couple pics... post what your currently cutting

[barbender]

You change women more than I change my undies, I'm surprised you'd take their opinion into account on your career path😊

[teakwood]

He doesn't! 

[doc henderson]

@barbender in theory you may need to change your underwear more often... just sayin! :D :D :D :D

[Bandmill Bandit]

Sides are ready for stakes. End gates are next.


 


 

[barbender]

Once a week, whether they need it or not, Doc!😁😂

[doc henderson]

after Philmont, we started getting the deluth undies.  the idea at the scout ranch was to only come with 2 pair.  one to wear and one to wash out in a stream and dry and wear the next day.  Hope there were not too many folks upstream as that was the same water we filtered and drank.   :D ;)  making our moms proud!!

[nativewolf]

@barbender Just another sad commentary on how much more progressive the northern loggers are.  Now I find out that you guys use underwear.  Setting the bar higher and higher.  Pretty soon I won't be able to hire anyone.  

Kidding aside, we have only interviewed a few folks and nobody we want to hire.  Hope someone sends us a good candidate soon.

[SwampDonkey]

Send them brush cutting for a 40 hr week on carpet thick fir, that'll weed a few. :D

[nativewolf]

weeding?  @SwampDonkey  I need keepers.  Heck the money is good...I am utterly confounded that I can't find anyone.  We're going to talk to the some employment agencies soon.

@barbender what news on that crane?

[barbender]

NW, I'll keep my ear to the ground for operators that are willing to relocate. Have you talked to Pekka about operators? There's usually a few operators, often Finnish nationals that tend to be excellent operators, floating around the Ponsse network. When my friend first got started in contract harvesting in Georgia years back, the machine came with it's own Finnish operator😂 Haari was (and is) an excellent harvester operator, and having him on the crew really gave my friend a leg up in his operation. Also, I'm not certain but I have my suspicions that wearing underwear isn't a real high priority for the Finns, so they would fit right in that way😂

[barbender]

Our mechanics got the new main boom installed. I haven't heard if Ponsse is helping or covering the cost of it.

[barbender]

As far as operators, it's tough. Up here, out best luck with the younger guys is farm boys. They seem to still understand what work is. We've got one young guy (I think he's 22) his dad is a contract cutter with 2 machines. He puts in the hours and cuts a lot of wood. He was a bit rough on equipment and a bit knot headed for the first few years, but he's really doing an excellent job now. Their other operator is young as well, maybe a year or two older. Also an excellent operator. They are out there. It's a matter of finding guys with the right attitude and some aptitude for running equipment. The rest, I'd almost prefer them green- then you train them how you want them, instead of them trying to show you how much they know.

[nativewolf]

As far as operators, it's tough. Up here, out best luck with the younger guys is farm boys. They seem to still understand what work is. We've got one young guy (I think he's 22) his dad is a contract cutter with 2 machines. He puts in the hours and cuts a lot of wood. He was a bit rough on equipment and a bit knot headed for the first few years, but he's really doing an excellent job now. Their other operator is young as well, maybe a year or two older. Also an excellent operator. They are out there. It's a matter of finding guys with the right attitude and some aptitude for running equipment. The rest, I'd almost prefer them green- then you train them how you want them, instead of them trying to show you how much they know.

Yes I am actually looking for green guys for the forwarder driver.  I thought about asking about Finnish or Sweedish guys.  However that Florida hurricane cleanup had at one point 25 Ponsse crews from the UP down there and that's a lot of operators.  Several machines sold just to do that work, crazy rates is what I hear.  
A Finn could leave Oitti and head here in October and never see winter til he got back to Finland for a vacation in April. :D

[barbender]

They had one guy come over from Finland on some kind of work program, as far as I understood it. Ponsse was serving as some sort of international temp agency, as near as I could understand. It's worth looking into.

[snowstorm]

As far as operators, it's tough. Up here, out best luck with the younger guys is farm boys. They seem to still understand what work is. We've got one young guy (I think he's 22) his dad is a contract cutter with 2 machines. He puts in the hours and cuts a lot of wood. He was a bit rough on equipment and a bit knot headed for the first few years, but he's really doing an excellent job now. Their other operator is young as well, maybe a year or two older. Also an excellent operator. They are out there. It's a matter of finding guys with the right attitude and some aptitude for running equipment. The rest, I'd almost prefer them green- then you train them how you want them, instead of them trying to show you how much they know.

Yes I am actually looking for green guys for the forwarder driver.  I thought about asking about Finnish or Sweedish guys.  However that Florida hurricane cleanup had at one point 25 Ponsse crews from the UP down there and that's a lot of operators.  Several machines sold just to do that work, crazy rates is what I hear.  
A Finn could leave Oitti and head here in October and never see winter til he got back to Finland for a vacation in April. :D

did you try the school i told you about in northern me?

[SwampDonkey]

weeding?  @SwampDonkey  I need keepers.  Heck the money is good...I am utterly confounded that I can't find anyone.  We're going to talk to the some employment agencies soon.

@barbender what news on that crane?

:D can't get the young fellas to work at all here. Most guys are mid 40-60's that are working a clearing saw.

[Skeans1]

@nativewolf
Besides benefits and wage how many months out of the year are you guys honestly working? Another key is with the government work that's contract what sort of work are you doing? Private?

[nativewolf]

we could cut almost 12 months a year.  We don't get that much snow and we work through mud if we can and if it is too muddy to work in spring we are doing other work.  Hours won't change.

[nativewolf]

We also are seeing some recovery in log pricing.

[barbender]

One problem you will have NW, is that you will need a well above average processor operator for the wood you are cutting. Bucking high grade hardwood is a little tricky and not everyone gets it (not claiming I do). I would think a good candidate would be an experienced hand faller/bucker, if they weren't a toothless hack. Someone that already understands the dynamics of a falling tree, how to buck the grade out- maybe 50 years old and looking for something easier on the body. Someone looking to make their job easier without destroying a machine. A Ponsse Bear is an absolute beast, but it's still a finesse machine compared to conventional logging equipment.

[nativewolf]

I agree, someone that handcut at some point in life would be nice.  Someone that had worked a loader on a knuckle boom would be nice.  I thought I had someone ...wouldn't relocate.  

[ehp]

I cannot get anyone to work around here , well I guess I should of said I cannot get anyone that will work around here. Sure I can get people that want huge money but have no clue on what their doing and I can get lots more done by myself . Its pretty sad honestly. So what footage did I get this week. A big huge Fat 0 . First time I never seen a log truck all week , they must be hiding ;D. Barge you should see the great ash Im cutting right now 8). Its bad, I mean real bad and dangerous as anything to cut . Zero leaf on tree and outside first 2 or so inches of wood is pretty much powder . The first crack you hear when cutting the stump Im flying to get away from it . Half the time the top does not go with the tree . I did cut some nice white oak this week .

[chevytaHOE5674]

NW if I wasn't neck deep in work of my own UP here I'd love to come down and get you up and running. Just got a guy up and running and still answering questions for their operator when needed. Kind of fun side gig.

[BargeMonkey]

    

 pictures dont show just how rugged this ground is.
Climb down over the 6-10' ledge, dozer operator would pass me the saw, cut tree and RUN 🤣


 


 


 ash and more ash.


 

 


 Almost done on this one, getting shut out soon for hunting season. My next 3 jobs are all ash heavy, keep cutting till it looks like a cornfield.
 Unfortunately it's that time of the yr again. 


 
 

 load after load of processor food. 

[thecfarm]

Kinda steep too!!
Leased land for hunting? Is that why the shut down? Here the deer like the sound of skidders,chainsaw and forwarders. They know that means food.