Berger Manufacturing- Logging Equipment Built in Seattle

[Contract Logger]

Baerger Marc III-R

Here is th Berger Marc III-R, or the 'Rubber' mounted version of that machine. 4-Axles, self-propelled, gets around under its own power. Also- check out the Northwest shovel with Young heel boom and grapple.

 

[Firewood79]

If that Beger/Skagit hybrid is the machine I think it is, it was modified by Diamond Manufacturing in Chehalis. We looked at buying it a few years back. If I remember right, they put the Skagit pole and drums on it and the shortened the frame to make it a one-piece move. That Mack line truck was also part of the package. Interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

 

[Contract Logger]

If that Beger/Skagit hybrid is the machine I think it is, it was modified by Diamond Manufacturing in Chehalis. We looked at buying it a few years back. If I remember right, they put the Skagit pole and drums on it and the shortened the frame to make it a one-piece move. That Mack line truck was also part of the package. Interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

Bill Paulson did the work at his shop, not sure if it was for Diamond. Moerke out of Chehalis ended up buying the machine back then. Same rig, yes.

 

[Contract Logger]

Berger line truck hoist, built for Simpson at Grisdale WA, currently in Wrangell Alaska at Silver Bay Logging. Mounted on and old Kenworth, still has Simpson stickers on it.

Berger built quite a few of these, I have pics of most of them somewhere.

 

[Contract Logger]

Berger Bridge Crane for unloading logging trucks. From a 1953 magazine ad.

 

[Contract Logger]

1962 Magazine Ad. Berger square-tube 100' non-telescoping tower on sled. Yarder is a triple-drum Carco on a crawler tractor, as you can see. Looks like an early LS98 loading logs.

 

[Contract Logger]

Clipping from a 1962 Alaska Loggers magazine, shows another square-tube Berger 100' setup. Caption and pic says it all......

 

[Contract Logger]

1968 Advertisment highlighting a 'snorkel boom' attachemt for the TL-6 Trakloaders with heel booms.

 

[Contract Logger]

1968 Advertisment highlighting a 'snorkel boom' attachemt for the TL-6 Trakloaders with heel booms.

I mistakenly posted this 'Washington Trakloader' ad to the Berger section....
Anyone know if or how i can move it to the right (Washington) thread??

 

[Contract Logger]

1953 Berger magazine ad.

 

[Vegasclimber]

This was from a Caterpillar ad but through the fog behind that Cat 245 with the Spruce is one hell of a Berger yarder. One-of-a-kind, built custom for Ernie Nielsen, but huge. She spooled 6,000' feet of 2" skyline and they hung a winch cat on it for a carriage.

I have lots of pics of this rig at my Washington residence, but here this old Caterpillar ad will have to do. Ernie ran a fleet of 245 log loaders under his yarders.

That particular 245 looks a hell of a lot like my dad's, Russ, he worked for Ernie for a long time.

I seem to remember they lost one of his bigger machines to a brake failure in the 80s, during a move down the hill but I cant remember if it was this machine or another, I was just a kid at the time. Be interesting to see if this monster is still around somewhere.

 

[Contract Logger]

That particular 245 looks a hell of a lot like my dad's, Russ, he worked for Ernie for a long time.

I seem to remember they lost one of his bigger machines to a brake failure in the 80s, during a move down the hill but I cant remember if it was this machine or another, I was just a kid at the time. Be interesting to see if this monster is still around somewhere.

I remember your dad. Both the 2 original 245's Ernie had do exist- one is in Forks with trees grown up through it (on the Bogachiel River), the other at Mike Walch's place in Auburn Wa. Ernie is living in Auburn as well.......

 

[trakloader]

My hat is off to you, Contract Logger! :notworthy The stuff you post just can't be found anywhere else! Washington, Skagit, Madill, Berger, they're just too good to be forgotten. Someone has to keep their memory alive. I hope to start a thread on Tyee soon, once I get my material scanned.

 

[catdw21e]

I will take all of my hats off to contract logger and all of you for the awesome pictueres and comments. I am in the process of setting up to scan pics of 50 years of logging and construction. Does anyone have pics of Gray River Logging, Willapa Logging, Lone Pine and other SW WA outfits? Lone Pine had a new Berger Marc2R that was caught in the Mt. St. H blast, was retrieved and I have lost the trail on it in 82. I have probably met you CL but dint know who you were. JFYI my Great Uncle Oscar had the first patent on the lowly choker bell of which I have several in my yard display with the family name cast into them. Oscar also designed a 2-Speed Steam donk which later was incorporated into the Washington Iron Works line. I have many stories gleaned from listening to my Dad and old loggers sitting around talking about old times. This site is something that is invaluable to all of us and again I wish to thank everyone for contributing. Keep em coming.

 

[Vegasclimber]

I remember your dad. Both the 2 original 245's Ernie had do exist- one is in Forks with trees grown up through it (on the Bogachiel River), the other at Mike Walch's place in Auburn Wa. Ernie is living in Auburn as well.......

Thanks for the info! I'm a bit surprised (happily) to know Ernie is still around.

Do you know roughly where on the Bogey that 245 is? I'm coming up in September and would like to photograph it.

In addition, I was wondering if you know what became of the yarder in the background of that photo. I remember being on Owl mountain as a kid when they used that machine, on one of the last large old growth cedar cuts....this was one or two logs to a truck. Mid 80's or so.

At any rate, I seem to recall a yarder accident soon after that, they were moving it and the brakes went out. I seem to recall they saved the tube, and Raineer or ITT bought it, but wrote off the yarder. I'm not sure if it was Ernie's custom machine (I think it was called a Mark 6) or one of his mark 5's.

At any rate, thanks for all the information and all the great photos! It really takes me back to see this stuff, and makes me miss home

 

[Contract Logger]

Thanks for the info! I'm a bit surprised (happily) to know Ernie is still around.

Do you know roughly where on the Bogey that 245 is? I'm coming up in September and would like to photograph it.

In addition, I was wondering if you know what became of the yarder in the background of that photo. I remember being on Owl mountain as a kid when they used that machine, on one of the last large old growth cedar cuts....this was one or two logs to a truck. Mid 80's or so.

At any rate, I seem to recall a yarder accident soon after that, they were moving it and the brakes went out. I seem to recall they saved the tube, and Raineer or ITT bought it, but wrote off the yarder. I'm not sure if it was Ernie's custom machine (I think it was called a Mark 6) or one of his mark 5's.

At any rate, thanks for all the information and all the great photos! It really takes me back to see this stuff, and makes me miss home

The yarder in the background AND the 245 are both sitting at Ernie's house/shop there, before you get to Dahlgren's, and on the other side of the road. Lots of gear there to see- tons of trucks, etc, and 2 Northwest 80D shovels with dipper stick booms and Berger air-tongs!

 

[Contract Logger]

Berger Super-Yarder

OK, this thread has become slow so I will be adding alot of material to it over the next weeks again I suppose.

So this yarder was one-of-a-kind built for a specific job, for Summit Timber (G&D Logging) out of Darrington WA. to log in the North Cascades.
It worked and worked well.

The mobile skyline drum was built by Washington Iron Works to be used with a Model 408 Skyflyer which is very similar to this. It is anchored by deadmen at the rear and has its own tie-back drums. Seems to me it held close to 7,000' of 2" skyline. At least 2 of these were built. See pic 1.

The main yarder was Berger built and held huge capacities of big line, but the specifics escape me. Had big big water brakes on it too- note the size of the radiator there. 5th wheel dollies under both ends to move from either direction. See pic 2.

Next we have the small Berger 125' banjo-head tower, free standing, which is the smaller tower of 2 towers for this, depending on need and job. The also built a 217' (yes, two-hundred seventeen foot, I said) tower for this rig which I have seen, but never seen standing. I'll post pics of that when I can find them. Anyway, pics of small tower, see 3rd and 4th.

That is a big turn of logs there, old growth yellow fir wood.

Mike Walch of Ranier Rigging owns this setup along with around 70 other yarders, many are just as impressive as this. He owns the 'Ranier Skyline Excavator' rigs worldwide for dreging, etc and does very well with all things yarder. He actually bought the last Berger built- a 1989 M2A, self-propelled, brand new out of the Oregon logging show and has never even put line on the drums. Just for a collector I guess, lol.

Anyway enjoy the pics and tell Mike I said hello if you run into him. He never answers the phone........

 

[Contract Logger]

As you can see they are North Bend logging here! Should have pointed that out.

 

[Humptulips]

Ok, I'm looking at it and it doesn't look like a north bend system. It looks to me like the haulback is hooked to the back of the carriage. Am I seeing things? Not sure what you would call it.
It seems I remember this or some tower similar having a write up in Loggers World once with a picture of that tall tower you mentioned. Maybe a different one although you wouldn't think there would be too many like it.

There was an out fit called Skycar Log had one of them skyline drum machines around here but a little different. I thought it was homemade, maybe not. They had a skagit, banjo top tower to skid with. I think I remember it being a BU80 but they went out along way with small lines on the skidding machine. 6000' one setting.

 

[Humptulips]

Contract Logger,
Do you go back far enough to remember those big hand wheels you used on the guyline drums on Bergers. Norhtwest Log had a tower we had to use the hand wheel on when I worked for them the first time. Loved that thing! Any pictures of one maybe?