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Timber Harvest Methods & Equipment

Started by Ron Scott, March 24, 2002, 02:14:52 PM

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SwampDonkey

Swampwhite, nice link to the prices. I was surprised to see red oak was worth more than white oak, cause around here it goes for pulp unless someone gathers it up for a small saw mill operator to mill some lumber. Its not real common here is the main reason, and they tend to be quite limby. I'm glad to see black cherry prime is fetching big bucks. Again only small quantities here and its diseased, so a small mill owner will save some out for sawing. Mostly ends up as pulp or left standing. They can get it from the NE states here for around $900-$1200/th in log form for veneer, its sometimes in the loads with oak so it gets separated out.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Here is a profile from the Logging and Sawmilling Journal on using the Ergo harvester and Buffalo forwarder. I know both the owner and the Forest Tech in the article. (March 2004 issue)

cheers
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Scott

 I see on Paul_H's site it says his company does shovel logging. This is one method I've yet to see mentioned on this thread. Maybe someone can shed some light on the topic. From what I gather its getting really popular in the west.

Ron Scott

Scott,

There are several photos of "shovel logging" machines in the thread. The harvesting and skidding is performed by swing machines successively moving trees or stems from one pile to another in the direction of the skid. They are typically track machines.
~Ron

SwampDonkey

Its usually called hoe chucking with excavator type equipment. Then there is the super snorkler used in grapple yarding to yard up to a road landing and a mobile back spar/tower is used along the lower cut block boundary to clear the ground with the load. If your yarding down hill you usually use spar trees to anchor the line, especially on slopes over 50 %. The coutour maps were so poor or too small a scale we had to run deflection lines all over the cut block to make our own contour maps. (the last link below has a PPT presentation to explain this) We didn't want to lay out road that would have blind spots to the yarders and create deep gouges in the hillside. This is what we called the side hill gouger. On them side hills with damage you could always expect slope failures during or after the site was logged. As we layed out the logging blocks we also assessed any gullies (gully assessment procedure) for potential risk of slope failure from slash and large wody debris loads in the gully systems. Some of our blocks had to be defered from logging because of this risk.

ere's an Article on hoe chucking

Article on Grapple Yarding

Photo set of different Yarders  

Here's a Power Point Presentation  from VT.EDU to explain the cable yarding system.

Enjoy. :)



"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Scott

 So it sounds like shovel logging is best suited to heavier cutting. It doesn't sound like it would work really good in select cuts or for the private woodlot owner who just wants to take a few sticks out. From what gather it's usually used on ground too wet or steep for skidders. In Canada it seems to be mostly a BC thing. How would a shovel compare to a grapple skidder for productivity?

SwampDonkey

I haven't any numbers Scot on productivity but the Grapple Skidder would be more productive. We layed out ground inland from the coast up in the Nass River country in BC for grapple skidder. There where alot of natural benches in the hills to break the long slopes. SOme sites where borderline though and we always had the option of the grapple yarder. As you have read or researched, the hoe chuck system is used in the rain belt of the coast where a skidder wouldn't have a chance in all that goose goo soil and slopes. I'de like to call it something else but this being family oriented. errm ;) Walk ahead 2 steps slide back 1. :D :D You  could find info published by FERIC on productivity of these machines. UNBSJ must have some reports in their library, you could browse Ferics website for the specific reports and go search them at the library. Irving probably has a subscription as does Fraser/Nexfor to FERIC, so you might find a report through them.

FERIC website
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ron Scott

I guess there may be differences as to what we call "shovel logging" in different parts of the country. Here, it is a cutting head on an excavator  or "shovel" type machine with an arm and turnbuckel. Usually a tracked machine that does the cutting and processing into variable lengths.

It is usually supported by a rubber tired forwarder to remove the cut products.

~Ron

SwampDonkey

Ron:

Sounds like a feller buncher and a separate forwarder.

We used to be menaced by the Koering Feller Forward that would cut the tree at the stump and pile it on behind whole. It would be forwarded to a landing where a flail debarker was used on the tree, limbs and all and then passed through a chipper and into a van destined to the hardwood pulpmill. What those monsters didn't cut was simply pushed over and mauled over.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Bruce_A

Crawler, high lead, rubber tired skidder, or shovel yarding.  Done them all at least once.  No buncher involved,  there is no way anything else can keep up with a shovel on slightly sloping ground.  Some places a buncher will make you puke with the steepness of the ground it will cover.  And the operators are as  near to crazy as one person can get.

SwampDonkey

Bruce_A

They use them feller bunchers up and down our hardwood hills here if they are rolling, and if they are steep pitched and bouldery, no way. I think Fraser's has used some high lead logging with spar trees around Clear water and Stanley mountains, which didn't get logged back in the 70's and early 80's conventionally. Now those ridge tops are all scalped down to the bed rock. Growing back to white birch, black spruce and fir mainly, just like after a forest fire.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Scott

 Swamp Donkey, from what I've seen on the internet it seems like they use shovels a lot more than track skidders on steep slopes out there. Is this because the shovels can tackle a steeper slope or just bcause most companies already have a shovel around?

Scott

Swamp Donkey, i think this is what you mean.
http://www.unb.ca/web/standint/nbcc/machine/forwarders/kff_a.html
 The one at the woodsmans museum is a bit different, I believe it has a delimber and is set up for shortwood. I think i have a pic of it around somewhere.
http://www.stthomasu.ca/~pmacdona/tresearch/ffh.htm

SwampDonkey

Yup that's the beast and Valley Forest didn't use a delimber or slasher for their hardwood rape and pillage. They just unloaded the trees road side off the Koering and the debarker crammed limbs and all into it and the chipper spurt the chips into the van. I know the debarkers had to convert from gas engine to diesels. I think Valley burnt more than one engine up before the switch.

The site that Zundel has was probably a Fraser operation, they were always colaberating with UNB on studies with machines and processes. Zundel was a new professor at UNB when I graduated. Didn't care for'em too much as a professor or for chat. I think the position went to his head. He could have lightened up a bit since those days. ;)

I remember Frasers using them in hardwood to chase softwood, so alot of hardwood was wasted on crown lands, and no one was allowed to utilize it for firewood. The roadsides had thousands of cord rotting and some was burnt in fall. Everyone used to spray the white birch on the boreal sites, or if it was left after the softwood was cherry picked it died from sun scald within 3 years.

Your right about the Koering at the museum, now that I think about it. Its been 15 years since I've been there. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

sawmillsi

whats with all the axels on the log truacks over your way??? ???

In Australia, standard log trucks have either single or double steer axels, bogie drives and tri trailor axels

simon

slowzuki

QuoteZundel  

Zundel as in Dr. Pierre?  Did some work for him on a  horse drawn grapple skidder project.  Usually dealt with his grad student though.

SwampDonkey

"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ron Scott

Some more log hauler names noted "on the road".

"Double vision
"Hello Darling"
"I Love The Money"
"Double Trouble"
"Who's Next?"
"Money Pit"
~Ron

Cedar Eater

Quotewhats with all the axels on the log truacks over your way??? ???

In Australia, standard log trucks have either single or double steer axels, bogie drives and tri trailor axels

simon

I don't know which picture you're looking at, but I would guess the trucks with lots of axles travel on roads with a low peraxle weight limit. Most likely, that would be due to steep slopes or Winter and Spring road conditions. That's the case with gravel haulers, so I'm assuming it applies to logging trucks.

Cedar Eater
Cedar Eater

Ron Scott

Logger's Pickup. Tailgate up.

Lee timber harvest; 7/04.
[
~Ron

sprucebunny

That's one a them fancy loggers pick-ups. Round here the loggers all got oil and dents painted on the tailgate.
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

Ron Scott

Logger's Pick-up. Tailgate down.

Lee timber harvest; 7/04


~Ron

Ron Scott

Timberjack 230A Turbo Forwarder. Loading pulpwood and firewood. Dean timber harvest; 7/04.


~Ron

Ron Scott

Loading the Wood Hauler With Sawlogs For Jeff's Mill.
Dean timber harvest; 7/04.


~Ron

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