Last Load (Maybe) Of The Season

[Nitroman]

So yesterday I tooled up to the Yukon, about 61 miles into the Ohagmuit Portage and found two standing dead trees right next to the trail. I left at 0815 and took 2 1/2 hours to get there and with the warm temps (+20*F), I had to work quickly. Translation: wore myself out.

Once I had cut it down and after trimming I had to pull my sled, manually I will add, back off the trail next to the wood, roll it on, then back up my snogo to attach the hitch and pull it out, roll the wood off...repeat until it was all out, then load up for the run back to Bethel. And there was that other tree just as large standing less than 10 feet from this one. It killed me to leave it, but for my foolishness that is my payment: I should have left 0600 so the temps would have been cooler (+10*F), and I'd have been able to get that one too.

This is my new sled design I tried. My last one is the second photo. The length is the same but each runner is composed of an inside/outside 12-foot long 2x6 with 1-foot long spacers to make the width 4.5 inches. I used 7 inch wide UHMW plastics to increase the load bearing surface on the snow. Last year I almost didn't make it back to Bethel as a load of the same size was sinking through the snow causing me to drag the sled through the snow, instead of sliding on top. This new design is the shiznitz. My tracks in soft snow show only about one inch of sink, with it being a pleasure to tow. I am confident I could load a ridiculous amount of wood and make it back.

The main trunk in the photo is 10 feet long and 20" at the base. The tree bifurcated about 6 feet up causing some thinking to be required when setting up the load. I may be able to make one more trip to get that tree I left, plus a couple others, but it will be iffy.

In this photo from 2011 you can see the 2 1/2 inch plastics cut pretty deep making my snogo (and me as pilot) work pretty hard to navigate.

I used my 137 as the 394 is still apart and the 3120 is draining fluids. I sure could have used the big saws on this baby.

Yeah, I know I should have taken more photo, but I didn't, the fault lies with me. I have a Casio point and shoot, but it has so many features and little buttons that they should NOT call it a point and shoot. Once you inadvertently press the wrong button, it is near impossible to find your way back to the screen to just take a friggin' pic. AND with the sunlight being so bright, I can't see the dammed screen. I am surprised I was able to get this photo to tell you the truth. I had to stop the snogo, get my truck (I live only 100 yards from the photo), bring it over to cut the wood to put into the truck. The roads here are free of ice and I'd be stuck blocking a road if I tried to pull it to my house.

All-in-all a fun trip.

 

[zogger]

Hard core, man! Cool scoot you made.

 

[Nitroman]

I was certainly questioning the WHY I do this while I was doing it. But I have made a decision: this kid will no longer be making a job ten times more challenging than it should be. This kid be buying a Lewis Winch this summer. I can set up on the trail and just pull the dammed tree to me.

From Bethel to the Yukon treeline is roughly 57 miles. Once into the trees the Portage trail is only 4-6 feet wide, and in many places only as wide as your snogo. I was lucky that I was at an open space maybe 50 feet wide and 150 feet long. The trail was well packed, like concrete, but only three feet to the side, you'll be right up to your groin in soft snow. I normally make a trail through the trees to pull the sled up to the wood and drive out. No way up there. I'd sink, and I have dug myself out enough times I was/am not going to do it again.

The Lewis run by my 394 would be such a blessing my head is spinning at the possibilities. I have had to leave so many trees, and had to put in so much more work for the lack of that tool it isn't funny at all. My only decision to make now is 3/16" cable (150'), 1/8" cable (250 feet!!!!) or replace the steel with synthetic rope; Amsteel. Same strength with 1/7th the weight. It would be my luck though to be pulling a monster and have someone drive down the trail, not see what I was doing, and cut the Amsteel with the snogo carbides!:msp_w00t:

 

[zogger]

I was certainly questioning the WHY I do this while I was doing it. But I have made a decision: this kid will no longer be making a job ten times more challenging than it should be. This kid be buying a Lewis Winch this summer. I can set up on the trail and just pull the dammed tree to me.

From Bethel to the Yukon treeline is roughly 57 miles. Once into the trees the Portage trail is only 4-6 feet wide, and in many places only as wide as your snogo. I was lucky that I was at an open space maybe 50 feet wide and 150 feet long. The trail was well packed, like concrete, but only three feet to the side, you'll be right up to your groin in soft snow. I normally make a trail through the trees to pull the sled up to the wood and drive out. No way up there. I'd sink, and I have dug myself out enough times I was/am not going to do it again.

The Lewis run by my 394 would be such a blessing my head is spinning at the possibilities. I have had to leave so many trees, and had to put in so much more work for the lack of that tool it isn't funny at all. My only decision to make now is 3/16" cable (150'), 1/8" cable (250 feet!!!!) or replace the steel with synthetic rope; Amsteel. Same strength with 1/7th the weight. It would be my luck though to be pulling a monster and have someone drive down the trail, not see what I was doing, and cut the Amsteel with the snogo carbides!:msp_w00t:

I have been wanting some sort of winch myself, a lewis or one of those stand along 4 stroke winches or something, maybe even just a masadam puller (sp)

 

[Nitroman]

I have been wanting some sort of winch myself, a lewis or one of those stand along 4 stroke winches or something, maybe even just a masadam puller (sp)

I have a rope come-along but it takes sssssoooooooooo long to get anything done it isn't worth the effort. I have seriously considered the capstan winches but you have-to-have 3/8" inch minimum rope which takes up a lot of space, and you have to keep tension on the end to make it stick to the capstan. This takes attention away from your work requiring two hands. The Lewis all you have to do is grip the throttle and watch the fun.

 

[SkippyKtm]

I have a rope come-along but it takes sssssoooooooooo long to get anything done it isn't worth the effort. I have seriously considered the capstan winches but you have-to-have 3/8" inch minimum rope which takes up a lot of space, and you have to keep tension on the end to make it stick to the capstan. This takes attention away from your work requiring two hands. The Lewis all you have to do is grip the throttle and watch the fun.

Great Thread, Thanks for sharing!
When do you anticipate the snow to be gone?
I have it real easy here in Connecticut, our snow has been gone since early March, my bud who lives nearby in Mass has a house in Kenai Alaska, but he only goes there in the summer...

 

[Nitroman]

Give it a couple more weeks and (sigh), it'll be gone with spring well underway. Spring is a dreary time with rain and mud. Then comes summer, all three months of it, then (yippee!), it starts to get cool again.

 

[hamish]

Synthetic line on a Lewis is ideal, and much more user friendly.