The Logging Thread

Of course, I know the stump is a little rough but it's not super easy to make an awesome looking stump when your bar is less than half the diameter of the tree. And the notch on this side was there to allow the hinge a little more flex before it broke.
 
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Ya it was the hillbillies! No, I was just getting burned out on it. Constant push to go, go, go... Kind of takes the fun out of it. I do miss it a little though. Well, except this time of year, the snow is starting to pile up. It was also a money thing. I supplied all my own gear, vehicle and gas and it just didn't seem like it was worth it anymore.
 
Gotcha. Interesting, man. I know... the money's weird. I knew a guy named Skyler down in Souther Oregon who was gonna get me into it. I started hearing about the travel time and the money and stuff... I started thinking, "Man... who can affort to even DO this?"

I'm sure other guys are in a much different boat.
 
You can make really good money but it's a lifestyle change. You have to chase the money which means you're constantly on the move, no home life.
 
You can make really good money but it's a lifestyle change. You have to chase the money which means you're constantly on the move, no home life.

Similar up here. I took a nearly 50% pay cut to work local and sleep in my own bed every night. After five years of that I was like, damn. This isn't worth it for these rates. I hope to never work camp/hotel again.
 
I would consider working for a small local logger again, nothing over a 4 man crew. With the right boss/owner it can be a low stress, work hard but don't kill yourself kind of job. Small crews always seemed to be the best to work with.
 
I worked for a 4-6 man outfit for my last five years. By the end it was three owners and me. It wasn't so great. Highlead outfit so never a shortage of really hard work to be done. Guess who pulled the short straw......always.
 
It seemed like everytime we had any yarder jobs the pace quickened and the bosses attitude went to shit. I hated being around the yarder. Cutting for it wasn't so bad as long as you had a comfortable lead.
 
It is the same way here when we have a forwarder on our tail, unless it is hired in by us. Hustle, hustle, hustle.
Fortunately 3 good loggers can keep a forwarder occupied even in good terrain, but it still means no taking time out for an occasional arbo job.
 
The last gypo I worked for, Pete Benedetti Logging, had a Cat D6 and a Cat 977 loader that he called his Iron Maiden. Pete stayed on the landing and loaded trucks. Dale Stanley was the Cat Skinner and then there was 1 choker setter, either Ronny Lewis, Jimmy Stipes or Eric Tubbs. Depending on which one was available. My job description, as Pete told me, was to make enough logs everyday to keep the rest of the crew working till quitting time. Now the crew put in 10 hours a day. Some days I would fulfill my job description in just a few hours, and other days I'd put in the full 10 with them. Even longer when closing up a job. Most were small volume but usually good timber. So they would go quick and off to another one. I recall between skids Dale would move logs for me, make lays, brush out around trees and even help by picking up a saw and start limbing and bucking, as would the choker setter. It actually made the work fun.

Now I've worked for Anderson Logging, too. 6 yarders a dozen Cats, Skidder, loaders and 30 trucks. It was intense.
 
Mike Anderson treated his rigging like Gentry and would give them big bonus's every year, but he would never gave a timberfaller a bonus, because he even said, "A timberfaller can make all the money he wants!" Oh, but if you tried to prove you could Mike would cut the rate on ya. He did not like timberfallers.
 
One company I worked for gave $500 for Christmas every year. Not enough to get rich but it was nice. I always got the feeling that most company owners didn't like log cutters. I am going to guess it is because they are usually the highest paid man on the crew and are typically very independent individuals.
 
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