Logger walked off the job yesterday.

farmer2009 · Apr 24, 2016

Looks that way. You don't move from chain saws to that level of equipment by treating folks the way the first guy did. Glad you didn't abandon the project. Good luck.

Luke'sScreenName · Apr 24, 2016

Glad you found someone who would take the job... And quick too! :thumbsup:

Coyote machine · Apr 24, 2016

WoodChuckDad said:
I cleared 3 acres myself, for my fruit trees to go in...that has been a tremendous amount of work. But, I expect to have the trees in the ground in two weeks. My new loggers started moving their gear onto the property yesterday. I think they will get things done much more effectively than the first guy.

I can't wait to see these things at work. View attachment 465983

That is some serious equipment.you should be good to go now.
On the debate about how loggers conduct themselves: it's like many businesses, sometimes one gets honest hard working people and other times one gets a fly by night rip off artist.
First go round was not a logger, more of a poser who will likely fail in business shortly from his own doing.

Your being on site should have no bearing on the quality of work beyond being able to make sure you get what you are paying for.

Maybe I missed it, but where did the new outfit come from? We're they recommended by your local ag ext?
Looking forward to pics of the new work results, and here's hoping it works out just the way you want it to.
Good on sticking with getting the project done despite setbacks.

Wakey · Apr 24, 2016

WoodChuck, I've watched one of those in action. To see something like that when you never knew of it's existence, it was quite a scene to behold.

Is that the setup that has the blade at the bottom? The one I saw grabs the tree and a blade comes from the bottom and cuts the tree as fast as I can cut a 2x4 with a 12" miter saw. It then carries the tree vertically to a pile.

Coyote machine · Apr 24, 2016

Wakey said:
WoodChuck, I've watched one of those in action. To see something like that when you never knew of it's existence, it was quite a scene to behold.

Is that the setup that has the blade at the bottom? The one I saw grabs the tree and a blade comes from the bottom and cuts the tree as fast as I can cut a 2x4 with a 12" miter saw. It then carries the tree vertically to a pile.

That deere setup has a carbide toothed blade at the bottom of the attachment that chops a tree trunk like a Cuisinart on crack! Then it can lift the tree stalk and drop it as needed. There are some videos on YouTube of bigger machines with those cutters on them working on extremely steep slopes; amazing what skilled AND fearless operators can do with them. I seem to recall those cutters being articulated too! What an awesome harvester....

Garandman · Apr 24, 2016

WoodChuckDad said:
Interesting take. We had a contract to clearcut. The contract stipulated that all merchantable materials were to be removed. They failed to hold up their end of the contract. This failure was pointed out, gently, on a weekly basis, for 4 weeks. During which, they continuously disregarded the contractual harvesting plan and took out my most valuable trees. Leaving the tops laying where they fell, and ignoring the less valuable trees. During our final conversation, one of the things that he said was that he couldn't afford to concentrate on the pine. If you can't afford to do that while you have a good supply of more valuable timber mixed in, how do you propose to address the pine when you have taken all the hardwoods and there are no more big money days? Simple. You don't. They were not honoring the contract. .. They were stealing from me.
So Loggers may not be known for putting up with crap...but because of loggers like the ones I dealt with, they are known for cheating people. They are known for destroying land and leaving it in terrible condition. //

The guys who logged out land for the then-owner, and a logger my BIL hired in VT, both did the same thing: take the largest, most valuable trees and leave everything else.

The worst thing was that other locals and local loggers and forestry agents knew this about the guy. But the owner went ahead anyway based on his sales pitch.

dickfoster · Apr 24, 2016

Garandman said:
The guys who logged out land for the then-owner, and a logger my BIL hired in VT, both did the same thing: take the largest, most valuable trees and leave everything else.

The worst thing was that other locals and local loggers and forestry agents knew this about the guy. But the owner went ahead anyway based on his sales pitch.

Then I guess he got what he had coming if he was told beforehand. Ignorance is excusable but willful ignorance is known as stupidity and is not excusable.

WoodChuckDad · Apr 25, 2016

Luke'sScreenName said:
Glad you found someone who would take the job... And quick too! :thumbsup:

I have to give credit to my forester. He redeemed himself. We had 3 different loggers including a major paper company trying to get in to look at it. The first one in offered a contract. It will be lower paying but he is going to clean up the mess from the first one and utilize the logs that I took down. In the end, I think I will be happy. Crossing my fingers.

WoodChuckDad · Apr 25, 2016

Coyote machine said:
Maybe I missed it, but where did the new outfit come from? We're they recommended by your local ag ext?
Looking forward to pics of the new work results, and here's hoping it works out just the way you want it to.
Good on sticking with getting the project done despite setbacks.

I hired a forester to do an assessment just after I put a contract on the land. I wanted to know what the timber was worth. The short answer is not all that much, but it is enough to get someone in to clear it. And thankfully, there is enough value left after the first guy, to bring the new operation on. The forester marketed the timber for me. Most operations were tied up and couldn't get started last year....we had several contracts offered that wouldn't start till this spring or summer. The reason I went with the small operation was because they could start sooner.

I could monday morning quarterback this to death, but I don't have time to sit around and wring my hands. I spent the last 9 days, working 12-14 hours a day knocking down trees and dragging them out of the woods with my excavator...cutting the stump off, then skidding them off with my tractor. A painfully slow process. I have about 3 acres that are now opened up with no trees, but still lots of debris. My vacation time is used up so I am back to work today.
I will be talking to the logger today and asking if they can bulldoze some of that debris off once they get their landing opened up this week.