american loggers

[a old timberjack]

i assume everyone seen or already taalked about this new show this fri 10 pm eastern time. on disc. " american loggers " about northern maine on the golden road. it is finially great to see some east coast new england logging, espicially  on tv. any mainers got any scoop???

[Don K]

Don't have anything to add, but I'll be watching. My Grandaddy was a logger so I guess it is in my blood even if I make my living doing something else less satisfying. :

Don

[thecfarm]

I will like to see it too.I wonder if it will be all planted pine pine that will be cut?

[Maineloggerkid]

I don't think it is planted pine. I also think that at the beginning, they were going to focus more on the trucking, but then decided to go to logging. So the first episodes might be more on the trucks, then logging.  I could be all wrong, I'm just passing second hand info along, here.

[SwampDonkey]

If it's pine, I wonder how long ago it's been planted. The earliest planting on any scale here in New Brunswick was K. C. Irving back in the 50's. It was spruce and the wood in those plantations are still small diameter and not all that tall. Definitely no 20" and 80+ foot trees yet, mostly what I would call pulp size. As far as pine (jack, red, white) I have never seen anything in plantations that would be anything to brag about yet. I saw a piece of white pine on Dr. R. Giberson's lot in NB that he planted 40 years ago, the weevil has ruined it. He practiced medicine in Presque Isle Maine and lives in Arizona. He's over 90 years old now I think. Locally known as "Doc" in our woodlot association.

[Maineloggerkid]

I've seen some pictures of the deal already, and what I saw on the truck was tree lenght spruce and fir.

[TessiersFarm]

I was doing some construction work on the golden road when they were filming it last year.  It was focusing on Pelletier brothers which is one of the oldest continuous contractors on the golden road.  At that time they were hauling different wood in both directions because a new spur had been added to a Canadian mill.  I am not sure just where they were filming the logging part but I know they were running a lot of tandem wide bodies up and down the telos road, they had cameras on the grills, bunks, ect.  I wish I had cable so I could watch it.

[chainspinrunner]

It's about time they have a documentary on some timber workers from different parts of the nation. No offense to the western workers, but it is nice to see some other operations to compare and contrast.

[linrick1]

I ran the Golden Road for a few years back in the ealy '90s, driving for a guy out of Millinocket. While I was up there Pelletier, Gardner, and H.O. Bouchard were the big outfits, I ran a highway truck all over the place out of those woods and let me tell you those boys can go, and go hard, for a long, long time without ever seeming to sleep...especially before spring breakup-I remember (vaguely) flying down the road with 100K on for the mill so tired I would be seeing double (log book? right). I know a few of the Pelletiers, they're a good bunch of guys and they run real nice equipment. They had some beautiful Mack 10 wheel drive, RD888s maybe, pulling their doubles, turned up E9 V-8s, just real nice iron. What has screwed me up about the commercial for the show is the axle spacing on the highway trailer. We ran a triaxle setup so I am curious about this - maybe a Canadien weight thing? Looking forward to seeing the show, Rick

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Its a Weight thing Linrick Mate We Aust  ;) have only had tri's here since the 70s but before that theyd tryed bogie sperads, tri spreads and Quads but it wasnt untill the 80s we started seeing Bogie tri tri Bdoubles  ;) and we also have alot of rigids with folding quad dogs running around now at about 50 odd ton gross  ;)
and heres one new one for you blokes to have a squizz at go to youtube and type in Elpinstone B tripple  ;) about 90 ton gross and will be leagl on most major routes in Vic within a year or so  ;) Elphinstone also build the first folding skell  ;)A Freind of the family had the first in victoria in 88 they are a pretty neat settup if your doing logs mostly one way and they also give you alot more traction and monerverability out the bush  ;) ;D 8)

I wish we had shows on logging here but the only time you will see anything about it is usually a flash on the news with some bloody greeny hangn off the bullbar of a log truck ,holding up logging by chaining themselfs to gear  ;) :D :D :D :D

I might have to get myself a coppy of afew of your shows you have overthere on dvd if i can  ;) ;D

Reguards Chris

[Maineloggerkid]

If anyone chained themselves to my stuff, I'd think about carrying bolt cutters aand mace with me. I guess your not actually supposed to hurt them....something about violating rights. :D

[timberfaller390]

Why use the bolt cutters? Just take off with them still strapped in, they'll get the idea eventually  ;D

[Maineloggerkid]

That works just as well, I suppose.

[ScottAR]

Just tie up the danglely bits and give 'em a ride they won't forget.

I've actually heard a few stories like this...  The one that comes to
mind is a greenie tied themselves to the bucket of a wheel loader.

The workmen show up at work time and raised the bucket to full height....
...and went about their day.   Greenie eventually gave up and asked to be
let down. 

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

:D :D :D :D ;) Those ideas would work well  ;) but the police are out the to keep an eye on things these days  ;) :( : But you still hear of the odd group getting a good hiding   smiley_argue01  smiley_fused_bomb    ;) :D :D ;D 8) ;)

The funniest id heard of was a log truck driver who use to cart logs from Sale in east gippsland to the family mill at Heathcote  a round trip of 450 odd miles  ;) that had a couple of them jump (one with a gitar over his sholder ) on the bull bar while he was trying to leave the landing while a tv crew was there He was that piffed off that he once  he got passed the tv crew that he gunned it for about another 5 miles up the track with these two Idiots (all you could hear was a Kw with a 8v92 tta at full flight ) hanging of the front of the truck Breaking arials and lights and things off there mounts >:(
When the tv crew finaly cought up they found the two greenes looking Alittle worse for wear  ;) :D sitting on the side of the road saying we wernt expecting that reaction  :)the one with the gitar was found wearing it over his head    ;) :D :D :D :D 8) 8)
They all called him Bruser on the Road after that  ;) :D :D The two idiots tryed to take him to court but the judge threw it out Because they had clearly Provoced Him  ;) :D ;D 8)

Reguards Chris

[timberfaller390]

well did anybody catch the first episode last night? Maineloggerkid was right about them showing mostly trucking. If all those rigs really rolled in a week then they are having some hard luck. Down here if you roll one and it is not a mechanical failure then your ass is gone.

[SwampDonkey]

Might have something to do with going too fast on snow and ice covered roads. I never saw the show, but even the Renous highway here, which is a paved highway and about 100 miles long, is completely ice from October to May. Because even the snow turns to ice with the heavy trucks pounding over the road. There is nothing but woods all that length and no services of any kind, so anyone going by car is taking their chances.

[inspectorwoody]

I thought it was pretty good.

They did focus on the trucks and it even looks like next week they might also. Looks like one of the drivers get hurt seriously.

One of the roll overs was driver error and it was the second time the driver has rolled one. They kept him.

The other roll over was caused by something breaking on the truck.

They go and go hard as linrick1 said. One of the drivers mentioned something about only 3 hrs of sleep. 

[Maineloggerkid]

Ya, the average speed on those dirt roads is 65 mph. I've driven trucks on that road before, and it was fun, though. I think as the show progresses, they will start more into the logging. The show was originally going to be only about trucking, then the decided they liked the logging part, too. Next week, I think they are going to show them hauling double trailers. A while back, they used to hual doubles and even triples on a regular basis.

[Maineloggerkid]

The way we can get away with so many hours up here is that on dirt roads, laws don't apply. when you are off the highway, a guy can go as long as he can stay awake. Even on the highways, we can go as long as we can stand, because if you operate within 100 air miles of home base, you can waive your log book in the state of Maine. You are allowed 12 hours a day on the road, but with no log book- who's gonna prove otherwise??

[chevytaHOE5674]

Meh, it was over dramatized, like all the other shows. They hype everything up and make it sound like as soon as you wake up in the morning you could die. Everything is a life and death endeavor, nothing is just a job its a risk to your life.

They roll log trucks like I chew gum. They rolled more over in 1 episode than most roll in a years of hauling.

And I call BS on running on an average of 3 hours of sleep.

[bull]

I watched it, pretty good, will keep watching it... Hope they show more positive activities in our buisness, we don't need anymore bad press !!  The TV people like to sensationalize everything...
The golden road sure can be a beautiful ride if you have the oppurtunity, Beware if your driving there that you should have a CB and keep your ears on. Those huge trucks have the right of way and do not have to yeild, you must get your A$$ off their road, there is a mile marker system and driver will shout out when they are at such and such a mile marker, especially in bad sections to give the 4 wheelers a head up !!! The Golden road is privately owned and is posted travel at your own risk, your life is in your hands !! SAFE TRIP !!!

[timberfaller390]

And I call BS on running on an average of 3 hours of sleep.

I'll second that, cause if he is he's strung out on some good road dope

[Maineloggerkid]

Thats no BS, I know guys that can run 20hours for weeks. They take a break after a couple weeks, but then they go for it again.

[SwampDonkey]

I know some truckers working for Irving that tried that for a short while and had to quit. Never made any money and the doctor said they were working toward an early grave. Serious.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Thats no BS, I know guys that can run 20hours for weeks. They take a break after a couple weeks, but then they go for it again.

Then they are on some good dope. Its proven medical fact that your body can't function for long with only 3 hours of sleep. It WILL shut down, to try and recharge/save itself.

[CLL]

Its a good thing its dirt roads, down here the cops would chase you forever if they thought you was carrying 190,000#, what a feather in there cap.  Down here they may pull in with that kind of weight, but it would take all day for the loader to unload them. :D

[bull]

The good old golden road truck are monsters and would not be able to run on the average blacktop also wouldn't make it under any powerlines. The are running 20wX20hX60L trailer loads You need a ladder to get in those big Monster Macks...
Most of the trucks on the show were regular road trucks not " Real Golden road trucks" !! the truck bone crusher was running appeared to be one of the monsters

[Don K]

It was nice to see that a show can be made without all the cussing. I know it takes place and I do a little myself when the stress goes up. The show might change later but I give Disc. a thumbs up for finding a first class family operation to film.

Don

[Maineloggerkid]

I don't know how they do it, but alot of the frenchman can go endlessly. They have to take a few days off every so often, but they work insane hours.

[Maineloggerkid]

Around here even some of the road trucks haul in 105-110,000 pound loads. It not legal, though. My buddy hauled a load a while ago and the scales wouldn't read it. The scales he was on shut off at 120,000.

[timberfaller390]

we hauled a load of pulp for a friend awhile back using his truck and it tipped the scales at a little over 90,000 pounds thats 6,000 pounds overdown here. I can't imagine 150,ooo on the road.

[Jeff]

I think they were dramatizing those weights. I didnt see no 180,000 lbs on those trailers.

We've have log truck drivers that routinely haul around the clock for two or three days. You haul it while you can. They don't go for weeks that way though. I would say a driver working on 3 or 4 hours sleep several days a week would be pretty common at certain times of the year. Especially just before break up, or to fill a fiber contract before the end of the month.

[chevytaHOE5674]

I would say a driver working on 3 or 4 hours sleep several days a week would be pretty common at certain times of the year. Especially just before break up, or to fill a fiber contract before the end of the month.

I will agree with that somewhat, we have drivers that can do 20 hour days for 2-3 days and then they crash for a day. No way that you can average 3 hours of sleep, for weeks on end though as the show made it sound.

IMO its just another way to dramatize the show and make hook people in.

[Maineloggerkid]

NOt to be persistant, but they do do it for quite a while, and usually there aren't accidents like that on the golden road. That part has been severely dramatized.

Those Big John trailers do weigh in at over 150-160,000 lbs. Those bunks are 16 feet high, 12 feet wide, and 55 feet long.

[wi woodcutter]

I do believe those hours they are working. One of my friends has trucks on with the canning company in the summer hauling sweet corn from the fields central Wisconsin to the plants in Cambria and Janesville. They will work 20 to 24 hours a day. Sometimes they will run 40 to 50 hours at a time and they are NOT on any drugs. This will go on from late July to the end of September. 

[SwampDonkey]

For a couple a days, maybe three (but I doubt), I can swallow that. But, not straight weeks one after another. The guys I know that drove those long hours were sleeping at least 12 hours the third day in the cab and wished it was Friday by then. :D But for me personally, 6 hours is all I ever get for sleep but I'm not run'n a truck for 18 hours or a brush saw for that many hours neither. At the end of 8 hours bush whack'n, I'm ready to head home, shower, eat and lay on my back and rise at 4:30 am to start a new day. We are usually turn'n saw blades in the bushes by 6-6:30 am in the height of summer. I burn 8-10 tanks a day @ 45-50 min/tank, 30 min. lunch, breaks are spent filing and fueling. Not everyone works that way, especially if they smoke. I'm just crazy. When running a crew I'm not doing it five days a week, because someone has to scout for ground and mark it out, it don't get done on it's own. This summer it might be different,  let someone else do the run'n and issue'n the cheques. :D

[twobears]

the human body is a amusing thing and some of you guys would be surprized how long a person can go without sleep...it can make you old fast tho.
JEFF said it best...if it has to be done you do it..with or without sleep.

delbert

[WDH]

I thought the show gave our Industry a little of a bad reputation.  It was all about one disaster after another and how much money they would lose.  I would have liked it better if it focused on the positive aspects rather than the problems. 

[linrick1]

Maineloggerkid knows what he is talking about...I ran the Golden Road for 3 something years and it is no joke, you go non-stop, as hard as you can, for as long as you can. I remember hauling a** down some branch road with 120 K of tree-length spruce and fir pulled way up over the cab on my highway trailer, so tired I would be seeing double. Maybe catch a few minutes sleep at the mill or under the crane in the woods and you would it day in and day out. Spring Breakup was the killer, trying to get as many loads out of the woods as possible before they closed the road. When I was running up there the road limit was 400 K and alot of the doubles would be over, I had some absolutely stupid heavy loads on my tri-axle highway trailer. The road in summer was decent but rough, in the winter smooth and fast...."like a bottle", and you could make some serious time  getting to the mill and back. I got real good at chaining up (tire chains). Like I said before, the Pelletiers are a good bunch, and they've been through the wringer what with the market and all the different mill owners...I think they did a decent job on the show, I know I miss running the Golden Road,  that was truck driving of the highest order - sorry for the rant, Rick   

[sgtme]

I thought the show was pretty informative and entertaining, yeah it was a little dramatic at times, and maybe a little heavy on the bs at times, but with out that added in it would be boring, so just enjoy it and take it for what it is, entertainment

[Jeff]

How about some commentary or history on "The Golden Road"?  Exactly what where when and why is it? 

[Mooseherder]

Here is a little area history. ;)  I read the Bangor Daily News online most everyday and you can tell this is a very big deal to the folks there. 
The area economy has struggled long before the bust we are experiencing right now.

We went through these woods on the way North a few years back along Baxter State Park.  An old logging road went all the way up to Patten thru the woods.  What a great time we had driving thru the canopy of trees what seemed forever.

It mentions the Golden Road in the latter part of the article.


http://www.katahdinmaine.com/area-history

[SwampDonkey]

Historically, wood from up into that part of northern Maine all went to market via water, rail or road, destined for Bangor, Maine. The Bangor log scaling rule was developed and still used to scale timber up here as well as wood imported from New Brunswick into northern Maine. The Bangor rule has even been an option of scale for some New Brunswick mills. Fraser's in Plaster Rock was one mill, and most loggers who had a choice wanted the Bangor rule as it yielded better scale than the New Brunswick log rule. Not sure whether they have a choice of rule now. This was for private wood only at the New Brunswick mills, Crown wood has to be scaled under NB rule. Mills doing this had operations in Maine and New Brunswick.

[PA_LOGGER]

It was a pretty cool show cant belive how fast them boys go over that road, but hey time is money.

[SwampDonkey]

Tonight on PBS is  "Wilderness & Spirit: A Mountain Called Katahdin" That's in Baxter State Park in Maine, gives a history of the area but if I recall is revolves around Gov. Percival P. Baxter himself as he sets it aside in 1930 or so. It's quite mountain and you wouldn't expected it because most of the mountains up here are just big hills really. I can see the mountain from New Brunswick.

[Mooseherder]

Here it is from a Scenic view rest area off I-95. ;D

[Maineloggerkid]

Is that the one on the way to Patten???

[tyb525]

I've seen one episode and already like it better than Axemen.

[Mooseherder]

Is that the one on the way to Patten???

It is on the I-95 Northbound side rest area scenic view.   The one that isn't open in Winter.
Probably 40 miles south of Patten. ???

[Maineloggerkid]

Ya, thats the one I was thinkin of. ;)   Thats does have quite the veiw. I don't get up there very often, because I'm close enough to Patten that I don't take the interstate.

[SwampDonkey]

I've seen that view many times on my way to Bangor. I've seen it from home and any high point along western New Brunswick from Royalton, Glassville, Newbridge, Debec, Jacksontown (a rectangular block). I like the view in late May when the leaves are emerging and see snow on the peek. The old Glaciers that melted out made a great big cirque called the "Knife Edge", as narrow as 4 feet wide, that looks like a volcano blew out the side. I've never seen one gouged so deep as on Katahdin. They say the glacier was very very old (millions) and estimate it receded 12-15,000 years ago. It's a great land mark.  8)

[pappy]

"The Golden Road
This scenic highway extends from Millinocket west to the Canadian border and is a favorite byway offering spectacular vistas and prime "moose viewing" during the summer and early fall. The road got its name from the wealth of timber that lies all around and it continues to serve as a major logging truck route. Because a 250,000-pound logging truck takes time to slow down, visitors are advised to park well off the road if they wish to pull over to take in the views."

Map >>> http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/american-loggers/logging-map/logging-map.html

Some pics of Mount Katadin taken from the Golden Road back in 2004 when the wife and I were coming back "through the woods" from friends in Greenville ...

Here's a shot from the Abol Bridge that crosses the Penobscot River.



and here's three shots of Mount Katadin further up on the Golden Road, had to do in three as I couldn't get it all into one shot,, it's one big rock  ;D




In this last one is the "Knife's Edge SD is talking about way over to the right...

And here's some of the haulers the Pelletier outfit use to use, and I guess they'll be showing the tandem one in one of the film segments to come...

Something to the tune of 250,00 lbs...


And the triple they use to use back in the 80's when I worked in the woods...
Up some where around 400,000 lbs.      


Oh by the way the ole man Gerald Pelletier was a first cousin of my mother who was also a Pelletier... He had got his start up here in the Fort Kent area and most of the kids went through the school system up here...

[SwampDonkey]

I've seen doubles on Fraser's Serpentine Lake road. It's their "main line" right into the mill. Don't see anyone doing it now. But their "main line" was a better road than the Renous Highway. It used to take a whole day to get to Serpentine Lake on the old dirt road, used to be wet and miserable going into the camp. Now you can get there in 20 minutes and it's only 40 miles from the mill yard. Another "main line" exists from Napadogan to Nackawick to service the Burla/Tembec Rayon pulp mill. And Irving has one from Clearwater/Moose Lake to Deersdale saw mill. I doubt Irving would ever let anyone film their operations, Fraser's maybe.

[stumper]

Last I knew the weight limit was 240,000 on the Golden Road and 200,000 on most of the rest of the roads.  Most of the trucks obey those limits because to get paid you get weighted, and the road are owned by the guys doing the weighing.  Again my info in dated but I understood that if you were overweight to many times they parked the truck for a while (to prevent just changing drivers).

Gravel????  The Golden Road is paved for miles and miles probably 40 or so. 

Right of Way.  You bet, the understanding is that if needed you plant your pick up in the ditch to get out of their way.  They then stop and pull you out, or radio for someone to pull you out, it maybe an hour later when the next truck comes by but have the chain ready and you will get pulled you out.  Guess, you should have had your radio on, aye?

65 mph.  Well sure but I think the official speed limit is 45 mph, but they generally only ticket people from away.

[SwampDonkey]

The Serpentine road is crushed stone, it used to be nothing more than bull dozed mud and stones back when it took all day to get to the lake. No logging haul road is paved up here. Only public roads are paved. That crushed stone road is a lot better than the paved Renous highway and lots of wiggle room. It's built up high. The Nackawick mill road is in decline from it's hay day, washboard and pot holes. Those roads are graded continuously however.

[FYRWOOD GUY]

i cut a few loads for this rig heading for great northern paper in the late 70's early 80's

[pappy]

Looks like two segments tonite 

Mar 06,
9:00 pm

American Loggers
Timber In Their Blood 





Mar 06,
10:00 pm

American Loggers
A Week From Hell 

[Corley5]

 8) 8)  Thanks for the reminder    I've yet to see the show as I forget when it's on.  Got the auto tune set now  ;D

[letemgrow]

I have it divo'd so I can check it out tonight  8)

[stumper]

They are telling some fibs.  100 tons of wood, 400,000 pounds, I don't think so.  Yes there have been record laods moved that large but unless they raised the weight limits they are stunts to prove it can be done, not the normal loads.  The bridges were designed for 200K or 240K.  The people who own the land, the mills and the bridges know that if you put 400k loads on a bridge, you destroy the bridge.  Some of these bridges costs  million dollars plus, and and require state permitting (time).

The drivers do have reason to be afraid of the bridges, even with normal loads.  If they go off the running boards then they could well be in the drink.  The bumper rails will not stop a truck, and if you get off the boards the bridge can fail to over loading the beams on that side or even roll the bridge if the momentum is right.  The bridges are narrow to keep the trucker were they belong and to keep approach speeds down (impact loading increases with speed).

Much of what they are showing is right on, but they are exagerating some things as well.

[timberfaller390]

Good show but I liked Ax Men better by alot, cause I can't hardly understand them *DanG y a n k e e s

[spencerhenry]

telling some fibs? i watched 5 minutes and it was nothing but BS. a cat 535 that goes 40 miles and hour? each tire is independently driven? doing wheelies in a 535, wow that doesnt come across as a stunt for the camera. a real shock that he trashed the bushings in the arch.
some guys are complaining about ax men, and saying how great this show is? i think the like and dislike depends on what type of logging you are used to.

[Mooseherder]

That is a fatalist view for watching 5 minutes. :D
What is the Beef with a TV show.
Last night,  the first show was a rerun of the first week.  (I) enjoyed it the second time around even more. ;)
The second show was fantastic.
What fibs are you talking about ??? 
You have to understand that in a French speaking land some sentences  come out wrong in the translation.  An example of that was when Eldon was Driving the dual trailer rig and was telling about he wouldn't ask anyone to do anything he wouldn't do himself.

[spencerhenry]

the narrator was talking about the skidder, and said that it travels up to 40 mph in the woods, and that each wheel was independently driven. i think there was other bs, but i really dont care. i was just making a point to the people who think ax men i bs, but that american loggers isnt. in this case though, the "facts" are total bs.

[sawguy21]

I did not see the show but am awed at the pics posted of the trucks. Tree length triples  
YIKES. Must be BIG running gear to pull loads like that.
I have seen off highway doubles and they are something. The roads had easy grades with wide sweeping corners and were constantly graded. Better condition than some of our highways. : They were not hi balling because too hard to get stopped in one piece if anything went wrong.
We did watch Ice Road Truckers, Yellowknife to the diamond mines, and it was pretty much true to form except for some hamming for the cameras. I shook my head at some of the young bucks, they should not have been running that road with so little experience.

[Mooseherder]

Again, the translation may have got turned around to the narrator when someone told him it was 4 wheel drive.  It isn't that big a deal eh?
You have French speaking Acadians mixed in with some DownEasters in that show.  Then throw in some people from Quebec, who speak a somewhat different dialect of French.  There is bound to be some mis-communication to some out of town film crew.

[CLL]

I think they are both good shows, just don't care for the cussing so much on Axe men. Don't get me wrong I have said my share of X&%@$*&'s, but when I'm around strangers I try to clean it up. For someone from the southern part of midwest it amazes me how fast they have to harvest to make money. Here most of the loggers use single axle or tandems, tractors and trailers are used to haul walnut or big white oak veneer stuff out of state.

[Maineloggerkid]

The weight of these trucks among other things, are things that you can't explain or beleive without being around it in person. They aren't regular road trailers, they are 12-14 feet wide, and 16 feet tall.

The thing about the skidder going 40mph is just ignorance of the tv crew. C'mon, you know they're gonna try to make it juicy- its tv.

Again, they do carry massive amounts of weight on those trucks, the do work hours like that, and most of what they say is pretty acurate.

[linrick1]

Again I am going to have to agree with Maineloggerkind....Yes, there are some pretty glaring errors made by the TV crew but on the whole they are close. Unless you have been up there and worked you really can't understand the whole story....it was nuts when I was up there...Rick

[thecfarm]

timberfaller,I don't want to spoil your fun,but that is not the way y ankees talk. I left a space just for you. I was surprised to hear the french accent still. I noticed the son does not have it at all. I went to school with kids like that.The parents had an accent,but the kids did not.Was really something to hear the Grandparents.
A very interesting program. A whole differant take on people. Seems like on ax man,most have no patience with the new guy.The nephew was treated with respect,even though he drove off the road.The Uncle got the dozer with no swearing or hollering.
There was bad word used when the loader guy grabbed the tire. But they both changed it and was joking around while doing it.I do hope they show more logging.The trucking part is intersesting.They do haul some big loads.
Will have to go to the truck pulls and see them pull.I probaly have seen them,just did not know it.

[Blake22]

The weight of these trucks among other things, are things that you can't explain or beleive without being around it in person. They aren't regular road trailers, they are 12-14 feet wide, and 16 feet tall.

The thing about the skidder going 40mph is just ignorance of the tv crew. C'mon, you know they're gonna try to make it juicy- its tv.

Again, they do carry massive amounts of weight on those trucks, the do work hours like that, and most of what they say is pretty acurate.

Those wide trailers was the first thing I noticed about the show. If we had trailers that wide in Florida you could load 500 pulpwood logs on a trailer. Maybe 700.

[LE-1]

Show is good if you take the commentator with a grain of salt and I hope it continues with more of the cutting . The second show gave a little more insite to the family . I've seen them at the truck pulls and they are first rate class act .

Most those guys have French as a first language and learn english outside of the home once in school , there is less of it today in Maine but New Brunswick has plenty of it still . I think its nice that they keep their heritage alive , I'm married into a L'Acadienne family (Neguac ,NB) with 8 kids and they are great people and hard workers . They can get a little rough , but 22 relatives all working together there will be arguments .

[Mooseherder]

New episode on at 10pm. eastern. ;)

[Maineloggerkid]

How was it?? I didn't get to catch it.

[dsgsr]

MLK, pretty much the same old, trucking oh did I mention trucking:) Logging sucks in the rain. They did for a moment show the new forwarder (nice) but thats about it.
Wish they would spend more time on the cutting end of it, showing the equipment working and such.

David

[Mooseherder]

I was looking forward to catching up from missing last week's episode and when it didn't come on I found out there won't be any for 2 more weeks. :
There is a repeat of Mule Logging on though.

[CounselorJ]

I think the show is great.  I was born and raised in Millinocket, so I'm quite familiar with the Golden Road.  It used to be quite the experience as a kid watching one of those triples come at you at 50-70 mph, looking like they'll tip any second.  A long, long time ago, a cherry picker on a trailer came loose around a corner and took out a sedan with 3-4 people in it.  I didn't see it (too young at the time), but I've always heard about it.

[Mooseherder]

Looking for an update on the next episode of American Loggers and came across some old logging photos.

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/american-loggers/logging-history/logging-history.html

[beenthere]

Some cool pics there. Thanks
Saying that putting tracks through the swamps was tough and back-breaking work is a bit of an understatement (by today's standards  ).

The bunk house looks a bit like the deer hunting cabins Nailhead showed us at the UP ATV ride at da high camp.

[chucker]

  thats some great ole pictures from the past! wouldnt it be even greater to be able to produce the same way again ? in stead of the cut and slash of the new ways in the forest.

[Jeff]

No, it wouldn't.  Today's harvesting techniques are far less destructive and far less wasteful then those days.

[chucker]

  slow and easy , never take more then what is needed. always more left for another days work! cut a tree, make it into lumber, firewood and limbs for cover for the animals or to rot for fertilizer.. besides never to out produce to make you wonder if there will be work for tomorrow or a flooded market? some of the new is great. but a lot of the old ways were even better!!

[Jeff]

That's not what those old lumber camp photos were about. Your description does not fit early logging at all. I'm a bit of a nut about reading and collecting books on the subject and have dozens.  Your description sounds romantic, but for the most part, related to history, its fiction.

Look at those photos of the rivers packed with logs.  Everything was cut.

[chucker]

yes !! jeff your right on some things.. the camps were hell and so was the life. but the way i see somethings being done these days there not all for the best! we cut more then we need and salvage more then what was back then with the tub grinders and chipers... makeing more out of what we cut does put us out of work in many ways as were finding out with a full market ! the log yard not far from where i live is flooded with aspen and popel !! lumber is going cheap, and saw logs are going for less then firewood?  so more or less if we had a slower time kinda like the old ways we would probably be into a better future!! just my .2 cents....   ???

[Gary_C]

the log yard not far from where i live is flooded with aspen and popel !! lumber is going cheap, and saw logs are going for less then firewood?  so more or less if we had a slower time kinda like the old ways we would probably be into a better future!! just my .2 cents....   ???

The log yards are supposed to be full this time of the year. And I hear that Potlach in Bemidji did not get enough logs because no one was cutting softwoods this winter. We are having a slower time right now because the demand is way down, not because we are cutting too much.

And just what is this "cut and slash" method you talk about?  I've not seen anything like that here. 

[chucker]

  the log yard just west of brainerd has an average of 25 trucks a day loaded comeing in and as many as 35. after there sorted for quality or species there going out around 10 loads a day. as far as not much cutting this last winter there were as many as 40 loads going to the yard and none going out! the cutting was only slowed down here by the price of fuel as well as the price the mills were paying for logs !! which the price of stumpage was often higher then produced pulp and saw logs!! slash and burn was the words of choice, so much of the smaller tracts here were select cut and then just burned what ever they did not want! the chippers are just now geting started as a second source of income for a few bigger loggers.

[Gary_C]

Who's log yard is that?

[chucker]

  it was potlatch's before they sold out to sappie and now i believe its wassa's, although it was moved from baxter to pillager about 3 miles..

[Gary_C]

It could belong to Sappi as I believe that rail line runs to Cloquet. But it also could belong to Versa Paper in Sartell (old IP plant) as that line is also connected to the one that goes to Sartell.

I know Sappi slowed down deliveries early this spring as demand was down and things backed up in the yards. And Versa was slow most of this year with their big line down much of the first quarter. But never fear, by July or August they will push the panic button when their yard inventories diminish. Versa Paper was looking again in April when they started up their big line and were afraid they would not have enough log inventory to last thru spring breakup.

[chucker]

lol ? well maybe.. from the 2 yards here and haveing lived around them for the last 25 years the  new yard is as full as i have ever seen it!! so no shortage over this way?? supply and demand it still controls the market ........... its just to bad the potlatch mill in cook and ainsworth mills had to close indefinitly.

[Chico]

Guys ther was more waste back in those days than now if they didn't need a species they'd clear cut leave it lay and they cut everything and it wasn't easy and laid back it was blow and go those men lived togethwer in those camps for months no bathes etc  They had no chippers they either burnt the slabs and sawdust in a burner or buried it we are much more efficient now plus the fact we replant  A little matter they didn't bother with and they built mills cut it out moved the mills and left the mess No they weren't better they were stepping stones laid down by hard and tough men and thank goodness the modern form of lumber utilization came along in time to set in motion programs to save our industry . It's like the phrases I hear about sawmilling being easier Imo It's not when you work in a prod mill pine or Hw you're sawing wide open the press is on for numbers and grade and all the time not beating your equipment up easier NO diff Yes
jmo
Chico

[Ron Scott]

The book, "The Lands Nobody Wanted", by William Shands is a good read.