[Baystatetom]

After doing other things for a couple of days I returned to my logging job to find that the landowner had “helped me” by hanging up two trees and leaving his little husky pinched in a third when it rested back on the stump. Just as well he would have hung that one too. After taking the power head off the bar so I could safely fell the tree sideways from his notch I put it in my trailer and brought it home to avoid any future “help”. Those hangers are a real bear to deal with. The smaller of the two, my steers were able to pull down but it took several tries and considerable effort on the teams part. It stopped them dead in their tracks a few times. I really didn’t like doing that to them so the other larger tree I pulled down with a come-along. Seemed to take forever but it eventually worked. Do you guys have any secrets for dealing with those hangers? I know everybody does it once in while how do you get them down?
I still pulled short logs one at a time today because the trees were bigger. At least with all the time spent with the come-along they were well rested between trees.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Most folks in Western Mass tap next week. Just tradition to do it in school vacation week. I have heard of a few guys who tapped the last week of January and made a few gallons. Who knows with this crazy weather! Just have to take a gamble I guess. The length of daylight plays a big part in making the sap run. You really need the weather and the daylight to get a good run, so tapping early because of the warm weather won’t guarantee you get sap. I work with my friend who has a pancake breakfast place. He opens the 25th no matter what, even if he has to boil water to make steam for the crowds.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I had other stuff to do the past two days but I will be back at it tomorrow. My scoot is so old I don’t think it would hold up, but I got a call into a friend to see if I can use his.
Like everything else I do, I’ll just keep trying till I get it right! I have a good team who gives me 110% every time out. I really think its just a matter of size and age. A 2400 pound pair just can’t pull as much as a 3200 pound pair. I have to look at this as training for both of us and keep trying to improve.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I have been using a make shift go devil to keep the butts up but it doesn’t keep the whole log off the ground. I had thought of throwing together a stone boat but it seems like it may slow me down more wrestling it into place. I have a pretty short skid 100 yards or so now, maybe 200 yards to the farther trees. Things are starting to thaw there is a few inches of slushy snow. I was thinking I could be faster ground skidding because I wouldn’t have to goof around rolling logs onto the go devil and chaining them up, but I also thought that would wear out my snow faster.
Carl I like your point about working them harder and giving them a longer rest, you might be onto something there. They are pretty fast for steers, I am glad they are not any faster for the first two hours, its quite a work out high stepping through the snow and slash to stay beside them with a load on. Even later in the day they pull fast enough, just the rush to get back in is gone.
I am cutting 14-16″DBH cherry, hard maple and Ash. Thinning as lightly as I can get them to fall. The local mills said to try and cut 10′-12′ logs. Am I better off putting two side by side on a go devil taking more loading time ?, or putting a 20-24′ log on it and cutting it in half on the header. Seems like the longer log might drag harder but be quicker loading and unloading.
Hate to sound arrogant but I am proficient with the saw. I can cut more in 20 minutes then I can skid in two hours so that doesn’t buy them much rest time. I think I am going to start planning on short days skidding, so I can go mark timber or cruise for a Management Plan half the day. I am doing this through my boss’ company and I have to turn a profit or he will be a lot less willing to let me do it again. For some reason I can’t get pictures to upload anymore. I’ll try and figure it out when the log pile looks a bit more impressive.
Thanks for all the great input. I am so glad I found this site!
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Very cool indeed! Good luck.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I feed mine first when they are young but now I hay them before working them but give them a healthy dose of grain after. My line of thinking is like a pro athlete does, the high protein snack after the workout will help build muscle. Maybe I am completely nuts but it makes sense in my little brain.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Last winter I was cutting a yellow birch that had a spike type branch coming out just above the root swell. I cut the branch off and it stuck straight up and down in the snow. A minute later when I was making my back cut the tip of my saw hit it on the opposite side of the tree and the husky 372 kicked back and spun right out of my hand so fast I still can’t believe it. It hit me right in the shin and pulled my chaps around so that it was able to draw a little blood on the side of my calf. I think that that was the absolute smallest cut I ever heard of from a chainsaw. But I can say I would have been better protected with wrap around chaps. I went right out and got a pair and will never buy the other kind again. Of course I also learned to take the two seconds needed to throw that branch out of the way too. The funny part was it was below zero that day I was half frozen and the shot to the shin hurt like hell. I knew I got cut but was afraid to look. I worked long enough to get another hitch down for the skidder before hiking out to the truck only to discover that I didn’t hardly even need a bandaid.

[Baystatetom]

Hey Droverone, when the ground thaws I am going to have some questions for you about that chain holding the angle. I am sure my team will appreciate my learning how to do it!
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

That’s awesome George! You must be very proud and rightfully so.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

I plowed about 2 acres last year with a 12″ walking plow and my 14 month old steers. It was really hard work for them and I only did a few passes a day. I used a antique 10″ plow at a field day and they still had to work but definitely had a easier time. Although I hit a rock and broke the point. This year I have a old tractor plow I am going to put a pole on and use, that way I don’t need 2 people. In hind sight It was probably too hard a job for them, I am just lucky they have a lot of heart. I think with yearling steers you might be better off with a cultivator or small set of harrows. But always keep your eyes peeled for a good equipment, those steers will grow up fast, and you’ll be using/needing that stuff before you know it.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Don’t forget those steers will keep growing. My wagon pole seemed way to long last year and fits just right this year. Next year I’ll be cutting another ash pole 2′ longer.
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Sorry for once again leading the thread way off its original topic. The more I think about it the more I think I’ll move the bobsled rebuild up the list in front of the scoot. The comment about wearing out the team dragging the scoot back up the hill was a great point that I had not really thought of. My steers are still young and dragging trees for more then a couple hours wipes them right out. I would hate to waist their efforts on an empty scoot. Although so far I have kept the skids short enough the go devil does the trick. Thanks for the great info guys!
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

So the advantage is a increased payload for longer hauls and the pole gives the ability to hold back the load, Right? A go devil would be more for twitching. This is all very interesting to me, as everybody says oxen are stronger (not sure I buy that) and slower. The the key to my efficiency in the woods would be to take as much per trip as possible. I always heard from the old loggers “go light go often”. Carl you have worked in the woods with both oxen and horses does that hold true for both?
~Tom

[Baystatetom]

Just curious why a bobsled instead of a go devil, maybe like the one Tristan (Dobbin Forestry) had some pictures of a while ago. I have been goofing around with different styles of go devils and have had a lot of failed attempts. The best design I have come up with is more like a stone boat. A bunch of 4′ 4″x4″ held together with a couple of rods that I put the butt of the log on. I can tell a huge difference in how hard the team is working when I am using it. The down side is it only takes one decent sized log at a time. I have been trying to decide between making a bigger go devil and building a bobsled with a bunch of old irons I have laying around. The idea of a bigger one being taking more then one log at a time.

[Baystatetom]

I have done the same thing before. You can also just use baler twine to attach a piece of pipe to a chain for use on your stone boat. It will help them learn to turn with a pole. You will be surprised how fast they figure it out.
~Tom

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