Dirty Jobs

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Tree Slayer

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Tonight on dirty jobs is gonna be about Logging with mules :deadhorse:
 
It was filmed here in my home town. One of the loggers is a youth minister my daughter knows. She said he is a really nice guy.
Seen in the commercial they had a little trouble with their mules. Not a good sign, especially when you are in the mule capitol of the world.
 
It was filmed here in my home town. One of the loggers is a youth minister my daughter knows. She said he is a really nice guy.
Seen in the commercial they had a little trouble with their mules. Not a good sign, especially when you are in the mule capitol of the world.

I suspect the "trouble" was caused. That seems to be recurrent item in his series. Something almost always doesn't go as planned.

Harry K
 
Colombia? or Shelbyville. I sure would like to go to that big week long deal in the spring. It must be something to see.

John, it was filmed in Columbia.
Mule Day is a big event around here. Most of the locals me included stay away from town on Saturday, the day of the parade. Some years 100,000 people flood into town to watch. There is a mule sale, mule pulling and of course a mule day queen. I am not an ass man myself so I usually find other stuff to do. :hmm3grin2orange: Check out www.muleday.com
 
I could not agree more! At least one of them had a hard hat.

I was shocked at either the poorly trained teams or the poor handling of them. Way back when I had the pleasure of working with a logging team we boarded for a season on the farm. I used them skidding firewood logs. Them animals knew a whole bunch more than this green kid about the business. Back into position, wait for the 'go', lean forward to test the load then back one step and 'hit it'. The teams on the show looked like they were just beginning training or the drivers were. Could be that the mules were just distracted by all the strange people/acitivities going on. If that is the way the really handle, I'll pass. I was amazed that no-one got hurt with all the narrow escapes.

Harry K
 
My wife grew up around draft horses. They used them for farm work (plowing, cultivating, hauling hay, etc.)-though recreational, not actual real live work. Quite a few people she knew used drafts for skidding logs. She was appalled at the poor training of those mules on the show. I agree with Harry that it could have been somewhat due to the camera crews around being basically idiots, but I not sure that accounts for everything. I've only been around her dad's drafts a handful of times, but I've never seen them act so unruly.
 
I did'nt see it.Were the teams not under control? Did they stop and start when told?

They wouldn't stand at all. Would take off before they even had time to set the tongs, wouldn't stop. In general about what you would expect from a team about the second time they were hitched up.

At the end of the show there were a couple teams yarding logs out to be loaded on the truck. Those seemed to be well trained but they weren't being disturbed by the crew until they actually got to the truck.

Harry K
 
the log truck was very interesting but may be common around those parts. i have seen one like it and thought it worked pretty good. alittle scary to basically drop the long into the bunks though.
 
Mule

Had a Mule and a bunch of horses once, That Mule was worth more than all of the horses, smarter too. Just wasn't much fun to ride bareback. :deadhorse:
 
That show was a re-run again today so I watched to see if my impressions of the mules was accurate. It wasn't. At the start of the segment they appeared to be a well manered and trained team. Moved into position, stood until commanded, etc. That went by the board when Mike started his usual goofing off and went down hill from there. By the end of the segement, the mules were so hyped from amatuers screwing around with them, 2 and 3 people at a time giving them commands that nothing could be done with them. Not the mules fault.

I never worked with mules but have also heard that they are calmer and smarter than horses. I worked with horses back when I was a kid and never trusted them. Didn't have any problems but...

Harry K
 

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