History gurus: Who invented the haulback?

[Vigilant]

From what I have read and heard, it sounds like Cy Blackwell was the first logger to use the haulback in the Grays Harbor area. I'm thinking it had to either be him or Polson, since those are the two names which come up the most as far as logging innovations of yesteryear in those parts. I have also heard that Cy Blackwell brought the first Dolbeer donkey to that area. Others opine that Polson was the first to bring steam to the PNW.

So, does anyone know for sure who did the dastardly deed?

I do know that Cy Blackwell was credited with inventing many new and exciting ways to curse, threaten and coerce teams of oxen in his efforts to help those critters to increase their productivity.

 

[akroadrunner]

My Grandpa invented the haulback. At least according to my Dad. They had a single drum yarder. 3/4" mainline. Dad hauled it back out into the woods as far as he could. 14 years old and went in business with his Dad. Falling with a misery whip, and yarding with that single drum machine. My Dad was the haulback in 1940.
I used to work hard logging. My dad worked HARDER. No wonder he is still going at 85. He was the poster child for 'Hard all the way to the Bone!' Hey, that might be a good thread.

 

[Vigilant]

Yep. Might be. I heard that in the early days, they pulled the main line back out with a mule. Sounds like your grandfather beat the system. Hearing stories like this makes me think I might not have had it so bad after all in my younger days when I cut shortwood. I had an old 2-ton truck in pretty nice shape (a Louisville Ford 700) set up with pulpwood stakes, several saws, and I usually picked up a low-life or two to come and help until they had enough of the ticks, redbugs, snakes and posion ivy. I did plantation thinning mostly, Cut out every fifth row and thinned in between the rows, sawed to 6-foot lengths, wrestled the wood to the truck by hand, and loaded by hand as well until I built a cable loader. Now, I don't claim to hold a candle to what your father did starting out, but it sure wasn't any kind of picnic. They closed all the shortwood yards down years ago around here. Nobody wanted to work that hard any more. I still have my set of loading tongs as a reminder.

 

[furpo]

Not quite on topic but was the running haulback invented by the fellow Gyniski?

 

[Jim1960]

Not quite on topic but was the running haulback invented by the fellow Gyniski?

I've heard that running a rider block on the haulback was invented by Phil Grabinski. Here in Western Washington we called it a "pollack." Not too politically correct I guess, but that's what we called it.

 

[fitzpatrick]

I've heard that running a rider block on the haulback was invented by Phil Grabinski. Here in Western Washington we called it a "pollack." Not too politically correct I guess, but that's what we called it.

Hi Jim 1960:

Here on the coast of BC we call your Grabinski a Scab Block. Diff. terminology but same idea. An easy way to get a bit more lift. Sometimes.

As far as who invented the haulback? Well I guess that is lost in the mists of the rainforest but no doubt there were many thinking that old mule wasn't cutting it, so drag up another single drum and try to get the operators, known here as 'donkey punchers' to get working together. At least with steam power being very quiet, those guys could easily verbally communicate if they wished, but most likely just hand signals did the trick.

I suppose it wasn't long before some enterprising logger or an iron works company, built a two drum winch. I wonder when the 'straw line', 'haywire drum to you, got added. Well I guess if the old mule got the pink slip the straw line drum had to be on the newly invented two drum winch.

Washington Iron Works built a lot of first class logging equipment. Not a make over but designed for logging. Dependable.

Brian

 

[Jim1960]

The actual term is "running skyline." The simplest form is the rider block on the haulback with a strap connecting it to the buttrigging. Or you can run a dropline carriage. Or a grapple, it's all the same principle. I've worked under a Washington 88 swing yarder running a Danebo slack pulling, or dropline carriage. We'd use lift trees at the back end and hang both legs of the haul back in the tree. When using a Grabinski system with a high lead yarder, we'd do the same thing.

I worked for one logger who had one of the big Madill 056 tension yarders, I think the thing had a 1 1/8" haulback on it and was designed to use a big slack pulling carriage. We did away with the carriage and just ran a Grabinksi. On one job we were yarding almost 2000' downhill using the Grabinski. We used 24' blocks for tail blocks. It was quite a sight to see when that machine would carry a big turn of old-growth fully suspended.

 

[fitzpatrick]

Hi: Jim1960: Great post. Brought back lots a memories of those big Madill yarders. Most of my time was spent as a faller but eventually got to work helping to set up with dropping a few trees for guy line stumps and working in the landing when on lite duty due to injuries. Oh, I nearly forgot, pulling straw line for the first rig-up. I think nobody wanted to be the first to power out so we would just keep pulling.

Oh yeah, 1 and 1/8 haul back! Jeez. There can't be a lot of logging opportunity like that left. Maybe we've seen the best of it, eh? Gosh it was fun but a lot of work and sweat nonetheless.

You must had some serious tail holds for that 056 Madill.

 

[580bruce]

Logging is so fastinating to me.I think in the day I would have loved it! Anyway could anyone illistrate or give us a pic to better understand? I always liked the picture books!

 

[Jim1960]

I meant to say that we used 24" blocks for tail blocks. We had to make a haywire layout just to move the blocks.

<<Oh yeah, 1 and 1/8 haul back! Jeez. There can't be a lot of logging opportunity like that left.>>

I think that machine sat out behind the shop for years, minus the tube and cab. It's probably long gone to the scrapper by now. Last time I worked on it was in 1987 or 88 I think, way up Martin Creek, past Skykomish, WA and off The Stevens Pass Highway.

 

[fitzpatrick]

Hi Jim:

I got that about the 24" blocks. I guess whoever could carry one got free beer for life. Just packing half of the shell would be enough for me. I'm flashing on the fun it must have been getting those brutes out to the back end. I shudder to think of the hang ups and broken straw line that must have occured trying to drag that anchor thru the slash. Too many memories of finding the broken line somewhere in the felled & bucked and then the crew pulling and pulling line to get re-connected. I have heard of a few loggers hiring a helicopter to get blocks placed and pull straw line on a really steep show.

I can visualize the tie-backs, twisters and crossed fingers. And the sweat, always the sweat. I was always glad when I was sent back falling. Listening to the signals always kept me in touch with how things were going when I was falling. Those riggin' rats worked way too hard for me but my heart was always with them.

 

[Jim1960]

Hi Jim:

I got that about the 24" blocks. I guess whoever could carry one got free beer for life. Just packing half of the shell would be enough for me. I'm flashing on the fun it must have been getting those brutes out to the back end. I shudder to think of the hang ups and broken straw line that must have occured trying to drag that anchor thru the slash. Too many memories of finding the broken line somewhere in the felled & bucked and then the crew pulling and pulling line to get re-connected. I have heard of a few loggers hiring a helicopter to get blocks placed and pull straw line on a really steep show.



I can visualize the tie-backs, twisters and crossed fingers. And the sweat, always the sweat. I was always glad when I was sent back falling. Listening to the signals always kept me in touch with how things were going when I was falling. Those riggin' rats worked way too hard for me but my heart was always with them.

We generally used a helicopter to fly the blocks & straps out to the back end and make the initial layout. To move the blocks for road changes, we'd use a section or two of haywire & a small rigging block. Put the small block on the new tailhold and string your haywire from the present tailhold to the new one, thru the small block. Use a hindu to fasten the 24" block to the haywire. Remove the rider block and chokers from the butt rigging and run the buttrigging all the way to back end, fasten the other end of the haywire to the buttrigging and go ahead easy until the 24" block and strap is where you want it to be. When you have your blocks where you want them, make a haywire layout and change roads. Make sense?

 

[fitzpatrick]

Jim:

I should of been working with you guys. Oh well.

 

[fitzpatrick]

Hi Jim:

Hindu? Is that what we would call a Molly Hogan?

 

[furpo]

The switched on guys just use a donkey to pack the blocks and coils around.

The Hindu I know of is a short length of strawline looped with a hook. It is used for joining strawline when the hook are not spliced into the strawline length.

 

[fitzpatrick]

The switched on guys just use a donkey to pack the blocks and coils around.

The Hindu I know of is a short length of strawline looped with a hook. It is used for joining strawline when the hook are not spliced into the strawline length.

Hi Furpo:

Switched on. I like that. LOL I think that a logger is a logger switched on or not. Usually not. That's the fun part.

A Hindu is a somewhat familiar term I've heard a few times a long time ago whenever I worked in the rigging but I can't seem to nail it just now. But I think we use that term as well when dealing with straw line. One of the reasons I got to do a bit of rigging work was 'cause I could splice. Faller's aren't supposed to know about splicing. Just seemed to pick it up somehow. Any side I worked on had everything spliced eventually. No knots.

Certainly the term, 'molly', I know. A molly, complete term, Molly Hogan is a quick and temporary connection between two cables or what have you. Take a strand about 6 to 8' long from a haul back or any substantial wire rope and weave it into a circle using the natural 'lay' of the wire. This makes a very strong connection and can get you out of a jam when there is nothing else to work with.

Smaller molly's , made up from a strand of straw line were used to keep the pins in the rigging blocks, shackles etc.

Why Molly Hogan? It was explained to me that Molly was the daughter of the boss and she was shall we say very friendly to the crew. A quick and temporary connection.

Hey Furpo, did you ever bump into a logger from Squamish BC by the name of Alex? Great guy, used to work for him when his company was called GBA Logging. Heard he moved away to New Zealand.

 

[Born2clearcut]

GBA ( Greg, Brent and Alex and the Old Man lol ) I worked for them in the mid 90's . I ran there mini tower at Earl's Creek and Birkenhead . At Earl's Creek they threw a big summer party in camp with a live band ,no picture's of the party but I think I have some logging pictures somewhere i'll dig out

 

[Easy Money]

There is always the story of the Madill tower being operated by a rather lage (and temperamental) native fellow. The hooktender was setting up a road change in the back end, with strawline, and had lost one of the Hindus. He sent a green chokerman down to the landing to fetch a Hindu. Not really sure what the hooker wanted but eager to comply, the chokerman knocked on the door of the tower's cab and politely told the operator his presence was requested in the back end.
"Whattaya mean?" growled the native operator.
"The hooker sent me to the landing to get a Hindu" replied the chokerman.
Story goes he chased the poor lad halfway back to camp.

 

[Easy Money]

I'm not sure when the haulback was invented but, I recall reading in a textbook that the interlock yarder was invented in 1899 in Louisiana. I would think the haulback would pre-date this.

 

[fitzpatrick]

Hey Easy Money:

Just read your tale of the Hindu. LOL I'm still laffing. I can think of a few guys in that area that could have been running the yarder but will keep my thoughts to myself.

Great story. Thanks.