couple pics... post what your currently cutting

[ehp]

but what I can tell you is I went to my saw dealer as he is the same guy I get my mainline and chokers from and I ordered another mainline and a few chokers , I should be good for about 2 years in case cable company goes broke . So he comes out with his fall order sheets from Stihl, 5 full pages and he got 1 part sent to him , everything else back ordered , no files, no bars,no chain, no saws, nothing, and no date to when stuff is to show up . I know husky is no better as they are out of everything as well 

[mike_belben]

I think covid has turned the entire world into preppers all at once. 

A winter with no heat would be a tough spell.

[Skeans1]

well where Im cutting I donot want to take pictures , I donot want to remind myself on how lovely it is cutting in the worse vine infected place on earth . It is brutal . First hitch I had to stop 3 times and clear my winch driveshaft as the vines wrapped around it so bad I was worried it may take the seal out on the winch . Lets just put it this way , its so bad Im cutting live ash . Its so thick the bore could not find the trees . Hoping to be out of here this week coming. Everything has some form of poison in here , vines 6 inches in diameter and the trees are covered in them

 This is what we call vine maple out here when it hits old growth status it'll bounce a 5' fir 200' long back up in the air, break windows, flip a machine, break cable, pin stripe paint, bend/break bars, and the best one is break chains.

[BargeMonkey]

I think covid has turned the entire world into preppers all at once.

A winter with no heat would be a tough spell.

Mike I'm honestly scared of what I see, yrs ago if someone had a TRUE M4, you kind of raised eyebrows and asked questions, now you just go ok, cool. Talking to my local sheriff the other day, our park across from the store was recently vandalized with BLM marking, all this needs is the spark, the catalyst is there, it's coming. 

[BargeMonkey]

Serviced and moved iron, I'm not proud about what I'm going to go do but if I dont do it someone else will. Hammered. Raped. Whatever you want to call it. Spots on top now you can throw a baseball and not hit an 8" tree, the guy in the 745D Timberpro missed a couple spots. They already call me a butcher, why not. 


 
 That poor loader... when I lost the driveshaft and went for the ride I hit so hard I broke a leg clean off, busted a cylinder and broke the trailer frame. Put pins and bearings in the stick and send it to run till till death. Log buyer walked my other job and figured 500k ft of GOOD maple, I should upgrade but I honestly kind of want out, bang out these 3-4 money jobs I've got and go back part time. 


 

[mike_belben]

That looks so much better than the bad haircuts here barge.  I cant even tell you how terrible a hillbilly thinning is. Clearcuts would be an improvement. 

[Walnut Beast]

Serviced and moved iron, I'm not proud about what I'm going to go do but if I dont do it someone else will. Hammered. Raped. Whatever you want to call it. Spots on top now you can throw a baseball and not hit an 8" tree, the guy in the 745D Timberpro missed a couple spots. They already call me a butcher, why not.


 
That poor loader... when I lost the driveshaft and went for the ride I hit so hard I broke a leg clean off, busted a cylinder and broke the trailer frame. Put pins and bearings in the stick and send it to run till till death. Log buyer walked my other job and figured 500k ft of GOOD maple, I should upgrade but I honestly kind of want out, bang out these 3-4 money jobs I've got and go back part time.

How about adding a mulching machine to your arsenal?

[BargeMonkey]

Serviced and moved iron, I'm not proud about what I'm going to go do but if I dont do it someone else will. Hammered. Raped. Whatever you want to call it. Spots on top now you can throw a baseball and not hit an 8" tree, the guy in the 745D Timberpro missed a couple spots. They already call me a butcher, why not.


 
That poor loader... when I lost the driveshaft and went for the ride I hit so hard I broke a leg clean off, busted a cylinder and broke the trailer frame. Put pins and bearings in the stick and send it to run till till death. Log buyer walked my other job and figured 500k ft of GOOD maple, I should upgrade but I honestly kind of want out, bang out these 3-4 money jobs I've got and go back part time.

How about adding a mulching machine to your arsenal?

The work exists for it, getting people in this area to pay, I wouldn't bet on it. Where hes working out over Cooperstown / Milford those people could buy and sell most of us, when we go over there to work our rates double, I spent some of my childhood out there in a straight 490 Deere building ponds.

[BargeMonkey]

That looks so much better than the bad haircuts here barge.  I cant even tell you how terrible a hillbilly thinning is. Clearcuts would be an improvement.

I see the pictures of the southern jobs and southern log trucks on FB, single axle loaded 4ft over the bunks, I never go south of PA again in my life I'm ok with it, 4yrs in east TX was enough for me. Forester was good about it but we both know what's up, extract ever penny possible, I didnt want the job and they offered me 1.5x the going rate plus whatever firewood I needed to cover loading trailers. 

[Walnut Beast]

Very true. A guy that I'm talking to on a Primetech mulcher said they made his company. He's got 6 Primetech 300s, two Timberpro 735c, a couple Bandit tracked grinders and couple excavators with power packs 

[nativewolf]

but what I can tell you is I went to my saw dealer as he is the same guy I get my mainline and chokers from and I ordered another mainline and a few chokers , I should be good for about 2 years in case cable company goes broke . So he comes out with his fall order sheets from Stihl, 5 full pages and he got 1 part sent to him , everything else back ordered , no files, no bars,no chain, no saws, nothing, and no date to when stuff is to show up . I know husky is no better as they are out of everything as well

Let me know if there is anything we need to hunt for and I'll ask here as well.  The 500i is the only thing I've had issues with status wise.  We went ahead and popped on a 661 due to the issues with the 462.  We had 2 trees come down on saws on that ash job it was so thick with invasive plus the good ol normal grape vines, virginia creeper, and poison ivy.  
Oh, and I want to know what you were doing cutting in my neck of the woods.  I thought you were in Canada, stealing my poison ivy right from under me huh.  Some friend :D
Barge we also have seen slow steady price improvements and are going to work.  Timber mats started getting placed yesterday, put in culverts, still no pulp/firewood market.  

[ehp]

NW, if you look on a map yes Im in Canada but Im a ways south into the USA and because of Lake Erie and Long Point we got every bad poison thing that grows here , If I go 25 miles east, west, north of here its totally different . Im most likely talking out my butt but Im sure thinking of moving to where I can use more types of machines to log , yes a grapple skidder with air and heat, a couple hours from here I can do that so Im going to look into it . Im getting old well thats wrong, I am old and doing everything in a 1 man show is getting harder 

[ehp]

there is no 500i up here and no time frame to show up, I should be good unless I break the skidder cause the parts place has no parts , skid steer is brandnew but that does not mean it will not break but Im pretty sure the dealer will just send me another machine 

[ehp]

another thing my pickup is going onto 4 years old so last May the plan was to trade it in on a new truck, my dealer is a good size dealer that normally carries alot of pickups but because of this Covid crap they have ZERO pickups in stock , everything is sold , they ordered 128 pickups but nothing has ever came in , Its going to get real wild I feel , it has to the way our Govt is running everything its going to come down to a real battle and its coming 

[Skeans1]

there is no 500i up here and no time frame to show up, I should be good unless I break the skidder cause the parts place has no parts , skid steer is brandnew but that does not mean it will not break but Im pretty sure the dealer will just send me another machine

A few guys I know down here in Oregon have the 500's the first one they had ran like garbage to put it nicely. These last two they said aren't horrible but the fuel economy sucks they are gas hogs compared to their 462's and 572's or even a hopped up 372/390.

[nativewolf]

there is no 500i up here and no time frame to show up, I should be good unless I break the skidder cause the parts place has no parts , skid steer is brandnew but that does not mean it will not break but Im pretty sure the dealer will just send me another machine

A few guys I know down here in Oregon have the 500's the first one they had ran like garbage to put it nicely. These last two they said aren't horrible but the fuel economy sucks they are gas hogs compared to their 462's and 572's or even a hopped up 372/390.

Now that is interesting.  That "vine maple" looks interesting as well, is it just used for pulp?  

[Skeans1]

there is no 500i up here and no time frame to show up, I should be good unless I break the skidder cause the parts place has no parts , skid steer is brandnew but that does not mean it will not break but Im pretty sure the dealer will just send me another machine

A few guys I know down here in Oregon have the 500's the first one they had ran like garbage to put it nicely. These last two they said aren't horrible but the fuel economy sucks they are gas hogs compared to their 462's and 572's or even a hopped up 372/390.

Now that is interesting.  That "vine maple" looks interesting as well, is it just used for pulp?  

Nope it has zero use or value out here the only use for it is to save out a big long fir.

[John Mc]

We went ahead and popped on a 661 due to the issues with the 462.

What issues were you having with the 462?  I have not been following them very closely, since I'm not in the market at the moment, but I have not heard a lot of complaints.

[ehp]

I have zero problems with 462s , they are not a saw you can beat on thou but are sure nice and light

[ehp]

ya I sold my 661's and 395's , guess Im getting old cause a ported smaller saw that cuts as well or out cuts the bigger saws I seem to like alot more

[Clark]

Skeans - I was impressed with vine maple when I was cruising timber out there. It grew similar to hazel does around here but not as dense (as in stems/acre). You can push through hazel but vine maple you have to make a detour around it. 1/2"-1" diameter stems are basically impossible to push aside. Tough little thing.

Your post about the jungle...are you working near the coast? I experienced salal, which is usually ankle to knee high, on the coast that was 8' tall. More stems/acre than anything I have ever seen. I wouldn't doubt if it was 20K-30K stems/acre (that's 50K-75K/hectare for SD). I found myself push through it not having any clue what was in front of me. I finally got to a point where I could see over it but didn't realize I was standing on a log. Check the compass, took a step forward and fell into it.

Clark

[Woodfarmer]

NW, if you look on a map yes Im in Canada but Im a ways south into the USA and because of Lake Erie and Long Point we got every bad poison thing that grows here , If I go 25 miles east, west, north of here its totally different . Im most likely talking out my butt but Im sure thinking of moving to where I can use more types of machines to log , yes a grapple skidder with air and heat, a couple hours from here I can do that so Im going to look into it . Im getting old well thats wrong, I am old and doing everything in a 1 man show is getting harder

I always wondered why you moved away from Haliburton?

[Skeans1]

Skeans - I was impressed with vine maple when I was cruising timber out there. It grew similar to hazel does around here but not as dense (as in stems/acre). You can push through hazel but vine maple you have to make a detour around it. 1/2"-1" diameter stems are basically impossible to push aside. Tough little thing.

Your post about the jungle...are you working near the coast? I experienced salal, which is usually ankle to knee high, on the coast that was 8' tall. More stems/acre than anything I have ever seen. I wouldn't doubt if it was 20K-30K stems/acre (that's 50K-75K/hectare for SD). I found myself push through it not having any clue what was in front of me. I finally got to a point where I could see over it but didn't realize I was standing on a log. Check the compass, took a step forward and fell into it.

Clark

No we're working around our home area, that was a grove for lack of a better word of vine maple and nettles nothing I really wanted to go hand cut in unless I really have to. A few days ago I cut a 12" vine maple out of one of the older patches I should of take it out for some firewood but my luck it would of melted my redneck solo stove down. 
There's nothing like the coast for growth of brush salal is nasty stuff same with their rhododendrons they can keep all of them.

[nativewolf]

We went ahead and popped on a 661 due to the issues with the 462.

What issues were you having with the 462?  I have not been following them very closely, since I'm not in the market at the moment, but I have not heard a lot of complaints.

Our issues have all been fuel related.  We had a recall on one due to solinoids getting so out of whack they would not fire correctly.  If the fuel got hot it would boil and over pressurize the system.  Didn't matter if pre-mixed 94 octane high $$$$ fuel or pump fuel.  Finally fittings around the starter broke and the whole thing just pulled out of the case (the portion that held the timer to the flywheel).  I think we basically just started (tried to start) the first two to death.  
They are lovely when they are working and our last one has been the best so I suspect they had improvements along the way.  It's never had the same issues.  The upcoming harvest has quite a few oaks that are averaging 40"+ in DBH (a few 50") so we could use a bit more umphh cutting White Oaks of that size thus the 661.  I was curious to try the fuel injected model though it has  a 6 month wait, @Skeans comments have me concerned.  It's not the cost of the fuel of course, it is the pain in the rear end of refueling all the time.  
I love our 362cm's.  They have been the best saw for the $ I've ever bought.  They run a long time on a tank of gas and we've had good success running in any fuel source.  

[ehp]

my Hot Wife is from this area and has a good job so I moved here . thats the reason. Im not a Brad Pitt look a like like Barge so when this deal came along I jumped all over it . Best move I ever did