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Timber Harvest Methods & Equipment

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

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Rob

Nice looking older Timbco there your working with David , Rolly II head ..I have always liked those processing heads . So who did you get hooked up with out there anyway ? CTL crew by the looks of it , it's not Jon is it ?

Well glad to see your busy working anyway that is always a plus :) Did you ever get rid of your 380 or you still have that also with your 518 ? I assume your hand cutting and yarding with your skidder on this job . Well hey keep intouch and keep the pictures coming . We just had a job in your home town to harvest in Richmond , we subbed it out not sure to whom though , too far for us to travel .

                                             Later Rob

sawguy21

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

David_c

Yea Rob I am subbing out to Jon. Still have the 380 :'( Yup all I do is cut and skid to where forwarder can come get it to bring to main landing. The forwarder I call the devourer. It just devours wood, 16 ton capacity.

adirondack harvester

Great pictures David!  Keep 'em coming.

Rob

Thats cool , see Jon upgraded his equipment line up , from the Bell and cat cable skidder to Timbco and forwarder... How does he like the CTL so far ? Chadwick & BaRoss are done with the Timberjack lineup since Deere takeover and was talking with one of the Mechanics the other week and now they are going to be the New England Ponsee dealer ... Dont know how it's gonna work for them as not many CTL guys here in Southern NH ..well yet anyway


David_c

Rob I think it is kind of a love it and hate it kinda thing. Loves it when it is up and cutting wood. Hates it when it is broke down again.

Ed_K

 Kool set up David, are you still working after yesterdays 3+" of rain? Only productive thing I did today was change pins & bushing on the steering pistons on the taylor  ;D .

Rob, I like the ponsee line, just wish they were priced lower. I'm thinking of going CTL for the improvement cuts.
Ed K

Ron Scott

John Deere 643H Feller Buncher with saw head. MDNR State Forest timber harvest; 9/06.


~Ron

Phorester

MARCEL, the chip truck being unloaded reminds me of the story an old pulpwood cutter told me years ago.  This is just about word for word from him. When they first started using these at the mill down here, the first time he ever backed his truck on one he just sat there in the cab. 

He said, "Well, the operator comes over and says, 'ain't you gonna git out?"  He said, "nope, I'll just go along for the ride".  The operator says, "well, oookay......"  (I doubt they would let anybody do this now. And this is the point in his story telling where his eyes got real wide).  He said "well..., everything was fine until they got it about halfway up.  I thought they was gonna stop but it kept going up and up an up..."  "All I could see was clear blue sky!"

"Directly all the stuff I had on my dashboard came crashing down into the floorboard.  About that time everything I had up over the visors came crashing down, a'hitting me in the face, along with - musta been a bushel of dust off'en each visor! Came down in my eyes so I couldn't see nothing!" "I sucked in a big wad of it and couldn't even breathe! "The truck was a'groaning and a'straining.  It still kept a'going up and up!  I thought it was just gonna keep going and turn slam over upside down head over tail!"  "It musta been straight up in the ARR!" (He's now standing up with his arms stretched as far as they would go above his head, his eyes still big as dinner plates.)

"Directly it stopped.  I was pinned in the seat, couldn't move, couldn't see, gagging on that dust".  "It was quiet for about 2 seconds, then them chips let go with a great big WHOOOOOOOOOOSH that scared the sh*t right out of me!  Made the whole truck shake like it was a'gonna come apart!  "Then the truck jumped up and down a couple times, and everything got realllllll still....."  "That was scarier than before!" 

"Then it finally starting a'coming down!  "I tell you, my stomach came up in my throat and I thought Lordy Lordy, it's a'coming down too fast and it's a'gonna flatten me and this here truck like a pancake!"

"When it finally stopped, I opened the door, got out and crawled around on the ground for 5 minutes".  "All them fellers was rolling on the ground laughing at me". 

"Ever since then I let one'a THEM back the truck on that dang thing!"

I was on the ground laughing myself for about 10 minutes. 

SwampDonkey

Me Toooooo  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D Air!

Hope Patty, or anyone with a swaller of their morning coffee for that matter, don't let loose all over the 'puter screen.

I woulda loved to be one of the guys laugh'n.  ;D

:D :D :D :D :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)))

Ron Scott

John Deere 648G Grapple Skidder.Working on State forest timber harvest 9/06.


~Ron

sawguy21

Phorester, I rode shotgun on a truck hauling chips to a rail dump north of Wenatchee. They made us get out of the cab and there was no way I was riding that thing anyway. :D :D
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

jph


Ron Scott

Serco 170-A Processor. The slasher bucks aspen and red maple products at the landing from tree lengths skidded by the grapple skidder.


~Ron

Ron Scott

John Deere Feller Buncher & Grapple Skidder. Parked at the landing. These units are common to a tree length clear-cut operation. State forest timber harverst; 9/06.


~Ron

SteveB

Ron,

How does the productivity of those drive-to-tree machines compare to a conventional buncher on tracks with a boom?  I've always wondered about them as I've never seen one used anywhere in Canada.  I would imagine that the wheeled machine would have a hard time if the ground was rought at all?  I guess they'd be ok if you don't need to protect regen. or select from between residauls.  Are they cheaper than a tracked machine?  I would imagine they are easier to maintain?  The common saying with tracked gera if "every meter you travel with those thinkgs is one day closer to their death". 

I'd really like to see one of those wheeled bunchers work. The other two pieces of gear that I've only seen in pictures are bar saw slashers and pull through delimbers.  What area thier advantages?  In the pictures it always looks like they're in the southern US.  We have lots processors, stroke delimbers, and circular saw slashers, but I've never seen the others in real life.


SwampDonkey

I've never seen one of those type of bunchers here either. All tracked and boomed. They are especially suited to work in mixed woods, softwood and on rocky terrain. Less compaction, less travel, a boom is much narrower to reach between trees. But, if you get the wrong operator on those boomed machines, I've seen them destroy advanced regen. You have to lift the tree clear and bring out to the trail to slash on the trail and not try to work over head of the regen. Now that ain't so easy with big heavy hardwood, if not impossible. I could see more traveling and such with Ron's machine but if your in big hardwood your doing less damage to residual trees even though your reach path is probably wider to get the trees out. A boomed outfit would work on most hardwood sites here because the average piece size is under 10 inches. You get wood 20 or 40 inches, I don't think I want a boom trying to reach and cherry pick your trees. You might end up over on your side.
"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

A lot depends upon how firm the soil is, timber types, size, and type of harvest. The rubber tired feller bunches make good production on firm soils and smaller tree diameters of especially pine and aspen. They are also used more on "clear-cut" harvests rather than selective harvests.

More tracked machines with processing heads on a boom are used in Michigan's UP on the wetter soils and more for cut to length harvests where the tree lengths are processed at the stump. They do more processing rather than just total tree falling and bunching prior to skidding.

I have one tracked processor working on a job right now. I'll put on photos of it soon.
~Ron

Ron Scott

Hitacchi Tracked Processor With Issusu Engine. Working in an oak, aspen, and mixed hardwoods stand. Gothard timber harvest; 10/06.


~Ron

sprucebunny

This harvester was working just down the road from me recently.The land owners cut some individual w.pine and expanded a field.

MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

SteveB

Ron,

That looks like a slingshot processor.  I've seen them work in softwoods and boreal hardwoods, but they were really too slow to be productive enough in those conditions.  I always thought they'd make up for there speed with limbing force in hardwoods like you'd have in Michigan?  Does this guy cut off the stump or process behind a buncher?

Ron Scott

The operator cuts at the stump and then processes and piles the product lengths for forwarding.

On large sawlog trees they will delimb the tree, cut the smaller diameter products from above and leave the larger sawlog diameter section standing for the chainsaw faller to take down at the stump.
~Ron

Corley5

Quote from: Ron Scott on November 28, 2006, 08:43:15 PM
On large sawlog trees they will delimb the tree, cut the smaller diameter products from above and leave the larger sawlog diameter section standing for the chainsaw faller to take down at the stump.

That's a time saver 8) 8)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Ron Scott

Valmet Forwarder. Picking up the "cut to length" products behind the tracked processor. Gothard timber harvest; 10/06.


~Ron

Ron Scott

Time To Sharpen The "Husky". The faller takes time to sharpen his saw while cutting oak and cherry saw logs. He makes use of the vice provided on the tool truck.


~Ron

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