British Columbia built logging equipment, obscure makes....

[Contract Logger]

Washington Slackline Yarder on VIEW Sparmatic Carrier

This slackline Washington started its life logging in Canada in a location long forgotten. It was later aquired by its second owner- Mayr Brothers of Hoquiam Washington and logged there until the big auction at Mayr Bros- 1984 I think.

Mike Walch of Auburn Timber was always running 12 or so yarders in those days, and he picked her up at the auction and last logged with it in the Tacoma Watershed in the later 1980's. He has some great video of this rig working and hopefully I'll get the Rusty Grapple site going enough to add his videos- we're working on that now.

Mike has pulled the hoist off the VIEW now, and while the VIEW is long gone the hoist does exist and may work again- mounted on something more mobile and easier to move over the highway.

I have more and better pics of this yarder, but connot find them at the moment.

 

[Contract Logger]

Good Used Slackline Yarder on VIEW Sparmatic

I have no idea what we are looking at here because the make and model of the yarder is not disclosed. I cannot imagine paying for an ad if you aren't going to fully describe your item being sold, but someone certainly did just that. It looks like a Washington or Tyee, but could easily be an old Berger. Just not sure.

Scanned out of an anonymous 1972 trade publication over the weekend.

 

[Contract Logger]

The Bones of Several Sparmatics

I was told today that Roseburg Lumber at one point owned at least 10 Sparmatics with Skagit, Washington, and Berger hoists- but mostly Skagit slackline machines.
I do remember seeing a Loggers World at some point featuring these machines, but is was years and years ago like 1982/83 ish- I'd never seen a Sparmatic and really didnt know what I was looking at.

Mike Walch has owned 6 different Sparmatic machines- Washington and Skagit hoists on his, but they have been scrapped now and are all gone. Here are some pics of remains of 3 of his machines taken in the 90's. I didnt appreciate them then and wish I'd paid more attention and taken more- and better pictures.

 

[Contract Logger]

I was chatting with an old friend on the phone today and we were talking VIEW and Sparmatic- I called him and told him we were looking for an intact Sparmatic to save for a museum project as they are quickly becoming non-existant. He thinks he knows where 2 are -complete with Washington hoists- and he'll let us know over the next few weeks. He would have given us the complete Mayr machine seen above for free had he known we were looking for one- he's a proponent of saving things this way.

Too late by a couple years on that one.

Mike says that in the early 1960's Berger aquired the Porta-Tower from Hyster and was kicking tail in the tower market with this thing. Skagit also was making progress with telescopers and Washington felt they were falling behind- they were using a Madill-style non-telescoping 90' tower at the time on the very few towers they were selling. Most Washington yarders were going onto Berger towers or Skookum/Madill spars as we have all seen. View had designed a revolutionary new telescoping tower that sat in a ball-and-socket base and it was a great new design. VIEW was selling fewer and fewer towers as they did not offer a yarder hoist of thier own to mount onto it.

He says Washington Iron Works was the licensed VIEW dealer/distributor in the US and that Washington purchased this new VIEW tower design to used on the new '158 and 208 Integral Spar/Yarders' and that everytime I see a 158 or 208 Washington I'm looking at an improved VIEW-designed tower.
I had no idea, but Mike would know as he was there and buying Washington's in those days.
Interesting stuff- Washington introduced thier 'Integral Spar Yarder' and VIEW was out of the tower business all in one fell swoop. Would have been 1967/68 ish.

 

[trakloader]

VIEW didn't actually design the Sparmatic, Frank Lawrence designed and built the first ones at the Gearmatic factory, in Newton, BC. The first one was unveiled in October, 1959, with much fanfare. Apparently, he had radio, TV, newspaper, and trade publication people there for the unveiling, as well as government officials and reps from various forest companies. It was touted as the first mobile spar to use the same engine for both yarding and travel, and was said to be able to drive anywhere a logging truck could go, and be logging within 20 minutes. (!) I'm not sure how VIEW ended up building them, but they started early, about 1961. I suspect that the Gearmatic plant wasn't up to the demand? It would sure be nice to find a survivor, thanks for your help, CL!

 

[KW850&T800H]

As you say 1959, how old do you think my yarder is?

 

[KW850&T800H]

That is deffinatly a Sparmatic. It has the right axles and wheels, the 3 guyline drums in a row all across the frame. I know you know it's one but I'm just saying to others who don't know-that's how you can tell to see if you know where one is.

 

[KW850&T800H]

From what I've noticed, VIEW Sparmatic used one basic frame design.
Always 3 chain driven spockets on the rear with 2 drums each located on the inside of the frame.
The basic huge spockets on the inside part of the rear axle.
The basic axle and wheel/hub they use.
The A-frame spar frame, usually over the rear drums.
I think I've covered the basics of most of the VIEW Sparmatics, trakloader and Contract Logger would know more. Also, this is what I recognize one by.

 

[TorkelH]

... He has some great video of this rig working and hopefully I'll get the Rusty Grapple site going enough to add his videos- we're working on that now. ...

ContractLogger; why don't you just use youtube for videos, it have been working very fine for me the last three years, and you get as good quality as you want. If I upload some really big files (2Gb) I put them on upload over the night.

 

[trakloader]

From what I've noticed, VIEW Sparmatic used one basic frame design.
Always 3 chain driven spockets on the rear with 2 drums each located on the inside of the frame.
The basic huge spockets on the inside part of the rear axle.
The basic axle and wheel/hub they use.
The A-frame spar frame, usually over the rear drums.
I think I've covered the basics of most of the VIEW Sparmatics, trakloader and Contract Logger would know more. Also, this is what I recognize one by.

And don't forget, always two tall jacks at the rear, and one under the front. Nigel, I really think that the Carsonomatic may be from 1959. I will have to do more research to confirm my theory, but I believe that it may be one of the very first ones built. I also think that the picture of the Sparmatic that looks like the Carsonomatic, may be a picture of the first one built. But, again, more research..........

 

[KW850&T800H]

And don't forget, always two tall jacks at the rear, and one under the front. Nigel, I really think that the Carsonomatic may be from 1959. I will have to do more research to confirm my theory, but I believe that it may be one of the very first ones built. I also think that the picture of the Sparmatic that looks like the Carsonomatic, may be a picture of the first one built. But, again, more research..........

Oh right the jacks :tong And please do some more, the one in the picture is the same model, might not be the same one. Thanks.

 

[trakloader]

Water Tanks

These slip on tanks were made to instantly convert your HDX, P-16, or 848-849-850 to a fire truck. The trailer under this one was put together at M&B QCD. I have no idea who built the tanks, but they're fairly old, early 60's vintage. Anyone know the builder?

 

[trakloader]

Remains of a drill

I think this is one of the early Traxxon tank drills.

 

[HDX]

Trakloader Drag that old fire tanker trailer over to your stash She is a museum piece in its own right. Everybody built them even Pacific Truck and Trailer supplied them. Alberni Engineering Hayes any machine shop that could usually did. Our Preload fire tanks were all built here in Port by Alberni Engineering Very good tanks Still 4 spread all over the claim down here. Just dont have anything to haul them with anymore

 

[trakloader]

Rare Yarder

Lantec yarder built on Cat 225.

 

[hiluxman]

Lantec yarder built on Cat 225.

what a waste of a 225 its a new excavator and then they rip it apart thats a real waste of a 225 whats the piont just get a madill

 

[trakloader]

Lantec built them on 235's, too.

 

[KW850&T800H]

what a waste of a 225 its a new excavator and then they rip it apart thats a real waste of a 225 whats the piont just get a madill

When you buy a Madill you are buying more than one (replacing it all the time). But I agree about the 225.

 

[lg junior]

Lantec yarder built on Cat 225.

I loaded logs under a Berger 25Y, it used the lantec all hydraulic drum set. I was impressed with the machine at the time, it wasn't a high production machine or very fast,but it could be moved with a straight two axle lowboy. It was built on an American hydraulic excavator and had the haywire drum mounted part way up the side of the boom. It used radial Staffa hydraulic motors no brakes, and did a respectable job of logging with a running skyline. It had some trouble downhill logging as the hydraulics would cavitate causing some eratic movements on the rigging. When the mechanic came out to fix this problem he said that there were only 5 or 6 of these ever used by Berger.

 

[lg junior]

Built in Rosedale ,B.C. Eastern Fraser Valley.This was a one company owned machine till a few years ago.It had a 4-71 Detroit, 4 drum yarder,Lawrence 10-10 drum set,Allison trans.It went through RB auction,Surrey,B.C. It sold for only 3500$ along with a Washington 78A as well,same price,went to Washington or Oregon

The little Rosedale yarder ended up in Oregon I looked at it last week, it's a very unique little machine. Sad thing is it will most likely will be scrapped soon. The asking price is not terribly out of line, but money has been tight and work sporadic at best. I would really like to know more about Rosedale Machine Shop and the other machines they produced. I went and looked at the sidewinder at Goshen Equipment and there are a couple of the Ecologgers just down the road all very interesting machines.