winter is starting to get the best of me

[Woodboogah]

Between suagary snow, uphill skid, hidden rocks, digging out stumps, this winter is starting to beat me up.  My whining isn't going to help any though. 

[loggah]

Well its winter like we used to have !!! i remember years ago the snow was so deep when we shoveled out the trees, there was hardly any way to get away from them when we cut them, needless to say while holding your breath falling the trees so you wouldn't get asphyxiated  by the chainsaw fumes!!! ;D

[JamesE. PikeLogging]

I'm with ya on that woodboogah! the past week ive been runnin grapple skidder for my friend on his mechanical crew! snows just too deep!

[Woodboogah]

Loggah-it could be way worse then what it is now.  I am just being a baby I guess.  I am grateful to be working doing something I love, just getting beat up with the snow.  I would rather work in the cold then heat but with snow up to your knees and no traction for the machine its making it tough production wise.  Seeing lots of deer so that is a plus. Look pretty healthy too

[loggah]

On the warm days when the snow is sticky  you want to run around thru the woods with the skidder and break out some roads ,it will help in the long run! ;D the last of it when i had my 653 feller-buncher i got spoiled walking around with that and cutting helped the skidders get around a lot. When i was running my skidders i really hated the planetarys  chucking in deep snow. i hate to admit it but the John Deere and Cats with the inboard plants and heavy axles walked thru a lot of snow better then outboard planetary machines. Years ago we would also use dozers to go thru the deep snow to help break it out for the skidders.

[red]

One good thing is days are getting longer

Sunset about 5:45 pm here

[240b]

the snow isnt that deep really, Ive had alot worse to deal with. But the ground is frozen like pavement. Even new ice chains just scratch around on it. And the softwood is frozen all the way through so it just snaps off the stump. Good part 90% of the limbs bust off on impact..  I am going to try salt on the worse uphill section of trail..  Yesterday i counted 18 deer and 3 turkeys in where I was cutting, now they have it tough..

[gspren]

  Now I'm just a firewood cutter, not a pro, but this winter has me way behind where I should be so today I thought I'd get some cutting in, dropped a few dead cherry trees OK but the walking killed my ankles. Two steps on top of the crust then break though a few steps then several steps on top before breaking through again, tough on an old arthritic ankle!

[Ryan D]

I didn't mind the snow for most of the winter. We had a warm spell a week or so ago and it back to freezing cold now. The snow is still up to your knees but has a nice layer of crust on it. You can all but forget about working on a hillside and even walking on flat ground is terrible. I fall through about every third step. Better than mud though.

[Peter Drouin]

Me too I have ice all over my log yard  :D

[Dave Shepard]

The little warm up last week settle the snow a bit, and gave it a crust. I'm 300 pounds, plus all my clothes, shoes, chaps, chainsaw etc., and for the most part it holds me up. The only problem is if I'm trying to move quickly. I tramp down my escape route from the tree now so I don't have to play arctic ice-breaker as the tree is on it's way down. :D

[jwilly3879]

My son takes the time to run the skidder around and push snow out of the way like Don said. He calls it brush wacking. He will plow out around the trees also and then cut them the next day. Makes skidding and cutting a little less tiring. The ground is so hard and icy after the rain that we can no longer get up the main trail and had to open one for uphill use only where there is some brush for traction. Coming down the main trail can be interesting, want to stay on the throttle if you want to steer.

[loggah]

One job i was on  years ago was just a trench of ice about 150' long on a steep slope that ended on a flat at the woodyard, i had my 230 timberjack you started at the top in low gear and by the time you hit the bottom you better be in high just to keep the wheels turning fast enough so you could kind of steer and not snap everything in the drivetrain !!!

[Peter Drouin]

Or how about wanting to cut ice away from the mill building and ride a 22 ton excavator sideways down a hill. :D :D :D

[loggah]

 You get used to "NO" control !!!!! ;D ;D

[Peter Drouin]

It is fun  ;D

[Ed_K]

 This is a yr of old, Mon. IO broke a pin on a steering piston,wiped out the 90 deg and a hose.Fix it yesterday,only to back off the skid trail and have the back sink,(no, the ground is not froze under 3' of snow)crawled back up and draged cable 75'.Now today was not a day to be cutting,shoveled out around 3 tree,did I mention the 3' of yuck? and it's 12degs and 20 mi wind.I cut 2 and limbed.went and cut the 3rd.made a HUGE mistake and cut the hinge off.It turned 180 degs on the stump before even starting to fall. I have never seen this happen before.It did land somewhere's close to where i wanted,but i didn't know which way to go.my 45 excape didn't seem right at first but i went anyway ,makes you wonder what am I doing here.If I can't find a flat/dry lot next I believe it's time to quit.
Now that's whining. :(

[HiTech]

We are getting more snow tonight. Sub zero temps coming. The snow has turned back to the sugary no traction type. We were smart enough to make roads when it was packy. Get off them and you spin/chatter. Just south of me they are getting 2" to 3" per hour. We will have a half of foot here by morning. It just doesn't want to go away this year. It will probably go from winter to summer...no spring. I can't wait to see what the stumps look like when the snow is gone. lol Some may be waist high.

[thechknhwk]

I'm at work tonight, but I have to get lots more wood out of the creek bottom before it thaws and floods.  I'll get at it about noon tomorrow after I get out of work at 7am.  High of 9 tomorrow with a low of -17.  I hope its closer to the high than the low when I get out there.  I'm pulling tops for firewood and the snow is about 30" deep down there where I haven't packed it down with the tractor.  The tops are frozen to the ground and covered in snow, so I look for the lumps and start grappling, cutting, pulling and hopefully skidding...

[thechknhwk]

And oh yeah... I'm sick of the cold and snow, real sick...  Not supposed to be above 20 here until the 6th of March.

[Corley5]

It's gotten the best out of me.  We're still working but production is way down.  The forwarder has to follow pretty close in the harvester's tracks or it will founder.  It's needed a tug a couple times.  We cut yesterday but it was too cold to run the timber machines today so we did a little firewood.  Tomorrow the forecast is a high of two with winds to 30mph and wind chills of 30 below.  We're taking the day off.  Supposed to warm up to 10 Friday so I guess we'll hit the woods again.  I was hoping to have a good couple weeks before the frost laws are put on.  Maybe we will.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Have an active timber sale going right now and they are making very slow progress because of the deep snow with the tracked CTL machine and the 6wd forwarder. The other day we found a dozen or so BE hard maple logs some of which are veneer quality that I had marked and the processor operator didn't feel comfortable cutting them, so I made plans for this afternoon to go out and hand cut them.

I worked just the afternoon and I am dead. The snow was at least waist deep and if not deeper in spots (one spot measured 63" deep). Snow is so sugary that even with my snowshoes on I still sunk past my knees. Then having to shovel around the stumps to get down to ground level was a killer. Two of the trees were on a nasty hillside that the forwarder couldn't get to because of the sugar snow, I dragged some chains to them and he pulled them up where he could reach.

Got home and did my farm chores and now I feel like I got ran over by a truck, and then he threw it in reverse and hit me again.

[timberlinetree]

I was in the same boat as Ed K. Monday the swamp I have been working in unfroze. Kept falling through the snow into ankle deep water. My feet wet and boots covered with ice. And now a breakdown. Ugh!

[Firewoodjoe]

Yeah it's getting old that's for sure. Trimming bushy beach in 2-3 foot snow is impossible. We work every day no matter what so we'll see how today goes. Already looks nasty and it's early. 4:40am

[David-L]

0 degrees, can't get the trucker to come, needing a paycheck, lost my axe, windy last couple of days, winching trees over to keep them out of the wetland. If the trucker does not come today the logs are going to a buddy who just started a job 7 miles away. No complaints on the equipment end, the block heater was the best $50 dollar investment so far this winter. Now I can have some cheese with my wine!!! Ground is froze up good and I should be able to go for awhile yet. Spring is on it's way though.

                                                        David l



 

[240b]

glad to know I not alone in my misery...   guess Ill head out and see what I can break today..

[Autocar]

I whipped out about the middle of January,  Ive waded the snow a number of times trying to buy more timber only to have the landowners tell me I was the only bid they received and was going to rebid it after the snows gone, it got me upset a little but there the owners  :-\. Talking to log buyers production is way down this winter and spring there log yards won't be full for the up coming summer. Seems like getting firewood in every day keeps me busy the wind blows and sucks the wood right up the smoke stack  :.

[Woodboogah]

Production for me is really slow. Today cutting24" dbh pine and can only skid one at a time better then getting nothing out though.  Real waste of fuel it seems.  Better then breaking something trying to get to much uphill. More snow at the beginning of the week it looks like. I did see a small bear track today which seems early

[Dave Shepard]

I have to make two trips for each tree. One for the butt, which is either 30' or 33', depending on what I'm making out of it, and then I go back for the top, usually another 40' or so. Tried to take one tree in two pieces yesterday, but it was just too much.

A smaller butt log:

[stoneeaglefarm]

snow is like 3 feet of sand, Skidder having a tough time, and its cold, But, We still go out and get our wood, This kind of winter lets ya know how insane you are to keep going, Kinda makes ya realize how much you are different than the 9-5 worker, Load light and pack them trials when we lose some snow with some warm weather we will be skidding like we are bob sledding. Stay safe out there if your hand chopping, Not much room to run.

[lumberjack48]

Up here in the land of 10,000 swamps this is the kind of winter every logger prays for. In this kind of weather we were on the job and hour or two before day light getting the equipment running. I've seen it drop ten degree's when the sun started to peek over the trees. My S8 IH had a propane tank heater,it started with the push of the starter button. The C5-D TF had spit swappers, i usually didn't use then. I'd give the TF'er a pull with the S8, the main thing when pulling is the batteries have to have power. Third gear, low range, getter rolling, the same time you start to let the clutch out you have to push the starter button. Once it started turning over i'd give it a shot of starting fluid, sh'd pop right off. The 450 JD feller buncher started with a shot of starting fluid. We always tried to have a warming shack, to coffee up in and plan the days battle strategy.We were full time loggers, meaning this is our only income. So the longer it stayed cold, meant the longer we stayed in the swamp. We stayed until we stated falling though, push it right to the max. The main rode stays froze a long time, i remember yarding out with the Mack, it looked like  a lake, a wave in front of the truck. Where we came off the swamp on to high ground is where it got muddy. We hauled a load of sawdust everyday with the gravel truck and dumped it on this spot. When we got done here, we tried to have a block of selective cut pine to move in to. This was all planed 6 months to a year head of time so we wouldn't have any down time. Back in the 70's when the weather chased us out of the swamp it was time to start peeling pulp. I could make money peeling, but like anything there are tricks to get volume. The wife and me could peel 20 cds a day. With a saw and peeling iron and lots of sandwich's a guy could make real good money.peeling Aspen. I've peeled Jackpine, Birch, Balsam, Spruce and of coarse Aspen, Poplar, they also bought peeled Tamarack. All four of my children peeled pulp. The way it started out i fell the trees in the woods for them to peel. I seen right away how dangerous this was, try to keep track of five people, in imposable. So i got the skidder, i laid our four stringers about 15 feet apart.I fell and skidded the trees out to where i laid the stringers. This got the kids and trees out of the woods. And also got the trees off the ground making it a lot easier peeling. I paid them 40 cents a tree. I had to watch the one boy, he counted the tree when he started peeling it, then when he got done peeling it he counted it again. :D Peeling usually started about April, 20 and lasted to July,1, we peeled about 1200 cds.

I'd better stop, I'm not on the main topic anymore

[Autocar]

Dave thats some fine looking logs your pulling, you never get tired of cutting timber like that.

[240b]

I picked up a bag of rock salt of the way to work this am.  spread it in the wheel tracks on the hill were I could bearly scratch my way up yesterday by lunch time I was able to drive half way up with out droping the hitch. still had to winch up the rest uf the way but its better than it was.  50lbs did about 150' of trail. 

[jwilly3879]

Trucker came today for a load of pine. We put two set of chains on his truck and he went right up the hill. It took me three tries with the T100 in 4wd, sliding back down the hill was no fun, I finally got over into some snow and made it up. While he loaded I ran the skidder down the hill and widened the road a little so we could get off to the side. I barely made it back up with the machine, it was cold enough that the no-spin wouldn't lock up on the rear axle and the ice is so hard the rings on the front wouldn't dig in at all. Time for some new ice chains for the back.

[Peter Drouin]

Dave, THAT is nice wood. I'm jealous. 

[Maine logger88]

Yeh I'm getting tired mentality and physically but its still good going other than the fore mentioned mealy snow so I'm hoping to push hard the next couple weeks and take a little breather then off too my mud season lot

[Peter Drouin]

But I did get a load in to day hope to get more before the melt.


  

  

  

 
All 16' hemlock  8) 8) ;D and two 12s
And the time will come to send these, to boil maple syrup. ;D ;D


 

[David-L]

Trucker came for two loads today and two more tomorrow. That made my frozen bones warm up abit. cold and windy here and will be minus #'s tonight. woods work is done for this week, people calling for hay and thats cash on the barrel . stay warm all. Dave Shepard, nice looking timba!!!. Loving the new axe, i'll find old Betsy this spring, she's resting under the snow.

                                      David l



 



 



 



 

[BargeMonkey]

 We have been thru more "911" fuel conditioner and kerosene than I care to think about. Its to the point im either getting one of those machine pre-heaters or just saying the hell with it. We own a large gravel pit and for some reason every municipality cant figure out how to buy enough ahead, keeping the loaders and screeners going is a full time job. I dont think batteries are made as well anymore, or its just to cold, even my detroit powered forwarder doesnt like it and she loves the cold. A 276-T deere engine is about the best in the cold ive found, my 440D and landing loader will start easily to about -5.

[Firewoodjoe]

Took a extra two hours but we're slashin wood at -24F nice hey!

[Woodboogah]

Took the day today to fix my plow.  I hate having any equipment sitting not working properly.  Pet peeve  I guess.  Will use tomorrow and Sunday to pack in some skid roads with the temp being at 30 should be working in my t-shirt! Stay safe!

[thecfarm]

BargeMonkey,so many towns have down sized what they buy because of the last winters. Be it salt or sand. Than a winter like this comes along and they are buying.

[BargeMonkey]

 We dont mind trying to screen to about 20 degrees, after that your just burning fuel and abusing a very expensive new track screener. They start panicking when we go.. nope.. sorry. Same thing with some of my firewood customers, they wait till they have a few days left and then call. One woman called, and we said we where running low on "super dry wood" meaning  over 1 year in the pile, she asked "when we would be getting a delivery of more". You cant make this stuff up... lol

[Corley5]

I too have issues with firewood customers calling when they're down to their last six pieces of wood and expecting a delivery immediately.

[Woodboogah]

That's funny.  People who don't  do it don't have a clue.  What we think should be common sense is far from it it appears sometimes

[Autocar]

 :D :D :D I personally don't sell firewood but the loggers that do sound just like you guys [ six peaces of wood left then they call ]

[lumberjack48]

I've been down to my six last pieces   Time to make a firewood run 8)

[sawguy21]

I doubt if our interior loggers are doing much either. Cold enough to keep the roads open but too much snow in the woods. Temperatures are supposed to return to close to normal by the end of the week so road bans are not far off.

[BargeMonkey]

 When they call, unless they are a good customer, elderly or have children,  we either raise the price up, or tell them to start burning furniture. Poor planning on your part doesnt constitute an emergency on mine. :D

[SwampDonkey]

I had a crew on one job in 2000 where we were thinning small hardwood. It was around 6-8" wood being thinned out. Did I say thick? This was an 85 acre lot. We cut a lot of sticks from there. The snow was about 3 feet in the hardwoods and didn't seem too bad. There was a little patch of softwood on a gradual slope. That place had snow 6 feet deep down there. I stayed out of it for the most part because the ground wasn't froze at all and I had remembered the ground being soft when I had cruised it. We pulled a couple bunches of aspen from the edge of there, but it was a real chore. I think the crew had enough just pulling them two twitches. This was a winter only lot because the owner didn't want permanent roads. We used an old existing road and  dozed out the brush. We had some deer coming into the maple tops, but then one morning we found that the yotes took one, one night. I have follow up photos on here and it doesn't even look like we were in there. If I recall we cut 1200 cords including trail and yard wood. If I owned it, I'd thin it again in 15 years. It's owned by an absantee land owner.

[timberjack 450]

My phone has been going crazy with firewood customers. The new people that call go into shock when I tell them the price. My regulars know what they are getting and are fine with the price. I ran out of seasoned a long time ago. I am buying every stick of green ash I can find.  I do 4 to 6 loads of split firewood every weekend. I get my price or I just leave the processor turned off. If you cant make money doing it, it isn't worth doing.

[barbender]

-30°F here again this morning, I've got to go get my machine warmed up and ready to move.  The lowboy will meet me at 9:00, it will feel pretty crisp throwing chains

[Corley5]

I had 7 below at the house at 7:20 this AM but where the machines are it's much colder.  I turned on the Fabtek's ProHeat and made a run to CARQUEST in Indian River for hydraulic fluid and it was -32 at the store and the repair shop down the road had -38.  That's really cold for around here.  It's an even zero here at the house right now.  The harvester is started and warming up.  Beautiful bright sunny day just bitter cold.  Suppose I better try to get something done before the frost laws go on

[Quebecnewf]

No bad things to say about cold and snow. I need the cold to freeze up the ice and the snow to get my logs home to the mill on. Love the cold and snow, hope it continues

 

Quebecnewf

[thecfarm]

I had forgotten about your Ice Road.  ;D  Things going good for a change??

[SwampDonkey]

 ;D :D A normal winter for a change and everyone whines, eh Newf? ;)

[Quebecnewf]

Very good season so far. Lots of cold and snow. I have 400 logs cut so far. 200 home to the mill and another 200 by the shoreline ready for a spring rafting trip.

New path cut in a different location yeaterday so will start cutting in that area tomorrow.
I have also got 9 birch logs home to saw and put in the kiln in the spring.

Going good
Quebecnewf