a bed spring wrapped up in the feed rollers.
I did hit a bed spring with an old Gyro-Trac mulching head once. It had the swinging hammers, what a nightmare. It was tempting to just scrap the head.

Andy

 

[madhatte]

Barbed wire, concertina wire, bullets, nails... my chains don't like any of 'em. I caught a loop of concertina wire with a tire once, that was no fun, and another time with a driveshaft. You'd think folks would be more careful where they left their metal!

 

[redprospector]

Argh!
I've gotta quit wondering what's next, cuz it keeps coming.
Today I lost the "differential drive assembly" on my JD 440b. I thought it looked like a CV joint, or a really short drive shaft. But what do I know?
I'm waiting on the John Deere dealer to call me back with availability...& price. I don't know why there'd be a problem with availability. It's only 40 years old. Part's guy said their computer system was down, so I guess I'll find out in the morning.
Did I mention that I will be glad when this job is finished?

Andy

 

[Gologit]

Argh!

Did I mention that I will be glad when this job is finished?

Andy

Yes you did. But on a job like that you can say it as many times as you want to.