couple pics... post what your currently cutting

[nativewolf]

 

  

 

 




 

 



I could not do justice to the YP in the first picture.  I am sure it is over 120',  tight growth rings as you can see in that 20" log.  @Walnut Beast That is the bear, first week of training done.  Hope not to see a ponsse person until the 200 hour service.  Yeah...bought all the service they'd sell us, we are not mechanics.  Change parts...not mechanics.  

Lastly that's the head, an H8 HD head with a top saw.  Some like the top saw some don't.  Son seems to like it in the poplar.  9" of rain in 10 days so I'm glad we are on top of the mountain and not crossing streams.

[Firewoodjoe]

  



 




 

 



I could not do justice to the YP in the first picture.  I am sure it is over 120',  tight growth rings as you can see in that 20" log.  @Walnut Beast That is the bear, first week of training done.  Hope not to see a ponsse person until the 200 hour service.  Yeah...bought all the service they'd sell us, we are not mechanics.  Change parts...not mechanics.  

Lastly that's the head, an H8 HD head with a top saw.  Some like the top saw some don't.  Son seems to like it in the poplar.  9" of rain in 10 days so I'm glad we are on top of the mountain and not crossing streams.

I can't say congratulations enough. Cause that's a big leap you took. I even see some options added if I'm right. And it seems like there's more black paint on that one vs the one I've been working around. I think it's a 2020. Either way 👍👍

[Crusarius]

"DROOL!!!!!!!!"

[Stoneyacrefarm]

Good on you Nativewolf!!
Major equipment envy here. 
Glad to see things are working out for you. 

[nativewolf]

Thanks FWJ, it's been a tough/terrible winter/spring.  We're blessed on the forestry side of things.  I opened our estimating spreadsheets today.  I had put in 70 gallons of fuel/machine day for budget purposes.  Don't believe we are going to use nearly that much so in the end our fuel budget doesn't look so terribly far off...one of the funny nice things that I'll take.  2 drivers competing to see who can haul the first load.   That's a blessing too.  

Wood prices decent still, very helpful.  Weyerhauser asked for all we can send for rotary veneer (peelers-not high end rotary, about the bottom of the business).  Production at our best buyer is hampered still by labor so that will shift some product a bit.  

Neighbors asked for contracts, going to be very interesting summer.  Late July I'll have colon cancer surgery (not a crisis, I'm way ahead of this one) so I'll be down a couple of weeks then but looking forward to the fall.  90 acres of similar YP waiting, 50 acres of huge WO.  Then the 2 huge YP/RO jobs-1000 acres total.  Never could have signed so many clients without the Bear, just no way for us slow folks to get it done on a timely basis.  

So here is some interesting scuttlebutt from Ponsse team.  Apparently there were a slew of new pine mills opened in the last 2 years in SE pine belt from East TX to Savannah.  Something  like a new mill every 100 miles off of Interstate 20 (according to the sales folks).  Ponsse now has 50 machines in the SE where they had 2 just 3 years ago.  Mostly smaller ergo's and such.    

The interesting news to me was that there were a bunch of new pine mills opening in the pine belt.  We had some threads were the lack of new mills was discussed but it turns out that they were built after all, despite the pandemic, despite supply chain issues, labor issues, etc.  

One interesting tidbit was that an older mill decided to insource logging, Spanish Trails has started doing some of their own logging, just 6 or 8 machines so far I think but in pine plantations that would keep a medium mill busy (I think- you guys tell me if I'm wrong).  I don't think Spanish Trails is huge but it is a pine mill.  So something like a 10 or 11 person team (depending on trucking) keeping a pine stud mill going.  Something to watch.

[thecfarm]

Good for you!!!! 

[barbender]

That's awesome, Wyatt! I think the topsaw would be a godsend in hardwood. 

[Walnut Beast]

  



 




 

 



I could not do justice to the YP in the first picture.  I am sure it is over 120',  tight growth rings as you can see in that 20" log.  @Walnut Beast That is the bear, first week of training done.  Hope not to see a ponsse person until the 200 hour service.  Yeah...bought all the service they'd sell us, we are not mechanics.  Change parts...not mechanics.  

Lastly that's the head, an H8 HD head with a top saw.  Some like the top saw some don't.  Son seems to like it in the poplar.  9" of rain in 10 days so I'm glad we are on top of the mountain and not crossing streams.

Very nice! Beautiful first class machine 👍💪

[Skeans1]

@nativewolf 
Remember you guys are just starting out so production is slow and you're not running full speed yet so you won't be using all the fuel you will be. If we're running normally we'll burn close to that a day with 6 loads a day put on the ground doing about 60 pieces an hour depending on the size of wood. I'm in that size right now roughly 17 to 20 inch stuff depending on where at we will 45 maybe 50 gallons a day depending on how fast the head is turned up. 

[Skeans1]

 

 

 

 A little west coast fun, with one heading down through the broken ground with old rail cuts running through making some interesting breaks for a cat or a shovel. Then other parts will involve diving off from the top to get as much as possible other areas are too steep for anything other then a tether for hand cutting. Slopes on this job are anywhere from 10 percent up to 100 percent plus on the type of ground that you walk across to head down.

[Riwaka]

If there is any money left in the budget. Sometime in the future maybe look at a (hopefully not junk) fixed grapple track loader. In the current situation there are likely to be partial winners and losers among the machinery manufacturers.

Alabama - Ponsse harvester/ forwarder and John Deere knuckleboom trailer very short piece.
FINAL DAYS OF CORN 2022 - YouTube trailer.

[nativewolf]

@barbender @Skeans1 

Many thanks to both of you for answering innumerable questions along the way.  Also, for actually posting pictures of what you are cutting in the "what you are cutting thread" !

[WDH]

Admin note:  Please do not quote the previous post.  There is no reason or point in doing that, it is redundant. 

[Coopthecutter]

 

 

 

 

I've been lurking on this forum for a couple years, never posted much but I've learned a lot from reading all the different threads. This thread is by far my favorite. Here's a few pics from a job we just finished this past week. Place hadn't been logged in 25 years and there were a lot of monsters

 

[ehp]

I just put $50 of high test pump gas in a 5 gallon can and the can was not empty , that's Scary stuff my friends . NW  that new machine looks great and I'm sure will do you guys well. 

[nativewolf]

The things I have to do to keep up with your production  @ehp.  

[ehp]

well if that was the case NW you would be sitting at home watching the paint dry and the grass grow  ;D, have not cut a tree in almost 2 weeks . I got lots to cut but just not going crazy at it until they figure things out a lot better , I own the bushes so if I gain another $50 to $100 /1000 that makes my bottom line look a lot better 

[ehp]

And remember I'm old and over the hill and busted up pretty good so if you cannot out produce this old has been your doing stuff very wrong . I'm sure you cut more by lunch on the first day of the week compared to what I cut per week or might be per month 

[nativewolf]

And remember I'm old and over the hill and busted up pretty good so if you cannot out produce this old has been your doing stuff very wrong . I'm sure you cut more by lunch on the first day of the week compared to what I cut per week or might be per month

Ahhh...no...no we don't.  We are slow as molasses.  Really, not even joking.  Slow slow slow.  My goal with the harvester is only 16k bdft a day, or 4*27 tons (we rarely sell by ton but it helps the folks in michigan dial back the expectations).  
We do try to cut good wood and only good wood.   I think it's a great strategy to hold and wait a bit.  Sugar bush?  Hard maple has stayed roaring hot.  
Had hoped to get up there this summer but I have a small surgery that will have me limited in what I do and a service that will be painful to manage.  All in all I think I'll miss most of a month of work.  We'll see how I feel after the surgery.

[ehp]

Hope everything goes way better than you think, your tough so it should . yes I'm not cutting any good timber and that's my plan but if I end up where it has to go then I guess I will . Not sure how you cut good hard maple in this heat , it will split on the way to the ground or very shortly afterwards so we just stay as way from good stuff . If your cutting 16,000 feet a day so 80,000 feet a week that's pretty good . You got pretty good machines now so that makes it a lot easier on the body for it to do all the bull work for you 

[nativewolf]

Yeah easier on the body is a big selling point.  I don't know anything about cutting hard maple, just follow the prices  :D.  I've yet to actually drop one, they are more prevalent just 60 miles west or north but very uncommon and not big here.  

[chep]

Wyatt

One of the things i have done is hand cut ahead of a harvester when the guy is learning the ropes of running a complicated piece of equipment!  Lay down wood in front so he can focus on just processing. In my experience most of the time fussing around with ctl is cutting off the stump. And most of the time/dangerouse work chopping is topping etc. It will push up production untill he gets up to speed. Even just a couple hrs on the saw just laying things down can make a big difference.  Especially as he learn the controls.  Might save some hoses etc

Good for you. Big step!

[nativewolf]

Thanks.  It's a big step.  We're going for seat time vs production at the moment.  We've got some hand cutting to do on some really big ones so he's going to be dropping those for better or worse, maybe have to hand buck some too  :( (dad bucks).  Brain trust is going to be looking for a forwarder driver to replace me and I'll just go back to signing up clients.  

[lshobie]

Getting used to my log loader/skidder combo, the loader controls are bagged right out and the levers are so loose the cross each other all the time...time for a rebuild or maybe a new valve bank?

             https://youtu.be/vVmCWZ6ZcnA           

[78NHTFY]

Cutting some black gold-- 8).  With MS361 and 20" bar, trimmed the flares, plunge cut, wedged, cut the strap and boom: fell just where it was supposed to.  Trimmed the tops for cordwood, trunk and multiple crotches for the mill.  Will be Bibbying the 36" butt to fit on the LT 40.  All the best, Rob.



A good 80'


 
1st cut of the wedge on the fall side.


 
Those wedges have seen better days....


 
Bucked up and ready for pick up to the mill.