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Buzzlightyear said:
Excuse my ignorance but don't you guys use mechanized harvesters in the states ?? They are used here in the uk for all but the smallest jobs but from you guys posts it sounds like you cut it all by hand ??

in the western states, we use mechanized harvesting only when the trees are small enough and the gound is level enough. A feller buncher cant really take down trees over 2 feet DBH (i believe) and trees get that big fairly quickly here.
 
In New England there really are'nt that many harvesters , atleast NH anyway there are a few but most crews here in Southern NH are running feller buncher & Grapple skidder combos with manual falling on oversize timber 40" + , you can easily cut a 30" tree with a 18" hot saw head just have to double cut .

There are alot more harvester / Forwarder combos running up in Maine more than anywhere as the wood is alot smaller and accomadates to that equipment .

Northern NH is alot more cable skidders and manual falling as the terrain is soo steep and rocky the equipment had a hard time climbing so it's alot of cable work .

So really the new england region is more buncher and skidder , than harvester and forwarders although there are more and more of them coming this way .

Truthfully mechanization is king , you will never be able to out cut a feller buncher or harvester with a chainsaw , it just wont happen . The crew I work for our Timbco operator went and cut a 2 acre house lot in under 45 minutes , and was back to us select cutting the 100 acre woodlot we are working on .

Mechanized harvesting equipment really is better for all of us loggers , although it is very pricey but there is alot of decent used machine on the market .
It's alot safer to be in a enclosed machine felling wood , than standing next to it with a saw . With mechanical equipment we can get alot more wood down and processed in a day , lower workers comp rates , and the biggest benefit is harvesting timber alot safer . Personally I would much rather pay for a decent piece of equipment than with my life .

Manual falling will always have it's place in the woods , until they come out with a machine that can do oversize wood , and I like to fall wood as much as everyone else does with a saw as it takes skill and makes you think about were to lay it , lean , notch variaitions etc ...



Well sorry to go on and on but thats my take on things .

Rob
 
Ben in this area (NE) you will find the ground much steeper than in MI and WI. That is reason so many in this area still cut by hand and using skidders.
I realize that. In September I went on a hunting trip in Maine. We drive through NH and VT. Very scenic states with all the hills. BTW whats up with your cell phone towers being made to look like giant pine trees?
 
Too many people complain about them .. Yuppies .. personaly who cares they serve a purpose , I have one next to my house dont bother me any
 
I took a few pics this week, lets see if it will let me post them this go around.
 
Its push, push in the bush. We move 24 tandum loads in four days this week.
 
Ryan,

Do you prefer cable chokers? I prefer chain chokers with teardrops. I suppose with as much poplar as what you cut cables may be better. Just curious.

Mike
 
Mike, I've tried chain chokers (still have some, just don't use'm) but they are too d@mn heavy to tote up the mountain all day long! When you're pushing 15mbf thourgh the landing every day all day you want the lightest equipment that will get the job done!
 
Yup nice pics Ryan .. Staying busy by the looks of things . I have always liked cable chokers myself , lighter, easiers to get under a log .. Just gotta get good ones otherwise they snap ..
 
Ryan please post more pictures of your work, i find it interesting !!

/Kristoffer
 
jp hallman said:
Interesting day in the woods, Pacific Northwest in the Summer.

Thats awsome JP! tin hardhat, overhead cutting but you got a fire shelter, what fire was that on? i bet you and me were on some of the same fires when i worked out of Oakridge FS. I always wondered something, but I never had a chance to ask, do fallers like to work fires cuz you can cut stuff you normally wouldnt get to? In my experience, seems like the trees that fallers cut during a fire are pretty massive, not the type of stuff in production logging. Is this just my impression, or do fallers really like to work fires?
 
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