Choker Chain

[MChalkley]

Well, I guess it depends on your definition of small. The ones I'm talking about were about the diameter of a large paper clip - easily able to tear through just about anything.

Mark

 

[Muhammad]

Mark,

Well, that's not exactly 'small' to me but just the thought of those shards flying through hands - thanks for bringing it up.

 

[Bird]

I hate wearing gloves, too, but I have to wear my leather work gloves when doing brush clearing and using my cable choker (and yep, sometimes those danged little strands on the ends of the cable poke through a leather glove; still have to be careful/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif). I also have to wear one on my left hand when I'm picking blackberries like I did this morning; hate that job./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[MChalkley]

But the rewards are sweet, Bird!

Mark

 

[gordon]

I spend a good bit of time in the woods and I use both cable and chain this way I get the best of both worlds. Each has it advantages and likewise its disadvantages.
Cable is by far easier to set the log with and is reltively inexpensive, but has a fairly short life span.
Chain is harder to set more expensive but lasts forever.
Nothing better than a flying strand on a cable--ouch--or a quick kink on a chain. I've had a cable rip pretty deep in my chaps that was nice trashed them and the shame of it was they weren't that old.
The cable can cut through leather gloves like butter and it only takes a second it can even put a hurtin on my kevlar gloves if I'm not carefull.
With chain I can cuss a small quick kink sometimes it just doesn't want to act right thats for sure.
So like everything it has it's good and bad points and boils down to what works for you and more importantly what you feel safest with.
Good luck and watch out for the widow makers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Suffice it to say, Gordon, that I don't do nearly as much choker work as you do. I've had very little trouble with kinks in chain, and even when I have, I take comfort in the fact that it's not nearly as bad as having my hand sliced open. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Thanks for the insight, Gordon!

Mark

 

[gordon]

Your dad started you out right didn't he pulpwooding right off the bat. No mercey in that I'm sure and I know why you hate the cable so much because working with your dad I bet I could tell you which end of the cable you had. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
They have made many advancements in the wire rope thats used today but nothing is perfect.
Once a cable starts cutting strands I take it out of service and give it to the farmer down the street he loves me for it and I'm glad to be rid of it. But some day you don't have an extra choker around so you have to use the frayed cable or stop what your doing. Which do you think the average person does---just keep on gettin it--thats all you can do if you want to make a living.
Gordon

 

[gordon]

I also ment to say yes a tangled chain beats a cut anything any day of the week.
I must admit most of the tangles in the chain are my fault by sometimes rushing it takes me longer, you ought to see me with a 100 foot extension cord if you want to see something funny ==knot city. It you take the time to lay the chain it will work great for you thats for sure.
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Often, I'm not "logging" so much as I am "brushing". I use them to pull up small trees and clear the woods of the downed trees and scrub. That's why I put choker hooks on both ends of a 10' chain. That way I put a grab ring in the center and two bundles of whatever on either side, and drag it all out.

Mark

 

[jyoutz]

Boy, I sure didn't mean to start such a fuss. Let me start by saying that I'm not a logger, I'm a forester who works with loggers and around loggers. My experience is only in western forests (big logs, steep slopes). I think the main reason that loggers prefer them is that dragging the line and setting chokers is far easier and quicker than anything else (time is $). This is particularly true in brush or on steep slopes when pulling a choker at the end of a 100' bull line. I don't really seem to see many chokers wear out or break very often. Most of the people I work with use 5/8 to 3/4" cable. But I did a job myself one time skidding tree-length fuelwood with 1/2" cable chokers and a ford tractor. We probably moved 300+ cords of wood and the chokers were just like new when we were done. Whats really nice about chokers is that by running the winch line (bull line) through several chokers, you can set multiple logs to bunch up into a "turn" by reeling up the winch line. This might wind up as a tangly mess if chains were used this way. I do guess you could rip your hands from a fraying cable, but it doesn't seem to be too common on the jobsite.