Nineties Logging

John C. · Feb 21, 2020

I was going through some of my old video productions that are still on tape and came across this from around 1996. It shows a typical high lead operation using a carriage on a Skagit tower, Link Belt with a Denis telescoping boom delimiter and a Thunderbird logging shovel. It explains a little about the process and was produced for people that had never seen logging before. Most people who were not part of the industry at that time didn't understand sorting timber in the woods. You don't see stroke delimbers much anymore.

Labparamour · Feb 21, 2020

Nice video. Thanks for sharing it.
Beautiful day to be in the woods.
Now, a 35* rainy winter day.... makes you appreciate the hard work done getting timber to market.

I enjoyed the first season (before all the drama) of Ax Men for being able to see the different operations and equipment.

JPV · Feb 25, 2020

Great video, looked like an Elmer Cook truck there!

Blocker in MS · Feb 25, 2020

That is a great video John C. When I was a boy I got ahold of Logger’s World magazine and ended up with a subscription. There was always some fascinating stuff in the PNW. I bet somewhere on the farm there is still that Denharco VHS tape.

John C. · Feb 25, 2020

It probably was one of Cook's trucks. The show was out by Boisford as I recall. Thanks for the kind comments.

92U 3406 · Feb 25, 2020

Back when logging actually paid money!

Mike L · Feb 29, 2020

Stroke delimbers are still on almost every mechanical operation over here on the east coast. Mostly pro-pac. Starting to see a few pull through setups here and there.

John C. · Feb 29, 2020

I think I've only seen one in the last five years here. I'm told they work better when the sap is running as there is no slippage that you see on the rollers of the dangle heads that are common here now. It's mostly Waratahs and a few Keto heads now but there are others showing up as well. Maybe someone can give some insights to the new ones.

Mike L · Feb 29, 2020

As far as I know on the pro pac limbers, slippage isn’t an issue because the rear grab arms can hold it tight enough. As far as the processer heads go slippage can be an issue towards spring because the bark gets loose on the trees. Waratah and Ponsse heads are very popular here and some guys are mating the ponsse head to different brand machines. I’ve never seen a keto head.

John C. · Feb 29, 2020

The Keto head uses tracks instead of tires or spike wheels. I've seen a couple of Pro Pacs here but the Denis was king for a long time.

Hallback · Mar 4, 2020

We still have a stroker but also a 623c Waratah & just ordered a Southstar 605 grapple processor.

John C. · Mar 4, 2020

Nice, how old is the stroker? Let us know what you think of the Southstar.

Hallback · Mar 5, 2020

The stroker is a Pierce 3348 on a Cat 324dfm. It's a 2010 I believe. I like the Southstar heads, we used to have a qs500.

Muffler Bearing · Mar 17, 2020

Why the whistle? were radios not reliable?

John C. · Mar 17, 2020

That's a good question. I suppose the thing with a whistle is that everyone can hear it and act accordingly. Radios generally only work for the people who have them tuned to the same type of radio and same frequency. You don't garble up a whistle or mis-understand the message that is being conveyed.

Birken Vogt · Mar 18, 2020

I saw it shown on another place that when they were telling the yarder operator what to do over the radio only, he had to punch out the whistle signals himself so as to inform others in the area what would be happening.

Tugger2 · Mar 24, 2020

I think a radio occupys too much of a guys time ,always is more chatter than neccesary. Guys on the rigging have their hands full most of the time,when i was a kid setting chokers they would joke ,run in for your money and out for your lives. No confusion with whistles,just hit the bug 3 times and shes going ahead,once and all stops

mitch504 · Mar 24, 2020

Around here, (South Carolina coastal plain), every thing is delimbed with pull through setups mounted on the loader trailer, except for one or two crawler loaders.

Truck Shop · Mar 26, 2020

Nothing like a yarder whistle to get peoples attention, which reminds me I have a whistle off a Madill in a box some where around the house.

donkey doctor · Mar 26, 2020

Love the sound of a yarding whistle. Stands the hair on the back of my neck up. I have 3. Don't blow for the hooker at midnight on new years eve if your neighbor has horses tho. Lucky she thought it was just the shotguns being fired off. d.d.

Nineties Logging

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