How'd it go today?

[pigwot]

Once I replaced all the weathered, cracked hoses everything functions, and the dipper cylinder was the only item still leaking. Rebuilt it and now I get to stop topping up the hydraulic fluid 🤣.

Bucket curl is strong and responsive. Raising and lowering the front end loader arms though is hard to engage and weak. It feels like the valves are barely opening. Might be the linkage on the control stick is at fault. Better that than issues with the valve block internals!

There is poor response to movement of the control. I left the FEL raised last evening and it has not dropped at all overnight so there isn’t fluid leaking by the pistons in the cylinders. Once it gets warm enough that the damn mosquitoes retire I’ll get back to figuring out if it’s a linkage adjustment.

 

[lxskllr]

Normal day. Laidout a house and a bridge abutment/piles. Humid as hell, and the air was absolutely still down in the bridge hole. Had sweat pouring off of me even though the absolute temp was only around 85°.

Might have a paying gig doing treework. A guy living behind the farm wants a couple trees dropped, and doesn't want to harm the other trees. He stopped and asked, and also wants to buy some fenceposts from the boss. We were headed out to the bridge job though. Only thing I know is one of the trees drops limbs, and has yellow flowers, so I guess tulip poplar. I need to go over and see what the work entails. He wants me to give him a price. I'm hoping it's a drop and leave kinda thing. I don't think I want to take on more wood hauling work, especially if it's a big assed tulip.

 

[stig]

We started felling Doug fir today.
The apprentice was in hog heaven.
His first time in big dough fir, his first time wearing caulks and I told him he'd be cutting to scale.
I don't let apprentices cut to scale until they have aquired a certain amount of skill.
I want them to concentrate on learning instead of racing along,getting sloppy, trying to make more money.
So me telling him he can cut to scale is the same as me saying, you can run with the big dogs now, kid.

 

[stikine]

We started felling Doug fir today.

Take a few photos @stig , I'd like to see what your Doug fir looks like and the ground conditions.

 

[SeanKroll]

Normal day. Laidout a house and a bridge abutment/piles. Humid as hell, and the air was absolutely still down in the bridge hole. Had sweat pouring off of me even though the absolute temp was only around 85°.

Might have a paying gig doing treework. A guy living behind the farm wants a couple trees dropped, and doesn't want to harm the other trees. He stopped and asked, and also wants to buy some fenceposts from the boss. We were headed out to the bridge job though. Only thing I know is one of the trees drops limbs, and has yellow flowers, so I guess tulip poplar. I need to go over and see what the work entails. He wants me to give him a price. I'm hoping it's a drop and leave kinda thing. I don't think I want to take on more wood hauling work, especially if it's a big assed tulip.

You can tell him all you do is fell and cut to spec ( limb to 3", buck to less than 10'), or find a grapple truck and charge him with markup.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Two different customers, neighbors, 2 days, 600.00 in tips above our rate. Good times.

 

[lxskllr]

It kind of sounded to me like that was what he wanted; The trees down without screwing other stuff up. I'm inferring and extrapolating from very few words though. What I'm imagining is a climbing job, and taking them down from the top. Get it to a short enough spar, then fall it, and all wood stays on site. I may or may not be requested to buck to chosen length.

I don't mind saw work. I just don't want to be in a position of moving mass quantities of wood like that other disaster next to the office. I told Mike I got some bad news on that one. There's a few trees that I thought were on the boss' property. Turns out, they're probably on my "client's" :rollseyes:

I got the "reference" cause the guy saw me in the trees over there. I mentioned the "paying gig", not so much out of interest in money, but as a well defined task that has a definite beginning and end. A lot of the stuff I do around there is because it interests me, and I don't know if it's noticed or appreciated. There's little to no guidance on what's needed or wanted. Going in and doing specific work that's desired is appealing.

 

[Treeaddict]

Great news John on the potential new job. Hopefully it is to be left on site if not able to be sent to mill.

 

[lxskllr]

Not sure I'd want to get involved in hauling stuff to a mill. I guess you'd have to fill a truck with decent logs to get someone to do it free, huh? Anyone know how much wood it would take to get someone interested?

 

[Treeaddict]

I can find out how it’s done around here if needed. Pat may know though. One pro I speak to sends a lot to the mill. The other said he’s done it only a dozen times in 30 yrs

 

[CurSedVoyce]

So, I guess I'll be storing this for my neighbor till we find a buyer. The new owner closes on the property Tuesday. I'll go over it and see what sins and stuff. Key was missing so I don't know the hours yet. Lights are wired wrong and no brake wires to the wheels.
I have use of it. Just no real need for it or finance.

 

[SkwerI]

Stephen, looks like a replacement axle. I've only seen 6 lug axles on those.

 

[Mellow]

And the clutch handle appears to be askew.

 

[Jonny]

Jonny, how are the kitty cats?

They’re doing great, adjusting well to the new home and seem comfortable around the dogs, they’re very playful. Zelda is a little ball of fire, she’s really funny. Mischievous and plays a little rough like cats do. So far she dominates her bro when they get to wrestling. Link is a sweetheart, very affectionate and constantly purring.

 

[stig]

Take a few photos @stig , I'd like to see what your Doug fir looks like and the ground conditions.

Here are some from last time we logged Doug fir.

Terrain is mostly flat or flattish here.

In a week we go south to log for a month on Island Møn, where it is anything but.
My legs already feel tired, just thinking about it.

 

[Treeaddict]

Stig, what is the scientific name of the beech trees you commonly fell over there? We have the American beech- Fagus Grandifolia. May be others over here but that’s the only one I know of on the east coast.

 

[stikine]

Interesting how they are mixed in with the beech. Are you privy to the forester's long term stand prescription?

 

[stig]

The beech Fagus sylvatica snuck in by them selves.
We tried to avoid damaging them as much as possible.
They will take over when the Doug fir is gone.
Most of the hardwoods in the pictures are Maple Acer pseoduplatanus, they are an invasive species, brought here in 1764 by the German forester Johann Georg Von Langen.
Since then they have spread everywhere and are mostly unwanted, since they don't as a rule, produce good logs.

Often referred to as " Von langen's footprints".

That may change.
About 15 years ago The best stands of Maple in the country were selected and the best trees in those stands marked.
Then my team travelled all over Denmark, harvesting seeds from those plus-trees.
A plantation has been established from those seeds and they are trying to create a Maple that is genetically fit for Danish forestry.

I won't live to see the result, but it was an interesting project to be part of and what led to us being the preferred climbers for the University of Copenhagen and Arboretum Denmark, which has brought us a lot of interesting jobs over the years.

 

[SeanKroll]

That's interesting.

Red Alder, Alnus rubra, was considered a weed tree, and I believe the Canadian government was once trying to biologically control them with a fungus. Now, it is seen as an inexpensive, fast-growing hardwood that takes lots of different stains to mimic other, more expensive, slower-growing hardwoods. I think I may have heard Ikea uses it for furniture, maybe.

 

[stig]

My kitchen chairs were made in Oregon from Red alder.

 

[Dave Shepard]

Some logs just don't know how the game is played.

 

[Dave Shepard]

Had a damn good day today.

 

[Burnham]

That is excellent to hear, Dave.

 

[Burnham]

I had a pretty good day, too. Replaced the rotors and pads on all four wheels of the Subaru Forester, then washed and vacuumed it good.

Hands hurt from the arthritis some, but I'll live .

 

[SeanKroll]

Have you checked out Voltaren. @Burnham ?