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Timber Harvest Methods & Equipment

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

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M Cook

Barge monkey

Good looking 450 jack, I used to have a 480c, we're still running a 560 & 660 jacks.  We bought a couple of 848's after deere bought out Timberjack, but they haven't held up as well as the 60 series TJ's.  We're still running them but are switching to Cats, we got a 545c that we are real happy with and also have a new 535d ordered that we're excited to get later this fall.

Mike Cook
Mike Cook

BargeMonkey

 Mike,
For some reason Cat skidders are rare around here, I know of 1 508 and a 518, southworth our local dealer hasnt had the greatest reputation, but Nortrax isnt far behind them. That 450C came out of northern NH, she runs good but I think she has been around the block a few times. Im happy so far with it, im actually thinking of buying a 380C I see for sale because of how nice she pulls. I park all my stuff for the time im gone, more of an expensive hobby than an actual job but its something to do, cant sit on the couch and collect welfare like the Obama crowd.  :D

BargeMonkey

 

 
The load I dropped to the mill this morning, 3970bft. Not to bad, brought ok money. 

  
Slowly getting some wood back in the yard, shipped a bunch of firewood already and it hasnt even started yet, will sell every stick I have this year. 

 
Where I find the time to read the FF most of the time.  :D

M Cook

BargeMonkey,

There aren't very many cat skidders here either, but cat is aggressively going after the forest industry and are doing extensive redesign and engineering on their equipment lines.  Cat also bought out Prentice and have improved that equipment also.  We currently are running a Prentice 2384 that was built by cat and also a 573c buncher, both machines are doing well and are much better built than the previous models.

Looks like you have a nice operation that allows you to enjoy cutting wood without all the pressure to put out everything that is possible every week. 

Mike Cook
Mike Cook

BargeMonkey

 I bought my slasher from Southworth, and  they keep stopping in, I just cant justify a super new machine. Cat owns alot more than most people realize, between acquiring Blount, who owned prentice and fabtek, they also bought a company called "united railway", who owns EMD. In the marine world you have 3 choices for tug engines, MTU = junk, EMD, or Cat, I bet they control 80%+ of the market. All my stuff is paid for, I hustle but its been getting extremely aggravating lately, finding help just isnt possible. Back to the real job saturday, paid to sit and watch gauges, break other people's stones, drink coffee.

M Cook

BargeMonkey

I hear you about help, in 35 yrs of logging I've never seen anything like the labor force we have today.  We run 18-20 employees, between guys taking different jobs and drug testing I only have 5 guys left that have been with me more than a year!  In our area the biggest competition for labor is welfare, they give them housing, food, and money for doing nothing.

What brand of slasher do you have, we run a Barko 160b and a 2384 Prentice both with Siiro Slashers mounted on big john self propelled carriers.  My first slasher was a Barko 130 with a S&L 44 slasher, I bought it in 1982, can't tell you how much they have improved since then.

Mike Cook
Mike Cook

Firewoodjoe

I just read in a mag cat is coming out with a 555D. That should be interesting. Cat has tried getting us to buy a skidder also but they were much heavier then our 648h.

M Cook

Firewoodjoe

Your right about the 555d, it's not much bigger than the 545d, they both use a lot of the same components.  They are a little heavier than the deere's but I feel they are better built and have surpassed deere in both engine and skidder design.  I have a new 535d ordered and was given a tour of the cat factory in LaGrange, Georgia. They have spent a lot of money and listened to I put from loggers on machine design, when they come out you should take a look.

I'm not to far from you (Harrison) when I get mine this fall get a hold of me and you can come down and try it out if you like. 

Mike Cook
Mike Cook

Firewoodjoe

I'll prolly see it at your shop. We're always driving by. Thanks for the invite too.

M Cook

Looking forward to meeting you

Mike Cook
Mike Cook

BargeMonkey

 

  

 
Someone decided to come to the woods this morning. 

  

 
Had a pretty good day, in 8 hours I laid down 300+, this job is 90% cut, finish skidding when I get home. 

 
Had a big slippery beech start to roll out of the head, this bar maybe toast.

beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

chevytaHOE5674

That bar looks totally fixable. I've actually been amazed how much the abuse and hydraulic pressing the bars can take to get straightened out and still remain usable.

BargeMonkey

 Ive pressed this one quite a few times, has a few good cracks and this time it busted 1/2 the rivets in the tip. Take it off when I get home and try. Bought a rail tool from Baileys that works great on the 3/4 bars. Im impressed with how much abuse my slasher bar takes, and how much wood it chews thru in between sharpening.

Jamie_C

 

 

One of 3 Tigercat 870's with Hornet heads that are on our crew ... two of them run double shift and one is kept as a spare and is only ran a few shifts a week, primarily when one of the others breaks down.

BargeMonkey

 The hornet is purely a "shortwood processor right ? A mechanical stop on the end, and a processor with rollers ?

Jamie_C

They are roll feed, no computer to speak of. Length measurement is done by paint marks on the head and by running the tree out until it hits the butt plate. Very crude compared to any of the newer heads but in the right wood they can really shine. They weigh somewhere around 10,000 lbs so need a big carrier to handle them.

jwilly3879

BargeMonkey, what rail tool did you get?

Ken

Those big hornet heads really shine in the hardwoods that would destroy most dangle heads.  There used to be a number of them in the hardwood areas of northern NB.  Not sure about now.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

BargeMonkey

Quote from: jwilly3879 on September 16, 2014, 06:00:50 PM
BargeMonkey, what rail tool did you get?
Baileys had a rail straightener, fixed everything from 3/8, .404 and 3/4, I cant seen to find it again. It has a handle and a heavy strike plate, gets those tweaked spots out of bars. We have had a bar grinder for 15yrs plus, thats how you get life out of bars. 150-200 cord from a .404 processor bar. Looks like a coke bottle when you throw it away.

CuddleBugFirewood

Yoder Job 2014


Delimber and slasher

  

 

skidder
 

 

Loader & loggers truck

lopet

I always been thinking of a grapple boom like that. Does yours swing to to side as well ?  And did you build this ?
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

chevytaHOE5674


CuddleBugFirewood

It is an esco, it was on the machine when I bought it.  Honestly don't know what I would do without it. Comes in real handy reaching around obstacles or bunching logs.  Have to be careful pulling large hitches on tight turns.  Or getting boom on downhill side while lifting a log.  All four tires have fluid in them so that helps

lopet

Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

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