Well yesterday was just one of those days.
First got all dressed up to drop trees complete with "cork" boots and water pack and chaps and helmet and wedge pouch and blah blah, and the log truck shows up, without any fore warning (he's suppose to call or text 30 minutes ahead), we wouldn't have even seen him if Menno hadn't looked back one time before going over a hill on the ATV. So back to the truck to unpack and I go load him.
Get back to skidder and new landing area and the boys have the dashed pulled on the skidder, and no logs on new landing???? The starter switch is broke, so we put the dash back together and hotwire it to get going, will fix it after it quits raining tomorrow. I cut a few trees and Menno cuts a few and the skidder starts blowing real bad black smoke. We had just put a brand new Deere air filter on it that morning, and filled with diesel from different station. I figure it can't be the air filter because its new, and I have had diesel problems 3x's before so I call neighbor, farmer buddy and go get some concentrate that seems to fix the problem pretty quickly, as the skidder won't even pull a hill in 1st gear. I drive 3 miles away and Billy (skidder driver) calls and he's so out of breath I can't understand him, other than all hell has broken loose. Finally I ask is Menno okay and he hands the phone to Menno and get the low down on how one of the batteries exploded, complete with a boom, sparks and fireball, LOL. Nobody was hurt so it was funny as all get out, as Billy stated he spent about .1 seconds trying to get the fire extinguisher out and then just dove off the skidder, LOL. He did kill the engine first, LOL.
Billy ran to Menno, and Menno ran back and put the fire out, it was just the battery burning ...... not the skidder.
So I finish getting diesel treatment as I was closer to the farm, than the skidder and head back to skidder. We investigate the situation and find that somehow one of the battery terminals appears to have jumped up and struck the metal cover lid, or it exploded and then hit the metal lid, either way its welded to the lid right now. Billy said there was a fireball about 3 foot in diameter as the battery lid got blown off the machine, LOL. I asked him if he crapped his pants and he said it was too busy making tracks to stop and poop ........... you would have to know Billy to understand ...... he's only been off the Amish reservation for about 4 months, so hes a little excitable, LOL.
We did take the time to investigate how far or how much distance that Billy covered in his dive out of the cab and it appears to Menno and I, that it could qualify for something more, nearing sustained flight, than just a one time act of springed propulsion, as the scrape marks in the ground are easily 20 feet away from the tire and his earmuffs were 30 feet away, after impact, making it easily the most impressive act of the day, bar none. Billy's later recolletions were that mid-"flight" he actually complitated that the landing might be worse than whatever demise awaited him back at the cab, but he wasn't thinking that when he applied the propulsion force with his legs, LOL.
Here is the battery that exploded.
Note the terminal that has welded itself to the battery lid.
So I apply diesel treatment and Menno goes back to cutting and Billy takes my saw for topping and I get two new batteries. Install batteries and start machine, pull a couple of logs and still black smoke and no power. I ask again did you really, really put that new filter in this morning. Yes, they did. Now bear in mind we swap filters every morning and take one back to the shop or air compressor and blow it out, just this morning I had them actually put a brand new one in the machine. The last logs the day before were pulled with no smoke and full power. Now the engine is running and I open the side panel and take the air cover off and sure enough there is a brand new air filter in there. I pear back to the rubber intake from the air filter to the turbo, its colapsed. I tell Billy to stop engine. I take the second/final little filter out and its covered with black soot. I go get a new one of those out of the equipment trailer, and fixed that problem ....................... I have no idea how the soot got there, its not on the big air filter and everything is sealed up good, but there it is.
Eat lunch, load trucks, talk to a local log buyer and go back to cutting trees, till after dark, Menno was topping in the dark, and I loaded that last log truck with lights on the loader, as it was 90% chance of rain lastnight and its pouring now. So back to remodeling house.
Loaded light in the back bunk because the road is getting really pumpy and trucks are about to get stuck, so light on last bunk all day.
Another one.
One of the reds that fell yesterday, notice the black rings of mineral and damage caused by the cattle. Gotta love pasture timber, LOL.
A big and little double.
While this was an exceptional day, I have found that logging has its ups and downs like anything other endeavor.
Sam
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