Ax Men

[Lashlander]

I may be mistaken but I think your talking about the trolly getting a hold of the highline. There is a cable hooked to the trolly to run it in and out. It just rides on the highline cable. If thats not what you mean I'm confused. Sorry.

 

[dirtwhore]

Never even thought of that Lashlander. Your right. The main line, or haul back line as I know it pulls the carriage up the hill and gravity takes it back down. The guy with the "bug" or tooter, can stop the carriage with a toot. That will lock the brakes on the car, which are amazingly strong. The brake locks on both sides of the skyline to hold it in place while the rigging slingers set the chokers. A few more toots tighten up the line from the car, a couple more release the brake and three quickies tell the yarder engineer to GO AHEAD ON HER!! Thats when he will hit the haul back lever and get it to the landing. Its been about 10 years since Ive been down in the brush, or working around a yarder, but hearing all the toots on the show got my mind a reeling! I do remember this. Each toot from the bug had a different frequency to control different functions.

 

[Colin Doy]

I know nothing about logging. It was a bit of an eye opener watching Ax men. I hope History channel keeps it "honest" although I'm sure you guys will point out any "staging."

 

[DPete]

I may be mistaken but I think your talking about the trolly getting a hold of the highline. There is a cable hooked to the trolly to run it in and out. It just rides on the highline cable. If thats not what you mean I'm confused. Sorry.

Ya, that was what I meant, I thought I heard them say it had a motor in it. Does the haul back line also hoist the logs?

 

[Big Iron]

For those of you lucky enough to have cable and be able to watch this program (I don't have and can't) that are unfamilar with logging, I have some diagrams of the various different high lead logging systems. They should help understand some of the terminolgy used as well as how the systems work. From what I am hearing in this thread it seems that this is a well put together program, its about time someone portrayed loggers as good hard working people:usa, rather than the rapist of the forests.
I can't figuare out how to insert text between the pictures so I'll do it this way
The first 3 are the high lead system, the live skyline or shotgun system and the running skyline (there is a photo of our Washington 78 using this system combined with a mechanical slack pulling carriage in the mechanical logging thread), these 3 are probably the most typically used today.
The live skyline shows it with a shotgun (non-motorized gravity) carriage, typically today that would be a motorized carriage with 200 + feet of up to 7/8ths" drop line in it. That is the one that will clamp to the skyline to allow the logs to be pulled up to it and then hauled to the landing using the main line.
The photo of the Washington 208 with a 110' tower typically will use the high lead or skyline configuartion (with either a shotgun or motorized carriage) it is a 5 drum machine capable of reaching out 2500'

 

[Big Iron]

Some more systems

 

[jim shepard]

Some more systems

great diagram now i understand ,thanks

 

[biggixxerjim]

i cant stand to watch this show for too long...... just more people making a big deal out of nothing. I love it how some of these guys act in such a predictable, stereotypical way. And the kid Jesse, I might have to kill him......

 

[dirt digger]

i cant stand to watch this show for too long...... just more people making a big deal out of nothing. I love it how some of these guys act in such a predictable, stereotypical way. And the kid Jesse, I might have to kill him......

i don't know if "killing him" would be the right thing to say...but he seems to be the biggest whiner of the bunch...nothing ever seems to "go right for him"

the other guys are out of hand too...maybe they are trying to be tough on TV but if they ever walked off the job where i work because they didn't like one of the operators it would be their last time working for the company

72V thats pretty cool...my best buddy is an AGR brother down at Del Val in eastern PA

 

[Buckethead]

Dirtdigger and Bigxxxer Jim I know what you mean. I didn't like the way they were badmouthing the new operator. If they could do it better, why were they not in the seat? Probably just drama added for the show I guess.

 

[humboldt deere]

I think they dramatize alot for the show but that dang jesse would drive me crazy I think he probably brings the whole crews morale down with his attitude. I'll bet his dad did'nt act that way when he was building the company and things did'nt go perfect. When something dont go right you can't do nothing about it except try to do it right next time. If things consistently go wrong you gotta wonder if your in the right business.

 

[John C.]

I've watched a few of the shows and they really don't represent the logging industry very well. They are trying to make it seem more dangerous than a year in Bagdad and how heroic the crews are for going back into the line of fire everyday.

Big Iron, I've never worked as a logger but had to fix lots of logging machines over the years so I just love your diagrams on the different high lead systems. They are complicated on paper and doubly so in the brush. The program shows mostly skycars and I saw one bullet carriage. One episode showed a crew standing around when a skycar broke. The side rod went for another skycar. The reason that struck me as so stupid was that most of the high lead operators I've seen over the years always had something else they could do to keep everyone producing logs. If the terrain was steep enough to use a skycar then why didn't they have a bullet carriage there in case the motor in the skycar blew up. I have also seen butt rigging used many times in the past but it seems to be nonexistant now days.

I think the show would have been better if they had showed as many different types of logging as there are. I've seen no shovel logging done and only one episode showed a couple of shots of skidder logging. The processors are also very interesting but the only thing the producers of the show can focus on is the green horn getting his foot stuck in a pinch while he is bumping knots. Never mind that he shouldn't be working on top of a deck of logs in the first place. Single grip harvestors are also used on tree farms all over the country but there is never a mention that they even exist.

The boss of the high dollar outfit comes across as a timber raper only worried about how much money his people are costing him while the low dollar boss generally looks like a reject from the bum and stumble corps. I have known people in their positions and can say with reasonable certainty that both men are probably fairly sophisticated and knowledgeable about their business, concerned about their people and worried that their industry will be pulled out from under their feet. Unfortunately the show can only focus on the drama of the "dangerous job" and the petty interactions that are normal for anyone working in a tough job.

 

[dirt digger]

I've watched a few of the shows and they really don't represent the logging industry very well. They are trying to make it seem more dangerous than a year in Bagdad and how heroic the crews are for going back into the line of fire everyday.

thats how they get viewers that don't know any better....i feel that they did the same with Ice Road Truckers and they will probably do the same with that "Tougher in Alaska" show...I mean if they followed us around they would probably do half a show on how dangerous it is to climb the wet steps of a track hoe just to fuel it up at the end of the day...or make a huge deal on how dangerous it is to drop the belly pan on an old 955L...everything is dangerous to someone, you just have to be smart about it

 

[roadrunner]

John C, I think you should grab a saw and actually go out and fall trees for a day! I know that your ba**s would be dragging on the ground after a full day of cutting and would have a different view of how "non-dangerous" logging is!
The guys on the show are not acting.that is just the way it is and who they are.When your head is on a swivel all day and running on adrenaline you might seem a little diffrent to others also.

 

[td8]

I have done some logging before and let me tell you it is every bit dangerous as the show makes it out to be.I have known several guys that have been killed in the last few years logging.Everything in the log woods is dangerous from cutting,skidding, loading and unloading trucks.

 

[DPete]

I wonder what the workmans comp rate is or if there is any insurance co. that will even sell coverage.

 

[Big Iron]

I wonder what the workmans comp rate is or if there is any insurance co. that will even sell coverage.

when i was logging in the 70's we paid about $11>15.00 per 100.00 in wages for workmens comp ins. it was through the State of OR. i have no idea what it is today, but i can imagine its done the same thing everything else and went up!

 

[John C.]

When I started my business in 1996 an independant field mechanic paid 3.50 per hour to the state for state industrial insurance. Unless you were an officer of the company they got paid or you didn't work. The logging business at the same time was paying up to eighteen dollars an hour for choker setters depending on the accident history of the company. I too would imagine those rates are much higher today.

The coverage is great if you can afford it.

 

[dumptrucker]

I think it is around 60 to 70 dollars a hundred for work-comp. I know in NY some areas don't even allow men in the woods , it's all mechanical logging.

 

[TMTS]

workers comp for logging- for hand felling in NH its closer to $80-100 per $100 of payroll...hence most of us work on our own as owner/operators. Go mechanized (shear/feller-buncher) and the rate drops in half...course you need to get the machine to do it...