Another week at the office.

[David-L]

Great week in the woods, no break downs which is uncommon. New Saw on board 2172 Jonsered for the landing. And the old Sthil keeps chopping.



  

  

  

 

[MEloggah]

love to see guys take pride in their choppin skills. we're a dying breed. :-\

[treefarmer87]

nice skidder, great job. how do you like the new saw?

[PAFaller]

Nice photos, I promised you pics of my 240A in another thread but havent brought a camera to work. I can not speak for no breakdowns this week! Pulled the eye bolt out of the forward/reverse fork in the transfer case Sunday afternoon trying to get a load finished up for my trucker Monday morning. Helped a buddy Monday, stopped on the way home from helping him and got my parts. Little tapping and a lot of blue loc-tite and we're back in business. Not a major issue, but I know the threads in that fork werent in great shape. Rebuilt most of that linkage in the process. I've got some photos on my phone that may have come out alright, I'll have to download them and see. Job Im on is pretty decent stuff, 10-12 trees fills a triaxle. Not big diameter but pretty tall and minimal taper. TF87 I cant speak for Dave but I have two 2172s and I love em for all but dealing with big ugly hardwood, then I run a 660. But my older one, a 2010 model, which is the first year they came out, will outcut the one I bought last year. Not sure if they've changed carbs to deal with more EPA rules or what, but thats my .02 cents

[David-L]

Thanks All,
The 2172 has 5 tanks through it and now we will let the dealer tach it again. Wanted to find a 2171 without the EPA stuff as it is a higher rpm saw but no luck. The 2172 is 1300 or so and the 2171 is 13,500. Running an 18" bar for break in and it is a nice running saw at 14lbs. Eats that pine right up. Snowing pretty hard here at current but warm outside.Only two days left in the work week. Seems that it use to be you could make it working half a day on Sat and take the afternoon off and sunday. Those days are gone it seems for me and alot of us who do this work and farm to.

PAfaller  P.S. Not to confuse you but this is a 230A that I had to sell due to a divorce, this was a beauty with a 353 screamer and the big planetaries. I had pretty much been thrugh this machine except the motor which the detroits run even when pooped. kilLed me to sell it but had to buy the farm back. Paying for it the second time seems easier though. stay safe.




  

 

[lynde37avery]

get us some pics hooked onto something with that 240

[David-L]

All the misfits that nobodywants, i will feed them to Igor my wood furnace next year. Valtra 900 and the Vreten grapple with Kesla Forwarding 9T trailer.

                                                    David-l



  

 

[thecfarm]

A very nice set up with the tractor and trailer. That skidder is not too bad either.

[David-L]

cfarm,
  This trailer tractor set up is the best decision i have made and wish I had done it years ago. for instance, stockpiling wood with the skidder right near the skid trail and forwarding it out means less dirt on the wood when theres no snow. my cordwood buyer has offered me more per cord as it is clean and I have a 100 cord order to fill with him at current. Were froze up still and its snowing like crazy at current. maybe gonna get at least 10" out of this one. was 7 degrees here yesterday morning.

                                                               David



 

[PAFaller]

Your site foreman looks kinda like mine. Seems they always want to know what you packed in the lunch bucket!

 

[rooster 58]

    Yeah, the same with the mill foreman ;D

 

     He does a great job of managing the luncbox ;)

[cutter88]

nice looken 380 looks clean thats what im buying next...

[PAFaller]

So I promised David L some photos of my 84 240A, here she sits in the sun with the new tires.

 

This job is pretty much busy work, not a big money maker but its mud season work nonetheless. That said we are trying to do whats right for the woods and cut out all the undesirable saplings to hopefully get some decent regeneration out of this cut when its done. The hard maple has seen better days, and as the crowns have died off its made ideal conditions for growing beech and black birch.

 


  

 
Lots of brush to cut before I can start tipping trees over.
Heres the first and last hitch of the day after I cut brush all morning.


 

[thecfarm]

I will send the guy that cut a small lot just down the road so he can learn to cut the small stuff before falling the big stuff.  That looks some nice. And I know that takes time to do.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

And its a bloody nice looking office indeed Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)

And its good to see youboth take pride in your work n equipment fellas  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) I do need to get me a donky one of these days 

Regards Chris

[PAFaller]

Ya its kind of tedious, my back wasnt quite ready for being hunched over for 5 hours plugging away on all those whips but such is life I guess. That area right above my tailbones been giving me fits since I started in there Monday. Guess I have to stretch better next time, Im nearing 30 and been doing this nonsense for 12 years already, maybe my body is telling me its time to work smart not hard ;) All told I have 3-4 acres to do!! There is a decent stocking of red briar coming in which the deer love, and this landowner loves to hunt, so getting that started would be ideal. Trying to work around the few ash and cherry seedlings that are thrown in to the mix, keeping the small hemlocks to add some diversity to the stand, and the few healthy looking hard maple. Everything else is coming out, I'll try to remember to take some pics when its all done. Clearcuts always look a little rough when you finish them, but then a couple years later when they grow back in its not so bad.

[Meadows Miller]

Im the same Mate my body has had alot of punishment over the years n 20 years since I started working fulltime in the industry out of that i have only spent about two weeks in harvesters everything is motor manual with me my partner in crime these days has a couple of timbco haresters with rosin heads and a timbco forwarder Jack said he would teach me everything about them but i think its gonna be hard to teach an ol dog new tricks might stick to being the mill specialast  ;) :D :D they are awesome in the smaller stuff in big pine plantations though  ;D

the thing is its going to be very hard to find blokes who are good and productive at motor manual logging its a dying art in my book Dad was one of the best in aust in the late 70s and 80s not to many blokes can fall,limb dock 3 to 4 28 ton tractor trailerloads a day every day in medum size pine 

[ClarkF66]

David-L; very nice pictures! I have a lot of brush in some of my woods and I use a Husvarna 555FX clearing saw before cutting the timber. It has saved me alot of time compared to using the chainsaw, not to mention saving my back. I spend less than half the time clearing brush compared to what I used to and it's way more fun.
Really nice Timberjack!

[David-L]

PAfaller,
Nice 240 TJ. I have a Dolmar 45cc clearing saw that I use for this stuff and it is a ripper. Best clearing saw I have ever owned. I think it is a 4500 model and is about 10 years old. it runs a 9" blade and is a back saver for sure. Hi ClarkF66 in Norway, I am ready for a vacation when can I come visit. Thats my gal using the Dolmar doing some brush work.

                                                                                David-l




 

[Corley5]

Great pics  8) 8) 8)

[PAFaller]

David, you still working or is mud season in full effect? We got hammered with some pretty rugged thunderstorms yesterday afternoon and overnight last night, and more on the way. Putting a halt to the cutting for a little while. Next time Im passing through I will look you up. maybe swing in for a visit. Ive got friends all over the place up that way, just never enough time to see them all.

[ClarkF66]

David-L, come visit whenever you want. This is not the best time of the year, though. Still 3' + of snow on the ground and snow/sleet all yesterday and today. First snow in the fall and last snow in the spring is not the greatest.
Here is the fellow that 'marks' my trees.



  

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

And Welcome to The Forum Clark  ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D 8) 8)

I am overdue for a visit too Mate  ;)  ;D ;D I had a fella named Thor work with me at a mill i was running here in Aust back in 01-02 He's a Top Bloke and knew his way around a Kara Sawmill too  ;) ;D ;D 8)

Regards Chris

[David-L]

Waiting for those cutting plans to get going, always something here at the farm to make a paycheck with. Thanks to those farmers before me who left all there metal out back for me to survive on when waiting for the red tape to clear and get some cutting happening.

                                David l



 



 

[Maine logger88]

Nice looking timberjack David I'd like to get me an A model someday does that have a Cummins or Detroit. Is junk metal paying decent again?

[David-L]

Maine logger88
Scrap is up and #1 unprepped is bringing me 260 gt. 270 prepped. The tree huggers are holding up my pine lot for a month now and is really starting to get me fired up. All over a very small Isolated Vegetative Wetland. This is also a conversion to cattle pasture so should not even be an issue. been here before and persistence will pay off.
The Jack is an 78, 353 running 40wt oil and notice the roof can and the large type bell planetaries. A very straight Jack for its age. I have had two A models and they are fine until you have to rebuild the brakes. ( pricey ). IMO you can see better out of the older flat top hood models.

                                                      David



 


 



 

[Kemper]

Holding you up for a month? Is there not another job you can move to, until everything is lined out? Glad we don't have issues like that here.

Maine logger88
Scrap is up and #1 unprepped is bringing me 260 gt. 270 prepped. The tree huggers are holding up my pine lot for a month now and is really starting to get me fired up. All over a very small Isolated Vegetative Wetland. This is also a conversion to cattle pasture so should not even be an issue. been here before and persistence will pay off.
The Jack is an 78, 353 running 40wt oil and notice the roof can and the large type bell planetaries. A very straight Jack for its age. I have had two A models and they are fine until you have to rebuild the brakes. ( pricey ). IMO you can see better out of the older flat top hood models.

                                                      David



 


 



 

[thecfarm]

Almost sounds like a vernal pool.

[coxy]

nice looking jack you need to get back to work those chokers are going to rust in half  and you will have to scrap them to :D :D

[Corley5]

Last spring at SFI training the instructor was passing on the info that some university in conjunction with some gov't agency wanted loggers and anyone else who spent time in the woods to report the locations of all vernal pools for "study" purposes.  Every logger in the room agreed that there was no way we were going there  ;) ;D

[David-L]

Those are single Diamond chains coxy, easiest place to store them until I put them on. I don't log full time , but usually cut from Oct to mud season then on to vege farming and making hay, 5000 bales to be exact. These tree huggers are getting worse and worse around here. Cleared the landing out last month ready to start and all hell broke loose. Getting jobs around here with a cable skidder can be a challenge, hard to really pay the landowner what is fair as the mills have disappeared and the trucking at $80/M is eating into any profit. I offered a landowner $300/M recently on some ok oak with diameter and he thought I was taking advantage of him. I am not willing to run this machine and cut if I can't make at least $140.00 a thousand. All the big whole tree chipper guys get most of the work around here as hand choppers are a dying breed. a ll I can say is I see the stress these guys are dealing with weekly and to be honest I would rather fill the oxy/act tanks and go out back and scrap.
                                                               David-l



 

[thecfarm]

Corley,seem like in the paper each year the state of Maine wants land owners to report about vernal pools. I have bunches of them on my land. Don't tell anyone OK?  :D

[Stephen Alford]

   Cfarm i want you to know that I can keep a secret, its just the people I tell that can't.   :'(  We have a couple of pools as well just a bit salty.  ;D


 


 

[thecfarm]

Mine are just a little bit smaller.  :D

[David-L]

 That is one nice looking filter strip next to that pond, looks mostly to be sand Stephen. Where all the trees, did you cut them. Nice photos, Just what I needed before heading out for the day. 32.7 degrees here at current.
                                                             David l



 

[coxy]

Those are single Diamond chains coxy, easiest place to store them until I put them on. I don't log full time , but usually cut from Oct to mud season then on to vege farming and making hay, 5000 bales to be exact. These tree huggers are getting worse and worse around here. Cleared the landing out last month ready to start and all hell broke loose. Getting jobs around here with a cable skidder can be a challenge, hard to really pay the landowner what is fair as the mills have disappeared and the trucking at $80/M is eating into any profit. I offered a landowner $300/M recently on some ok oak with diameter and he thought I was taking advantage of him. I am not willing to run this machine and cut if I can't make at least $140.00 a thousand. All the big whole tree chipper guys get most of the work around here as hand choppers are a dying breed. a ll I can say is I see the stress these guys are dealing with weekly and to be honest I would rather fill the oxy/act tanks and go out back and scrap.
                                                               David-l



 

ops should have looked a little closer my bad  open mouth in cert foot ;D  its getting to be a pain down here at times to with all the bonds and permits to   they are tacking all the fun and profit :D out of it our scrap price is only 190-200 and we have people paying 40%for that now its getting to be a joke  :-\

[Woodboogah]

Hey David-L  Just read through the post.  I am a little north of you in Southern NH.  I am running a TJ240A. I hear you on the whole tree chip co's.  Picking up a lot of work.  I would not want that overhead.  Here is a picture of my machine on its current job https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=4963&pid=146846#top_display_media
 

[Woodboogah]

That didnt go as planned.

[David-L]

Ok , i'm ready for deer meat myself. Havent' hooked up yet but close.
Nice looking 240. Does it have a duetz or other.
                                                                     David l



 

[Maine logger88]

Wow junk is only paying around 190 for number one here I have a few loads to do but I guess I'll wait. Do you have a lot of problems with tree huggers down there I personally haven't had any trouble with them yet (knock on wood) but I know of others who have. I have a 79 225 with the Rockwell planatariys good little machine but I'd still like a 230 or 240A. Is the break setup still a drum behind the transfer or a completely different setup

[David-L]

Different brake set up on the A series. If its working on them its great, but if you dig into them they can get pricy. I had to rebuild both on the 230 and 225A models I had. Can easily spend $1500 in parts and could spend more if you change out everything. They are a disc setup front and back in the transfer case. I recall two seals that were $80 each. could not match them up anywhere. The brakes on this 225D model work excellent and look simple to work on and outside the transfer as you know. This machine I have now is very straight with possibly around 4k hrs if the meter is right and the condition says it may be. The clutch and brake pointed knubs on the pedals are still sharp. that is a good sign.

                                                  David l



 

[Dave Shepard]

Those are single Diamond chains coxy, easiest place to store them until I put them on. I don't log full time , but usually cut from Oct to mud season then on to vege farming and making hay, 5000 bales to be exact. These tree huggers are getting worse and worse around here. Cleared the landing out last month ready to start and all hell broke loose. Getting jobs around here with a cable skidder can be a challenge, hard to really pay the landowner what is fair as the mills have disappeared and the trucking at $80/M is eating into any profit. I offered a landowner $300/M recently on some ok oak with diameter and he thought I was taking advantage of him. I am not willing to run this machine and cut if I can't make at least $140.00 a thousand. All the big whole tree chipper guys get most of the work around here as hand choppers are a dying breed. a ll I can say is I see the stress these guys are dealing with weekly and to be honest I would rather fill the oxy/act tanks and go out back and scrap.
                                                               David-l



 

Have you tried propane? I filled both my oxy and acetylene in September, $186.  When the acetylene is out I'm giving them their tank back and saving on the lease and putting the propane tip in my torch. ;D

[Maine logger88]

O really that sounds like there as expensive as my 540 breaks. I toataly rebuilt the breaks on my 225 for like 400 bucks except the drum which I'm sure you know and they work great now!  I wish my 225 had the Eaton planatarys like yours I'm afraid I'm going to break the rockwells could you get them like that from the factory or did someone put them in out of a 230? What is the difference between the 225A and the 230A? Sorry about all the questions I just like to learn all I can about the different models and you seem to know a lot about them.

[Maine logger88]

Nice looking 225 btw

[David-L]

Mainelogger88,
The A series brakes are inside the transfer not outside like yours or mine. You have two sets front and back on the bottom drive line, transfer has to come out. Beware if you buy a machine A series. In the winter when things get cold debris and mud that has gotten in from bad rubbers over the years on the actuating links to the disc plates and that machines brakes will be froze up solid with water and mud and other stuff. I have had to take a salamander heater to the transfer just to get them to move. And yes a complete rebuild, disc's, plates, balls, cylinders,seals,pins and arms can get pricy x 2 (front and back. As size goes I think they are the same critter just the 225 and 230 might be abit longer than the D and E series Jacks. Now the 240 surely is longer. I am not an expert but have bought and fixed up a few of these for resale and you can have alot into them real quick. If you see a 225 with bell type planetaries I assume it was ordered that way as well as the roof can muffler. So far my favorite machine was a clean 230A that disapeared due to a divorce to get the farm back. Havent' run the 225 yet and cant' wait as it seems like a good machine and the motor runs and starts well. In two stroke detroits, 30 and 40 weight with low ash content saves a motor. Good luck.

                                         2 inches of white and 14 degrees  David l



 

[Maine logger88]

OK thanks for the information!