Just Another Day in the WOODS!!

[thatchipperguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjZUdw4yJEo


Friday night..... trying get home early......3 trucks waiting to get loaded and this happens!  Why is it when you want to bust out early something always happens?

[beenthere]

That is a tough place to work for sure. As you say, gotta do it.

[thatchipperguy]

No one ever said chipping was easy!!!

[Logger RK]

We know the feeling. After doing a load with one left to finish current job,and temps in the high 30's,and a frozen ground landing.Son discovers his top feed roller has a bad bearing. Has a spare,but can't find it. Parts run Monday it looks. At least there calling for below freezing temps again. It was raining today.

[thatchipperguy]

Nothing worse than when you can't find parts you know you have! It was warm in central Michigan today.

[Corley5]

  I'm tired of wrenching on logging equipment  :(  Really tired of it  :-\  I was going through my supply of 3/4 bar and chain parts for my Fabtek today.  I need to fix some chains.  I've got way too many that need a link or two spun in to make a good chain but I really don't like breaking and spinning 3/4 chain.  Anyway I found two chains that only needed a grind and as a bonus I found a brand new one  8) 8) 8)  So I've got three chains again.  I also found a bag of presets and three tips that I'd forgotten about  8)  Then we blew hose on top of the cab on the Franklin.  Needed a ladder to get up there and of course everything is covered in oil.  Got the hoses made up and ran out of daylight and patience ;)   There's always tomorrow.

[Jeff]

thatchipperguy, used to just about bathe in Hydro oil at O'neals in Clare (before you were born) and then Billsby's over a 20 year period between the mills and debarkers and such Never bothered me until the last couple years I was there. Seems you can grow into allergies and that is just what happened to me from over exposure.  If I get it on me now, I start getting red like a sunburn from the contact allergy I now have to it. Luckily, my computers don't ever blow hydraulic hoses so I've been safe for the last ten years since I left the sawbooth.

[thatchipperguy]

The computer won't spit hydraulic oil on you......but the wife gets upset when I'm on it to long! Lol I'm glad she doesn't get on here....... 8)

[Logger RK]

X2 on that one ;D

[Ken]

Breakdowns seem to come in spurts on my operation.  We lost some time late last week to hose and wiring issues.  Fortunately the downtime was at the same time as the coldest temps this winter to I parked things for a couple days.  The past few days went really well.  Putting the harvester on night shifts as well this week to hopefully get this job finished before break up. 

[thatchipperguy]

Break up is coming quick!! County's around us are on...the big push is on!

[David-L]

Nice vid. Had to use 4wd to get to the landing today for some Sunday wrench turning. Not Good.

[Logger RK]

In your state are chip's considered raw forest products? Like round wood is here. In Wi they are not. Meaning the 98,000 frozen road limits for 5 axle chip rig's don't apply. 5 axle one's you can buy a 90,000 permit. If it's 5 axle with round wood you can haul 98 with no permits. Which is good on log side of the job,but it'd be nice on chip side if it was the same.

[thatchipperguy]

We have 53ft chip vans with 7 axles. They have to be on class A roads. We have two  flail chippers and they can't be moved once weight restrictions are on. Our new flail is 53ft long and weighs 60 tons on 3 axles. Always something fighting you in the wood business.

[lumberjack48]

  When we were running two trucks, two skidders and a faller buncher, there were many nights i worked on equipment, so we could run in the morning. When your self employed your on duty 24/7 ;D  I had many hydraulic oil baths, diesel fuel and antifreeze to. I think gear lube is the worst, the smell is sickening.
You have to be a special bred to be a logger 8)             

[Jeff]

In the Frozen Northwoods, it is far different than in warmer locations when it comes to break downs. Things are not better left until morning. Things get worse. A stuck log truck can become a "frozen in might as well be concrete" log truck". Everything gets works as the temps drop, and if you wait until morning or the next day, hard jobs become next to impossible.   Kinda reminds me the old story I put on here years about "Nemo". When one of the guys running Billsby's skidder, working up at Mid Forest Lodge, broke through the ice on a beaver pond, and didn't tell anyone until the next morning.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,217.0.html

[James Arsenault]

I've come to notice that if I'm going to have a breakdown for which parts need to be ordered, the breakdown will always happen late Friday afternoon prior to a long holiday weekend.

I wish I could say this was a joke, but it's actually been true on several occasions.

[Corley5]

Clean out tracks every night  ;) ;D

[Logger RK]

Another,not good time for a break down is,in the summer when the Tent Worm's are at there  peak. However many years that is. But last time it's was bad around my place.They covered the tires on everything. Rubber must be easier then steel to climb for them?And usually a machine will break down that needs to be worked on underneath. :(l They go for Aspen leaf's around here. Usually after leafs just come out they strip them bare. On a 40 of mostly Aspen I  was on last time they were around,you could pick out every maple on the job almost. Must not like them much. Till every Aspen leaf was gone,then over night the maples leafs were all gone also. Don't think they can live off of clover though. They come to a clover field & striped it bare,but only about 50 feet in the field & they stopped.  8)