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Better logging in the winter????

Started by ga jones, December 28, 2013, 06:58:59 PM

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ga jones

You know lumberjack48 always talked about better logging in the winter. Well I beg to differ! It's cold equipment doesn't like to start.i don't like to start. It's cold. Then it melts then it rains then it snows. It's cold. Then there's mud then there's ice . Your digging the snow off the stumps. You start to sweat then you stop to sharpen a chain then your freezing.then your hands get wet from sweeping snow away from stumps. And there cold.then your sweating again.         How about you guys?
380c timberjack c4 treefarmer international trucks jonsered saws. Sugi hara bars d31 komatsu 350 tj grapple

beenthere

But there are no bugs... and no heat.
I like the same jobs better in the winter than the heat of the summer.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Dave Shepard

No bugs in the winter. Frozen ground is better than mud, if you don't have somebody rutting the place up just before a freeze. No bugs. Cold keeps people from trying to chat for too long. No bugs. :D

EDIT: beenthere beat me to the no bugs.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

ehp

in the winter time the big thing is you can freeze your roads to get to places that you would never see in the summer time as road cost is just to high , yes its cold but once your working 10 minutes your warmed up and good to go ,

ga jones

I guess a lot of it is location.here bugs aren't a problem. mud is a problem in the winter. There's no rutting in the summer. The heat is tough sometimes. Even though its been unusually cold here the woods aren't frozen.it will freeze and thaw a couple times a month all winter.feb may stay froze all month
380c timberjack c4 treefarmer international trucks jonsered saws. Sugi hara bars d31 komatsu 350 tj grapple

Windy_Acres

Im a winter guy also, I got stuck working on a kitchen remodel today, and all I wanted to do, was be out side cutting and splitting firewood. Being that my tree work is mostly my own, it all happens from late fall to late spring. I avoid saws and trees all summer if I can.

Pretty much has to be for hire, to get me to break out a saw and truck during the summer.

I hate the heat, I hate being covered in chips while sweating off gallons of water, the bugs. No thanks.

Firewoodjoe

Here in michigan she freezes up good. No bugs and that's why machines have cold weather packages. And you just get use to freezen whether your stopped or not lol

jwilly3879

Mostly frozen here, skidder chains hardly make any marks at all, NO MUD, clean wood and no bugs.

Opened up some new trails and they should freeze solid in the next few days, NO MUD.

ehp

where I use to live it froze normally by late Oct. and would stay frozen until sometime in April, where I am now it does not freeze up much but on sand its not bad logging in the winter

thecfarm

Some loggers plan on winter logging on some jobs.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

KyLogger

Logging in the winter sucks in the mtns. in Appalachia! Mud, warm, snow, mud, rain, mud, cold, warm, rain, skiff of snow, rain, mud, cold. Did I say rain. And of course in this terrain for every hill you have to go down there is one you have to go up.........in the mud. The mills are always hungry for wood in the winter and veneer, stave and hard maple prices go up then. But the logging sucks. In the summer it's hot but I can sweat easier than it can shiver! On the down side the mills fill up quick because we can all get in the woods and work. Kind of a double edged sword.

Tom
I only work old iron because I secretly have a love affair with my service truck!

Maine logger88

I personally get a lot more cords per day in the winter (maybe cause there's nothing better to do) plus you don't have to limb softwood and aspen much skidders pull a lot better on frozen roads provided you have chains as far as cold weather package all my skidders have is a white can haha and did anyone mention no bugs haha
79 TJ 225 81 JD 540B Husky and Jonsered saws

thenorthman

MUUDDD...

I almost lost the skidder in a deeep hole this afternoon...  Spent nearly 1500 on gravel so the trucks can get in and out, let alone the home owner...  probably spend some more moving more dirt so I have some kind of landing in the next few days.

but when she freezes, then you can move some wood, problem is it doesn't really freeze hard around here except maybe a few weeks in February...

I prefer the cold though, work a little harder to stay warm, or a little less to not sweat.  When its hot, well just try to drink enough water to stay ahead of the sweat.

As far as bugs, I've found that 2 stroke and diesel smoke tends to keep them away, the trick is to never let your saw die or stay within 30' of the skidder... kinda tough while refueling, tossing a chain back on, or a long pull with the winch line...
well that didn't work

diesel pap

i never liked winter and now that i am older i dislike it even more. i never minded the heat much.

coxy

this winter has been a joke mud froze mud  rain rain mud froze snow rain mud cant seem to make her mind up what she wants to do    at this point give me the heat  :D

1270d

When its cold its easy to back up softwood with a skidder.  Come clean as a whistle.

three feathers

I like the winter better. No rattlers of copperheads to contend with.
Jerry

clww

Or snakes.
Or bees and yellow jackets.
Or spiders.
Or baby animals in the hollow tree cavities.
Or 90 degrees and 90% humidity.

About the biggest "plus" in the hot months to me is more daylight.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

mills

I'm a boy of summer. Here in western Kentucky we'll get cold spells, but not normally long enough, or cold enough to work consistently. And seeps never freeze solid. You never know when your going to fall through and have to spend the next several hours getting out. When you do finally get out you look back at the three foot deep ruts, and wonder how your going to fix that mess.

Nope, I hate ticks, but bring on the 90 degree days. Just in case your wondering, its 115 more days to spring.  :)

goose63

Now that I am retired I don't like winter but I aint going south staying here sit by the wood stove 8) splitwood_smiley fire_smiley
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

timberlinetree

Like winter cutting best until the snow gets above the knees or when snow covers our logs that we haven't skidded out before the snow flies. It can also get a little scary going up steep skid trails covered with ice even w chains. No fun sliding backwords. Moring snow is the best once it starts to get warm the snow gets greasy. found that out the hard way sliding  off the skid trail and down a bank. I'll still take winter over summer for work but summertime(beaches fairs  fishing boating camping etc) I'll take that! :)
I've met Vets who have lived but still lost their lives... Thank a Vet

Family man and loving it :)

ancjr

Sky full of hornets and ground covered in ticks all summer long here.  Tried building a deck in October and the yellow jackets swarmed me, trying to get in my eyes and nose.  Don't miss that one bit!

Red Good

Just my opinion but if it's raining and muddy , that's not winter !

Ticks, seed ticks , SNAKES , and the heat make me miss real winter .   
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

Stephen Alford

 

 
  Some mornings when you arrive at the office ya just know there is no coffee brewing, know how you feel. But it is great wood burning weather.  :D  After all the best end use for wood is smoke from a firewood sales perspective.   :)
logon

Quebecnewf

I only log in the winter. Our land is too rugged and soft to travel over in the summer. I don,t think the black flies would let you log in the summer here. Hoping to start again soon . It has been cold here and the ice bridge has formed early. Away on Christmas holidays hope to be " in the woods " by Jan 9th.

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