Oklahoma,AR,MO,KS,TX GTG (Next GTG 08/27/2016 ) Fort Scott, KS

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Just stopped at Burger King in Carthage on my way through to home. What a beautiful day! 48 degrees. Beats the -14 when I left DSM on Monday

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What are you doing down in this part of the country Sam-Tip? You're a long ways from home.
 
Work down in Foreman Ar. About 5 to 6 times a year for the last 22 years. Testing smoke stack air emissions on a cement plant. The drive is much better thanks to I540 and I49 (71).

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I thank my lucky stars I don't have to drive down there every day.

I really don't mind the "fight for position" idiots that are all over this town. At least they are in a hurry to get somewhere, and don't waste all their time rubbernecking at some guy broke down with a flat tire on the side of the road.

A fender bender seems to require a maximum speed of 5mph to get a really good look at the wrecked cars. DAMN people! Haven't you ever seen a car wreck before? The cop will be out there waving his baton telling them to get moving, and the line doesn't speed up until 50 feet past the last distracting object to look at...even if it is on the other side of the divided highway.

What bugs me the most are the fools that don't seem to be able to get on the highway at highway speed and the incompetent klutzes that cannot go through a construction zone faster than 10 miles an hour.

I just consider it a game, and I play it quite well. You will always find me driving in the fastest lane with a nice respectable open area in front of my car. I try to be a buffer against the waves of brake lights and it gives me the assurance of not needing to stop fast or preventing me from changing gracefully into the faster lane. That, and it lets the tailgating idiots have a nice big spot to pull into in front of me.

I grew up in a small town, I often wish I could go back to that lifestyle. As it currently stands, I am compelled to knock off about an hour every day commuting.
 
When I was younger & living in a highly populated area, I found by leaving 10 minutes earlier I could beat the rush hour traffic. When I got to work I would have a relaxing 45 minutes wait for work. No problem, I read a book. This was much better than bumper to bumper traffic.
 
I grew up in KC, Prairie Village to be exact. Got married there (still married to the same girl, too. 35 years) Moved down here 34 years ago. Had to make a job related trip to KC last October, best NASCAR training I ever had, but was I ever glad to be back down here. You can keep the big city life.
 
I grew up in KC, Prairie Village to be exact. Got married there (still married to the same girl, too. 35 years) Moved down here 34 years ago. Had to make a job related trip to KC last October, best NASCAR training I ever had, but was I ever glad to be back down here. You can keep the big city life.

The drafting part of it makes me nervous.
 
The other day I went to post photos of the log bucking trailer I am building & found my wife had borrowed my card reader to use at her job. Well I have it back & here are some photos. (The 2x4s on the yellow arms are to simulate a log.) I will be adding 2 more log supports between the 2 in place. They are on 20" centers to keep them over the trailer's frame.

Log Bucking Trailer 14 ft long (1).jpg
The trailer is 14'5" long using 3" channel iron on 20" centers resting on 8"x4" I-beams with a 7,000# mobile home braking axle & 14 ply tires. On the other side as you look through the expanded metal is the walk way the saw operators will be standing on. The near side will have an "L" shaped fold down side which will make it a 30" deep landing area with a 5-1/2" high lip where the cut rounds will hopefully end up. This will help to keep the rounds clean & off the ground. (Much easier on the back & faster, to not have to lift the rounds off the ground!)

The center section between the deck boards, the "bucking stand", is removable & could be used on a longer trailer if needed.

For now I will be using drop down legs in the corner stake pockets to stabilize the trailer & help the axle to support the extra weight of the logs.

Log Bucking Trailer 14 ft long (2).JPG

The tongue will be remove-able to get it out of the way. The wiring on the tongue will have plugs on both ends to simplify removal. The hole in the channel iron is for a 7blade trailer receptacle. I haven't made the receiver for the trailer yet.

Log Bucking Trailer 14 ft long (3).JPG

Again pretending the 2x4's are a log, this shows the 17" gap between log being cut & the catch ramp. I have the 2x6 on the walkway side for 3 reasons: 1 - It will hopefully keep the round from hitting toes. 2 - Makes a measuring guide for cutting. The green line is 15" centers & the red lines is 20" centers. 3 - It just might save a chain or leg having the wood there as a safety catch. I used heavy gauge expanded metal for the ramp to allow the saw chips/dust to hopefully fall through to the ground & if it is windy, to help keep the wind from throwing the saw chips/dust into the saw operator's face.

Log Bucking Trailer 14 ft long (4).JPG

The "Walk Way": I will be sliding the bucking stand to the left a couple of inches to make a gap between it & the decking for rain & wood chips to fall through. The railing will be around 42" high & will have a couple of boxes on the outside to set chain saws, hook-a-roon, log-cant in. It will be hinged at the bottom so I can lean it towards the log buck during transport. I will bolt supports to the frame between the stake pockets so when the railing is folded into position, it will be sturdy.

You can't see it but there is a receiver hitch welded under the frame on the back. This is why the reflective tape has burn spots in it. :(

Total weight of trailer & bucking stand will be approximately 2,400lbs. I plan to hook it behind my splitter for transport then behind it a single axle 12' mower trailer.
 
I plan to work smarter, not harder. In a nut shell, I am not going to have to be bent over cutting a huge pile of logs then have to pick up several thousand round off the ground, out of the snow or mud. It just isn't going to happen.

The time spent building this trailer will be saved many times over in decreased labor & I enjoy doing it.
 
a leading question - how you gonna make sure after the first outside end cut that the next cut, inside, doesn't pinch the bar? how you gonna keep the log on the rails when its only sitting on one rail?
He's not done yet...
Has to weld more rails, so the pieces are always setting on at least 2 rails, until the last cut.
If I'm looking at it right...
 
Hedge nailed it. Once the center 2 log supports are in place the last cut will be between them.

There will be stairs on both ends of the walk way. They will be set on the walkway under the leaning railing for transport.
 
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