How'd it go today?

dropped one tree and bucked everything on the landing on one job, then topped out most of a large walnut this afternoon on another, over building, primaries, and a propane pig. Last two leads will come down tomorrow am. I'm bushed.

Boss let me head home (I have a much longer drive) while rest of the crew was still making skid road back into woods. They'd have been done long before me if the skid steer operator had 1/2 a brain. :|:
 
Tim and I worked swapping out the new loaded axles for the trailer today while my brother continued to work on the chip box. We didn't feel like crawling underneath the trailer so we went with the redneck engineered route.

Be careful viewing all of Tim's gingerness.

2014-02-14 09.31.40 [800x600].jpg
 
Day off from tree work, so learned a new scale in a new tuning on the 5-string & spent a few hours working on tunes I'm currently working up.

oh, and took 2 naps:sleeping:
 
Brought the B-/ C+ game to an ash crane job over two buildings. CO has some skills. Tight landing zone to brush out, then fly logs to road, and direct onto miller neighbor's flat bed. He'll mill it and split 50/50. He covered the hauling, I covered the loading. 3 logs. He took pics, too.

I forgot to turn on my helmet cam, and True Confession of an SRT Junkie... I used almost exclusively DdRT today. Pics later.
 
FJR, nice pic.

What size Gehl is that? Do u find you remove the grapple much for other implements or does it stay on there more or less full time?
 
It's a 540. We have been removing the grapple a lot lately with all of the snow. I have been putting on the dirt bucket to clear all of the snow in the work area. We have made entire highways it seams to get the bucket truck in backyards. Also helps not having to walk through deep snow the whole day. I would say the grapple stays on most of the time in the summer.
 
Today’s project: Minimum one hour drive from my town. August Hunicke, sub-contract work for another tree service. Contractor in charge of restoration said there was no crane or bucket access. When I got there. . .there was. Oh well, too far to drive to grab different equipment, so solve as usual MacGyver style. X-rings were handy again today. Perhaps some of the more interesting clips will make it into a future video. Tempted to do a product review vid at some point on the X-rings. Sorry about subjecting you all to so many selfie shots here but besides my ego-problem, I do try to have some way to reference the scale.

Myrtle Creek.jpg
 
Good idea re cutting a flat surface for the prop to meet with. I usually try to use forked limbs for the props, but if they are in short supply, that is a good idea.
 
It's a 540. We have been removing the grapple a lot lately with all of the snow. I have been putting on the dirt bucket to clear all of the snow in the work area. We have made entire highways it seams to get the bucket truck in backyards. Also helps not having to walk through deep snow the whole day. I would say the grapple stays on most of the time in the summer.

I have been using the BMG rake or broom or what ever it is called as a snow plow it works well and no chance of digging into the turf.
 
+1 on the cut surface for that prop! It's been a few years since I've had a similar scenario. But, several times, I've fashioned a tripod with three 4x4's.... (or suitable wood on site), which get lashed together down a ways. The overhang can then form a crude cradle. I remember one fair size fir, that I had two tripods set up, one on a deck, and the other just outside it, on the ground.

This tree was much easier, as we had a perfect tree for the GRCS powered lift:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tjeQ_oDH_e8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Today’s project: Minimum one hour drive from my town. August Hunicke, sub-contract work for another tree service. Contractor in charge of restoration said there was no crane or bucket access. When I got there. . .there was. Oh well, too far to drive to grab different equipment, so solve as usual MacGyver style. X-rings were handy again today. Perhaps some of the more interesting clips will make it into a future video. Tempted to do a product review vid at some point on the X-rings. Sorry about subjecting you all to so many selfie shots here but besides my ego-problem, I do try to have some way to reference the scale.

View attachment 53121

What are you looking so happy about ?:lol:
 
+1 on the cut surface for that prop! It's been a few years since I've had a similar scenario. But, several times, I've fashioned a tripod with three 4x4's.... (or suitable wood on site), which get lashed together down a ways. The overhang can then form a crude cradle. I remember one fair size fir, that I had two tripods set up, one on a deck, and the other just outside it, on the ground.

This tree was much easier, as we had a perfect tree for the GRCS powered lift:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tjeQ_oDH_e8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Wish I had a hobbs or some such for lift. . . I could use it all the time.
 
August, it seems that, every so often, someone offers up a Hobbs or GRCS for sale. A friend and I bought our GRCS together back in 2005. Later, he sold his business to Bartlett. THe GRCS didn't go with that sale, so it's now all mine! Paid for itself on the first couple jobs. I use HMWPE lines with it for lifting only (don't wanna shock load those near zero stretch lines)

A few years before that, I bought a Hobbs from Dan Kraus who had won it in a TCC. Later, he won the ITCC. Now that he has his own business, last fall he asked if he could buy it back from me, partly as he wanted it for the memory..... He gave me the same $700 back. Dan said I could use it anytime( as I had always let him do). But, come a big storm, he'll prolly have it tied up. I also have a Simpson capstan winch which I modified for bi-directional use. Before I had either real LD, I used it twice for storm trees, once we hung a 90 foot wild cherry, then cut it off at the butt. The other time, we managed to take a failed alder off a house with it, in three picks.

Here's a video of a bit of logging, including using the GRCS with its power drive option, doing what I call reverse speed lining.....

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aRqKT3K8rj0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Roger, good to see you more active again.

Can you post a picture of your capstan mod, and tell what lines you are using with it? I haven't gotten a lot of use out of mine, but it has been good to have.
 
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