Heli Logger's Chainsaws

[mdavlee]

MS200T, 660 and 880 + Husky 385/390xp are those I remember for sure, but I believe there was at least one appearance of a larger Husky as well - there is some time since I saw the series, so memory is fading.....

One thing that surpriced me, was that they didn't seem to bring spare chain into the woods! :jawdrop:

Yeah it seems like as far away from things they are they would bring 3 or more chains. I don't see a chain being the straw that breaks the camels back on pack weight.

 

[hybridkarpower]

I think the "Greenhorn" was the one who carried all the spare bar & chain etc for the crew. I don't know for sure but I do recall Greenhorn said something about carrying an extra 60 lbs of gear: bar&chain, spare saw, lunch etc..

One thing that surpriced me, was that they didn't seem to bring spare chain into the woods! :jawdrop:

 

[rxe]

How on earth do the economics of heli-logging work? A Chinook is hardly a cheap bit of kit to buy or maintain - rental costs for something half as complex in the UK run to about £2500 an hour. OK, they will have got it second hand, but maintenance will be horrific.

If they were pulling tropical hardwoods, I could see it, but for "ordinary" Fir, it seems an incredibly expensive way of working. What is such a tree worth?

(in the context of a jet engine overhaul, the cost of a 660 is chicken feed!)

 

[Adam_MA]

How on earth do the economics of heli-logging work? A Chinook is hardly a cheap bit of kit to buy or maintain - rental costs for something half as complex in the UK run to about £2500 an hour. OK, they will have got it second hand, but maintenance will be horrific.

If they were pulling tropical hardwoods, I could see it, but for "ordinary" Fir, it seems an incredibly expensive way of working. What is such a tree worth?

(in the context of a jet engine overhaul, the cost of a 660 is chicken feed!)

If I recall correctly, I think in a couple of the episodes they said the fee for running the Chinook is $15,000/hr. They make that up in HUGE old growth trees that can bring $50,000+ per stem.

 

[SawTroll]

How on earth do the economics of heli-logging work? A Chinook is hardly a cheap bit of kit to buy or maintain - rental costs for something half as complex in the UK run to about £2500 an hour. OK, they will have got it second hand, but maintenance will be horrific.

If they were pulling tropical hardwoods, I could see it, but for "ordinary" Fir, it seems an incredibly expensive way of working. What is such a tree worth?

(in the context of a jet engine overhaul, the cost of a 660 is chicken feed!)

There was a lot of reference to a minimum weight of the logs, to make a profit! It was a constant concern, it sounded.

 

[rxe]

They make that up in HUGE old growth trees that can bring $50,000+ per stem.

:jawdrop: I had no idea they were worth that sort of money.

 

[Zombiechopper]

basically they have to get 6500lbs per log to pay for the chopper for one turn from teh hill to teh landing. Max load on the chinook is 9500lbs

 

[Urban Redneck]

I think the last episode of the season said something like 13,200 pounds to break even. They were lifting logs as much as 22K pounds. I could be wrong though.

 

[mdavlee]

Yeah I think they had to weigh over 13k to make money and a couple turns were right at 22k.

 

[ChrisF]

They used two different helicopters for their jobs though, one was the chinook one was the smaller capacity Vertol 107 II.

 

[Zombiechopper]

They used two different helicopters for their jobs though, one was the chinook one was the smaller capacity Vertol 107 II.

yes, I was thinking of the vertol at 9500#.

Must be a very nerve wracking business to be in trying to get those weights just right

 

[mdavlee]

Yeah it would be real hard to know how much the hollow center and rot would knock the weight down.

 

[Trigger Man]

I can't remember if it was heli loggers or another show. But they had an episode where they actually went into a stihl dealer and bought equipment, I remember them buying 200t's and bars and chains.

 

[parrisw]

Yeah it would be real hard to know how much the hollow center and rot would knock the weight down.

They usually bore cut the cedars before climbing to see if it is rotton in the middle, if it is they leave it.

I can't remember if it was heli loggers or another show. But they had an episode where they actually went into a stihl dealer and bought equipment, I remember them buying 200t's and bars and chains.

Yes it was Heli Loggers, they did in one episode, visit a dealer in Duncan BC.

 

[SawTroll]

They usually bore cut the cedars before climbing to see if it is rotton in the middle, if it is they leave it. ......

What surpriced me, was that they didn't always discard them, unless they were really bad - how they could judge the value of those core rotted logs they had flied out beats me!

 

[parrisw]

What surpriced me, was that they didn't always discard them, unless they were really bad - how they could judge the value of those core rotted logs they had flied out beats me!

There is still lots of usable wood in the tree, the rot usually doesn't go all the way up, and they can tell how much rot by knowing how far in they must bore until they hit rot. In those huge Cedar's there is still lots of wood around the rotten center. I've milled Cedar's this way.

 

[vincem77]

One thing that surpriced me, was that they didn't seem to bring spare chain into the woods!

The standing stem climbers are cutting 6-8 trees a day. On an ideal tree there is little limbing and just 1 top cut with the 200t and 1 jigging cut with the 660. So not much time for the chain to get dull. Kurtis tops the larger ones and looks like he's climbing with the 260.

I'd assume the fallers carry extra chains. They are the ones using mainly husqvarna's.

 

[SawTroll]

The standing stem climbers are cutting 6-8 trees a day. On an ideal tree there is little limbing and just 1 top cut with the 200t and 1 jigging cut with the 660. So not much time for the chain to get dull. Kurtis tops the larger ones and looks like he's climbing with the 260.

I'd assume the fallers carry extra chains. They are the ones using mainly husqvarna's.

As I recall it, the Huskys only were used at the first episodes, they disappeared in the later ones. I guess someone sponsored them into doing that......

 

[ChrisF]

I thought the only guy who ran a husky was the British faller in that show.

 

[mdavlee]

They've been replaying them. One episode was on earlier today. Only the British faller uses huskys. Everyone else is using stihls.