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Vancouver Island, BC. Logging at its Best!

skyking1

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Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
I can just imagine these guys, hey will you take a picture of me with this load?
Sure! It's more like family and less like company out in the camp life.
 

camptramp

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
6,301
Location
The warm land on Vancuver Island
Occupation
Retired Logger Retired Part time pebble hauler
I can just imagine these guys, hey will you take a picture of me with this load?
Sure! It's more like family and less like company out in the camp life.
Stopping to take a picture of a picture load is more of an exception , than an every day event . Many are the times , when I got to the DLS , the DLS crew were not pleased at some of the loads I hauled from Les Hillyard . I would return for my next load and Les would sheepishly say " that last load was to big " the DLS crew complained again . So Les would cut back the loads for awhile , then start sneaking a couple more logs per load again until he got told to cut back . Those loads and many others were never recorded on film .
If we were hauling from the Camper Cr. area , looking out at the Pacific Ocean to Honeymoon Bay DLS , there wasn't much time to dilly dally , to make two loads day in a reason able amount of time .
 

big ben

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
352
Location
Vancouver Island
Most L90 don’t have that style triangle boom IIRC. That more likely would be a L115 or L120 and seeing how L120 model was the lions share of Wagner’s in the territory in the days of those pics, I’m going with L120
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
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Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Either way, why would it need to split a load? The L90 capacity is 90,000 pounds while the L120 is 120,000 pounds.
 

camptramp

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
6,301
Location
The warm land on Vancuver Island
Occupation
Retired Logger Retired Part time pebble hauler
Either way, why would it need to split a load? The L90 capacity is 90,000 pounds while the L120 is 120,000 pounds.
I'm not sure what size of a Wagner it is , it use to take 3 bites to unload most "Off Highway" trucks 16 foot bunks and 8 foot stakes "Peaked up" . Part of that reason being that the operator would try not to spear any logs trying to push the Forks through the load . That machine has no trouble lifting a load off a 7 axle highway truck . At one time the Caycuse Div. DLS hard a larger Wagner Stacker that could get its tusks around an Off Highway truck I drove with 13 6 foot bunks with 8 foot stakes with the load rounded off . The stacker would put its forks and tusks around the load and take a lift . It could not lift the load , but we would trip the stakes and the stacker would drag the load off the bunks . I'm not sure what an Off Highway load of logs would weigh , but we averaged 95 plus Meters per load . A highway tridem tridem use to average around 42 meters per load .
 

camptramp

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
6,301
Location
The warm land on Vancuver Island
Occupation
Retired Logger Retired Part time pebble hauler
Art Nickerson Collection Timberwest HBO Div. P16 Pacific in picture was an ex Pat Carson Bull Dozing truck originally , but when this picture was taken , it was probably scan037.jpg owned by Hayes Forest . I don't know what happened here , but this confirms my belief that when traveling on a Forest Industry Haul road , driving an HDX Hayes or P16 Pacific takes the worry out of getting to close on a narrow road .
 

camptramp

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
6,301
Location
The warm land on Vancuver Island
Occupation
Retired Logger Retired Part time pebble hauler
No CB radio?
Within the Tree Farm license's we operated in , we ran on a VIH 2 way radio channel federally issued and controlled in that area . To legally use that radio channel required a letter of permission from the holder of the license . Some people that used the road net work on a regular basis would get permission and have the channel installed in their personal VIH radio , some others would fudge the system and have the channel installed . As access was uncontrolled to the Industrial Roads we used , there was a lot of tourist traffic . We have check points that we called out on our radio channel to keep track of where the logging trucks were , but one had to drive into the corners with the attitude that there would be a vehicle coming at you faster than road conditions would allow . Not often , but sometimes things didn't work out in every ones favour .
 

John C.

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Jun 11, 2007
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In this area the CB is the radio of choice to avoid the sudden meetings on the gravel. Most logging roads will have a sign that gives the CB channel the truckers are using on that road. There are 40 channels on the CB so you don't get much cross talk from other nearby roads. Along the road there will be number signs that you call out as you pass them. The truck drivers will call out as empty if they are coming into the woods and as loaded when leaving the woods. There is no license for using a CB as it is only good for about five miles of reach at best and those radios are pretty cheap. When thought of as a safety system, it is probably the cheapest and best use of money to avoid an accident that could cost someone their life.
 

camptramp

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
6,301
Location
The warm land on Vancuver Island
Occupation
Retired Logger Retired Part time pebble hauler
Its interesting to hear about what works in other situations . The area that we worked in was at one time 2 BCFP Divisions Renfrew and Caycuse in though's days each Div. had its own VHF radio channel . After Fletcher Challenge took over BCFP the 2 Divisions became one . The area ranged from the Lake Cowichan area to Nitinat Lake to Port Renfrew and also some Blocks of timber in the Shawnigan Lake area . Unless your down in the bottom of a deep canyon , the VHF signal carries a long distance . For radio coverage over the whole area , there was a "Repeater" situated on top of a high mountain . Our radio's had 2 channels Repeat and Direct . When talking to the loader or traveling on the logging roads I used the direct channel . If I was responding to the Dispatcher or Shop or Office , I would switch to the repeater channel . The system actually used 2 channels . The Direct channel was from radio to radio , the repeater channel transmitted on a channel that the repeater received then transmitted on the direct channel . I guess the only real advantage would be that , one was always a where of what was going on in the Division . The VHF system is the only one I'm familiar with , it was in place when I started in the Woods and still is . I'm sure there are "CB's" around , but I haven't had anything to do with them .
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,462
Location
washington
The CB was cheap and available to all. Although there used to be lots of closed logging with off road trucks back in the day, the typical operation is highway capable trucks and roads that any idiot can wander up. The CB did indeed save lives on these roads, along with the waypoint signs and channel signs the system worked.
The few times I went up an active logging road without one, I had the window down, would slow down and take turnouts and listen for downhill trucks before moving up.
 

John C.

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Jun 11, 2007
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12,865
Location
Northwest
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Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Before cell phones, there was VHF in the mechanic trucks down here. Everyone hated them. When you had to get through to someone, it wouldn't. When you were on your way home on Friday night they worked perfect. Oh, would you swing by and check on so and so. Says his engine had a hick up. Turns out to be a rod ejection through the side of the block. They call and get a swing motor on the way and you were stuck for working another day and half to three days doing a swap. Get a couple of flat tires and the radio couldn't get out so you could get a tow truck or even a tire guy. I got to where I would shut the thing off and tell them it didn't work from Thursday to Monday.

At least the CB would get someone driving on the main highway once in awhile and they could make a phone call when they came by a phone booth.
 
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