Any "over-cut" stories?

CCC4 · December 15, 2012, 01:06:19 PM

We just finished up a government thinning job. The bid was for 95 semi loads and...umm...well...the job ended up cutting 148! So being that this was ALL marked timber, by a forester, is someone in trouble or what? Bad thing is the log yard knew the projected cut numbers and is already running his trap about how big the job over-cut.

What an awesome job! 4 man crew, a Bell feller buncher, 650 Tiger Cat, Timber Jack grapple skidder, and me on the chainsaw, averaged 9 semi loads a day completing the job in under 5 weeks! I think this is pretty good. We did have a short haul, keeping the one man (2) truck driving scenario jumpin'!

lumberjack48 · December 15, 2012, 02:10:27 PM

When the Federal first started lump sum sales, some of the estaments would double. When it was a big sale with 10 to 15 blocks on it, it was a lot of walking, tree counting and ect to figure out how much to bid on each species. I liked the closed bid, oral biding got out of hand.
I had a good friend that was a Ranger, he would give me tips.

In the later yrs, they got real close to the volume, sometimes the timber wasn't there.
No, there should be nobody in trouble, except for the guy talking.

CCC4 · December 15, 2012, 03:11:40 PM

Quote from: lumberjack48 on December 15, 2012, 02:10:27 PM
No, there should be nobody in trouble, except for the guy talking.

Do you mean the log yard guy or me? :D I went through each area flagging the timber, there were signs of other timber buyers had cruised the timber yet only my boss bid the tract. Good on him! I bet there will be more people bidding the next time.

lumberjack48 · December 15, 2012, 03:40:38 PM

We made it a point not to advertise there was a big over run.

I would say the yard guy is jealous, nobody's ever happy that a guy might have made some money.

treefarmer87 · December 15, 2012, 05:22:42 PM

You did that pretty quick, good job.

lumberjack48 · December 15, 2012, 08:42:18 PM

I was logging a nice piece of selective cut pine with 2 skidders over on Co. 9 by Big Winnie. The wife and me working the S8, my brother and a hired man working the C5-D.
Our goal everyday was 400 trees or 4 loads, 40 cds, 20 cds for each skidder, nothing out of reach for each skidder. All hand felling.

I would have loved that kind of competition down the road from me. I would have ran 7 days a week for 5 weeks, each skidder only pulling 20 cds a day would have gave me 140 loads. And of course i would have pulled a little more everyday just to make sure.

I probably sound like I'm way out in south field with this, well i'm not, its the way i logged, when push came to push i push harder. Even after 24 yrs in the chair i still get excited about having some good competition.

When i was 15, 16 yrs old strip cutting, my farther took side bets that i would get a higher stick count then anybody else. I found this out years later.

Okrafarmer · December 15, 2012, 09:39:46 PM

Quote from: lumberjack48 on December 15, 2012, 08:42:18 PM
I probably sound like I'm way out in south field with this, well i'm not, its the way i logged, when push came to push i push harder. Even after 24 yrs in the chair i still get excited about having some good competition.

I have a great deal of respect for you, LJ. I know I could never match your production figures, even if I had the experience of constant logging from a very young age as you did. Some people are production-driven, and some are driven in other directions. I'm not one of the high-production mode people. :-\

I'm sure that even in your current condition, there are still competitions you can be involved in and win. If I were making side bets, I think I would bet on you as much as anyone else for winning the Christmas contest! ;)

CCC4 · December 16, 2012, 05:01:05 AM

lumberjack48, you would have loved to hand fall this timber! I dropped a few for the fun of it and slash cut a real young thinning. The land laid real flat, you could shag right on through it! Would you believe that we were not permitted to work the weekends down there?? No motorized vehicles in the park on the weekends. I had to sneak in just to be able to work on Thanksgiving (rest of the crew went home). We were hoping to have work straight through but they park rangers said absolutely NO! The log yard guy was offered $150 to stay on site one of his days off and he refused! The day I turn down $150 bucks to keep a gate open...geez! He shut the yard gates at 4pm sharp also, guess some people are more motivated than others.

You know how it is, some jobs are good and some are bad! Monday we start a oak job. Mostly scrag and a few tie logs and a little pine. This ground is pretty nasty steep so I get to fall a pretty good amount of the timber with a chainsaw, but will mainly be limbing. I have to cut a "view" on this hillside looking at a creek in the bottom of a hollar, bad thing is we logged there this summer and the timber left standing has alot of damage and pretty scarey looking!

SwampDonkey · December 16, 2012, 06:31:38 AM

Quote from: Okrafarmer on December 15, 2012, 09:39:46 PM
Some people are production-driven, and some are driven in other directions. I'm not one of the high-production mode people.

You got that right. You can easily see it right in this community. I've watched two men with a tractor and Farmi for 2 months cutting in hardwoods. It's at most a 20 acre strip. They have not even cut two TT loads. All I've seen leave for logs was hauled on a small trailer with a pickup. The rest would be firewood or pulp still on the landing. Now you and I would starve to death, but this has been their mode of operation for almost 20 years and they have everything brand new like anyone who would actually produce. New houses, cars, tractors. So there is some secrets somewhere. ;D

Leigh Family Farm · December 16, 2012, 08:23:28 AM

Quote from: CCC4 on December 15, 2012, 01:06:19 PM
We just finished up a government thinning job. The bid was for 95 semi loads and...umm...well...the job ended up cutting 148! So being that this was ALL marked timber, by a forester, is someone in trouble or what?...

The government never was the best at figuring costs, hence the trillions in debt! :D :D Great job and glad you got the better end of the stick. Tell the yard man that if he wants to blab and complain, you'll take the logs to another mill. I'm guessing he'll stop talking.

Corley5 · December 16, 2012, 10:25:28 AM

Bid sheets for MiDNR timber always include the percentage that the sale may be under/over. It's worded something like this "All cruise tallies are estimated to within +- 25%. All interested bidders are encouraged to inspect the timber and make their own detrminations." The over under % varies from sale to sale also. One bid sheet I had was 36% .

CCC4 · December 16, 2012, 10:36:28 AM

Quote from: Corley5 on December 16, 2012, 10:25:28 AM
Bid sheets for MiDNR timber always include the percentage that the sale may be under/over. It's worded something like this "All cruise tallies are estimated to within +- 25%. All interested bidders are encouraged to inspect the timber and make their own detrminations." The over under % varies from sale to sale also. One bid sheet I had was 36% .

25% huh? Dang,glad it went in our way! Hey so I couldn't help but notice your user name is same as your user tag...do you make or sell that brand of sawmill? Do you have any product info you could send me? Thanks!