The Boys and Me

[CX3]

This is my future work crew, Weston and Wyatt.  Everyday I ask them what they want to do for work, Weston says work in the woods with daddy, Wyatt says work at MODOT with pappy lol

My skidder is a 2002 JD 648G3 with heat and air.  Single arch grapple with the big winch.  6068 six cylinder jd diesel.  Torque converter tranny.  10 foot trail blade.  6 speed slap shift.  Its my baby, besides the other two pictured lol

I work oak and walnut timber in fairly rough ground in southwest Missouri.  I work by myself, which is the way I like it but my wife hates it!  I tell her to find me a guy that is good and he's hired.  Well he hasnt showed up yet lol  I try to cut 4-5000 feet a day international, skidded and bucked.  Some days not so much lol

I usually pull 800-1000 feet per skid.  My machine burns around 15-18 gallon a day doing what I do.  I sure like that heat and air when Im whooped from falling, then I can relax a little in the skidder jamming some tunes on the radio. lol

I havent put a pic up in a while, since the boys were little, so I thought Id share a little about where were at.

[HiTech]

Nice picture and nice machine. Lets hope there is still logging when the boys get big enough to help.

[CCC4]

Looks like an excellent future work crew! Thanks for sharing! Really slick skidder ya have there also!

So ummm...what do you pay up your way? Day wages, brd ft., or by the load?

[Ianab]

Pity you can't find some good help. A machine like that really needs a couple of guys on the ground with saws lining up the logs for it.

But yeah, good help is hard to find...  :-\

[timberlinetree]

Cool dads have a skidder not a brief case!

[barbender]

Nice pic CX3!

[thecfarm]

That skidder is hugh!!!! Nice looking family too.

[thekitz]

Very Nice picture  - I hope you realize how lucky how truly are!  I am stuck in office job and I am always dreaming of logging! Sure hope one day you can find a couple of good helpers - life is too short to do everything yourself!

[Alcranb]

Thanks for sharing. Enjoy those boys, they'll be men in a bat of an eye!!

[CX3]

CCC4 Ive paid guys any way they wanted paid.  If I paid by the foot, they starved to death.  If I paid by the day I starved to death.  I had a real good guy on the skidder that ran it right, was good at bucking, and kept his saw sharp, then all of a sudden I didnt hear from him for thirty days.  Come to find out thats how long you have to stay in jail for driving drunk lol

thekitz, I was in your shoes once as well.  I graduated from Mizzou in 06 and took on a sweet little gig making good money in an indoors setting.  I quickly realized that was a terrible idea for me and picked up my saws and went to work.  A guy will never work a day in his life if he loves his job.  Logging has been good to us.  Theres good times and bad times.  A guy just cant run around in new trucks and have expensive women lol

Ian, I have to be careful around here or else I can run out of work pretty quickly.  There is plenty of timber, but finding some that is for sale can be a bit tricky sometimes.  Thats kinda why I am satisfied working alone.  It stretches my jobs out pretty good.

Thanks for the compliments on my skidder guys.  Its not huge, the guys in the picture just aint that big lololol

[Ianab]

Ian, I have to be careful around here or else I can run out of work pretty quickly.  There is plenty of timber, but finding some that is for sale can be a bit tricky sometimes.  Thats kinda why I am satisfied working alone.  It stretches my jobs out pretty good.

I can understand that. Trying to expand puts a lot more pressure on things, especially if you end up between jobs, and still have staff to pay. Staying how you are is a lot simpler. 

[treeslayer2003]

cx3, your about like I am. I do have dad in the truck and sometimes my oldest son shows up for skidder duty. you buy your own timber too it sounds like, if we do a good job work will come to us. I have cut the same tract twice in my career several times now. and you'd be surprised who knows who, word travels fast.

[CCC4]

CX3, you have a good head on yer shoulders! Someone raised you very well! You'll do just fine in life.

[clww]

A great picture that will be even better 25 years from now.

[mad murdock]

Great looking crew!  The skidder ain't too shabby neither :new_year:

[Magicman]

Congrats on the "crew".  They also have someone to be proud of.   ;D

[cutter88]

Cool dads have a skidder not a brief case!

[CX3]

Yes I buy my own timber.  I work a few state sales on conservation but never bid on the federal.  They sell too much at one time and its expensive.  I have never really advertised besides a few little signs on a job or at the house. 

I appreciate the comments on my "crew" lol

Those boys are going to get big one day and hopefully they want to work hard and go to church with mom and dad.  They sure make me proud.  They ask ten times a day if they can help build "stid" roads with daddys "stidder"

[ga jones]

How do you like that deere? Better or worse than your timberjacks?

[CX3]

The deere is a nice machine.  Its hard to compare apples to apples because of the later model of the deere than my tj.  Without taking into account things such as ac and joystick grapple controls, the deere will outpull the tj by far.  The ground speed is amazing on the deere.  I can pull a much larger twitch of logs much faster with it.  I also like to clambunk grapple much better than the esco.  Hardly ever lose a log out of the clam. 

Now starting the deere under 25 degrees can be a trick.  I wont even try if its under 10-15 degrees.  The old tj would fire up in antartica though every time. 

Fuel consumption is about the same. 

Parts on the tj were cheaper.  Not a whole lot but cheaper. 

The winches seem to be about the same.  Deere maybe pulls a little harder. 

Deere steering is much better and quicker, and tranny works better going from F and R all the time. 

Yes I love the deere.  But I also made a lot of money with my tj.  Would I go back? No