Coast Logger

[VI TL]

During the low summer tides at Rennell and with the build up of debris had to cold deck the loads. The boomman would come in at high tide later, good thing for long days when you are that far north and west, and would break down the pile. Risky business at times. He would look for key logs that would let the pile collapse. He was great at this.

 

[VI TL]

Building cold deck

 

[VI TL]

More

 

[VI TL]

Last

 

[VI TL]

Cleaning out in front of the A-frame with a 7220. Orange peel would be better, even a three point grapple but you use what you have.

 

[VI TL]

More 7220

 

[VI TL]

More Rennell

 

[VI TL]

Madill grapple yarder on top road, 075 loader on rubber, 075 super snorkel on tracks and a hoe chucker.

 

[Chopper95]

Love the photos, VI TL

Do you have any other shots of that 245 Cat?

 

[Jumbo]

Madill grapple yarder on top road, 075 loader on rubber, 075 super snorkel on tracks and a hoe chucker.[/QUOTE]

I always like how many photos were taken on beautiful days. What few photos I took were also on gorgeous days. Sunny, a light breeze to keep the bugs away, big wood and up in the air, no choker holes to dig, just wonderful. Very few of us took photos where we were up to our azz in mud and snow with half rain half snow running down the back of our necks. And, when you opened your lunch, ice water ran out of your sandwich bag. All wrapped up with an 1-1/4x60' kinky choker.
I definitely like the sunny photos in my "elder" years. Always brings back the good memories, happy hookers, happy side rods all with straight chokers.

 

[VI TL]

Raining. Creates big trees.

 

[John C.]

Rain and a long time to grow.

 

[petepilot]

Rain and a long time to grow.

that is some big wood. many years in the making

 

[VI TL]

1969. Grapple yarding with a TL6 at Mahatta River. Used the strawline to open the grapple, no extensions, all one line. 400 feet was maximum yarding distance usually less. Logged corners and short yarding. Never just logged the first 400 feet of spar settings. This never works, poor morale for spar crews and you never get optimum production. Some days change roads over 10 times, hooker barely had time to move block and strap to new road before the last road was finished. No mobile backspars in those days. If you’re lucky walk off a corner and don’t change roads all day. Communication between operator and hooker was hand signals, no radio or whistle (Challenger Electro Bug, which is what Rayonier used, or Talkie Tooter). I’m sure WorkSafe would be happy with that system in this era.

 

[VI TL]

Rennell Sound

 

[Welder Dave]

What a sad demise. They were good loaders.

 

[John C.]

They were one of the worst designed misbegotten pieces of crap I've ever had the misfortune to put a wrench to. They were cheap to fit a market segment. Even so I hate to see something burned up as completely as that machine is.

 

[VI TL]

2 Clark 175’s were bought, 1 for the drysort being built and 1 to load rock and be a backup for the sort machine. Both had Cummins engines and both had repeated fuel pump issues. In a short time the booms were rubbing on the tires. The fuel pump issue was solved after quite a few failures. The booms were fixed. Clark admitted that there was a problem with treating the steel after fabrication. After this machine burned it was replaced with another 175 with a Jimmy and tires better suited for the dry sort so it became the sort machine and performed reasonably well, certainly a lot better than the first machine. The Cat 980B was a decent machine for its time. The 980C I thought was not a very nimble machine, good for large wood.

 

[VI TL]

Gold River

 

[VI TL]

Head of Knight Inlet 1975