Breaking in a noob

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when i broke in it was packing jacks and gas while banging wedges..and bucking a lot of bucking..it all starts with the individual if he’s staring off to space or sightseeing while your or you’re partner are trying to teach or show him something that means he’ll probably won’t cut it..the sad thing is i’m usually the youngest in camp and i’m 34 i was 25 when i took hand falling serious..even when your comfortable with the young faller always tell him to never stop learning and ask questions..if your looking at a tree more three times time to call your partner over or work around it for a bit..when he’s more comfortable reach him to push trees..boring cuts and strapping cuts.
 
I think some guys get it and some don't. Some like the idea and some don't really have to think about it much. It reminds of a line in Jeremiah Johnson - white man he likes tracking. Indian figures it's just natural.
QFT! Ive been in the woods all my life, seriously. My dad took me to the log woods with him when I was 2 years old and left me on a blanket at the logyard with a german sheppard for a babysitter. Yall are gonna laugh but I swear that's the truth. Im 53 years old and I don't ever remember NOT being around logging and tree cutting. As soon as I could crank a saw I was bucking logs on the yard. My grandpa did most of the cutting then with my dad skidding logs with horses. They then bought and old tricycle tractor, then a dozer. I started running a dozer some when I was about 10 yrs old because that looked easier than anything else! LOL. ANYWAY, Ive rambled enough. I just wanted to say that the person I quoted nailed it. To a good timber feller, its natural.
 
The best pieces of advice I got so far back I have to concentrate to remember Think twice Act once ,& concentrate on what you think will be the outcome of the task you are preforming it will probably end up as you envisaged 90/95% of the time .Keep your concentration mind wandering leads to accidents check kit often & thoroughly your health /life depends on it
 
Threw my first brush fit in like 5 years today...

To clarify, I find myself contracted out to drive log truck... I've never drove log truck until now so far so good no ones dead yet anyway


That said, this outfit is clearing 40 acres, and I split my time between cleaning up the landing, driving truck and fixing their **** ups...

Anyhow, dude is 56, been a dirt werker most of his adult life, never been logging...

So far hes gotten his hand stuck in a winch, dammed near took his head off with a log, bitches constantly, asks questions about every thing (which is fine... when you wait for an answer instead of talking over the guy your asking questions of...) takes 2 hours at least, to get his first fresh chain of the day on... and probably half a pack of smokes in the process...

I've told him repeatedly what lengths and diameters to buck to..

Today, I find half a load of undersized, completely random length random species logs stacked up in a pile that should have been 8" plus fir/hemlock... took me an hour to wade through em to get logs I could haul... did I mention I'm log loader guy now too...

So trip #3 rolls around... 13hrs into my day it's getting dark, guess who's dicking with the loader machine... throwing pulp logs on my saw log pile... not getting out of the way so I have even a slim chance of leaving the log road in daylight... incase your wondering, trucks have priority... can't get paid if the logs arn't at the mill.

So he gets out, stands in the way for another 5 minutes...

Grabs a shovel and starts cleaning tracks on a machine I'm using... yes using...

Then stands in the way again...

10 minutes later grumple (76 yrs old still running a 1954 d7 like a kid...) informs me that they are leaving, and that if I might shovel the tracks cause dude is tired...

I ask were the shovels are.

Dudes response is OPEN YOUR ****ING EYES!

Please note it's full dark now...

I may have swore at him... more then a little, ok a lot...

Finish loading, alone... in the dark... it's a horrible looking load... but it's on the truck...

Make it the 30 miles back to the hotel...

Guess who quit because I was mean to him?
 
Did he quit because he'd auditioned for "Axe Men" and got the part? Jeez! Back in my day there would have been bloodshed after the first mis-decked logs...


Welp... he showed up again today...


Hes just a cry baby, and a jack ass that needs to focus on doing his job, and not playing in the big machines, to clarify, his job is just to hook chokers, nothing else, and it's just one choker, hardly back breaking work.

Really he needs to go home before he kills someone
 
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