Scott S
Well-Known Member
For many timber companies on several continents cable logging is becoming the only choice for getting wood products to market. Over the last several decades with the advent of incredibly versatile and powerful log loaders shovel logging has removed most of the easy to get to timber many areas leaving steep and remote sites left again just as decades earlier.
With Madill leaving the industry for a time a gapping hole was left for new yarder production and with current new prices of $1.5 million plus US and 1-2 year lag times of getting a machine built most logging companies don't have the capital to put at that kind of risk. Many machines including our own are over two decades old and while a total rebuild is always possible the several months of down time for a expensive refurbishment is very difficult for a company to survive.
Some companies have been purchasing machines to keep in the “bull pen” in case of a major failure as a replacement but often these machines are being used for spare parts and quickly become unusable. To make matters worse many yarders have been shipped out of the US over the last decade exacerbating the shortage of viable machines here in North America.
Are we quickly getting to a time when aging yarders become a hazard? I have seen a couple of machines over the past few years that had some real issues, I fear one or two machine failures with serious injuries involved may lead to a industry wide inspection/recertification or red tagging of yarders.
Is my fear justified? What are your thoughts?
With Madill leaving the industry for a time a gapping hole was left for new yarder production and with current new prices of $1.5 million plus US and 1-2 year lag times of getting a machine built most logging companies don't have the capital to put at that kind of risk. Many machines including our own are over two decades old and while a total rebuild is always possible the several months of down time for a expensive refurbishment is very difficult for a company to survive.
Some companies have been purchasing machines to keep in the “bull pen” in case of a major failure as a replacement but often these machines are being used for spare parts and quickly become unusable. To make matters worse many yarders have been shipped out of the US over the last decade exacerbating the shortage of viable machines here in North America.
Are we quickly getting to a time when aging yarders become a hazard? I have seen a couple of machines over the past few years that had some real issues, I fear one or two machine failures with serious injuries involved may lead to a industry wide inspection/recertification or red tagging of yarders.
Is my fear justified? What are your thoughts?