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Newbie Looking to get Started

Started by swampdigger, July 21, 2021, 02:34:02 PM

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swampdigger

Hi guys.

I've got 300 acres of various wood out in BC Canada in different stages. Hope to end up with the land cleared and in field one day.  I've had a couple loggers take a look. It's all large scale out here with bunchers and processors.

Last guy told me I have some decent patches of wood, but it's spread out in patches and he'd be burning fuel chasing it all day. After getting his equipment trucked out, I'd probably just break even. Land would be clear, but no profit.

He actually encouraged me to go at it myself. I've got more energy than brains. There's one section with 200 to 300 tons of wood ready to go, about 2000 feet to the landing. Balsam/spruce/pine 6 to 10" DBH with lots of little crap in mixed in.

I've got a 200 hoe with a rake and a thumb, and a D4 sized crawler/loader.  I'm thinking if I can get one load out--and get paid for it--I can gauge if it's worth investing it. Maybe get a line skidder.

So what's the best technique? I need to selectively log it. It'll make a big mess to knock it all down.

I'd like to leave the hoe at the landing for loading the log truck. That machine is too expensive to fix, I'd rather not walk it around in the woods.

This land was logged before and there are old skid trails everywhere. I'm thinking try and hand fall into the old trails, and just tow it out with the crawler/loader. Kinda like skidding, but without a winch. Get a big tow rope, choke a few logs, drive forward a bunch to drag them out.. back up the loader, re-hook it, drive forward again. Kinda clumsy, but our goal is just get one load out.

Then maybe take my first cheque from the mill and go get a line skidder.

Thoughts?


mike_belben

Your dozer will pull a lot more wood with an arch and even more on a trailer.  the bottom will last several times longer that way. 

If youre aiming for pasture i think clearcutting everything as you come to it in rows is much more efficient than thinning it out over time.  Unless this is a 10 years from now pasture and you are letting the thinned stand mature to market size after the thin.  


Youre other thread is considering an ancient can car needing major work. Its a small machine needing time and money.  Sounds like a foolish detour to me.  I take them all the time and never arrive at my destination. 

  if you can do that work, you can probably build a tag trailer from an old truck axle, they arent complicated.  Buy a really good 2 speed, drop leg 10k jack for it. 

I have a single axle unpowered homemade bunk trailer from scrap. It fits 1 cord.  On fair ground it can be pulled by my little 35hp gas bobcat or my 26hp 2wd crop tractor.  Both light weight low powered junks.  HP is not the limitation on either of them.  


I estimate a D4 sized crawler is capable of pulling out 3 cord or more on easy ground if you build the trailer that can load it and hold it.  


There is no cheap turn key reliable skidder out there.   Timber is high so everyone is cutting and the machines worth buying been bought.  But youve got a machine worth keeping or youd have sold it already in this high market.  


Forks and a thumb on the crawler and a bunk tag trailer from a cut up straight truck and some I-beams or water pipe.  Park the trailer at the spot, load it with the crawler as you go.  When its full bring it up to the house and hitch the truck, drag it to the mill. Dont even unload.   Maybe stump as you go with the shovel so as to keep it tidy and open enough to work the crawler.   Or even park the crawler and use it as the loader for the trailer.  

Done that way you could just chain drag off the stump to the loader a short distance and keep a rolling landing right at the treeline.  If a truck can make it to the treeline, leave the iron out there and ride a 4wheeler from the house until youve made a full load. 

Praise The Lord

swampdigger

Quote from: mike_belben on July 21, 2021, 03:13:45 PM
Youre other thread is considering an ancient can car needing major work. Its a small machine needing time and money.  Sounds like a foolish detour to me.  I take them all the time and never arrive at my destination.



Story of my life. I'm always trying to do everything myself from scratch. Usually costs me more in the end. Thankfully I'm starting to recognize these traps before I dive in head first. Hah, guess that's why I asked about the treefarmer--to have someone tell me what I already suspect: it's not worth the effort.


Quote from: mike_belben on July 21, 2021, 03:13:45 PM
If youre aiming for pasture i think clearcutting everything as you come to it in rows is much more efficient than thinning it out over time.  Unless this is a 10 years from now pasture and you are letting the thinned stand mature to market size after the thin. 


Some clear goals would help wouldn't it? Besides pouring money into ancient machines, I also enjoy doing things 3 times.

We're looking to slowly convert to pasture. Some places on the property were cleared about 10 years ago and never planted. Just overgrown messes now. Other sections have 40 or 50 year old timber on them.

At the moment we've growing a goat herd and all our brush is delicious pasture to those guys. We'll graze (browse) goats for a few years and clean the place up first. Target those previous cleared sections first, then bring them into the timber areas to eat the understory.

I guess as the goats eat the forest away and I knock down pockets of wood, we'll seed pasture behind us. Probably replace the goats with cattle as fields open up. I do like the goats though.

I'm afraid to drop wood if I can't get rid of it. For no other reason than to avoid brush piles. There are lots of 3 to 4" trees between the saw logs. I was thinking I'll firewood anything that gets in my way, but I can only take so much firewood. It'd be nice to let some of that little stuff mature and hit it again in 10 or 15 years.

If there is any money in all this, it'd be great to keep continuously pulling logs off the property trough the decades.


Quote from: mike_belben on July 21, 2021, 03:13:45 PM
Forks and a thumb on the crawler and a bunk tag trailer from a cut up straight truck and some I-beams or water pipe.  Park the trailer at the spot, load it with the crawler as you go.  When its full bring it up to the house and hitch the truck, drag it to the mill. Dont even unload.   Maybe stump as you go with the shovel so as to keep it tidy and open enough to work the crawler.   Or even park the crawler and use it as the loader for the trailer.  

Done that way you could just chain drag off the stump to the loader a short distance and keep a rolling landing right at the treeline.  If a truck can make it to the treeline, leave the iron out there and ride a 4wheeler from the house until youve made a full load.



Interesting--a trailer would fill that gap nicely. I've got an old mobile home trailer that could be cut down. I think it's got 2 x 5000lb axle and no brakes.

The crawler has a 4-in-1 bucket and I do have a set of large pallet forks and welding technology.  Got a milling machine under a tarp too (rusting away, f---) if I ever get a shop built.

What kind of truck do you use to get your logs to the mill? How far are you from the mill?

Riwaka

What is the current value of Timberland of that type versus cleared pasture? How much standing timber (unburnt) is there likely to be left in 5, 10 , 15 years etc in the area?

There is the possibility the timberland (if thinned and managed) could be more valuable in X? years than if is logged and cleared? Or cut a firebreak around the property and leave the timber in the middle etc.

Is it possible to get a chainsaw mill or better and saw up a few trees to see how good the wood is before you commit to any option?




mike_belben

Quote from: swampdigger on July 21, 2021, 06:59:23 PM
What kind of truck do you use to get your logs to the mill? How far are you from the mill?
I have a 2ton 86 international single axle toter truck and a 30 foot gooseneck.  Both are tore up parked right now. Probably from being way overloaded trying to haul logs!  

Im not a logger.  Just a 5acre homesteader but i understand everything youve got on your plate there.  I just have 1/60th of it.  Trying to decide between goats or hogs in high rotation silvopasture myself right now.  My milling machines are probably all rust by now too for lack of a shop at the new place.

Most of my logs went between 10 and 30 miles from home by backroad and didnt pay spit at the time.

A mobile home trailer will fold up or bend an axle tube about the time you get a full load on it, the frames are just too thin.  A dual tandem gooseneck or tag is what id consider minimum for reliable log hauling.  Any smaller and you cant put enough on to make a trip pay without breaking the trailer.   Now out in the woods a single dually axle makes for a compact, maneuverable unit.  For offroad use behind a dozer id cut up an old grain truck or something and pintle the framerails.  And where i live i could sneak that down the road too but most areas of north america it seem you cant anymore.   


How bad is DOT near you, how far from the mill and what do you have for a truck?  I have no idea what your region is like so hauling your own might be a fools errand.  

Btw logs exceed a class D license really fast.
Praise The Lord

swampdigger

Quote from: mike_belben on July 21, 2021, 10:15:23 PM
Quote from: swampdigger on July 21, 2021, 06:59:23 PM
What kind of truck do you use to get your logs to the mill? How far are you from the mill?
I have a 2ton 86 international single axle toter truck and a 30 foot gooseneck.  Both are tore up parked right now. Probably from being way overloaded trying to haul logs!  

Im not a logger.  Just a 5acre homesteader but i understand everything youve got on your plate there.  I just have 1/60th of it.  Trying to decide between goats or hogs in high rotation silvopasture myself right now.  My milling machines are probably all rust by now too for lack of a shop at the new place.

Most of my logs went between 10 and 30 miles from home by backroad and didnt pay spit at the time.

A mobile home trailer will fold up or bend an axle tube about the time you get a full load on it, the frames are just too thin.  A dual tandem gooseneck or tag is what id consider minimum for reliable log hauling.  Any smaller and you cant put enough on to make a trip pay without breaking the trailer.   Now out in the woods a single dually axle makes for a compact, maneuverable unit.  For offroad use behind a dozer id cut up an old grain truck or something and pintle the framerails.  And where i live i could sneak that down the road too but most areas of north america it seem you cant anymore.  


How bad is DOT near you, how far from the mill and what do you have for a truck?  I have no idea what your region is like so hauling your own might be a fools errand.  

Btw logs exceed a class D license really fast.
The goats have been great. We don't have fences up yet, but they stick around the house. We've got a great pyrenees that runs with them. Really enjoy having them around.

DOT is bad and there's a truck scale between me and the mill. Wife is getting her CDL though, haha. But there's such an established log hauling industry around here, I doubt I could do it cheaper even if it means reloading wood.  There's gotta be half a dozen owner operators in my neighbourhood, all running B-train tractor trailers that pack 40+ tons of logs per load.

But I think you're on to something about finding a way to forward logs out of the bush. Especially with a crawler that doesn't move that fast. Another thought I had was building a sled, as we have a solid 5 months of winter too.

Quote from: Riwaka on July 21, 2021, 08:13:53 PM
What is the current value of Timberland of that type versus cleared pasture? How much standing timber (unburnt) is there likely to be left in 5, 10 , 15 years etc in the area?

There is the possibility the timberland (if thinned and managed) could be more valuable in X? years than if is logged and cleared? Or cut a firebreak around the property and leave the timber in the middle etc.

Is it possible to get a chainsaw mill or better and saw up a few trees to see how good the wood is before you commit to any option?



Fire is real concern. We've got 160 acres at the back of our place full of tight 40 year old softwood. A forester neighbour came back and recommended we leave it alone for another 20 or 30 years, said it'll be half a million, or a million or something.
You echo my concerns... that's great, if it's still standing.
Of my neighbours, I think they've all made more money off the logs than the farmland. It's [I have typed a profane word that is automatically changed by the forum censored words program I should know better and could be banned for doing it] land to be honest. Really only good for haying. Haha, everyone took their log money and bought farm equipment, but everyone still has a day job too.
Apparently thinning doesn't happen much around here. There is so much public land, you clear cut it, replant the whole thing, then come back to it in 200 years. Very little management, but it works cause it got so much public land to rotate through. But I think that's changing and we'll see more thinning in the years to come.

I'd love to thin that back 160 acres. It's a nasty mess right now.

sawguy21

Where are you? Talk to BCFS, you will need permits and a timber stamp to move the wood off your property. Then you will need to find a buyer, right now the mill yards in the southern interior are full and logging is shut down due to the fire hazard. The major players like Canfor and Tolko won't be interested in small lots.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

swampdigger

Quote from: sawguy21 on July 22, 2021, 01:29:01 PM
Where are you? Talk to BCFS, you will need permits and a timber stamp to move the wood off your property. Then you will need to find a buyer, right now the mill yards in the southern interior are full and logging is shut down due to the fire hazard. The major players like Canfor and Tolko won't be interested in small lots.

We're up by PG. We did--the ministry guy was pretty helpful. Got our timber stamp.

I think the hardest part is getting ahold of a buyer. Even getting a phone number. But the logger that came by a few days ago seemed to think that was the easy part. Told us to give him a call when we got some wood piled up. Hopefully he comes through, but I'm hesitant to invest until I get a cheque from the mill in my hands.

Lakeland mills seemed receptive back in the winter. But yeah, Canfor just seems to big deal with for someone like me.

Andries

SwampDigger; you've got a lot going for you;
- Some land
- Some heavy metal
- Wife with a CDL
- You've started early
- This Forum
Welcome to the forum. There's folks reading this that have years of experience and are willing to share. Imagine yourself sitting on a front porch with ten guys in old coveralls, and you throwing out a few questions. 
First thoughts:
. A game plan that goes out five years at a time would be a good starting point. With the virus, temperatures and fires that have been happening, change is the name of the game. 
Traditional ways of thinking are taking it in the teeth. Northwest Ontario is smokin' and similar but not as severe as what you folks are enduring. Stay loose.
. Three hundred acres is a nice chunk of real estate to use as a proof of concept for the Prince George area. Earlier, you had said that thinning may become more of a thing, and many will agree with you. Your already on good terms with the BCFS - ask around and find a forester who'd be willing to bluesky some predictions and plans with you.
. Timber Stand improvement or,TSI is a good word search on this forum. There's a ton of info out there, however, a lot of it is focussed on maximizing the number of deer for hunting, rather than managing a forest. Mike Belben holds a "Master Tinkers" degree in building mad max equipment to do his forest improvement projects. As you've already seen, he's an excellent source of info and ideas (plus some hair raising tales).
. Enjoy the ride. "The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask".



LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

swampdigger

Quote from: Andries on July 22, 2021, 03:00:47 PM
SwampDigger; you've got a lot going for you;
- Some land
- Some heavy metal
- Wife with a CDL
- You've started early
- This Forum
Welcome to the forum. There's folks reading this that have years of experience and are willing to share. Imagine yourself sitting on a front porch with ten guys in old coveralls, and you throwing out a few questions.
First thoughts:
. A game plan that goes out five years at a time would be a good starting point. With the virus, temperatures and fires that have been happening, change is the name of the game.
Traditional ways of thinking are taking it in the teeth. Northwest Ontario is smokin' and similar but not as severe as what you folks are enduring. Stay loose.
. Three hundred acres is a nice chunk of real estate to use as a proof of concept for the Prince George area. Earlier, you had said that thinning may become more of a thing, and many will agree with you. Your already on good terms with the BCFS - ask around and find a forester who'd be willing to bluesky some predictions and plans with you.
. Timber Stand improvement or,TSI is a good word search on this forum. There's a ton of info out there, however, a lot of it is focussed on maximizing the number of deer for hunting, rather than managing a forest. Mike Belben holds a "Master Tinkers" degree in building mad max equipment to do his forest improvement projects. As you've already seen, he's an excellent source of info and ideas (plus some hair raising tales).
. Enjoy the ride. "The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask".
Thanks for the warm welcome. Yeah, this is lifetime project and I gotta remember to enjoy it and try and relax sometimes. I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon.
I wish buddies dad was still around. Old school coast gyppo logger. Haywire jack of all trades. I got his 066, but I wish he was still around. He'd have all this wood at the mill already, and he'd find a way to rip them off, haha.
The traditional ways are taking it in the teeth--I keep thinking the same thing. I feel like in every system in nature you have equilibrium. Then we humans come along and try to force the outcome of a system, initially with success, but the more we prop it up, the more unsustainable it becomes. From farming to social issues. You see it everywhere.

They way they do the large scale logging around me is not going to work for what I got. They got different goals, high volume low margin. I really liked that contractor that came out a few days ago, he was encouraging. Made me think that I do have some timber, I just need an economical way to harvest it. That's what brings me here. I feel like the East coast guys have some tricks what could help.

As it turns out, from the time I started of this post to the end, one of the mills got back to me. They're going to send someone to come look at our wood. Fingers crossed, hopefully I get to be a big time logger, lol.


mike_belben

QuoteBut I think you're on to something about finding a way to forward logs out of the bush. Especially with a crawler that doesn't move that fast. Another thought I had was building a sled, as we have a solid 5 months of winter too.
A dozer cant really compete with a skidders output unless it makes 1 trip for the skidders 5 or 6. Or the ground is too steep or wet for the skidder at all.  

Problem with a sled is at some point youll need to back up and youll be backing the tin access panels for the dozers giblets right into a pile of stationary tree parts.  Unless you build a steering drawbar.  And at that point what the heck just build a trailer already. In my opinion.

QuoteWife is getting her CDL though
Tell her she cant sign up here.  Im trying to retain my position as FF's prettiest CDL holding housewife.




Quoteplus some hair raising tales
Unfortunately I dont think ive raised a new hair in 20 years! On my head anyway.  Lets not talk about nose and ears.

;D
Praise The Lord

mike_belben

What about selling off say 10 acres or so with road frontage to get a good grapple skidder?
Praise The Lord

swampdigger

Well, the mill rep came out the other day... he said I got lots of tight looking wood!! 8)

They're going to set me up with a log haul company. Works out good that I'm close to town, it'll be a good odd load for these guys to sneak in and fill up their day every once in a while.

The mill man figured I could get the log truck pretty deep into my property with just a bit of road work. We'll load in this big flat clear patch right next to where I want to log. I didn't think these highway trucks go make it far in the bush, but mill man thinks it won't be a problem. He knows best.

A straight line pull from the woods with my dozer, right into this clearing. We'll pile the logs right in the middle of the clearing. I'll leave a big tow rope dangling behind the dozer, and do a turn around a tree at the end of the landing before I head back into the bush so I don't run over my own rope. I'll set chokers, and my wife will be on the dozer. Should be a pretty good cycle time.

I guess I got some road work to do first. Hopefully I can get some loads out before the weather gets snotty. I think most of this wood will come out in the winter. Pretty exciting.

mike_belben

Glad to hear its moving forward.  


A tractor with good rubber and locked in power divider can crawl through the woods pretty similarly to a stock 4wd pickup.  If theyre sending tractors youll want to make very big turnaround loop or a T backup, pullup, pullout turnaround. the radius of the tee joint has to be very generous on both sides and as wide as you can make it for the tractor to swing its nose, ideally with a clear view of where the trailer is from the cab while folded up.


The trucks need to be able to spin around while empty then back into the loading hole.  You may need to dig a notch or build a pad to load over the bolsters.
Praise The Lord

Andries

That's good news swampdigger.
Looks like you've got a bit of prepping to do before the long trucks come to pickup.
The adventure begins!
Are the log trucks self loaders?
Keep a critical eye on the values and numbers of the logs picked up. You may want to take photos of the logs on the landing, before and after pickup. The dates on the photo file will show you what was taken and when.
There's plenty a log seller on the Forum that have regretted being a bit naive about accepting the mill's value on logs taken.
.
"Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me."
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

swampdigger

Quote from: mike_belben on July 28, 2021, 06:25:31 PM
Glad to hear its moving forward.  


A tractor with good rubber and locked in power divider can crawl through the woods pretty similarly to a stock 4wd pickup.  If theyre sending tractors youll want to make very big turnaround loop or a T backup, pullup, pullout turnaround. the radius of the tee joint has to be very generous on both sides and as wide as you can make it for the tractor to swing its nose, ideally with a clear view of where the trailer is from the cab while folded up.


The trucks need to be able to spin around while empty then back into the loading hole.  You may need to dig a notch or build a pad to load over the bolsters.
I must learn these things. I have no idea what semi is capable of.  They'll be sending B trains. I was told they'll pack 42 tons of logs per load. I think it's 3 or 4 bunks of CTL 12 or 16 foot pieces.
Any idea what a good radius would be? I think I'll get my road and landing area built, then see if someone from the trucking company can come by and check it out before they send the first truck.
I was wondering about getting over bolsters as well. I'll have to measure before that first truck shows up. It'd be nice to have a permanent pad built. Truck sits on one side, and logs on the other. Set my tracks parallel to the truck and I can walk the hoe up and down the pad.

Quote from: Andries on July 28, 2021, 06:43:17 PM
That's good news swampdigger.
Looks like you've got a bit of prepping to do before the long trucks come to pickup.
The adventure begins!
Are the log trucks self loaders?
Keep a critical eye on the values and numbers of the logs picked up. You may want to take photos of the logs on the landing, before and after pickup. The dates on the photo file will show you what was taken and when.
There's plenty a log seller on the Forum that have regretted being a bit naive about accepting the mill's value on logs taken.
.
"Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me."
The trucks will not be self loaders. I wish I could get a self loader. Apparently there used to be lots around, but as the logging got bigger, they went away. Still a few left, but they can be hard to get ahold of--so I've been told. I've got a 200 excavator with a root rake and a thumb which I will attempt to load with.

You're not the only one to tell me this. That's a good idea.

HemlockKing

If they're sending b trains you best clear a massive turn around then just when you think it's big enough make it even bigger lol
A1

bannerd

I would buy one of these, we cleared 100 acres in a few weeks with one;

85H Uniforest Log Skidding Winch - Hud-son

We had a tree service job where we ran 100ft of cable and pulled them across a lake.  That dozer (if it has PTO or pump) would be a perfect power plant.

mike_belben

I have never drove a rig like that.  If you can make a road that ends at a "T" youll be okay as long as the truck can drive down to the end, hang a right at the stop sign and go forward enough to get straight, then back straight up past the sign and take a right again to leave on the same road it came in.  Youll want minimum 100ft of length on each half of the T to get a truck straight.  And make these streets as wide as you can make them. 
Praise The Lord

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