-processor heads-

barbender · May 17, 2014, 07:50:56 PM

I think you're doing it right Bargemonkey ;) If you have a fleet of paid for equipment you really have a leg up. You only have to take jobs where you will actually make money, versus doing anything to keep it rolling and making payments. The problem with CTL is the price is so high for the equipment if you buy newer stuff, you need to move a lot of wood to pay for it. 40-50 cords per day turns into a mountain of wood to buy, cut and market in a years time.

BargeMonkey · May 17, 2014, 10:04:55 PM

Im almost at my "happy point" for woodlots per year right now, 4-6 per year. Im just looking to be efficient. To many guys get in over their heads quickly, and yeah the wood is out there but the payments come every month. It was alot simpler when I just had a skidder and dozer, to be honest.

Jake Bell · May 18, 2014, 09:08:14 AM

I ran a waratah head on a hyundai carrier all last winter, it went vertical to fell trees. you could sure pump out a lot of lumber. It was clear cut logging though and you would just pull up along side a deck of trees and start swingin. the computer had a printer that would give you a ticket of your hours, stem count and m3 put through on that shift. Not sure how well it would in hardwood though.

SliverPicker · May 18, 2014, 10:24:07 AM

I think that Rolly head can be run without a computer if the measuring solenoid is replaced with a non-measuring version.

barbender · May 18, 2014, 03:01:46 PM

A fixed head 4 roller seems to be the weapon of choice in hardwood thinnings. That Timbco should be an ideal carrier for one. However, if you are trying to delimb tree length a dangle head would probably work better (relatively speaking). I've never ran a fixed head, I've never even deliberately tree length with a processor, so take my opinion for what it's worth. My understanding is that Nortrax has been pushing the 703/Waratah dangle head as an in the woods delimber in place of a regular boom delimber. I know a couple guys that bought one for that purpose, they ended up getting a forwarder. If you have long stems, the butts are digging in the ground, stems snapping off, it's kind of a pain. I'd go watch someone that is running a head tree length and see what you think before taking the plunge ;)

BargeMonkey · May 18, 2014, 04:48:29 PM

Got the official word today, finish this woodlot, and 1 more and thats it for employee's in the woods. Done begging guys to work, babying them, dealing with their problems for months on end. Done. Now im going to have to see about a CTL system or someway to speed up production. I leave a guy with 1/2 a million in paid for equipment, pay him an honest wage and still cant get anything done. Wonder why this country is the way it is. All done.