Well my help decided that driving truck over the road was a better choice, hope it works out well for him. He hit 40 hours 2x in 2 years, yeah real motivated. Well, theres my new skidder operator, bought the grapple with this in mind, but she is only 5' tall so this could be interesting. Cant ever get my GF to smile. 8)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34634/2014051195133622.jpg)
lol, i am bad to get a smile out of as well. i know how she feels.
just remember that shes yer GF and not some dude runnin yer skidder.
Yeah have to remember to be nice and have some patience with the spouses... it can be tough though...
The war dept flat out refuses to even sit in the skidder seat (might have something to do with naming the skidder the missus...) and I have to be real nice to get her to help with setting chokers anymore. She still helps out with moving equipment and occasionally loading short logs, and I can usually get her to meet the log trucks on the landing while I'm at the day job... anymore then that and I'm pushing my luck.
I did get her to drive the dump truck like 20 feet... and only while I was pulling it with the skidder... (its a long story involving vine maples, broken bumpers and mud)...
Marcia has helped out quite a bit and we work really we together. The only problem we have is I'm usually in a rush to get work done and give instruction quick and to the point and forget to say please. This bothers her, so I have to be on my toes with the please and thank you's but good maners in the woods is hard sometimes and hate to say it but she right. And becareful not to loose her! I sent Marcia to get more flagging marking property lines. I sent her east towards the road. Then I see her to the south and then she starts heading north. I could she her worried look on her face and she was talking to herself. Still makes me laugh and since she is a cutie I couldn't let her keep heading north. :D :D
Im going to try and not yell to much. 8)
She is more worried about hurting the skidder, I told her as long as she can keep 2 tires on the ground at all times she will be fine. Im pretty certain my Timbco and dozer can up right the skidder, but we will find out next week. The job im on right now isnt to bad, some good twists and turns and almost 1 mile from the back. There maybe a positive to this, if she likes it maybe I can go buy that 648H, and we can have HIS-HERS grapple skidders.
If she is worried about hurting the skidder,that maybe a good thing. ;D At least she has no bad habits that need to be forgotten.
Good luck with that decision !!! ;D she may have a hard time backing and seeing well in the grapple being short.I worked with a few ladies for a construction co years ago and it really smartened up a bunch of the guys not to be shown up by a girl !!!!!! ;D ;D
I read a story about an all female haying crew out in montana.Owner was asked why she only hired woman,answer- ''There a lot easier on the equipment''
My wife and I work together on occasion.I do have to pay attention to how I make my requests or give direction or the temperature can change pretty quick.
She may be able to run it better than you!!! electricuted-smiley Agree help is hard to find ;D
Quote from: BargeMonkey on June 10, 2014, 11:24:44 PM
Well my help decided that driving truck over the road was a better choice, hope it works out well for him. He hit 40 hours 2x in 2 years, yeah real motivated. Well, theres my new skidder operator, bought the grapple with this in mind, but she is only 5' tall so this could be interesting. Cant ever get my GF to smile. 8)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34634/2014051195133622.jpg)
crank the seat up and turn her loose!!!!! keep on logging
My wife runs our rock crusher....has for 6 years now. She's danged good help!! She's caught problems before they've become big quite a few times, and we work very well together! I agree, women usually are a bit easier on equipment, and for the most part, they'll do something the way you want it done, not the way they think it might be easier.
My wife was a hoe operator when we first met... Now she's a gas technician... But when it's time for us to put bush road in she's much more productive then myself or my employee on a hoe
Kinda sorta off topic a little bit..
anyway growing up with a single mom for the most part (the step drunk wasn't much good). She was a truck driver, welder, security guard, paper lady, waitress, maid, whatever paid the bills. I never saw women as being unable to do any job. She's a drug abuse counselor now.
So come a few weeks ago, I got the wifey out helping on a project, and all these dudes are saying well she's just a girl and can't do this or that... (granted she isn't as strong as a dude, but she was keeping up) meanwhile she was out there everyday helping for 6 weeks, and where were all the dudes that where supposed to show up? Just kinda set me back on my thinking a bit...
I've known many women who were excelent operators, they are more self confidiant than a lot of men when it comes to running company owned equipment, she will do fine with your encouragement but you may have a problem finding her caulked filpflops, best of luck to her.
General consensus seems to be that women can be very good at operating heavy machinery. Even if they aren't working as fast, they are generally more careful with things. Means less mishaps and breakages, so production is better in the end.
A lot of operators of the big mining machinery in Aussie are women. Everything is power operated, so as long as she can see over the steering wheel, no worries.
Ian
We will find out next week if she can handle it, this job isnt steep but loaded with rock and pretty curvy. She just came back from the store after buying her new work boots. She has over 150 pairs of shoes but not 1 pair of workboots. Oh god. 8)
i have never seen a stilleto work boot !!!!! ;D ;D ;D She will probably do fine ! if not you will have to find a new operator,and girlfriend ;D
Too funny. When any girl starts talking shoes I always guess they have 150 and I am usually right. :-)
My wife learned on a C5 pole skidder , stick shift with no brakes. She was a wild woman when driving the ole C5, she made that Detroit talk to her. I taught her how to change oil, grease it, and knock the air cleaner out, most of all keep fuel in it, she loved driving it. The best thing was she wanted production, a neat landing, nice even log piles, she took to this like a duck in water.
At the time when we were logging i would have put her against any man running a pole skidder. Depending on the timber and the length of the turn, she could make 2 to 6 turns a hour
smiley_thumbsup
You found a keeper.
Hey Barge Monkey how is the new skidder operator working out?My GF wants to give it a try but idk if she can handle the mud and rocks on this job!