Skagit Iron and Steel Works, Sedro Wooley, Washington

[tree farmer]

The trailing flagger pickup has" Fudge " on the door.

 

[Username]

Is that GT4 one of the Huffman-Wright units out of Canyonville? They've been for sale for a few years, and I think his asking price is down to $25,000. Didn't look like bad machines when I saw them.

 

[Contract Logger]

Thunderbirs swing yarder possibilities.....

Nice pics tree farmer, I hardly ever get to see a yarder on move, and you get to see two! I actually saw an 071 heading south on I5 near Woodland this afternoon. No chance to get a picture though, was going the opposite way. The one going by looks like a TSY255, do you know whose it was?

TSY-255's left in the Longview/Ranier area these days are few- there were alot more of them in the early 1990's.

Fudge did pick up a used TSY-255 last year- I suspect this is the machine as Joel Olson is moving it here, and the pics are taken at Aipary (Fudge logs for Fibre who owns all the timber ground right there- with the exception of tree-farmer and the Evenson's).

Other TSY-255's in that area:

1. Holce at Vernonia has one purchased new and logging for Fibre at Vernonia its whole life
2. Evenson at Clatskanie has one (they move thier own and wouldn't used Olson) at Clatskanie its whole life
3. Browning (Astoria) has one (that came from Weyerhaeuser) and moves it himself
4. Art Ragsdale has one he bought new -often working in the Vernonia area
5. Lundberg at Knappa had one but I think it's been sold now- usually worked up Big Creek at Knappa
6. John Barndse (Knappa) has one also- and Olson moves for him. It came out of Whitestone's Alaska operations
7. Chilton Logging (Woodland) has one I have seen logging at Vernonia several times. Not sure where it came from...

Also- TSY-50's look identical and this machine doesnt say what it is:

1. Rick Gwin (Vernonia) had a TSY-50 but sold it a few years back I believe (he upgraded to a new Madill 120)
2. Nygaard at Warrenton still has a TSY-50 but also moves all thier own equipment.

Sorry for the rant- back in the day there were 30+ of these machines in this area....

I do have working pictures of all these machines and will post to the Thunderbird thread eventually....

 

[Contract Logger]

Allright I hijacked the thread for a second so here are some Skagit GT pictures from Ross's used equipment catalogs in 1984.

 

[tree farmer]

Yes it is one of the 4 that H&W used. Only a few small things need repair, one clutch activator cylinder return spring plus a couple brake band return springs. A few small air leaks and a few semi-rotten airlines. Anybody got a shed full of skagit parts?

 

[tree farmer]

TSY-255's left in the Longview/Ranier area these days are few- there were alot more of them in the early 1990's.

Fudge did pick up a used TSY-255 last year- I suspect this is the machine as Joel Olson is moving it here, and the pics are taken at Aipary (Fudge logs for Fibre who owns all the timber ground right there- with the exception of tree-farmer and the Evenson's).

Other TSY-255's in that area:

1. Holce at Vernonia has one purchased new and logging for Fibre at Vernonia its whole life
2. Evenson at Clatskanie has one (they move thier own and wouldn't used Olson) at Clatskanie its whole life
3. Browning (Astoria) has one (that came from Weyerhaeuser) and moves it himself
4. Art Ragsdale has one he bought new -often working in the Vernonia area
5. Lundberg at Knappa had one but I think it's been sold now- usually worked up Big Creek at Knappa
6. John Barndse (Knappa) has one also- and Olson moves for him. It came out of Whitestone's Alaska operations
7. Chilton Logging (Woodland) has one I have seen logging at Vernonia several times. Not sure where it came from...

Also- TSY-50's look identical and this machine doesnt say what it is:

1. Rick Gwin (Vernonia) had a TSY-50 but sold it a few years back I believe (he upgraded to a new Madill 120)
2. Nygaard at Warrenton still has a TSY-50 but also moves all thier own equipment.

Sorry for the rant- back in the day there were 30+ of these machines in this area....

I do have working pictures of all these machines and will post to the Thunderbird thread eventually....

Herb Olstedt bought Holces's machine last month. Gwin's 120 is in New Zealand now.

 

[Contract Logger]

Herb Olstedt bought Holces's machine last month. Gwin's 120 is in New Zealand now.

Wow. Things change all the time. Herb is always buying and that Holce 255 was a nice tight machine. No real surprise there.

I guess the next questions then: What are Holce and Gwin yarding with today, or did they finally give it up?

 

[tree farmer]

Wow. Things change all the time. Herb is always buying and that Holce 255 was a nice tight machine. No real surprise there.

I guess the next questions then: What are Holce and Gwin yarding with today, or did they finally give it up?

CL Holce is done. Gwin's are now ground loggers. The REITs (Real estate investment trusts) that manage timberland around here are nearsighted. They lay out yarder sales with no shovel ground to help subsidize the yarder or make the job worth moving to and from for the bid amounts. REIT's have to maximize ROI so they shovel logs everything possible cause its cheap. The yarder sales are often poorly layed out, and more complicated because of Oregon's 120 acre clearcut law. The longterm results are that yarders and their trained crews are vanishing. CL you get around, do you know where one might find a large johnson yarding grapple for a GT-4

 

[30 B]

I am also looking for a large yarding grapple if you can find enough to go around.

 

[JeremyM70]

TSY-255's left in the Longview/Ranier area these days are few- there were alot more of them in the early 1990's.

Fudge did pick up a used TSY-255 last year- I suspect this is the machine as Joel Olson is moving it here, and the pics are taken at Aipary (Fudge logs for Fibre who owns all the timber ground right there- with the exception of tree-farmer and the Evenson's).

I saw the Fudge pickup, didn't realize that had a swing yarder, do they still have the old Weyco Madill 172 #238 as well?

 

[tree farmer]

GT-4 partial assembly

Boom and gantry cribbed and blocked in place waiting for yarder to drive right on up. Then line up the pin holes and your ready to raise this machines folding gantry. Normally this boom would have been on a 40 foot flatbed trailer making assembly easier.

 

[tree farmer]

Skagit 444 serial A1

Our family yarded logs with a 444. It's serial number was A1. We purchased it at the CZ Rainier OR. auction. It was first owned by ITT Rayonier. We sold it to some retired loggers in Enterprize OR in the mid 90's. It had the heel rack boom on it.

Here is a late 80's picture

 

[JTL]

Lookin good! Stupid question though. Are you going to be logging with it where you are putting it together, or plan on doing a midnight lowboy trip to the job?

And, you wouldn't happen to have any more pictures of that 444 would you?

 

[tree farmer]

I prefer the dawn assault on Sunday mornings. (joke) It will stay on the tree farm where it may ride cross-ways on a 70 ton off road General lowboy pulled by a M911 Oshkosh. In the process of assembly we are planning more modifications to the boom and gantry in order to make future in-field pin hole line up simple. I will inquire about more photos of the 444.

 

[Contract Logger]

CL Holce is done. Gwin's are now ground loggers. The REITs (Real estate investment trusts) that manage timberland around here are nearsighted. They lay out yarder sales with no shovel ground to help subsidize the yarder or make the job worth moving to and from for the bid amounts. REIT's have to maximize ROI so they shovel logs everything possible cause its cheap. The yarder sales are often poorly layed out, and more complicated because of Oregon's 120 acre clearcut law. The longterm results are that yarders and their trained crews are vanishing. CL you get around, do you know where one might find a large johnson yarding grapple for a GT-4

I know where there are 4 or 5 of them- all right here close in Alaska but for whatever reason thier owners will not even think of discussing selling them.
I would suggest putting an ad in the Loggers World and My Little Salesman mags and see what happens. Wish I could help. I had a nice 72" MAR off a 108 Washington I was saving (in Longview actually- to mount my mailbox on) but sold it in 2002 for an insane price. Picked it up for $50 at an RB auction in Olympia in 2000...I replaced it with a big ESCO 84" loading grapple for that same mailbox project.......

 

[Contract Logger]

Skagits at Crown Zellerbach Auction - Rainier Oregon June 1989

Here's a shot I took at the auction that does in fact include tree-farmers Skagit 444 in the lineup there. A bunch of Skagits went through that day and a bunch of Washington stuff too.

Also can be seen at left- a Skagit PT-4Y Yarder with 70' lattice boom, Skagit 444, Skagit SJ-5, etc.

I have a box of detailed pics along with the auction brochure with all the serial numbers, etc someplace but havent run across it yet. I found like 20 of the pics in a random album and this is one of those pics. None were great and show any detail.

Tree farmer- my uncle (and a neighbor of yours out there- R.C. Calvert) purchased a dandy little Garrett Model 15 skidder at this sale that day also. I am sure you remember RC and maybe even remember that little skidder. Someone came along and offered him big $$$ so he sent them away with that skidder one day and bought a nice little dozer- a TD-9 I think.

 

[bitner1970]

Does anybody have the overall dimensions for the BU-739 self propelled yarder? The basic dimensions in the brochures would be nice, as well as tube diameter etc. This is for a future scratch built model in 1/25th scale, as soon as I finish the Washington TL-6 I'm building now. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers:

Bill

 

[tree farmer]

GT4 gantry raising

Used one of the main drums to unfold and stand up gantry. Then you sort out the guylines and raise the boom.

 

[rockhaul]

CL Holce is done. Gwin's are now ground loggers. The REITs (Real estate investment trusts) that manage timberland around here are nearsighted. They lay out yarder sales with no shovel ground to help subsidize the yarder or make the job worth moving to and from for the bid amounts. REIT's have to maximize ROI so they shovel logs everything possible cause its cheap. The yarder sales are often poorly layed out, and more complicated because of Oregon's 120 acre clearcut law. The longterm results are that yarders and their trained crews are vanishing. CL you get around, do you know where one might find a large johnson yarding grapple for a GT-4

yeah to bad all true timber companies are now gone, land is now managed by wall street and timber is being cut far faster than its growing, by default it will just give the State more control since they will have the majority of the timber left standing for the next 40 or so years.ointhead

 

[tree farmer]

Here's a shot I took at the auction that does in fact include tree-farmers Skagit 444 in the lineup there. A bunch of Skagits went through that day and a bunch of Washington stuff too.

Also can be seen at left- a Skagit PT-4Y Yarder with 70' lattice boom, Skagit 444, Skagit SJ-5, etc.

I have a box of detailed pics along with the auction brochure with all the serial numbers, etc someplace but havent run across it yet. I found like 20 of the pics in a random album and this is one of those pics. None were great and show any detail.

Tree farmer- my uncle (and a neighbor of yours out there- R.C. Calvert) purchased a dandy little Garrett Model 15 skidder at this sale that day also. I am sure you remember RC and maybe even remember that little skidder. Someone came along and offered him big $$$ so he sent them away with that skidder one day and bought a nice little dozer- a TD-9 I think.

CL: RC Calvert and his wife Hazel were longtime family friends, dating back to during WWII. Hazel was my second grade teacher at the Apairy two room school house. I do remember the garret 15 and a couple different little dozers over the years. We often stopped to see if he had something new for sale. Our current stock trailer was one of his roadside deals.