what will it lift?

[sILlogger]

do be honest the majority of the biggest trees i've cut weren't that old. as for old growth(hate the term btw) we don't have alot of it. there are a few scattered old trees and they usually cut pretty good. red oaks have a tendency to get brittle and you gotta watch how you lay it out. all in all it cuts pretty good.

heres a few that i got pics of

 

[Meadow Beaver]

how do thoes old growth hardwoods cut?

Not too good if it's a field tree that's got barbed wire or nails in it, other wise not bad.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

Wow Caleb I've never seen a nice big ash like that one.

 

[sILlogger]

Wow Caleb I've never seen a nice big ash like that one.

that was poplar. although i have cut some 4'+ ash trees. just don't have any pics. these aren't all the trees i've cut this size...just the ones i've got pics of.. and keep in mind i'm just a 22 yr old punk.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

that was poplar. although i have cut some 4'+ ash trees. just don't have any pics. these aren't all the trees i've cut this size...just the ones i've got pics of.. and keep in mind i'm just a 22 yr old punk.

Never seen a poplar like that, yeah I'm just an 18 yr old punk, hahaha.

 

[bullbuck]

...now with some fairly clear logs like those,what do they make out of them?

 

[sILlogger]

pretty much everything.. i have stuff that goes for pallets, railroad ties, construction mats (mud mats), flooring, cabinets, veneer, and logs that get exported.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

Mills around here are getting picky about logs they want for pallets.

 

[Roy M]

I am enjoying this thread. I worked around helicopters for 13 years, five in heli logging. Our biggest ships were S-61's we also had two S-58 turbines (flying oil leaks) and a 205.
Most of our work was done with ground crews and chokers although we did some grapple work if the ground lent itself to it. The turns had to be close to optimum weight in one pick which was not always easy to do.
Some of the sites would give a mountain goat gray hairs and religion. The logs would bunch up in the trees the bottom of a steep slope and the riggers had to be mighty careful hooking them up. It was a job for young guys with more guts than brains. Few lasted more than a few years. They would have a competition with the pilot guessing the weight of the turn and got very close with experience.
In 1988 I chased a 61 on fires with a fuel truck in northern CA. At one point we worked beside a Skycrane. Their bucket carried as much as my truck, 2000 U.S. gallons. They re fueled from a B-train. We felt kinda small.

 

[bullbuck]

...another thing about the s 64 that just blows my mind is that it would reload that 2000 gallons in something like 30 seconds i was there and it was fast!did not have a stopwatch...what i mean is that plumbing must be glowing red to pull that much water that fast...and what provides the power, there must be a rather large auxilliuary to do all of that?

 

[Roy M]

The belly tank system you saw is much more reliable than the bucket. The larger Bambi buckets are too big and heavy for the design, they work well under a medium or light lift. The machine has a 300VAC alternator to power the auxiliary systems and yeah, those pumps haul water.
I was sitting outside a few minutes ago and heard a different noise. A 64 came over presumably on it's way to the Vancouver airport.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

How often do fires occur in BC?

 

[bullbuck]

I am enjoying this thread. I worked around helicopters for 13 years, five in heli logging. Our biggest ships were S-61's we also had two S-58 turbines (flying oil leaks) and a 205.
Most of our work was done with ground crews and chokers although we did some grapple work if the ground lent itself to it. The turns had to be close to optimum weight in one pick which was not always easy to do.
Some of the sites would give a mountain goat gray hairs and religion. The logs would bunch up in the trees the bottom of a steep slope and the riggers had to be mighty careful hooking them up. It was a job for young guys with more guts than brains. Few lasted more than a few years. They would have a competition with the pilot guessing the weight of the turn and got very close with experience.
In 1988 I chased a 61 on fires with a fuel truck in northern CA. At one point we worked beside a Skycrane. Their bucket carried as much as my truck, 2000 U.S. gallons. They re fueled from a B-train. We felt kinda small.

i am so envyous of the time you have spent around heavy lift helicopters,i am sure its not all roses but to me being on the outside i think that would be the coolest job,i have never even ridden in one,but every time i get around choppers,i always make a point of trying to meet the mechanic,pilot,shoot fuel guy, whoever?just in hopes of hitchin a ride...

 

[Roy M]

I did not get to spend a lot of weekends at home during the summer, good thing I wasn't married at the time. It was an interesting period in my life but can't handle the bull work and runaway egos any more. Too many of the crew viewed themselves as celebrities.
MMFaller39 we certainly do get fires in BC. There is a lot of beetle killed pine just waiting for a lightening strike or a careless match. We are having a warm dry summer, record low rainfall in June, and the forests are tinder dry. Very steep terrain can make the job tough.

 

[MR4WD]

Here's a pic of a Chinook we used today to wreck out a powerline tower in the high alpine. A Chinook is better for us because it can lift MORE than a skycrane, is more stable and has less downwash. This bird was rated for 25,000-27,000 pounds at sea level, but the heaviest lift today was 17,000 at ~5600'

Anytime a skycrane is around we wear earmuffs and running shoes. That's because the pilots like to tell people how good they are, but when they get flying you'd better be light on your feet. I've seen more than one load crash into something or other other the end of a skycrane.

 

[Metals406]

Here's a pic of a Chinook we used today to wreck out a powerline tower in the high alpine. A Chinook is better for us because it can lift MORE than a skycrane, is more stable and has less downwash. This bird was rated for 25,000-27,000 pounds at sea level, but the heaviest lift today was 17,000 at ~5600'

Anytime a skycrane is around we wear earmuffs and running shoes. That's because the pilots like to tell people how good they are, but when they get flying you'd better be light on your feet. I've seen more than one load crash into something or other other the end of a skycrane.

Do you work all year? What kind of wages and bennies does your company pay?

 

[MR4WD]

Do you work all year? What kind of wages and bennies does your company pay?

I am a Power Lineman, by trade. I try and only work 1/2 a year, but it depends on things. Some guys I work with make 300 grand a year, but that's too much for me. Full benefits. I bebop around in terms of work scope, but I usually do stuff like this:

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[bullbuck]

...cajones big brass cajones!

 

[Metals406]

I am a Power Lineman, by trade. I try and only work 1/2 a year, but it depends on things. Some guys I work with make 300 grand a year, but that's too much for me. Full benefits. I bebop around in terms of work scope, but I usually do stuff like this:

My brother is a lineman, and has considered doing the Helo stuff... A very unique, highly trained, specialty field. Kudos to you!

 

[redprospector]

Hahaha. I liked that. "Only 3 thing's I've ever been afraid of".
Great video.
And I agree, great big brass ball's.

Andy