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Carl:

Sorry no info, just a question: How do you envision using this?

George

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Hey Mitch:

What is a “pung”?

Thanks.

George

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Hi Tim:

Thanks for the video. I learned this trick when I went through Game of Logging and could not remember the process. Aside from saving nice regen, this technique should help prevent future hang-ups for me.

Cheers.

George

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@Carl Russell 39922 wrote:

Now we’re thinkin’…..

Pulling them down can be very dangerous, because the hinge point is so high in the air. If the vine doesn’t let go the tree can lift the evener, or even cart way up off the ground in a hurry….

Carl

Based on Carl’s comments, you could attach a block and tackle to a nearby tree. That way you would lower the hinge point and avoid lifting your evener/cart. But Geoff’s suggestions seems much more fun :).

George

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I would cut the tree from the stump and pull it down (along with the vines) with the horses. A small tree like that should come down easily. Larger trees I try to keep on the stump with the fibres severed all the way through to prevent the plowing effect of the but in the ground. There is a good thread here on pulling down larger hung up trees. A block and tackle also comes in handy with larger stems.

George

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@Carl Russell 39909 wrote:

It may be an interesting exercise for you to think about breaking down your income from logs into stumpage and logging. You can start by getting a sense of what other loggers in your area are paying, then deduct that and trucking from the mill price. This way you can get a ball-park figure of the income you are making from logging. Then think about the decision-making process you put behind your operation. Think about the maintenance costs you incur, the work that you do in conjunction with the harvest, and the other “investments” you make on your own behalf.

Carl

Economists call the stumpage I would have been paid by another logger an “opportunity cost” which gets deducted from my log receipts along with my other expenses. Since I am not trucking my horses, my logging income from hemlock saw logs is pretty good. Not so for firewood at $70 / chord. However, what is not quantifiable is all the other work I do that you mentioned in your post (girdling, acces roads, and general non-commercial TSI, not to mention the benefits to my horses and myself as we hone our skills). I have a possible line on a mill in Coventry, VT (Labranche) that, according to my trucker, pays decent money for low grade hardwood logs. I should have the price/spec sheets tomorrow and I am hoping that this might defer some of the costs of removing undesirable hardwood from the stand.

George

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Sounds interesting. Can you post some pictures?

George

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Hi Carl:

Great article. Thanks for the link. Can you break down how you came up with a cost of $175 – $225/mbf?

George

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Hi Wally and Mitch:

I have been looking for some old fidd hooks for a while, mainly for binding my bunk chains on the bobsled, but I can see how they would come in handy for grabbing chain as well. I have lost so many chain grabs (i.e. contraptions used to pass under the log to grab a chain and pull it through) that I started bending 3/8 round stock on the end of my logging chains (upper right in the picture below). I am a convert.

George

[IMG]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rj55Aux6_Ts/Ttkb6IXynyI/AAAAAAAABEI/ut9EnbWgHC0/s1024/P1030522.JPG[/IMG]

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I lived in a yurt for 5 years and the propane fridge was our centerpiece, high-end appliance – indispensable. It would be a little bulky to haul to farmer’s market though:).

George

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Hi Carl:

What you write makes a lot of sense. I will try going shorter and piling higher for my firewood. For saw logs, I will try the same when possible, but as you mentioned I get a premium for 18s and 20s. I don’t normally block wood off my bobsled on my yarding road. This was my way of remedying my poor judgement regarding the amount of draft on a mostly dirt road. I will block off some wood at times before the last hill up to my woodshed. However, I think with half mile plus skids adding those extra couple logs makes sense even if I have to block some off as the bottom of the hill is only 75 ft from my woodshed. After my I split my wood, I move it short distances with a 1/3 chord rack that goes on the bucket of my tractor – so this is an easy jaunt.

Regarding trotting, do you drive to town in second gear:)? Why not giv trotting a try? I don’t actively condition my horses other than year-round consistent work. However, I believe trotting provides a level of fitness different from the high intensity, brief exertion of logging – similar to cross training with high level athletes. I think this paid dividends when it is haying time which is generally low intensity, long duration exertion. I also believe a collected, measured trot adds to to my horses’ mental fitness as it is yet another area that they/we can explore and endeavor to master.

Unrelated question: how do you pull multiple quotes from a single post or from multiple posts for that matter? I can’t seem to figure out what the “+ icon is at the bottom left of the screen or how to use it.

George

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Thanks for the ideas. I am leaning toward making a display case along the lines of Andy’s idea – an insulated box with plexiglass cover. We use the blue ice packs in all our coolers – they are cheap, durable and keep cheese and meat cold. I found this ICE BLANKET (link) that might work well with this design. I don’t think there is a substitute for people being able to actually see the meat. I have a couple of months until the first market. I will post some pictures of what I come up with.

George

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I bought mine from Dwayne Langmaid of Danville, VT. His number is 802.748-8771. He does great work.

George

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Hey Carl:

I practice most of what you write b/c I have been reading and learning from your posts for several years now. I expect moderate to relatively heavy exertion from my horses and reward them with frequent, often brief, rests before they need it. I ask for the ultimate effort in tight spots and starting heavy loads and they give it to me readily. These loads for my unshod horses are generally in the 1-1.2 chord range or 700-800 ft. for sawlogs.

Another factor with the aforementioned load (aside from my underestimating the amount of dirt vs. snow on my road) was a 19″ DBH x 16′ soft maple. I generally aim for the butt of the log to slightly ahead of the roll. When I parbuckled this log on it had slipped back midway between the roll and the bunk. When I hooked on the butt of the log to move it forward, I dragged the sled along with it. It also slightly forked at the small end and I could watch the “tillage” as I rode my sled. You mentioned long fuel wood as being potentially self defeating – what is standard for you?

I respectfully disagree with the trotting. I trot my horses frequently if they are not pulling a load as long as they are fresh (not beat) and if I initiate the change in pace. When they want to pick up a trot, I ask for a walk. I don’t think it builds the habit of moving quickly over long distances with light loads simply b/c I expect them to shift gears when they are under a load. The habit I cultivate in my horses is that they look to me for direction under all conditions of changing terrain, loads, conditions and gaits.

@Tim Harrigan 39250 wrote:

It is a game for thinkers, if you choose to play it that way. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with animals in the woods.

Here, here.

George

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I pulled a load of firewood yesterday similar in size to the one in the video. However, my main yarding road was mostly dirt with some snow and the horses were really having to dig deep – something I like to avoid. Since it was firewood, I kept blocking off some of the load along the way so as not to discourage them. Most of my logging is done during the fall and winter and I have little experience with the bobsled on dirt.

Carl, what percentage of winter load do you figure you pull in the summer with your bobsled? I vaguely recall you using a sort of bobsled on wheels, can you remind me of what you used? Seems like if you could design something with wheels lower than your bunk, it might be quite an effective tool when there is no snow.

George

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