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Where has all the experienced loggers gone too?

Started by thumperjack, April 11, 2012, 11:34:05 AM

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thumperjack

My Uncle Claude of Roberts Timber Company in Palestine,Texas is needing experienced logging help and can not seem to locate anyone to help him!  I'm running a ad in craigslist in east but only get those calls with wishful experience .  *** Any ideals on this subject would be helpful! ***

lumberjack48

What kind of help is your uncle you looking for?
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

Texas Ranger

Good luck.  With all the mill closings in Texas, the stumpage prices, cost of fuel, etc, many loggers found something else to do.  Log prices going up because of wet ground, down here, but not expected to stay up when the woods dry.

Best bet might be get a younger guy and train him.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

Autocar

Just my two cents but I would train a fellow then he dosen't drag any bad habits along with him from another company. Now to find that fellow may be a challenge if you find one put him on the worst job your uncle has and if he's still with your uncle at the end of the week he's a keeper  :D
Bill

Ron Scott

It's getting harder and harder to find experienced loggers due to the reasons stated above. I agree, if you find someone willing and who wants to work in the woods, its best to train them yourself and let them gain experience while working for you and hopefully they will stay on working for you.
~Ron

thumperjack

Quote from: lumberjack48 on April 11, 2012, 12:11:43 PM
What kind of help is your uncle you looking for?
He's basically needs help everywhere in the business since i had gotten hurt!  Truck drivers, skidder operators, saw head shear operator, someone good with a chainsaw to run the set, loader operators and he is starting a new aspect to the logging jobs and that grinding all material on the job sight and send it out in a chip trailer for bio-fuel, so he'll need someone experience in chip hauling and grinding field also ..Basically someone with good logging experience that he does not have to baby sit!....

Migal

Stihl learning and picked up my Log Master LM2 Cat 34hp 02 21 12! 230MF+ the toys that go with it! MS361 MS271 Stihl PB500 Echo 48" LogRite 16ft Bass Tracker Pro' Abua Garcia 5600 bait caster, Wood working equipment' Lake Lot never enough time! oh don't forget the fridge with ale! Loving Wife Rebeca

log cutter

North Dakota. Better pay,benefits and year around work . We've lost a lot of trucks and truck drivers to ND.
Timbco 475E

240b

my wife took a job in the western US, I said I go along . I took a part time job with a local outfit logging. The pay is ---well, I can make more cutting hard wood pulp in one day, after expenses back home, than in a week here. Glad, I kept my equipment and home.  It is mostly for something to do and they are really nice folks. My friend is a mining supervisor and told me I could get a job no problem. but I am not going underground. oil fields and mines thats were they went. If anyone is any good in the woods they are working for themselves is what I've always thought. You won't get far with a of crew guys just trying to get 8 hours in.

arbo71

Quote from: thumperjack on April 12, 2012, 04:01:56 AM
Quote from: lumberjack48 on April 11, 2012, 12:11:43 PM
What kind of help is your uncle you looking for?
He's basically needs help everywhere in the business since i had gotten hurt!  Truck drivers, skidder operators, saw head shear operator, someone good with a chainsaw to run the set, loader operators and he is starting a new aspect to the logging jobs and that grinding all material on the job sight and send it out in a chip trailer for bio-fuel, so he'll need someone experience in chip hauling and grinding field also ..Basically someone with good logging experience that he does not have to baby sit!....

Sounds like an interesting job. Unfortunately a little bit too far away for me :)

beenthere

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

chain

I know of a very large sawmill-logging-palletmill that turned to migrant workers to cure their labor shortage. Lots of those migrants want to work, and the "want-to" covers alot for inexperience.


beenthere

That is why then.  ;D

Maybe update your bio with that info.
Good to hear from Germany.
Are you looking for a logging job there?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

lonewolf

I've been in the business for 23 years. Its getting hard to find good help here to. A lot of loggers around here quit when things got tight. As far as I'm concerned we need to get together and raise our rates. I raised mine and refuse to work for less than I want. If I'm gonna work for nothing I'll go fishing. To bad your in Texas its too hot and too many snakes for me. I've been looking for work in Alaska but no luck yet.
"EARTH FIRST"  WE'LL LOG THE OTHER PLANETS LATER

Mad Machinist

 We're still around. It's just when things got tight, I took a different line of work. Now that I am close to six figures a year, there are very, very few logging companies who can match that kind a wage. So the only way I am going back into the woods is with my own company.

 

redprospector

I have a hard time finding/keeping help here too.
I try to keep myself & 2 guy's working as close to year around as possible. Last year I went through 11 or 12 guy's trying to keep 2.  ??? That's not counting the one's I hired twice.  :D
You ain't gonna get rich in the woods here, but I pay better than anyone else in the area by quite a bit. But in return I expect people to show up and work. Evidently that's asking too much.

Andy
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

arbo71

Quote from: beenthere on April 20, 2012, 04:35:58 PM
That is why then.  ;D

Maybe update your bio with that info.
Good to hear from Germany.
Are you looking for a logging job there?

I already updated that in my profile :).

Yes I am actually looking for a new logging job. My current one ends in June so I am already looking for something new.

WH_Conley

redprospector, apparently that is too much to ask for in Kentucky too. :(
Bill

John Mc

Quote from: redprospector on April 21, 2012, 12:41:13 AM
I have a hard time finding/keeping help here too.
...  I pay better than anyone else in the area by quite a bit. But in return I expect people to show up and work. Evidently that's asking too much.

There seems to be a lot of that going around these days in every industry.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

barbender

 The thing is that anyone that is responsible, shows up for work on time, and is good in the woods is someone that can do well at most any job. There are lots of jobs that have good pay and benefits available to those same guys you are looking for. If you' re offering a logging job that pays $10/hr and no benefits (common around here), that same good hand can make double that- with benefits- in other industries. I make $30/hr union operator in the summer, in the winter I was running a forwarder for $17/hr, and that logger pays better than everyone else. Now, I really really like being in the woods over construction, so I might stay with it. Everyone around me thinks I'm a fool for it, though.
Too many irons in the fire

redprospector

I know what you're talking about, but I don't know of any jobs around here that pay $30 an hour. I try to pay according to what a guy knows. If he don't know much, I can't pay much until he does. I hired a guy last year to run my little skidder, he's a decent skidder driver and a good hand when he wants to be. Problem was there was a lot of times that he just didn't want to be. I started him at 19 an hour (nope no benefits). He quit and took a job pounding nails at $14.  ???  He still tells everyone that I pay good. His last skidder job (before me) paid $12.
I think that what I'm learning from this kind of stuff is that you just can't buy loyalty.
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

Mad Machinist

$19 an hour is decent money for a skidder operator. Hell I remember when I was making $5.50 an hour doing that and thought I had all the money in the world.

We have trouble finding and keeping people to just walk around and pick up garbage at the mine here and they start at $17. One of the funniest things I ever heard was here when a newbie looked at the boss and said "You mean I have to be here at 7 AM every morning?"

Young bucks these days don't want to work. They all want a six figure salary and a BMW right out of high school.

redprospector

Hahaha. Yeah, that or just enough money for their next case of beer.  :D
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

barbender

$19 an hour is a really good wage for a skidder operator, I'm surprised you can't find decent guys at that wage.
Too many irons in the fire

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