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someone vandalized my skidder

Started by tlandrum, October 17, 2012, 08:42:02 PM

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tlandrum

today i had some problems out of my skidder  and decided that if i was going to have to replace the head i would go ahead and do an in frame on it. well when i pulled the pan on it i found 9 22long rifle shells in my oil pan. i dont know if somone thought it would destroy my motor or kill someone. what the heck was they thinking. im going to go and file a police report about it in the morning.
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WDH

The things that sorry people will do. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

ga jones

A few years back a friend was cutting near a development and tree huggers drilled hole in the tires trans. engine block axles. totaled the skidder. one of the holes went through the block and the conecting rod.
380c timberjack c4 treefarmer international trucks jonsered saws. Sugi hara bars d31 komatsu 350 tj grapple

hardtailjohn

I was running a D8 years ago on a road job, and when I started it up one morning, I had a big oil leak. A little more investigation showed a small hole in the block. We got to looking and about 50' away, we found a 303 British casing. Some jerk had shot into the block. We dropped the belly pan and oil pan (not a small amount of work), and recovered the bullet  and made sure it hadn't hit anything internally, and for a fix, we drilled and tapped the hole to 1/4" NPT. When I saw the 8 years later, that pipe plug was still there and not leaking.
JH
I'm so far behind, I think I'm ahead!

lynde37avery

my uncles skidder TJ 230d. someone had dumped antifreeze in the fuel one time. he noticed the empty jugs on the ground. so he didnt start the engine yet. had it all flushed out & everything went ok. but he was some mad. i hope i never have anything like that happen. i am sure id be serving a life sentence if some hippies ruined any of my equipment that puts the food in my belly and the roof over my head.
Detroit WHAT?

poorfarm

Quote from: lynde37avery on October 17, 2012, 10:56:06 PM
my uncles skidder TJ 230d. someone had dumped antifreeze in the fuel one time. he noticed the empty jugs on the ground. so he didnt start the engine yet. had it all flushed out & everything went ok. but he was some mad. i hope i never have anything like that happen. i am sure id be serving a life sentence if some hippies ruined any of my equipment that puts the food in my belly and the roof over my head.
I second that!!

Bert

I feel you pain too. Last year our skidder and stationary log truck were parked at a job overnight. Came back the next day and all the windows were broken out of the truck except the windshield which was shattered but not fully out.  The rocks that went through the side windows were in the cab. I put them behind the seat because if I find out who did it, I'm gonna bounce them off of their head. Scares we just to read about this kind of stuff because our equipment is out on a job now and hunting seasons are upon us. Alot of idiots with guns out there looking for something to shoot at.
Saw you tomorrow!

HiTech

Hunting season always amazes me. You get the Great white hunters with their big 4 wheel drives and their ATV's in the back and they drive the back roads with their gun barrels on the window sill and a beer in their hand looking for something to move to shoot at. If nothing moves then they shoot posted signs or road signs or skid tanks, anything to hear the gun go off. At a dollar a piece for shells or more it seems a big waste of money. If these bad asses want to shoot sooo bad then they should join the Army and fight for their country. Most are too cowardly for that though.

Shotgun

Quote from: HiTech on October 18, 2012, 08:19:35 AM
Hunting season always amazes me. You get the Great white hunters with their big 4 wheel drives and their ATV's in the back and they drive the back roads with their gun barrels on the window sill and a beer in their hand looking for something to move to shoot at. If nothing moves then they shoot posted signs or road signs or skid tanks, anything to hear the gun go off. At a dollar a piece for shells or more it seems a big waste of money. If these bad asses want to shoot sooo bad then they should join the Army and fight for their country. Most are too cowardly for that though.

Sorry they're that way in New York.  That's a pretty broad brush you're using, though. 

Disclaimer:  We have a few of those in Michigan too.  ;)
Joined The Forestry Forum 5 days before 9/11.

moosehunter

"That's a pretty broad brush you're using, though."

My thought exactly ;)
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Thehardway

Sorry to here bout the vandalism.  When you say that there are 22LR cartridges in the oil pan, are you saying someone dropped live ammo in the engine? 

IMHO that's not just mischief or vandalism, that is criminal intent to harm.  That rascal need to be cabled to a yarder and drug through a patch of honey locust in his birthday suit.

On the flip side, we had a tornado go through our Sub,d a few years back.  A local logger said he would come in, chip and clean up the debris (mostly pine) in exchange for some of the good saw logs which landowners were willing to let him cut.  This sounded a bit fishy to me as the cleanup was a lot of work and chips would have to be hauled a long way and weren't bringing much at the time so I didn't sign on suspecting some foul.

To make a long story short, he came and cut trees he had no business cutting, left the pine and debris, moving it just enough to get to the hardwoods, used my driveway as a skidding road without permission and ruined several nice trees on my property using them as turning trees.  to remove logs form the adjacent lot.  He left Rotella jugs and 5 gal Hydraulic fluid pails all over, drained the oil out of his skidder engine on one of our roads next to the lake, left 2 bald skidder tires in the ditch not to mention pails of dirty antifreeze and numerous beer cans and beer cases (empty of course).  He hauled out 4 or 5 trailer loads of nice 30" dia. White oak saw logs and couple loads of Red.  Left the tops laying on the landowners properties for them to clean up and took off.

This lack of logging ethics makes an otherwise law abiding hunter feel like shooting a John Deere skidder instead of a whitetail deer.

I did notify the sheriffs dept. of my property damage.  I called the owner of the logging co. and he promised to come out and repair the drive and pay for damages when he got back in town, blaming it on his "fool" crew supervisor.  He never got back in town I guess as I never saw hide nor hair of him and I ended up fixing my own drive and paying for a load of gravel out of my own pocket.  Several of the other landowners decided to take him to court. 

Recently another logging crew has begun work up the road and they have completely trashed the road with debris.  They have run several people into the ditch needlessly.

I'm not a tree hugger and have absolutely no tolerance for ignorant environmental activists but I do think greed and tight profit margins in the logging industry have driven some companies to unethical and careless practices which feeds the fire with those who don't like or understand the forestry business to begin with.

Ok, enough sensitivity training,  ;D  Back to work.....

Norwood LM2000 24HP w/28' bed, Hudson Oscar 18" 32' bed, Woodmaster 718 planer,  Kubota L185D, Stihl 029, Husqvarna 550XP

poorfarm

Quote from: HiTech on October 18, 2012, 08:19:35 AM
Hunting season always amazes me. You get the Great white hunters with their big 4 wheel drives and their ATV's in the back and they drive the back roads with their gun barrels on the window sill and a beer in their hand looking for something to move to shoot at. If nothing moves then they shoot posted signs or road signs or skid tanks, anything to hear the gun go off. At a dollar a piece for shells or more it seems a big waste of money. If these bad asses want to shoot sooo bad then they should join the Army and fight for their country. Most are too cowardly for that though.
up hear not many hunters shooting up skidders, skid tanks and equipment ... they would be shooting there own stuff..

terry f

    That might be a broad brush, but too true. Give a kid (16-30) a four wheel drive, a gun, and some beer and see how much stuff they can tear up. I don't mean all kids or your kids, but there are enough of them. Shoot at anything that moves like duck on a pond, or stuff that don't move like beer bottles or skidders, and in the spring see how big of ruts they can put in the meadows.

gunman63

Quote from: moosehunter on October 18, 2012, 09:37:11 AM
"That's a pretty broad brush you're using, though."

My thought exactly ;)
[/quote

how can u  harm someone  with  dropping .22 shells in the oil?

gunman63


1270d

Here in the UP, alot of the hunters forget that the roads they use to get to the laand they hunt, were built by loggers.  They are maintained by loggers also.  Most guys in the woods either hunting or working are good folks, but its the few jerks that stick in your mind.    Snowmobilers in winter are worse than hunters by a far stretch 

Mooseherder

It's a shame someone could do that.
Have you thought above trying to secure the area with game cameras?
Catching the twirps would be sweet justice.

beenthere

Quote from: gunman63 on October 18, 2012, 05:18:13 PM
LOL i hit the  wrong  quote button

The "preview" button is your friend. ;)  as well as the modify option.  Can cover up most all mistakes.  :)

I've the same question, how can .22 shells droppped in the oil do any harm?  Get in the oil pump?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

thecfarm

I would not be concerned about "How the shells could do damage" I would be more concerned about why someone would even do that in the first place.   ::)  Lucky they did not put some sand,dirt down there too. Before I lived here I kept the tractor in a locked shed. I still put something over the fuel cap and the dip stick,just in case. I made a lock for the hood too. Sometimes those running around acting stupid are big kids too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Bobus2003

Had sand dumped in the oil of my Skidder back in 2001 when it was still my dads, Didn't catch that in time to save the engine of it or the Skid Steer.. Thats what prompted the 4045T swap.

Have showed up to find Bullet holes in the tires (Not flat though), Holes in the Tin, and Fire extinguishers, and all the windows of a Road grader parked next to hit shot out, and flat tires.

Last Fall a Local Logger had his Water Pump go out on his Timbco, While it was tore apart he had someone come along and shoved paper towel in the Coolant passages, far enough in you couldn't see it.. Didn't realize this until it was back together and running that it wouldn't not overheat, pulled the radiator cap to see paper towel pieces. Also had "Tree Murderers" written on the Windows of his skidder

treefarmer87

i havent had anything like that happen yet. did it hurt the motor? i hope you find who did it too. when idiots do that to the equip. in the woods i wonder if they stop and think that equipment helps pay bill and support our families. it makes me mad.  no_no smiley_furious3
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tlandrum

the 22 shells were dropped in thru the dipstick tube. the shells rattled around enough that i guess when picked up and slung around by the crank they got jammed in between the crank throws and rods.there are pieces of shells ground up in the pan.
www.wickedworksaw.com
wickedworksaw@gmail.com
Husqvarna and jonsered dealer
chainsaw porting for high production work saws
4233465399

240b

On the bright side it was brass and lead which is fairly soft and not pieces of steel.

sealark37

Judging from the horror stories I hear about loggers and their ethics, I am amazed that skidders and trucks are still left in the woods, unattended.  Seems that property owners most always get the short end of the stick when it comes to selling their timber to loggers.  After sitting in on a "negotiation" between my neighbor and his logger, I would not even wish to be within 30 feet of the logger in a public place.  It must be tough living with so many landowners having you on the top of their list.  There must be some honest loggers out there, but they certainly keep a low profile.  Regards, Clark

tlandrum

i think your painting a bad picture of loggers in general. there are far far more good honest logging operations than there are crooked logging operations. you just only here about the bad ones. i have a very good reputation in this bussiness and the only enemies i end up with are the hunters that think they have more right to hunt than i do to make a living. i dont think a hunter should be anywhere near a logging operation while its going on. if the hunters want to pay my bills during hunting season ill stay at home. otherwise they need to respect the man making a living and the landowner thats has made the decision to sale their timber. i dont know of any land owners in my area that have been forced to sale timber let alone sale it to any one particular outfit.
www.wickedworksaw.com
wickedworksaw@gmail.com
Husqvarna and jonsered dealer
chainsaw porting for high production work saws
4233465399

240b

Quote from: sealark37 on October 20, 2012, 10:07:09 AM
Judging from the horror stories I hear about loggers and their ethics, I am amazed that skidders and trucks are still left in the woods, unattended.  Seems that property owners most always get the short end of the stick when it comes to selling their timber to loggers.  After sitting in on a "negotiation" between my neighbor and his logger, I would not even wish to be within 30 feet of the logger in a public place.  It must be tough living with so many landowners having you on the top of their list.  There must be some honest loggers out there, but they certainly keep a low profile.  Regards, Clark
The flip side is landowners can be just as bad as the worst logger out there. I have figured out it is as important to interview the seller as it is to see what the wood and ground is like. Some folks are not worth dealing with no matter how good the woodlot is..

jd540b

Quote from: sealark37 on October 20, 2012, 10:07:09 AM
Judging from the horror stories I hear about loggers and their ethics, I am amazed that skidders and trucks are still left in the woods, unattended.  Seems that property owners most always get the short end of the stick when it comes to selling their timber to loggers.  After sitting in on a "negotiation" between my neighbor and his logger, I would not even wish to be within 30 feet of the logger in a public place.  It must be tough living with so many landowners having you on the top of their list.  There must be some honest loggers out there, but they certainly keep a low profile.  Regards, Clark
If a landowner falls victim to a pirate logger, they have noone to blame but themselves.  There are plenty of good loggers out there and plenty of resources available to find them...word of mouth and reputation being the least of which.  I would say amen to the last post as well, many times the landowners are the unethical ones......I have tiptoed away from a few myself.

jd540b

As far as "landowners getting the short end of the stick when selling their timber" maybe they should have a go at cutting it themselves and see how lucrative and easy it is.......

thecfarm

I am very happy with my logger and the money I get. I usually get a good amount of green stuff when he's here. I get a feeling some landowners don't get much sometimes for whatever reason. And if the hunters knew anything about deer and logging  they would welcome the loggers. I see more deer when I'm cutting than any other time. My step son came to see me once and could not believe the deer that he saw when we was standing there. No big deal I said to him, I see it every day. Than the deer come back the following year to feed on the new sprouts.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

240b

Quote from: jd540b on October 20, 2012, 04:26:09 PM
As far as "landowners getting the short end of the stick when selling their timber" maybe they should have a go at cutting it themselves and see how lucrative and easy it is.......
the thing I find amusing is I show up with logging equipment people think it cost NOTHING to run. Show up with the excavator @ 130/hr plus the move no problem.

Ken

We've actually been very fortunate around here with respect to equipment vandals.  Last fall someone took the the valve stems out of my porter tires but didn't do any damage.  Someone also dropped some sand in the skidder fuel tank about 10 years ago.  A few years back a hunter shot the window of a harvester that was parked alongside a woodlot.  Other than that we have been lucky.  I do however suspect that fuel thefts will continue to rise as the price of heating oil climbs so am more cautious where I leave my fuel barrel.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

LorenB

Quote from: Bobus2003 on October 18, 2012, 07:42:43 PM
Also had "Tree Murderers" written on the Windows of his skidder

I assume that whoever wrote that has furniture made entirely of plastic and lives in a house that is made with brick or stone walls and that has a metal roof. 

– Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

hardtailjohn

On a somewhat different tangent.... I was running a grader one time and came to work on Monday and found a note taped to a broken window, with a guy's name and number and a $50 bill, saying he'd gotten stuck and had to break into the grader to get pulled out. He hoped the $50 would cover it. I called him back and thanked him for his honesty and sent him the change (about 20 years ago, the small flat window he broke didn't cost much).
John
I'm so far behind, I think I'm ahead!

thecfarm

Loren,hope they don't use toilet paper either.  ::)  There is no way to do it,but every time someone tries to argue the "You should not cut trees" point with me,I would like to press a button that does away with all wood products for a month and than hear them say the same thing in a month.   ;)
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

gjersy

Sorry to hear about the vandalism, Im blocking my logging road with my skidder to keep the hunters out (they're wrecking,rutting, beyond use, my logging road), I have the county boards permission to block. Anyway I'm worried about the same thing happening to my skidder. These punks need to be brought to justice hope the long arm of the law catches the perps. 
If life gives you lemons, throw 'em into a quart of vodka.

Ron Scott

Blocking or rutting up hunter's access with a skidder or any equipment to make them impassable into their regular hunting areas especially during the rifle deer season is a sure way to invite vandalism to the equipment. We usually pull out of the woods during the two week rifle deer season, at least the first week anyway. ;)
~Ron

Jeff

That's what I was going to say. By intentionally blocking a hunter's path to a place they are accustomed to having access to, and I use the term hunter very loosely in this instance, you are just inviting trouble.

Back in the mid 80's, we parked a timberjack skidder out of the way on a state job in gladwin county for the weekend. It may have been bird season, but not firearms deer. That was a small job where we provided the grapple skidder and loader truck for a three man crew. It was the end of the job, where the loader was hauled off late saturday afternoon and it was decided to go back and get the skidder on Monday morning.  When the driver got there, he found what was left of the skidder still smoking. It was burnt up in the front end, but the back end, which had a brand new set of tires on it from the week before was untouched. At first it was thought that something in the wiring must have caused the fire, but on further inspection, it was found that the big brass fuel tank screw cover that has the big timberjack mule on it was gone. That's when we knew it had been vandalized.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

gjersy

This road was built by loggers for access to logging only, it's bermed most of the time, hunters can't drive in there, they are not accustomed to having access to the road. The only time the berm is down is during logging operations like now and there not allowed to use it then either. If they try to climb berm they get big fines, anyway the job will be done by the regular 9 day gun season and i'll berm it back up. If they want to hunt in there they have to walk in it's the law. the forester won't let me put a cable up because of liability issues. But he will let me put big concrete culverts in the way so I got some coming mid week. I just wish people respected the county signs that are up, that should be enough. Yes it's a good idea to pull out of the woods during the 9 day gun deer hunt or the equipment might get it. Did they catch the perps that burned your Timber-jack?
If life gives you lemons, throw 'em into a quart of vodka.

Jeff

Nope, they never did. If it would have happened 10 years later, we probably could have kept a look out on ebay for the fuel cap.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

lumberjack48

If i didn't pull off the job, i worked everyday during hunting season. Around here they all drive around or over berm-ed roads including the locals. Trying to block roads here would just pee people off, including the locals. It seems easier to just kind of let go of it for 9 days or you'll have a small war on your hands. A lot of the old roads they try to block these guys have been using for 50+ years.
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.

gjersy

Yep, go hunting during deer gun season! Thats what we do, meat for the fam good times. Might work a couple days but my .300 mag is by my side ready 4 venison.
If life gives you lemons, throw 'em into a quart of vodka.

tlandrum

any hunter worth a crap as a human being would respect a mans property ,his equipment and his livelyhood and hunt elsewhere. if i catch who damaged my skidder they better pray to god that im not in the position to phsically get to them. i promiss bodily harm will come to them. who in there right mind would destroy another mans way of making a living. i have employees that depend on the stuff as well as i do. ive got deer hanging on my wall from 120 class to 170 class and never tresspassed ,vandalized,poached, or interupted any loggers in the process of getting them. good lord foks just be a man worth his salt and not bother others stuff. i dont guess the jerks that vandalized my skidder realize what lengths ill go to to put them behind bars or give them a long dirt nap.
www.wickedworksaw.com
wickedworksaw@gmail.com
Husqvarna and jonsered dealer
chainsaw porting for high production work saws
4233465399

gjersy

Ur'e right tlandrum! I've tented out to catch the punks! Good Times!
If life gives you lemons, throw 'em into a quart of vodka.

lumberjack48

Their not only hunting deer ! This was about 35 yrs ago, i was up at the local pub having a beer. A friends wife was setting at the end of the bar talking to the bar maid. friend of hers. A couple deer hunter were setting between us, i heard one of them say something about the women. I wasn't sure what he said, so i asked him. He said thats one of the reasons they come up north to hunt, because all the women are like she dogs in heat. I took him off the stool with the first swing, and had the other one by the neck, while the bartender pried my fingers from around his throat, he told-em they weren't welcome anymore.

Deer hunting season around here was just like the New Orleans Mardi Gras
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.

gjersy

Awesome Lumberjack48! You're a brethren 4-sure!
If life gives you lemons, throw 'em into a quart of vodka.

Okrafarmer

I wish we could still do that now, LJ. Nowadays, we'd end up in jail for assault.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

WDH

The problem we have here in Georgia is that the gun season for deer is 3 months long  :).  You can't wait out the hunters. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Okrafarmer

Here too. If I remember right, it's from the middle of October through the end of December. 2.5 months.

I haven't hunted in probably 5 years, 'cuz I just don't have time. I can raise my meat a lot easier, and know where it is.  ;D

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

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