Yarding Pictures

[2dogs]

I am recuperating from getting soaked, even boots were squishy, after spending several hours hunting for helicopter units and then looking at stuff.
The units have thick huckleberry brush in and around them which is always pleasant to walk through on a wet, drizzly day--too warm for rain gear too.
Yup, after hitting 104 on Saturday, we have gone back to rain.

Anyway, last week, on a hot morning, after pucker sidling along a rock/vertical slope, I found a nice trail up to the road. It was an old fireline around an old unit. Up near the road were the old guyline stumps, and boy, did they ever spike the lines around it. The spikes are still in the stumps and here's a couple of pictures. It was early morning and darkish so the flash kind of washed out the pictures...my apologies.

I imagine there is a way to put circles and arrows on these images but I don't know how. So I will try to ask some questions, tell me if they make sense. On the stumps there appears to be 2 lines of spikes, maybe more. Was a length of wire rope wrapped around more than one complete wrap ( a round turn)? What size rope was used back in the hayday of logging for the sky line and how long were the runs? How big was the typical tailhold stump?

I ran across an old wheeled arch the other day, I'll try to get a pic up tomorrow. On one of the ranches we chase cows on there is an old tracked arch. If I dn't have a pic I will get one in the next week or so. In fact I may have a pic somewhere.

 

[2dogs]

Nice gas fake, looks like a Ford flathead in it?

There is a red block hanging on the yarder in the first image. I have been looking for one like it for "knot passing". Between those of us who work together we have quite a few snatch blocks and regular Skookum blocks but not a wide sheeve like that one. What are they called (i.e tailhold block) and how much is one worth. Do you know of one for sale?

 

[ak4195]

Here's a picture of a long skyline about a mile. That's a 98 skagit, 110 foot tube. It don't look like much but it's a ways off. That little patch of timber you see is actually some pretty big stuff. I remeber there were some 6 and 8 foot ceadr in there but mostly 3 and 4 foot hemlock.

Dang! talk about friction and momentum to overcome

ak

 

[Humptulips]

About the stump: That's a typical guy line stump from the days of spar trees. Guy line would be tightened around stump and spiked with about 11 or 12 spikes on the first wrap. Depends on the length of the guyline, longer guyline takes more then shorter one. 2nd wrap put on tightened and 3 spikes to hold it. 3rd wrap put on and 8 spikes to hold and you're done. Stationary skylines take many more spikes, maybe 100+ and usually 4 wraps.

Guyline size would vary as to size of yarder but typical would be1 1/4" or 1 3/8". Skylines on a stationary skyline would be minimum 1 1/2" and run up to 2 1/8. Live skylines where there is some slipage don't have to be as big.

About the block: That block is a tommy moore block. I would think they would still make them but I would asume pretty spendy. I've used ones just like the one pictured for tree jacks. Tommy moores come in different sizes and manufactureres. I think that one was made by Skookum. They made heavy blocks. Out of business. You might try some logging supply shops and ask about used blocks.

 

[2dogs]

About the stump: That's a typical guy line stump from the days of spar trees. Guy line would be tightened around stump and spiked with about 11 or 12 spikes on the first wrap. Depends on the length of the guyline, longer guyline takes more then shorter one. 2nd wrap put on tightened and 3 spikes to hold it. 3rd wrap put on and 8 spikes to hold and you're done. Stationary skylines take many more spikes, maybe 100+ and usually 4 wraps.

Guyline size would vary as to size of yarder but typical would be1 1/4" or 1 3/8". Skylines on a stationary skyline would be minimum 1 1/2" and run up to 2 1/8. Live skylines where there is some slipage don't have to be as big.

About the block: That block is a tommy moore block. I would think they would still make them but I would asume pretty spendy. I've used ones just like the one pictured for tree jacks. Tommy moores come in different sizes and manufactureres. I think that one was made by Skookum. They made heavy blocks. Out of business. You might try some logging supply shops and ask about used blocks.

How many stumps were used to anchor a big spar tree?

 

[ak4195]

Those Cascade hills make my knees hurt just looking at the pictures,thats what 20+ yrs of halibut fishing and backcountry skiing will do to your most valuable joints i fear.I fear I have about only 10 yrs or so left in them here in these climes Im thinkin.

ak

 

[slowp]

Great but I can't see it.:camera:

This one. It hasn't gone back to the blackberries quite yet. It has 3 guylines, one of which is siwashed for the first setting but most of the force will be on the other two.

It'll be a two guy crew. They had some excellent smoked salmon up there yesterday. Yummy. And as for knees, mine have been scaring me lately.
The injured in a fourth grade skiing accident one kind of popped one day on the unit these guys will be on, and has felt like it is grinding on something.
It has gotten better since I'm on flatter ground now.

 

[Bushler]

RavensRoost, yes, Steve Christopherson. He'd just returned from Nam where he served in the Special Forces. Was pretty gung ho. but not too savy about logging. I have a good story about him that I laugh about, but probably won't post on a public board.

 

[Bushler]

SlowP, look under the machine at the guy line drums and see if the dogs have fresh springs. Stay clear of the layout when the machine is under load becasue the dogs like to fall clear of the drums and free spool....when that happens the ol 4 will land on its beak.

 

[slowp]

Do the springs look like sprongy springs? I'll have to look. Here's what stops the Christy Carriage where it is wanted to stop. You have to lower the skyline, manually unclamp the stop, move it down the skyline to where you want the carriage to stop, then manually clamp it in place. In the forest engineering class, they call it a stop. In this neck of the woods, it is named after a part of male bovine anatomy.

Here's the dreaded Christy carriage. Non mechanized. It slams into the stop and that pokes it hard enough to release whatever is holding the mainline so the rigging crew can pull out line to hook chokers to.

Here's the landing. Yarding might start tomorrow.

 

[Humptulips]

How many stumps were used to anchor a big spar tree?

High lead tree usually had 6 top guys and 3 buckle guys. Slackline might have 6 to 8 top guys, 4 or 5 snap guys and 3 buckle guys.

If you want to go way back before shovels they would also have loading guys. I've seen pictures of the big Tyler yarders rigged up with 36 guylines in a tree.

 

[Humptulips]

Those Cascade hills make my knees hurt just looking at the pictures,thats what 20+ yrs of halibut fishing and backcountry skiing will do to your most valuable joints i fear.I fear I have about only 10 yrs or so left in them here in these climes Im thinkin.

ak

Actually, that picture was taken in the Olympics. Matheny Ridge to be precise and it gets much steeper then that.

 

[ak4195]

"Olympic Hills!"

I stand corrected,I remember soaking in a terrific hot springs a few hundred feet above the Elwah river yrs ago.Had the place to myself ,dime size rain drops smacking me in the forehead as I soaked in a 100+ degree wonderfull pool.

ak

 

[RPM]

Slowp.....I wouldn't have believed that ol piece of iron would be sitting on a landing and rigged up (in this century) and logging if you hadn't posted those pictures. I thought you were kidding a couple of posts back about someone actually running that thing.

I can tell my yarding contractor to stop his whinning about his hardly broken in Madill 120 (which is newer than my 4 yr old)!

 

[slowp]

Slowp.....I wouldn't have believed that ol piece of iron would be sitting on a landing and rigged up (in this century) and logging if you hadn't posted those pictures. I thought you were kidding a couple of posts back about someone actually running that thing.

I can tell my yarding contractor to stop his whinning about his hardly broken in Madill 120 (which is newer than my 4 yr old)!

Yes, I took major pity, and after having them promise to shoot me and find a good home for my dog if I got hurt, I helped pull the line down the hill. They weren't using haywire either, because "We used to do it this way all the time."
That was what the guy uphill of me was saying. The guy who was downhill and younger was answering, "That was :censored: in the :censored: 18th century!:censored: :censored: :censored: . I was able to help out enough that the line made it to the tail tree. I didn't know how to coil it, since I was in the middle and pulling faster than the guy could wade down the hill, but didn't make a major mess. I just did it like a hose. It was to be rigged up today if the downhill guy showed up.

 

[Bushler]

Stand clear! Something will break....

Those ancient frictions are going to be 'grabby' and the rigging will probably kill squirrels and birds. When the machine starts bucking around is when you want to be clear of the guy lines and NEVER stand near the machine when its pulling hard.

I can almost smell the blow by from the gas pot.

I'm not normaly such a pessimist but even after all these years I still shudder when I think about running that contraption.

I'm betting it tips over if it doesn't break down first.

 

[Roy M]

Just read this thread from start to finish and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the pictures. I have not been involved in a yarding operation so don't quite understand some of the terminology though. Did work in heli logging for a few years and that had it's moments.

 

[slowp]

Stand clear! Something will break....

Those ancient frictions are going to be 'grabby' and the rigging will probably kill squirrels and birds. When the machine starts bucking around is when you want to be clear of the guy lines and NEVER stand near the machine when its pulling hard.

I can almost smell the blow by from the gas pot.

I'm not normaly such a pessimist but even after all these years I still shudder when I think about running that contraption.

I'm betting it tips over if it doesn't break down first.

I already was around it when the air pressure went and the ?tube? slammed down along with the skyline. That was a couple years ago. He's welded some braces on it to hold that up. I stay clear unless things are stopped. The main thing I can see is that the owner/operator has a bad hip and knee.
He will be the yarder engineer, chaser and shovel operator. Last time it ran, it spent an equal or longer time broke down. We shall see. The owner is a guy who grew up in the logging business and knows what he does. He's also our second in line guy to call and hire to take down big old growth hazard trees when our guys don't want to do it. A very good faller. Also, he hits right on with what the computer spits out. I'll run a profile and let the program figure out how high to hang in the tail tree, he'll park his shovel up on the landing with the boom up and will walk down, and figure out how high. He hits right on with what I get from the computer.

 

[Metals406]

Do the springs look like sprongy springs? I'll have to look. Here's what stops the Christy Carriage where it is wanted to stop. You have to lower the skyline, manually unclamp the stop, move it down the skyline to where you want the carriage to stop, then manually clamp it in place. In the forest engineering class, they call it a stop. In this neck of the woods, it is named after a part of male bovine anatomy.

Here's the dreaded Christy carriage. Non mechanized. It slams into the stop and that pokes it hard enough to release whatever is holding the mainline so the rigging crew can pull out line to hook chokers to.

Here's the landing. Yarding might start tomorrow.

I hooked under a Christy carriage... And we used a stop almost like that one. The "Bull-Prick" was on the mainline though. It was slid over the mainline, and was essentially free floating, the end of the mainline had a t-bar to hook the ringed chokers. When the t-bar hit the BP, it slid up into the Christy, and disengaged the stop. Once the carriage was loose, up the "Set" went the logs. We also rarely used haywire for anything. We manually pulled the skyline to the hold tree. We were limited to 1,100 feet of yarding... But that's still a long way to walk back up to the yarder.

We always began each 'set', starting at the landing, and working downhill... While the fallers laid out starting from the bottom up. BTW, if you are wondering what a 'set' is... It's what you would probably call a road? I think?

Our yarder was a Linkbelt 98... similar to this one.

 

[slowp]

They got two turns yarded before breaking down. Here they are looking for an air leak.

The guy in the middle is a visitor. I quote the yarder owner "He taught a dumb faller how to log and do thinnings." The yarder owner started out as a faller and worked a lot in the old growth. They located the air leak and were in the process of hooking a new hose up. Looked like the problem hose was an original part. They had the thing running when I drove up and it was backfiring something fierce. There probably aren't any elk within miles now.
Here's the yarder engineer/owner. The guy in raingear is his son.