hauling long utility poles (pictures)

StorminN · February 19, 2009, 02:29:05 PM

Log trucks are a common site out here... I see a few each morning during my 10 minute commute. Most are hauling 40 foot logs, sometimes I see tandems. The past month or two, I've seen a lot more trucks hauling long poles... 60 to 80 feet or longer... I assume these are for utility poles, probably due to the ice storms back east.

Yesterday, I took the ferry to Seattle. It's not uncommon to see a log truck or two on the ferry, too... but yesterday, there were a couple of trucks on the ferry hauling loooooong poles... I've never seen this before!

Here is one truck, waiting at the toll booth for the ferry...

And here are the trucks after they were loaded on the ferry. Notice the comparison with the full-size charter bus near the front of the log truck...

Longest pole I saw on there was 126' feet... I wouldn't want to be driving this truck through the outskirts of Seattle! No pilot cars or anything...

-Norm.

scsmith42 · February 19, 2009, 04:40:20 PM

Wow - them's some big poles...

shinnlinger · February 19, 2009, 06:24:24 PM

You'd think they head south around the peninsula rather than running the ferry...THat would make a nice windturbine pole....

kelLOGg · February 19, 2009, 06:34:11 PM

I can see Scott salivating - they would make loooooooooooooooooog boards ;D
Bob

logwalker · February 19, 2009, 07:35:02 PM

Norm, What ferry landing is that? I don't recognize it. Joe

sawguy21 · February 19, 2009, 08:47:30 PM

Quote from: shinnlinger on February 19, 2009, 06:24:24 PM
You'd think they head south around the peninsula rather than running the ferry...

No kidding,t he ferry toll would be stiff to say the least.

Onthesauk · February 19, 2009, 09:15:56 PM

I hauled my tractor on a trailer across on that ferry this last summer and if I remember right it was over $70 each way. The ferry coming back, (to the East,) had several loads of alder veneer logs on board.

StorminN · February 19, 2009, 09:51:59 PM

Quote from: logwalker on February 19, 2009, 07:35:02 PMNorm, What ferry landing is that? I don't recognize it. Joe

That's the entrance to the Kingston ferry... right before the tollbooths. The boat was the Spokane.

Quote from: sawguy21 on February 19, 2009, 08:47:30 PMthe ferry toll would be stiff to say the least.

You guys got me curious, so I just checked... the ferry is $92.40 one way for an 80' vehicle... each additional foot over 80' is $1.20... so if the longest pole was 126 feet, and the truck was say 20 feet longer than that overall, then the total bill was probably $171.60 one way...

-Norm.

thecfarm · February 19, 2009, 09:59:50 PM

Thanks for the pictures.Years ago,60-70 years, some red oak was hauled down to Portland kinda the same way with bunks.But no where near as long.I would be shocked to meet that load on the road around here.

sawguy21 · February 19, 2009, 10:26:07 PM

B.C. Ferries charges a flat rate of $4.85/ft for commercial vehicles on the mainland to Vancouver Island run so that load would have cost over $700.00.

backwoods sawyer · February 19, 2009, 11:41:22 PM

Add in the cost of permits ect. Those are not cheap poles. Anyone got a set of poles in there back yard like that? Just got to find the right buyer, grader, engineer ect to get the same price for them. The ferry may be cheaper then permits and flag cars. Good to see something special moving like that.

zopi · February 20, 2009, 12:01:43 AM

kinda like Spaceballs and the spaceship going by....and going and going....

Those poles are going to Jeffs neighbors...they need tripods to hang those big U.P.
deer carcasses on...

StorminN · February 20, 2009, 01:56:32 AM

Quote from: backwoods sawyer on February 19, 2009, 11:41:22 PMAdd in the cost of permits ect. Those are not cheap poles. Anyone got a set of poles in there back yard like that? Just got to find the right buyer, grader, engineer ect to get the same price for them. The ferry may be cheaper then permits and flag cars. Good to see something special moving like that.

I might have a few like that on my property... second growth Doug Fir... maybe not quite 125', but probably 100'+... the DNR land that borders mine has some, too... it's ripe.

-N.

Bro. Noble · February 20, 2009, 11:51:02 AM

We've been cutting utility poles, but not quite that long :D Ours are from 37 to 57' so far although we expect to have some a little longer. The guy that hauls them has west coast rigs that pivot in the middle when going around corners. They enjoy taking them through town to see peoples reactions.

I'm not so amazed at the hauling of a 126' pole as I would be the felling and skidding of them. With our little short ones, it's sometimes hard to find a place to drop them where they can be skidded out.

SwampDonkey · February 20, 2009, 03:38:08 PM

I was gonna say. :D Heck poles around here are less than 35 feet when planted, my house is taller and my yard maples and spruce are easily twice as tall. ;D

scsmith42 · February 20, 2009, 06:05:21 PM

Quote from: kelLOGg on February 19, 2009, 06:34:11 PM
I can see Scott salivating - they would make loooooooooooooooooog boards ;D
Bob

Indeed! Man, wouldn't it be fun to make some 120' beams???

Pitch · February 20, 2009, 08:41:22 PM

One of the timber/landowner companies I work for said that when the price of timber is down you tend to see a lot of poles on the road.

SwampDonkey · February 20, 2009, 09:28:05 PM

Often in depressed economies folks continue to harvest wood for barely at cost. They have nothing else. That has been the case in different regions in NB. Here where I live, is the best ground for tree growth within NB because the soil is deep and fairly rich and we get just enough rainfall so our land grows more volume, quicker. Take balsam fir, you wont find 18" trees in Moncton. I gave one away, a blow down, a couple years ago that was 45 years old and chalk white. I have several photos in my gallery from 2006 winter woods walking and photo snapping right here in the neighborhood. ;D

campy · February 20, 2009, 10:20:55 PM

When I am curious about something I keep asking different people until I find the answer.
My children shun me but I get answers.

So next time you board a boat like that go to the bar or galley and start pumping the information out of the other passengers.

Perhaps these are going to be masts for large sailing ships?

http://www.angelfire.com/de/YumCha/TallShip.html

Now I wont be able to sleep well.
I will have to stay up and ponder this mystery.

Cheers

campy · February 20, 2009, 10:23:27 PM

When I am curious about something I keep asking different people until I find the answer.
My children shun me but I get answers.

So next time you board a boat like that go to the bar or galley and start pumping the information out of the other passengers.

Perhaps these are going to be masts for large sailing ships?

http://www.angelfire.com/de/YumCha/TallShip.html

Now I wont be able to sleep well.
I will have to stay up and ponder this mystery.

Cheers

StorminN · February 21, 2009, 01:17:55 AM

Well campy,

Now you've got ME thinking... next time I will talk to the drivers and ask questions...

I went back and looked at the original photos, and the Kenworth says "Burke Trucking" on the door, so you could start there... :D ;D

-N.

ranger689 · May 14, 2009, 11:50:24 PM

I know the driver and depending on how the truck is paid, it's probably much cheaper to ride the ferry than drive around.

If you have questions about poles ask me, I've been buying them for the last 9 years

StorminN · May 15, 2009, 01:02:58 AM

Welcome to the forum, Ranger... glad you could stop in...

Since I posted that, I asked around and know a guy that knows the Burke drivers, too...

Well, with the Hood Canal Bridge closed for four to six weeks, I've seen less poles being trucked. In fact, today I drove around... from Seattle, down through Belfair and Union and up the west side of Hood Canal, and didn't notice one truck hauling poles...

-Norm.

scsmith42 · May 15, 2009, 02:11:36 AM

I haven't moved anything close to the length in the photo's, but I did once move some metal 67' stadium light poles with my F350 and trailer. Had a chase car too...

To put things into perspective, the deck of the trailer is 37' long. It has a hydraulic dovetail that I can run up or down.