The "Not So Pro" discussion thread...of course Pros are welcome!

[Hedgerow]

is that hedge or locast? I always wanted to try a dolmar, non around here.

Hedge...
Hard as a damn rock...

 

[JakeG]

Cat, Clint, NM & TS.. Thanks guys for your input. Sounds skidder is the right choice to start with.

Day late dollar short as usual... Skidders are cheap out here, still a clark in Enumclaw/Blackdiamond for 7k, Garrett 15 for 3k, deere skidders in the 4-10k range.

Jake, you need a mid size grapple skidder above all else. cable be ok to, ya still young. try to get a powershift tourqconverter drive, they give less driveline trouble. no, ya not be movin it with yer pickup truck. deere is most available but a sob to work on. clark, jack, almost the same driveline n easy to service + they tough. cat good tractors parts a bit spendy like deere. I no fan of franklin but they can be had on the cheap side. you will be workin on whatever ya get, grease is yer friend.

Good thing I'm a mechanic by trade, and am familiar with diesels.

From the looks of things, I could be in a skidder and maybe should set my dodge up as a service truck w/compressor.

What are your opinions on Prentice loaders? Good/bad models, etc

 

[twochains]

Mike, idk there was a shipment that came in to the shop and the roller was real loose feeling from the get go. slayer you remember me saying the bars weren't lasting and th mechanic switched us over to Oregon? My rails are already suffering on one side pretty bad on the Oregon bar. I doubt we will get any more of them, go back to the ES. I was actually thinking about a hard nosed just for days when I have to run behind the Hydro Ax.

 

[mdavlee]

See if you can get a few of the total bars to run. The rails seem to last a lot longer than Oregon and Stihl.

 

[twochains]

Cat, Clint, NM & TS.. Thanks guys for your input. Sounds skidder is the right choice to start with.






Good thing I'm a mechanic by trade, and am familiar with diesels.

From the looks of things, I could be in a skidder and maybe should set my dodge up as a service truck w/compressor.

What are your opinions on Prentice loaders? Good/bad models, etc

Jake, I just was talking to my boss, he has a few skidders and I asked him about one behind his house. The skidder is a Timber Jack 450 C grapple skidder. With a brand new re-built motor, new hydro pump and new center pins...he would sell it for $18.

 

[treeslayer2003]

Mike, idk there was a shipment that came in to the shop and the roller was real loose feeling from the get go. slayer you remember me saying the bars weren't lasting and th mechanic switched us over to Oregon? My rails are already suffering on one side pretty bad on the Oregon bar. I doubt we will get any more of them, go back to the ES. I was actually thinking about a hard nosed just for days when I have to run behind the Hydro Ax.

if I was you, i'd set up an 046 or 044 with a 20 for that type of thing. the bar ordeal is starting to get on my nerves. i'm gonna try some japan bars n see what they made of. bars should not chunk like that for no reason, I been foolin with this crap long enugh to know this is BS.

 

[treeslayer2003]

Cat, Clint, NM & TS.. Thanks guys for your input. Sounds skidder is the right choice to start with.






Good thing I'm a mechanic by trade, and am familiar with diesels.

From the looks of things, I could be in a skidder and maybe should set my dodge up as a service truck w/compressor.

What are your opinions on Prentice loaders? Good/bad models, etc

loader brand don't matter, look for cracks n welds in the boom. push down on the ground with the grapple while a friend watches the turntable, any movement n she wore bad. try not to buy one that had a delimber on it, they hard on um. you will like joysticks better but levers work fine.

 

[tramp bushler]

Day late dollar short as usual... Skidders are cheap out here, still a clark in Enumclaw/Blackdiamond for 7k, Garrett 15 for 3k, deere skidders in the 4-10k range.

I'm surprised they are still available. It would cost 5 k $ toget it from there to here. Maybe more.

 

[northmanlogging]

jake I did start with a beat old ford, it worked, it was paid for, it was also a pain in the ass and slow. The skidder was a huge step in the right direction, if you got the coin get the best you can afford. Jacks are good just rare to see one for sale here, deeres are like flys Cat made a few but they all demand a healthy price Franklin/CanCar/Garrett/#### all who knows what name they went under...

For the ground your on in Texas grapple would be my first choice, line skidders are just slow to hook/unhook, and nobody really likes dragging 3/4,7/8" wire rope 100' through the brush (well I kinda do... but I have a few (2) screws loose)

bunchers and processors are nice and all for the big boys and the big bills, but use little guys I feel its better to stay small and work up to big boy toys with big boy bills... (some of them big processors are burning like 90-100 gallons a day...)

Hiring out the equipment move is no big deal, call yer favorite self-loader jockey and toss him a few bills (usually around 2-400 depending on how far ya gotta go).

Eventually I plan on getting a shovel, a cat, a small yarder (christy/koller) or a yoder, maybe even start doing DNR-FS work (gasp!!) but that is many years down the road... for now I'm mostly happy hand falling and line skidding.

 

[treeslayer2003]

I'm surprised they are still available. It would cost 5 k $ toget it from there to here. Maybe more.

yea, cost a fortune to truck here too. never a deal close by.
I need another skidder like a hole in the head really.

 

[twochains]

Slayer, I bought a bar once...I want to say it was maybe called a Total?? It was stainless steel maybe? Anyway I was cutting an ERC job and ran into a section that had sand rot in it. "True" sandrot will have a little hole in the center and when you fall the tree sand pours out the hole. Anyway I had payed $75 for that bar (12 years ago) and wore the rails out in 2 weeks. That sand is bad on stuff.

 

[treeslayer2003]

Slayer, I bought a bar once...I want to say it was maybe called a Total?? It was stainless steel maybe? Anyway I was cutting an ERC job and ran into a section that had sand rot in it. "True" sandrot will have a little hole in the center and when you fall the tree sand pours out the hole. Anyway I had payed $75 for that bar (12 years ago) and wore the rails out in 2 weeks. That sand is bad on stuff.

I expect that would ruin any bar. that why they run carbide on the feller bunchers.

 

[northmanlogging]

I'm surprised they are still available. It would cost 5 k $ toget it from there to here. Maybe more.

The guys who own em are retiring, and there isn't any young folks looking to get into it, if there are they are running equipment on the big yarder and mill owned jobs. #### whens the last time you saw a cutter that was under 30.

Talked to a guy thats ran a Garrett 21 for the last 20-30 years he's 71...and been chasing under a yarder the last two years... (he ain't selling, I asked...)

 

[twochains]

Have a good evening Men. You guys stay safe out there.

 

[treeslayer2003]

Have a good evening Men. You guys stay safe out there.

you do the same ol boy.

 

[JakeG]

Lots of good info.. Just leaving church, I'll have to read it in a bit. Thanks men.

 

[HuskStihl]

I have a disposable groundie for the test run...

I don't really trust him with complicated machinery like a spray can. I was just going to paint him, then prune the branches with paint on them.

Guys, just like Ice P and EricNY, I've signed on with an outfit! The owner is Jeff, a friendly spouse collecting kinda guy. He's entrusting me with the most important job in tree care, the groundie! I told him I have some awesome saws, and mad skills, but he said he has a more important job for me first! Wish me luck!

 

[OlympicYJ]

If you do get a line machine do your homework on the winches. You don't want to have to tear it apart every time you let it sit for a week or so. The old mans Can-Car has a POS carco on it. Brake band freezes up and you gotta tear it apart and free it up.

 

[Gologit]

Guys, just like Ice P and EricNY, I've signed on with an outfit! The owner is Jeff, a friendly spouse collecting kinda guy. He's entrusting me with the most important job in tree care, the groundie! I told him I have some awesome saws, and mad skills, but he said he has a more important job for me first! Wish me luck!

Dammit, I was going to try for the Zip Line Test Pilot job but you beat me to it. That's okay, go ahead on it.

I think that you might be a better candidate...matter of fact I'm sure of it. I'm already familiar with the sound of my own bones breaking and it's an experience everyone should have. Part of this old guy thing is making sure the young folks coming up behind me don't miss out on any important career events. With your background you can just patch yourself up and get ready for the next run.

Don't forget the paint can...Jeff's way is messy and wasteful and paint costs money. Take some video.

 

[northmanlogging]

its funny but I don't remember any of the actual impacts, just the haze afterwards and sometimes just before...