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Newbie Intro from Yukon

Started by DGK, August 05, 2009, 08:48:17 PM

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DGK

Hello FF Members,

After being a lurker for almost a year, I thought it was time to step up to the plate and introduce myself.  My name is Doug and I live in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. I have just recently purchased a new LT40G28 with hydraulic log loader, debarker and log deck package.

My regular day job has me working out of town for extended periods but when home (equal time off) I have a small side business selling firewood. The reason for starting a firewood business was to secure a supply of logs for milling. In the southern Yukon, we have had a major infestation of Spruce Beetle that has killed off about 500,000 hectares of forest. Most of the trees are of poor quality for milling but perfect ( as perfect as it gets for wood here) for firewood. The trees are standing dead and are very dry. We don't have much in the way of variety of trees here, predominately Engleman Spruce, Pine and some Aspen. There are a few others as well but not too much.

I purchase the trees from a few different loggers by the semi-trailer load, sort out the ones suitable for milling and buck up the rest as firewood.  So far, the wood is being used for personal projects around the property.

I'll attach a few pictures as I know this group likes pictures. Just want to say thanks to all of those responsible for this forum and the sponsors. It has been a great source of information and inspiration.









Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

Bibbyman

Welcome to the Forum!   8)

Looks like you've got plenty of material to work with. 

What's growing back to replace what is killed by the beetles?
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

beenthere

Ditto!! Welcome to the forum and looking forward to some pics of the Yukon area. Looks like a great operation going there.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Magicman

 ;D  A newbie welcoming a newbie.  Now if I can get "smart as you" and figure out this picture posting stuff...
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

DGK

Thanks for the replies.

Bibbyman - I believe that the forestry department is allowing natural regeneration of the native species at this time. Don't know if they will do any tree planting in the future or not.

Here are a few more pics:








Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

Don K

Welcome to the Forum! 8)

Plenty of firewood there. What are you using to cut it up? Nice setup.

Don
Lucky to own a WM LT40HDD35, blessed to have a wife that encouraged me to buy it.     Now that\'s true love!
Massey Ferguson 1547 FWD with FEL  06 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4X4 Dozer Retriever Husky 359 20\" Bar  Man, life is getting good!

farmboy1tn

welcome,great setup,got alot of toys i see  :)

DGK

Hello Don,

Thanks for the welcome. I use the bobcat to hold up to 6 logs at a time off the ground depending on their size. I then buck them from the ends using a  couple of Sthil MS660's with 28" bars. The remaining center section (9') long is then set in a bucking rack where it is cut to 18" pieces. The system works quite well.
Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

ErikC

  Welcome to the forum. You have cut yourself quite a pile of firewood there. Is it easy to sell it all up there?
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

DGK

Hi Eric,

Firewood is used heavily here in the Yukon. We don't have natural gas so your choices are heating oil, propane or wood. To heat with wood costs about half of the other two. No problem selling wood here. Biggest problem is getting it logged and out of the bush.
Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

oakiemac

DGK,

You must be a DanG genious  ;D to have already posted pictures. It still takes my simple brain a while to get them the right size.

Looks like you have got some firewood going there.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

Sprucegum

Welcome home, been hot enough fer ya up there?

DGK

Oikiemac,

I practiced uploading the pictures before sending my first post. After reading so many of the other members posts, i knew it would be only a matter of time until someone requested proof -- ughh I mean pictures  :D
Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

Toolman

Welcome to the forum Doug. How many cords does it take to get you through those long, cold winters?

Look forward to seeing more pics of your region. Pictures from that part of the world always fascinates me.


toolman
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have" (Thomas Jefferson)

DGK

Quote from: Sprucegum on August 05, 2009, 11:05:45 PM
Welcome home, been hot enough fer ya up there?

Hello Sprucegum,

Sure was hot a few weeks ago when I was home bucking wood. I prefer -20C to work in as opposed to +30C. Thankfully, we have not had too many forest fires so far unlike BC.

Toolman, Thanks for the welcome. I burn between 10 - 12 cords per year to heat my home, shop and domestic hot water using a Greenwood Hydronic Indoor Boiler.



Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

Toolman

-50 f !!!!!  :o . I'll think of you when the temp drops to 20f down here. :D That'll keep me from complain'n.  :-X
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have" (Thomas Jefferson)

farmboy1tn

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr i will stay in this tennessee hills 8)

John_Haylow

Welcome again to the forum Doug. It looks like you have a great operation going there. Thanks for the great pictures.

John
2004 Wood-Mizer LT40HDG28

Sprucegum

I hear ya DGK, give me -10 and 6" of snow any day. I melt at +25(75?)

Burlkraft

Welcome DGK  8)  8)  8)

I like the pics and the looks of the operation ya got goin' there. Here in Wisconsin it gets cold, but nuthin' like that!!

You guy's are pretty hardy souls up there.

I look forward to more pictures and posts  ;D  ;D  ;D

Welcome aboard
Why not just 1 pain free day?

LeeB

Welcome aboard. Tell us some more about your day job too.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

nas

Welcome DGK, you found a good place 8)


Quote from: Sprucegum on August 06, 2009, 09:38:16 AM
I hear ya DGK, give me -10 and 6" of snow any day. I melt at +25(75?)
Same here sprucegum.  I start melting at about 20°C(70), although -50° is a touch too cold :o

Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

Ernie

Welcome DGK, great pics, you'll fit right in here ;D
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

Meadows Miller

Gday

and welcome to the forum Doug  ;) ;D 8) its always nice to see proof ehmm i mean pics of how other people are doing things all over the place mate  ;) :D ;D 8) 8)

I ilike it cold about +10c is perfect to work in but i dunno about that cold weather you get up there  ;) :D -4c here the other morning  and thats plenty cold enough for me  :D its usually around the -1or2c  then gets to around 12 to 20 c by midday  ;) if you reckon you's melt at +20 we had a runn of 40 to 45c+ days for the couple of weeks  coming up to the fires then the two days the fires started had tops of around the 50c :o

Anyway i look forward to seeing more pics and imput  mate  ;) ;D 8) 8)

Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

DGK

Hello Chris,

Thanks for the welcome. My regular job has me working in the +30C range but it's not labour strenuous like bucking and milling wood. When it's -10 to -20C, you don't need too much clothing and as long as you set the right pace so that you don't sweat too much and don't take too long of a break, conditions couldn't be better. When I say not to sweat, I not saying not to work hard, it is actually the opposite, you have to work hard to stay warm.

Additionally, the skid steer loves the frozen ground and my firewood stays clean and dry. No bugs, dry snow, saw has lots of power. A few good cold snaps in the -40 to - 50 range helps keep the town from getting too big. ; cut_tree
Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

LeeB

A few more clues about your regular job and I'll start making guesses. Maybe a piano player somewhere.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

customsawyer

Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

SwampDonkey

Quote from: LeeB on August 11, 2009, 05:29:44 AM
A few more clues about your regular job and I'll start making guesses. Maybe a piano player somewhere.

I think he picks diamonds, although maybe not far enough east. ;D Could be gold panning.  ;)

Welcome to the forum Doug. Great pictures and I would say that a good many folks up your way thank God for the service of milling lumber and firewood. What would be the closest commercial sawmill in the area? I'm sure a town of any size up there does have a sawmill, but the local market is too small to sell all their lumber. That means shipping the stuff and that probably bites the profit pretty hard. So smaller operations on part time looks to me to fit right in. Looks like a win win to me.  :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

DGK

Hello Swamp Donkey,

The nearest commercial sawmill is about 100 miles away in Haines Junction. They are milling both the beetle killed spruce and some green spruce at their mill. It is a pretty small show that went broke once already. Unfortunately, there are no lumber graders in the Yukon so all of your stamped lumber comes from down south. Yes, lumber prices are high here. The going rate for rough spruce is between .85 cents and $1.00 bf depending on size, quantity etc. Down in Watson Lake, Yukon there have been several attempts at running a larger mill but none have had much success. Timber supply availability and quality seem to be a factor.
Doug
Yukon, Canada

LT40G38 modified to dual pumped hydraulic plus, HR120 Resaw, EG200 Edger, Bobcat S185,Bobcat S590, Logosol PH260M3, Sthil MS660's, MS460,MS362's MS260, Trailtech dump trailer, F350, F700 Tilt-Deck log/Lumber Hauler, JD440B Skidder, Naarva S23C Processor

SwampDonkey

Yes, I can see the dilemma. Government and the big players want to go big, but it's a tough climate to guarantee continual supply and the growth rate is slow. Also, not many loggers and as indicated by no one being certified to grade, tough to get anyone to stick around to do it unless unionized with huge wage incentives that can't be sustained. They are also competing with the Alberta oil fields, same as BC. I never found the wages in the BC forest industry to be any better, and in some cases not as good as back east if you were a forester and non union. Consultant wages were at the bottom, where most folks went to start their careers. Governments have never sustained a work force payroll any better than the big companies. Been laying off and cutting now since the 80's with some outfits expecting 60 hours work for 40 hours pay. ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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