SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/27/17 1:23 PM Page 1
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:20 AM Page 2
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:20 AM Page 3
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:52 PM Page 4
Vol. 47, No. 1
(Founded in 1972—Our 544th Consecutive Issue)
F E AT U R E S
January 2018 A Hatton-Brown Publication
Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525
www.southernloggintimes.com
14
McGowin Logging Longstanding Legacy
20
Sanders Logging Adds New Processor
Co-Publisher Co-Publisher Chief Operating Officer Executive Editor Editor-in-Chief Western Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Art Director Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director Marketing/Media
David H. Ramsey David (DK) Knight Dianne C. Sullivan David (DK) Knight Rich Donnell Dan Shell David Abbott Jessica Johnson Jay Donnell Cindy Segrest Patti Campbell Rhonda Thomas Jordan Anderson
ADVERTISING CONTACTS DISPLAY SALES Eastern U.S. Kathy Sternenberg Tel: 251-928-4962 • Fax: 334-834-4525 219 Royal Lane Fairhope, AL 36532 E-mail: ksternenberg@bellsouth.net Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons Tel: 905-666-0258 • Fax: 905-666-0778 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com
24
Jason Fly Logging Big Green Beast
out front:
32
After a heart attack slowed him down last year, Arkansas logging vet Joe Frost, right, was happy to refocus on spending more time with his family. His nephew, Nick, left, helped during his recovery, and the two now run their crews closely together. Page 8. (David Abbott Photo)
Collier Museum Displays Logging History
D E PA RT M E N T S Southern Stumpin’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Bulletin Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Industry News Roundup. . . . . . . . . 36 Forestree Equipment Trader. . . . . . 46 Safety Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Coming Events/Ad Index. . . . . . . . . 54
Western Canada, Western USA Tim Shaddick Tel: 604-910-1826 • Fax: 604-264-1367 4056 West 10th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6L 1Z1 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook Tel: 604-619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com International Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 Fax: +34 96 640 4331 Aldea de las Cuevas 66 Buzon 60 • 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Bridget DeVane
Tel: 1-800-669-5613 • Tel 334-699-7837 Email: bdevane7@hotmail.com
Southern Loggin’ Times (ISSN 0744-2106) is published monthly by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—SLT is sent free to logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel in the U.S. South. See form elsewhere in this issue. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $65 annually; $75 in Canada; $120 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.southernloggintimes.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Southern Loggin’ Times magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Southern Loggin’ Times. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed In USA.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Southern Loggin’ Times, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, AL 36102-2419 Member Verified Audit Circulation
Other Hatton-Brown publications: ★ Timber Processing ★ Timber Harvesting ★Panel World ★ Power Equipment Trade ★ Wood Bioenergy
4
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:20 AM Page 5
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 3:51 PM Page 6
SOUTHERN STUMPIN’ By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com
Quite A Life M
ichael Railey has a lot of vivid memories of his friend, mentor and benefactor, Mr. J.O. Barber. Among the more prominent of these are the many times Barber would have Railey to meet him at the sawmill to watch the sun come up. “Well, boy,” the older man would ask. “What are we gonna do?” James Orrin Barber was born December 31, 1920 and died on April 20, 2017. By the time this issue hits the mailbox, he would have just turned 97. It was Railey who contacted me just weeks after Mr. Barber’s death, hoping I could put together an article in honor of his memory. As Railey told it, Barber had left a profound impact on his life, and on the lives of many others in his area. It took us a few months J.O. Barber to coordinate a time, but I was happy to make a trip to Luthersville, Ga. in early November. May Barber, J.O.’s widow, welcomed me into her home—a beautiful wooden home for which, by the way, J.O. cut every stick of wood himself. Inside, May and her daughter Bertha, along with Railey and his son Jamie, sat around the table remembering the man who meant so much to them. Railey recalls, “J.O. was the one who gave me a job, and he taught a lot of what I know and passed on to my son. He and M.L. Hester were my idols. J.O. had all new tractors, and I asked him one time, how do you pay for all these? He told me there were two ways: you can either run an old one right beside it, or you can keep the seat hot in it.” Barber not only gave Railey a job when he was a young man, he also helped him get set up with his own company, Railey’s Logging. “I got a call from him asking was I ready to go somewhere with this thing, and he said to come see him,” Railey says. “And now we run all John Deere stuff in the woods because of him.” Barber served in the Navy as a boatswain’s mate in the South Sea islands during World War II. That was before he met Miss May. When he came home he put up a little peckerwood mill behind his parents’ house in Moreland. “The story he told me was that his daddy had farmed at home,” his daughter Bertha relates. “Their neighbors the Baileys were better off than daddy’s family; they farmed too but in the winter they took a sawmill to the woods, and they let daddy’s family get the slabs for firewood. Daddy said when he saw it he knew he had to have a sawmill. So he pulled up in the yard one day with two mules on the back of the truck he said, ‘I am not farming anymore, I’m sawmilling.’” There might have been only one thing in his life more important to Barber than his sawmill. A family friend once said to May, “May, dang if I don’t believe J.O. loves you just about as much as he
6
●
loves that sawmill!” By all accounts, he was machine and told me to break it in for him.” absolutely crazy about his bride, Miss May. He had Ever an entrepreneur with an eye for opportunia great deal of respect for her as well, and he insist- ty, Barber didn’t restrict his business ventures to ed that those around him do the same. “My truck those strictly related to the woods. The family also broke down one time, and I went in his house to owned a supermarket. “We stocked the shelves as use the phone,” Railey recalls. “I used some ugly kids and I couldn’t wait to get old enough to run words on the phone, in his house, in the cash register,” Bertha says. “I think about how front of Miss May. I wore a black much richer my life is because of all the things I eye home.” The younger man didn’t got to experience, thanks to him. We learned how hold a grudge, though. “I disrespect- to be around people, and how to treat customers ed Miss May and he wasn’t going to and show respect.” stand for it in his house. If he hadn’t He also briefly owned a liquor store, which he been in the right I wouldn’t have eventually closed and turned into a sit down barcome back around.” becue restaurant. “He had a passion for barbeJ.O. and May were married in cue,” Bertha says. He had his own recipes for the 1955. In all there were four kids. sauce and for old-fashioned Brunswick stew. “He J.O.’s oldest, Jimmy, was born of a didn’t want to sacrifice quality or flavor, so he previous marriage in 1941. His first made us do it the old-fashioned way,” Bertha child with May was Ricky, who remembers. “He wouldn’t cut corners.” He evenwas born in 1959, and sadly died tually franchised his sauce as Barber’s Old Fash10 years ago. Then came Bertha in 1960 and ioned Pit BBQ, but insisted his family never give Stanley in ’62. out the Brunswick stew recipe. “I asked him for “The sawmill was his pride,” Bertha says. “He the recipe one time and he said, ‘I’d have to kill started logging in 1946, and he hauled the hardyou, boy,’” Railey laughs. wood to his own mill and the pine to Mead or G-P. Later in life his knees started bothering him, but We hauled logs, sawdust, chips and lumber all over he would never let anybody help him get in or out the southeastern states.” of a vehicle. “He would bat our hand away before May’s brother, Tom Flournoy, had grown up he’d let you help him,” Railey says. He had a total with J.O. and then worked with him as a mechanic. replacement of one knee and said he was going to “He could fix anything but a broken heart, and he get the other one done. “But he didn’t want to stay could tell you how to work on that,” Railey states. out of work long enough to get it done,” May says. “He was a good man, and they loved each other,” “Daddy had grit,” Bertha adds. “If anybody had Bertha notes. grit, he had grit. He helped me be a stronger, Barber’s work ethic smarter, better person. was unquestioned. “He He was my hero.” was always ready to go; As he got into old you could never beat age, Barber never wanthim over to the woods,” ed to quit working, even Railey recollects with a when the recession hurt smile. “He would tell us, him in 2008. “But he ‘Just get with it, boy.’ He didn’t back off, he called everyone boy. My didn’t want to stop,” daddy will be 90 in April Bertha says. “It made and he still called him him want it more. He boy.” Bertha concurs. was defiant and deterBertha Barber, Jamie Railey, Michael Railey, and May Barber gathered to remember J.O. Barber. “He liked making mined.” By 2013 he had money, but that was secto sell his beloved mill ond. The first thing was he just loved working. And and most of his logging equipment at an auction. he helped anybody who needed it.” “That killed him, really,” May says. Barber’s generosity was well known. “You can’t He was sick almost exactly one year with panout-give a true giver,” Bertha says. “He loaned creatic cancer. Never one for doctors, he was fixing everybody money even though a lot of them never a leak under a knuckleboom loader on April 1, paid him back. Finally momma had to say ‘Look, 2016 when he came in that night and told May he we aren’t doing this anymore.’ But he was a long needed to go to a doctor. “His mind was sharp right ways from stupid, I promise you that.” up to the end, though,” Railey says. “It never Railey lists just one of many examples from his stopped.” own experience of Barber’s kindness: “One time “Daddy had a good, full life because he loved my motor tore up, and J.O. said, ‘Boy, I’ll get you a what he did,” Bertha considers. Her mother nods, SLT tractor down there.’ He sent me a brand new and adds, “We got a lot of good memories.”
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:20 AM Page 7
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 10:22 AM Page 8
All About Family ■ After a heart attack, Joe Frost has chilled out, refocusing priorities with help from nephew Nick Frost.
By David Abbott MONTICELLO, Ark. ardon the pun, but Joe Frost is one cool customer— ★ at least he is these days. The owner of C&L Wood Co., Inc., Frost, 60, is a self-professed workaholic. “I’ve never been an addict but when I get there in those woods, it is like an addict getting a fix, I guess,” he explains. “I get up at 3 every morning, leave at 3:15, drive 70 miles and I’m sitting on my loader no later than 5 a.m.” Not much can keep him off the job. For instance, after a big rain kept most other area loggers out of the woods in early December, Frost just took to his dozer to repair the roads and kept the job humming along. A bit more traumatic than a heavy rain, though, was the heart attack Frost survived in October 2016. He wasn’t able to get back in the woods as quickly as he would have liked (though he did go back earlier than his doctor would have liked, perhaps). C&L Wood didn’t miss a beat (more on that later), but the experi-
P
ence did afford Frost the opportunity to reevaluate his priorities. “It is all about family to me now,” he reflects. “My wife Lynn and I were riding around once and saw a U-Haul pulling a hearse on the interstate, but I have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. You can’t take it with you when you go.” Lynn adds, “Joe knows he’s lucky after his heart attack. He had three stints put in. He was 90% blocked on three arteries. After that, he changed his mindset and has been slowing down little by little. Nobody is promised tomorrow and that’s what Joe wants to do is take time with the family he has left.” He’s now quick to remind his friends and loved ones how important they are to him. “Most people are afraid of being emotional. Don’t be scared to say you love somebody, because anything can happen,” he advises. Frost now recognizes that his “addiction” to work may have come with a price tag to himself and his time with his family over the years. He has arrived at a place in his life where he is ready to take some time
to spend with the ones he loves and to act as a mentor to the younger men in his life.
Legacy One of those young men is his nephew, Nick Frost. Nick was a big reason why C&L stayed on track after Joe’s heart attack. “Nick really stepped up to the plate,” Frost says. “You can’t ask for a better kid. He has helped me and I wouldn’t be where I am in the last year if he hadn’t been there to help.” Nick, 38, already had his own log trucking company, F&F TruckingTimber, LLC, when he agreed to help C&L during Joe’s recovery. After, Joe and Lynn helped him start his own logging crew by selling him several of their extra pieces: two 2006 Prentice 384 loaders, a ’16 Tigercat 620E skidder and a ’15 Cat 634 cutter. F&F contracts under C&L, and the two crews often team up on different parts of the same tract. “He is real cool, calm and collected,” Frost says of his nephew. “He doesn’t get upset like I used to do.” Nick is key to Frost’s plan of tak-
The bogie skidder is the newest machine on Frost’s crew; it replaced two older units.
8
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
ing a step back. “I want to slow down and get Nick involved. I can live comfortable and I want to take some time off. I am just very thankful and have had a good life. I’m blessed. I have done everything that I want to do.” Another young man Frost mentors is his grandson Luke, 12. Luke lives in Savannah, Ga., but comes to visit as often as he can. He already knows all about the business, according to his grandfather, who relishes every chance to spend time with him. Frost even had Luke’s name put on his new Tigercat bogie skidder. The boy also has his own hardhat in the colors of his favorite NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys; his grandfather, a New England Patriots fan, wears a hardhat with that team’s logo when Luke is around, just to get a rise out of him. Adding to that potential next generation are Nick’s twin six-year-old sons, who are obsessed with logging. They chop trees at Nick’s house, pulling them out with a rope. “We hope to leave a legacy in the family with Luke and Nick and Nick’s sons,” Lynn says.
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 10:22 AM Page 9
Prentice loaders come from Don’s Hydraulics in Sheridan.
Roots Frost grew up in the short pulpwood business with his parents. “Since I was old enough to break a stick over my knee, I was short wooding,” he recalls. He grew up in a family of 11 siblings, so work was plentiful and luxuries scarce. “We were just poor folks.” When he got out of high school, he started driving a log truck for a living. In 1980 Frost joined the Monticello Police Dept., working first as a dispatcher, then a patrolman, eventually attending the police academy and becoming an officer. Because officers worked in shifts, he was able to continue working in the woods to make extra money on his off days. In 1985, he left the police force to start logging full time. He found a Timberjack skidder and Prentice loader for $35,000. Looking for financing, he went to the president of a local bank, who was also a friend. “He told me they didn’t loan money on logging equipment,” Frost recalls. “I told him I
appreciated all he did for me. As I started to walk out, he asked what I had for collateral. I said I didn’t have anything but a title for a 1953 Willis Jeep. He said bring me the title and he loaned me the money.” He worked for Silvicraft Inc., a forest management company based in Monticello. “You would work all summer to build money up because in the winter it’s too wet so you can’t work, and you start over,” he says. He did that for several years until a sluggish ’90s economy forced him to seek opportunities elsewhere. He started cutting right of ways for a pipeline company, and the work kept him on the road in North Carolina, Alabama, Illinois, Montana. “When you do that you lose touch with your family, being away from home,” he says. The constant travel took its toll, and led to a divorce from his first wife. Frost then got out of the logging business entirely for a while. It was 2008 when a good friend, Steve Richardson in Warren, convinced him to get back into it. That was when he started C&L.
Crew, from left: Alfonso Mendoza, Guillermo Mendoza, Able Mondragon, Joe Frost, Hermendgildo Villegas (note the Dallas Cowboys hardhat), and Weyerhaeuser forester Sean Spicer
Crew The C&L crew is Alfonzo (Poncho) Mendoza on the skidder, Hermendgildo (Mattie) Villegas on the loader and Able Mondragon on the cutter, with Guillermo (Cat) Mendoza setting out trailers while Jermaine Edwards, Fred Grandy, Rodney Eddington and Lewis Richard drive trucks. Frost himself also mans a loader, something he’s not eager to stop. “I don’t want to get away from my loader for too long,” he says. “It’s not that I don’t trust them; they do a good job when I’m gone. But I enjoy doing it myself.” Crewmembers make salary plus production bonuses. “If I make a mistake I hope it’s in their favor, not mine,” he says. “I don’t want to cheat a man.” Insurance is from Merchants and Planters in Warren. Frost conducts monthly safety meetings with his Weyerhaeuser procurement forester, and has to file safety reports with Weyerhaeuser every month. He says the most common injuries now are from simply getting up and down
SLT SNAPSHOT C&L Wood Co., Inc. Monticello, Ark. Email: joelynnfrosty@yahoo.com Founded: 2008 Owners: Joe and Lynn Frost No. Crews: 1 crew Equipment: 1 skidder, 2 loaders, 1 cutter, dozer, 5 trucks Average Haul Distance: 50 miles Tidbit: Before he started logging full-time, Frost was a member of the police force for five years.
Truck drivers, left to right: Fred Grandy, Jermaine Edwards, Joe Frost, Rodney Eddington, Lewis Richard
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 9
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 10:22 AM Page 10
from trucks and machine cabs. “Everybody needs reminders of the right way to do things—the three points of contact,” he notes. Other than a broken finger, there have been no serious injuries on the crew. The crew’s work ethic impresses Frost and his wife. ““They know what they are supposed to do and they take pride in their job,” Frost says. “My crew is a blessing, I guarantee you. They are proud to work for C&L and I am proud to have them.” He continues, “It gets back to how you were raised. My dad taught me that if a man hires you to dig a ditch, then you dig that ditch right. I am going to do what I tell people I will do; that is the only way to live. Anybody could log but I want to make my plantations I thin look like a state park. I want people to say, ‘Well I know who did that job.’”
MidSouth Forestry Equipment in Warren supplies Frost’s Tigercat needs.
Timber “Everybody is amazed at how much wood we can produce with so few employees, but that is how they work,” Lynn says. “They are like bees, and it is nonstop.” The two crews combined (Joe’s and Nick’s) consistently turn out 3,800 tons, or at least 125 loads, every week. Of that, 2,100 tons, or 70+ loads, is from Joe’s crew alone. As of the end of November, they had hauled 130,000 tons in 2017. The crews cut about 100 acres a week. Weyerhaeuser forester Ryan Spicer is responsible for just one contractor, C&L, and he says they keep him busy finding enough wood to keep them busy. “I can’t say enough about Ryan Spicer and what he does for me,” Frost says. As for Weyerhaeuser, he says, “They are the best people I have ever worked for in my life. They take care of me.” Along with Weyerhaeuser, Frost has found several outlets for his production. Chip-n-saw goes to West Fraser in Leola, WLS Sawmill in Benton and Clearwater in Warren, while some small chip-n-saw goes to Victory Lumber in Camden. The crew sends pine pulpwood to
Frost doesn’t like to be away from his loader (this one also new last year) for too long.
the Georgia-Pacific OSB plant in Fordyce and to Evergreen Packaging and Highland Pellets, both in Pine Bluff. “Highland Pellets is saving the pulpwood industry around here,” Frost says. That company is reportedly planning to install another facility in Camden, and there is a new sawmill opening in El Dorado, Frost says, so the future of logging in the area looks bright. C&L primarily does first thinning in plantation pine, most of it on the small side. The tract he was working when Southern Loggin’ Times visited in December was an exception. “We are in the best wood I have ever cut for Weyerhaeuser,” he says. “If I get into a 15-year-old tract I think I am in hog heaven.” In another exception, he has a framed photo Lynn took a few years ago of
The crews keep production rolling efficiently, like a well-oiled machine.
10
●
one of his trailers carrying a full 90,000 lbs. load of only five hardwood logs. That’s really not his preference, though: “They wanted me to cut hardwood this summer, but I said I will stay with pine; it is easier on equipment.”
Equipment The newest addition to the C&L equipment lineup is a 2017 Tigercat 615E bogie skidder; it replaced two older skidders by itself. Last year Frost also bought a new 234B Tigercat loader with CSI delimber. Both machines came from dealer MidSouth Equipment in Warren. Frost also has ’16 and ’17 Prentice 384 loaders from Don’s Hydraulic Equipment in Sheridan, while a ’16 Tigercat 720G handles felling
duties. An older John Deere 748GIII is kept as a spare. Frost keeps roads in working order with a 2007 Cat D5G dozer with a recently refurbished track system. He figures his investment at $2 million with trucks and all. Trucks include two Western Stars, ’16 and ’17 models, and ’12 Peterbilt 389. Trailers are by Big John and Pitts. All rigs use Vulcan scales. “You make your money carrying a legal load,” the logger believes. “Weyerhaeuser has a limit of 87,500 lbs. and won’t pay for anything over that. If you overhaul then you’re just giving it away, and the heavier load causes more wear on the tires.” He has been researching and plans to install GPS on his trucks soon. Along with the C&L trucks, Nick runs two of his trucks, and Frost hires two contract trucks. One of the contractors is Diamondback Trucking, which is owned by Lynn’s daughter Whitney and her fiancé Travis Carpenter. The crew greases machines every day and services equipment every 250 hours in the woods. Frost handles the in-woods oil changes himself and makes sure to take oil samples back to the dealers. A ’15 Dodge 3500 service truck equipped with welder and cutting torch goes with the crew. For larger repair jobs on machines not under warranty, Frost turns to Harrelson Equipment in New Edinburg. The newer machines, of course, are all under warranty. “With the payments I
Lynn, left, and Joe, center, with grandson Luke, who loves logging; the new skidder was named for him.
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 11
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 10:23 AM Page 12
have on it, I hope I don’t have to look to Steve Harrelson,” he says. Better to make payments than to work on machines, Frost believes. He can’t tolerate the downtime. Lynn says, “Joe’s philosophy is that if you miss a load of wood, you never make it up.” C&L buys fuel from Retif Oil & Fuel in Fordyce. All drivers have cards to get it 24 Joe, center, and Nick, right, with Luke and Nick’s twins hours a day. Roadlux truck
12
●
tires come from The MD Tire Corp. in Pine Bluff, while Frost buys 24.5 size Firestone skidder tires from J&H Garage & Express Lube in Warren.
Personal The Frosts are active in their local church, Shady Grove Missionary Baptist n Monticello. “I’m not scared to mention God’s name or invite someone to church,” Joe says. Though he
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
strives to take Sundays off to attend, he knows sometimes, as the Bible says, the ox is in the ditch. Lynn says, “When he’s not there with me and they ask about him at church I just say, well that ox is in the ditch again.” His faith can sometimes be tested, he admits. “The hardest thing in the world to be is a businessman and a Christian because some people just continuously take advantage of you. If you try to be a good Christian you wonder when is it enough? When should I stop helping this one who won’t help himself? But you want to make sure that when your number is called that you did all you could do. When they were rolling me down that hall and I was looking up at those lights, that’s what I was thinking about: have I done enough?” For her part Lynn volunteers in the ministry to seniors in retirement homes, playing Bingo with them and driving them to events— that is when she’s not helping take care of Nick’s twins. Frost has nothing but high praise for his wife. “Lynn is just something else,” he beams. “I can’t say enough. She’s the love of my life, and she is the heartbeat of this company.” She runs for parts, handles all the bills and bookwork, and does some roadwork from time to time, too. She’s also planning to get her CDL, if only to prove she can. Recently, she took an online CDL practice test of 150 questions, getting 74% right without Joe’s help. “She gets up with me at 3 in the morning and makes my coffee and lunch, and she doesn’t go back to bed. All she asks for is every year I send her and her two daughters to New York for a week.” “We love to take trips,” Lynn admits, not just with her daughters but, when he can take time away from his loader, with her husband as well. In fact when SLT visited they had just returned from a weekend of riding around in Illinois. Joe’s son Josh, 39, lives in Georgia and works for Sam’s Club; that’s Luke’s dad. Lynn’s daughter Whitney, 28, lives in Monticello and works for the Drew County Conservation District. Her daughter Courtney, 21, will graduate in May from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and is a fulltime realtor. “Life itself is a gamble, but the logging business is an even bigger gamble,” Frost believes. “I’ve seen a bunch of loggers come and go. It’s a hard business. I’m nothing special and I don’t think I’m better than anybody. I’m just an old country boy. I make a good living in logging and I try to pass SLT it along and help people.”
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 13
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 1:23 PM Page 14
Deep Roots ■ John McGowin started his company 25 years ago, but his love of the forest started way before that.
By Jessica Johnson CHAPMAN, Ala. n Alabama, and many parts of the South, the McGowin surname is renowned. ★ Many McGowins throughout south central Alabama have been large landowners, some retaining their lands through the generations, some having sold to Union Camp, International Paper and others. Perhaps the most well known parts of the McGowin legacy are Rocky Creek Logging Co. and W. T. Smith Lumber Co., both tied to the late Floyd McGowin. Rocky Creek’s origins reach back to 1884 when Rocky Creek Lumber Co. first began sawing timber. The name was changed to W. T. Smith Lumber in 1891, and remained as such until it was sold to Union Camp, then in turn to International Paper. W. T. Smith Lumber Co. still saws pine off the Chapman Forest—now under the ownership of Coastal Plywood as the company’s sole lumber mill, Coastal Chapman. Rocky Creek Logging Co. was started in 1966. Floyd founded the logging company at the request of
I
14
●
Union Camp, which at the time had no direct interest in harvesting. Rocky Creek operated for 11 years under Floyd’s tutelage as an independent logging operation contracting to handle all of Union Camp’s logging needs in the Chapman area, as well as acting as a pulpwood dealer. It was during those independent years that John McGowin became well acquainted with the Chapman Forest, a 300,000-acre swath of the prolific loblolly pine belt. In 1977, Union Camp opted to enter the logging business in south central Alabama and purchased Rocky Creek, retaining Floyd as its President. John McGowin, a cousin to Floyd, joined the business as harvesting supervisor, a position he held for 15 years, until, in 1992, Union Camp announced plans to disband Rocky Creek’s logging crews, leaving John without a job. John admits he had considered starting his own company over the years, but never went through with it because he already had a good job with Union Camp. “But the day I found out that job was no longer to be, I knew this was it,” he recalls. So he went straight to his wife Sylvia: “I told her I don’t have a job; I think
I’m going into the logging business. She said if that was what I wanted to do, she’d be behind me.” His next move was a talk with his cousin, friend and hunting buddy Mason McGowin, Floyd’s cousin. “Mason is a very special person,” John says. “When I told him I didn’t have a job, I was going to go into the logging business, he said he’d help me get started.” The timing was right for Mason, as he was also looking for someone to harvest on the acres of land he owned throughout south central Alabama. And so, John and Mason McGowin continued their family legacy by starting McGowin Logging Co. 25 years ago. John, now 65, says he bounced around his old contacts with Rocky Creek, finding five veteran crewmembers as well as former landowner clients who would need harvesting in the years to come. “I just put it all together and said heck, why not?” McGowin says with a laugh. In May 1993, McGowin Logging Co. officially began harvesting timber. John and Mason bought all new pieces of equipment and put experienced operators on a tract of family land. The company has grown significantly since, in large measure
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
because of the McGowin Logging crewmembers, John says. “The word ‘I’ is used too much,” he says. “I am just a little minor thing compared to what the crew does. If it wasn’t for them…if nobody remembers me, maybe they will remember the crew.”
Harvesting The McGowin Logging crew includes foreman David Gomillion and Tim Cartwright, with operators Jared Brogden, Renay Hawsey, John Wells, David Wells, Trent Stroud, Heath Cook and David Smith. As a contractor for Resource Management Services (RMS), McGowin Logging is currently harvesting property that traces back to Union Camp, Rocky Creek and the roots of the McGowin family. John estimates that 80% of production is off RMS land, with the remainder being either family or private landowners who were familiar with him from the Rocky Creek days. The crew works a 10-hour day, with production numbers set each week by RMS, with a 10-minute cookie break in the morning and a
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 1:26 PM Page 15
SLT SNAPSHOT McGowin Logging Co. Chapman, Ala. Email: mcglog@centurytel.net Founded: May 1993 Owner: John McGowin and Mason McGowin No. Crews: 2 Employees: 22 Equipment: 2 feller-bunchers, 4 skidders, 3 loaders and 2 dozers Trucks/Trailers: 11 trucks, 11 trailers Production: 150 loads Average Haul Distance: no more than 70 miles Tidbit: Logger John McGowin is a cousin of the late, great Floyd McGowin, known for his heavy involvement in the south central Alabama forest products industry for over 40 years. John’s partner in the logging business, cousin Mason, Floyd’s cousin, was the brain behind Rocky Creek Lumber Co., a sawmill in Mexia, Ala. currently owned and operated by Georgia-Pacific. 30-minute break for lunch. Trucks start running from the parking lot at 4 a.m. and have an afternoon cut off time in the woods to maintain the woods crew’s work schedule. McGowin implemented this so trucks weren’t rolling to the landing five minutes before the crew was set to knock off. Occasionally the crew will log on Saturdays, but John doesn’t like pushing for it. “If a man does his five days, he needs a couple days at home,” he says with conviction.
“You need to go home and take your son fishing or take your daughter to eat, go to church on Sunday. Have some time, so you can come in on Monday and go to work.” McGowin reports that consistently the crew cuts 150 loads per week, with lots of merchandizing, primarily thinning loblolly pine stands. “We’ve done more and we’ve done less, but they have their act together at 150,” he says with a chuckle. Most employees across the two McGowin crews are long-term,
Cousins, hunting buddies and partners Mason McGowin, left, and John McGowin
which is important to McGowin. They enjoy an easy camaraderie. During Southern Loggin’ Times’ visit, Auburn University had just won the Iron Bowl, and one employee celebrated proudly by wearing an Auburn hardhat. As an Alabama graduate was taking pictures, the crew shared some back and forth ribbing over the ill-fated (for the Tide at least) game. This prompted McGowin to point out an employee whose child just graduated from college, and then he proceeded to talk about the families of each crewmember, several with children that have graduated college. The crew is sizable with nine operators and 10 drivers, but they are very close-knit. McGowin Logging uses Tigercat for bunching and John Deere equipment for skidding and loading. John says he likes John Deere equipment, and working with Warrior Tractor in Montgomery, Ala., but has continued to use Tigercat bunchers for the resale value. The crew uses three John Deere loaders (two ’14 437Ds and one
Skidders are all John Deere, and have been since the first purchase 25 years ago.
’17 437E), four John Deere skidders (’17 648L, ’16 648L, ’14 648H and a ’12 648H), two Tigercat feller-bunchers (’14 718E and ’13 718E) with two John Deere dozers. Loaders are outfitted with Rotobec grapples, cutters with Quadco teeth. McGowin says that before going to the three-loader concept, the crew used a Waratah processor on a John Deere machine. Ultimately the versatility with multiple loaders pulled the crew off the processor. “We ran them for a long time. And I still believe in that concept, but we are running more volume now. It looks like an Apache helicopter inside—it’s fun and complicated. I would do it again at some point.” The crew handles preventative maintenance in the woods, including minor repairs. McGowin has outfitted service trucks with both a pressure washer and an oil transfer pump. “We can hook the hose to it and it is like Jiffy Lube!” John quips. Filters are also changed during the PM schedule, which has just been pushed back from 250 hours to 400. By using the transfer pump, McGowin says a handful of guys can get every piece’s oil changed on a Saturday easily without interrupting the crew’s workflow. Machines are greased weekly. Crew pickups are outfitted with fuel to allow machines to fuel during the day. Almost everything else is handled by Alabama Loggers Service Center in Chapman. “I don’t enjoy mechanic work,” John admits. “I can do it, I just don’t enjoy it. We change hydraulic hoses and such here, but Alabama Loggers can fix many things same day,” he explains his decision not to have a shop or mechanics on staff. Alabama Loggers also has a full-blown saw shop, so the crew brings pruners and chain saws by and swaps them out each day. McGowin Logging owns the property across the street from the Alabama Loggers—where trucks and pickups are parked each day, aptly dubbed “the parking lot.” In addition to Warrior Tractor,
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 15
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 1:27 PM Page 16
The crew, from left: Trent Stroud, Tim Cartwright, David Gomillion, Tim Wingard, Jared Brogden, Renay Hawsey, John Wells, David Wells, Heath Cook, David Smith, with driver Tracey Bush.
John McGowin, in orange, is very handson with the crew.
most in-woods parts are sourced from Alabama Loggers. McGowin says in the early days, local Johnny Carpenter and his machine shop were also vital to keep McGowin Logging going. Safety is extremely important to McGowin. Each year the company hosts a gathering at the family hunting camp for the crew to attend targeted seminars on selected safety topics like first aid and machine safety. They bring in relevant speakers like a game warden on
rels, Adam Vinson, Jimmy Sims and Tim Wingard. Most McGowin hauls are close, with the farthest being about 75 miles, since the crew usually works areas 25-30 miles from the home base of the parking lot off US-31. Of the 11 Mack trucks with Magnolia four-bolster trailers and Vulcan scales McGowin Logging uses, five trucks are assigned to each of the crews. This keeps foremen and John off the phone coordinating trucks. Each driver knows which crew they
16
●
safe hunting practices. Typically held in the fall, the meeting shuts operations down for a day so the team can listen to the speakers and enjoy some breakfast. Following the speakers, families and those who do business with McGowin throughout the year are invited for a meal and some fellowship. Each time the crew moves to a new tract, John and his two foremen, David Gomillion and Tim Cartwright, find the best place for cell phone reception. While the
crew has never needed it, being able to know exactly where the strongest cell phone reception is could be life saving in an emergency. Hawkins and Rawlinson writes workers’ comp insurance and the crew submits to random drug testing.
Trucking McGowin Logging truck drivers include: Tracey Bush, Tony Stinson, Ken Colvin, Cook Morrison, Scott Giddens, Don Giddens, Wayne Wor-
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 17
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:01 PM Page 18
are going to and the loader operators give directives on loads. As for trucking maintenance, McGowin again leans on Alabama Loggers Service Center. “I’m in the wood hauling business; I’m not in the oil changing business,” John says. The arrangement is not cheap, he admits, but is very convenient. Alabama Loggers does all of general truck servicing. Each afternoon, trucks park in the parking lot and turn in a request for maintenance to Alabama Loggers. The mechanics
at Alabama Loggers work on the trucks in the late afternoon and the trucks are back across the street and ready to go in the morning. What Alabama Loggers can’t handle, McGowin sends to Mack dealer Gulf Coast Truck in Montgomery, including all major electrical problems. McGowin is very particular on truck maintenance and repair. For example, if there are five electronic lights on the dash or if a truck is stopped on the side of the road, McGowin will call a wrecker
and tow the truck to Gulf Coast. “I don’t want my truck sitting on the highway with people whizzing by,” John says. “It’s dangerous. The wrecker will have him at the Mack place before I can get there in my pickup! It’s quicker and easier.” He recognizes his method for handling maintenance and repair might not be for everyone and is certainly costly, but for McGowin it works. “It’s cost a lot, but it also costs a lot to have a shop and pay people to be there only when you Over 15 years ago, McGowin Logging made the switch to Tigercat cutters, and hasn’t looked back since.
need them.” Trucks use Max Oil and Middleton Oil Co. in Greenville for over the road fuel. The last stop of every day for drivers is the fuel stop no matter if they are loaded or unloaded. Drivers also check all lights, oil and tires, in anticipation of the next working day. McGowin says this helps drivers time-wise. Over the years, McGowin says he’s noticed that if the truck isn’t ready to go the night before, it’ll lose a load of wood the following day.
Bookkeeping Lisa Lowe, who staffs a small office not far from the parking lot, handles all bookkeeping for McGowin Logging. She is responsible for multiple things in connection to Mason McGowin’s other business interests, which John says works out wonderfully for the logging company, negating the need for a full timebookkeeper. A locked box, with a Mack dog on the top, at the parking lot serves as a drop for all paperwork. “I am not into chasing trucks,” McGowin says of paperwork, so the box works well. Each week drivers put their paperwork (if they get something from Alabama Loggers parts room, any maintenance tickets, as well as signed tickets with scale tickets) in the box, and McGowin picks it up Thursday morning for Lowe when he drops off payroll. The entire process is fairly seamless and keeps the office in order. In 1993, when McGowin first started thinking about starting his own logging business, he says he didn’t know what it was going to be like. Twenty-five years later, he is blown away with the amount invested. “It’s $4 million more than I ever dreamed it would be. There’s a lot going on—it’s more than just, ‘I got a SLT John Deere skidder.’” 18
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 19
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 20
New ‘Process’ For Sanders Logging By Jay Donnell COCHRAN, Ga. arry Sanders III doesn’t mind the ★ travel. It’s a good thing, because twice in the latter half of 2017 he found himself on logging jobs and in logging equipment factories in British Columbia and Ontario. Sanders is vice president of Sanders Logging Co., based in Cochran near the middle of the state, and owned by his father, Harry Sanders, Jr. The operation has been known for running two highly efficient conventional style crews, one for regenerative clear-cutting and the other geared for thinning. As of last summer, Sanders Logging became a little less conventional. It all started last May, when Sanders attended Tidewater Equipment Co.’s 75th anniversary celebration and demo day near Valdosta, Ga. Sanders struck up a conversation with some of the Tigercat management and expressed interest in owning a Tigercat processor. At a meeting the following week, Tidewater and Tigercat’s top officials decided that Tigercat would build a new processor for Sanders. Not long after that meeting Sanders flew to Ontario for Tigercat’s 25th anniversary, but more specifically to see his new Tigercat H250D processor being built. “I got to see the machine being built up close in person and I was extremely impressed with their whole operation,” Sanders recalls, “from the guys who paint the equipment to the guys who design it.” One of Sanders Logging’s primary sawlog markets, Interfor, encouraged the move to the processor. Interfor, based in Canada, continues to build on its strong foothold in the South and especially Georgia, where it operates six sawmills, including one in Perry where Sanders delivers pine sawlogs. In this area Interfor is stressing its desire for what it terms “prime lengths” that are produced through the advanced merchandising capability of a processing head. Interfor personnel point to the way a processing head maximizes timberstands common to this area, delivers more accurate log lengths, and results in less waste at the mill. “This type of processor works really well in 25- to 30-year old planted pine, which is the majority of our wood basket around here,” Sanders explains. Sanders started running the Tigercat H250D processor with a Tigercat 575 processing head in late July,
H
20
●
Harry Sanders is quickly becoming one of the most respected young loggers in the South.
officially making him the first logger in Georgia to operate the Tigercat carrier/Tigercat processing head. Several people from Tigercat headquarters made the trip in order to ensure that the machine ran smoothly and to help Sanders adjust to the learning curve. Sanders had never run a processor before, but has run a loader for many years. “When it got down here I had several guys from Tigercat staying with me and three of the guys stayed
for three weeks,” he says. “They really helped me learn how to run it and they did everything possible to make sure everything ran smoothly.” The H250D has a 32 ft. boom and can be matched to heads weighing up to nearly 7,500 lbs. Some key features include an advanced load sensing hydraulic system, high-capacity cooling system, automatic engine idle down for unsteady wood flow situations, and clear access to pumps and valves. It has a Tigercat-built F8
A 525D Cat skidder gets the logs to the landing at a fast pace.
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
forestry undercarriage and Tigercat FPT Tier 4f engine. The 575 head is suited for large limbs and rugged stems. The drive system maximizes feeding acceleration and shifting. While Sanders had a lot of help getting adjusted to the machine it has still been a major learning curve. “The hardest thing is just watching all the little things that it takes to run it smoothly,” he says. “When I got on it I could run a tree through it in the matter of an hour, but there’s a lot more to it than just running a tree through the machine. But in the right wood you have the opportunity to really get ahead.” Indeed Sanders says running the processor today keeps him 10-15 loads ahead. As of now the processor is inserted into the big crew, directly shooting logs to one of the trailer mounted loaders. In the future Sanders wants to purchase a track loader to streamline the process even more. The big crew entails two separate parts that can be split up based on tract size and loading deck sizes. One side is set up with a trailor mounted knuckleboom loader, with a CSI buck saw with a measuring rack that Sanders fabricated out of
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:28 PM Page 21
steel with the desired prime lengths as measurements. A smaller 525D Cat skidder is used on that side. On the other side is another knuckleboom loader, a 630E Tigercat skidder and the H250D processor. Length measurements are based on 16 and 20 foot increments—16 ft., 20 ft., 33 ft., 37 ft., 41 ft., 45 ft., 49 ft. and a few more. Sanders says production has increased, but wants to operate the machine a while longer before giving a precise figure as to how much.
Back To Canada Just after Thanksgiving, Interfor flew Sanders to British Columbia so that he could visit loggers who have been running processors. “I was able to trade ideas with some guys that have doing this for many years,” Sanders explains. “Everything up there is a cut-to-length system so I was able to gather some nuggets from these guys.” He not only toured logging jobs on the upper interior of British Columbia, but also visited Interfor’s Adams Lake sawmill in Chase, BC. One of the things that Sanders was most interested in talking to loggers about was what has gone wrong with their processing heads and what he should be watching out for. “These guys have 10,000 hours on some of these heads,” Sanders says. They gave him tips on how to make the hoses last longer, on packing the cylinders, told him to keep an eye on wearing of plates and knives and he learned a lot just in general observation of jobs that were devoted to everyday maintenance of heads. Sanders Logging produces about 180 loads per week from all of its sides. Sawlogs go to Interfor in Perry, pulpwood to IP in Oglethorpe, hardwood pulpwood to Rayonier in Eastman and some small sawlogs to Jordan Forest Products’ sawmill in Barnesville. Pole logs go to Gulf South Pole and Timber Co. in Sycamore. Equipment includes a 234B and two 234 Tigercat loaders coupled with CSI delimbers; a 535D and two 525D Cat skidders and a Tigercat 630E skidder, and 720E and 724G Tigercat feller-bunchers. Sanders’ trucking arm is heavy to the Mack brand and includes two 2017 models, which pull a mixture of Pitts and Big John trailers. Harry Sanders III graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors of Science in Forest Resources from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He was crew foreman and safety manager for his dad’s operation until becoming vice president in 2014. SLT (See the July 2015 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times for an earlier article on the entire operations of Sanders Logging.)
The new Tigercat processor has been a great addition for Sanders Logging.
Sanders Logging may add a track loader to the equation in the near future.
Sanders Logging produces roughly 180 loads per week.
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 21
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 22
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 23
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 3:51 PM Page 24
Green Monster ■ Jason Fly invests in heavyweight machine combo to move big Arkansas hardwood.
Jason Fly purchased his Deere 3756G and Log Max 12000XT last fall. Inset, Fly has led his company to significant growth in seven years.
By Jordan Anderson CLARENDON, Ark. n the fall of 2016 Jason Fly, 41, ★ worked with Daniel Morgan, his salesman at Stribling Equipment in Tupelo, Miss., and Tom Hirt, owner of FSK Equipment & Supply, based in McKinney, Tex., who represents Log Max in Fly’s region, to acquire a new John Deere 3756G swing machine equipped with a new Log Max 12000XT processing head—the largest on the market. At 107,000 lbs., the 3756G is also the largest swing machine Deere makes. The 12000XT is almost 10 ft. high and weighs 9,300 lbs. The investment totaled more than $675,000. Fly and his employees affectionately refer to the machine combo, something usually seen on the steep slopes far to the Northwest, as “The Hulk.”
I
24
●
Familiar with pull-through delimbers and their limited ability when it comes to big timber, and having no past experience with processors, Fly knew he needed something big enough to handle the size hardwood he’s cutting in Arkansas river bottoms. He praises Morgan and Hirt for making the process a painless one. “Both Deere and Tigercat recommended the Log Max head. Daniel put me in touch with Tom and they did the research for me. They both met with me to make sure the equipment would meet my needs. I went with the Deere-Log Max combo through Stribling Equipment because JD Financial was able to work out the financing,” he says. At first Fly primarily used “The Hulk,” operated by crew foreman Jonathan Morris, to process trees at the landing due to poor ground conditions, but after moving the machine to its own crew it’s now
felling and processing. He cuts most trees with a Tigercat 724 fitted with a hot saw. The heavyweight combo can handle trees up to 40 in. in diameter, using its on-board computer to accurately slash logs to precise preprogrammed lengths. The head is equipped with two saws. The main one has a 45 in. bar and ¾ in. pitch chain for felling; the second one, used for slashing during processing, has a 30 in. bar and .404 pitch chain. Fly uses Oregon chain. Log Max sent representatives twice to Fly’s job site to provide instruction on operating the head. When it’s time to move “Hulk” from one site to another an overweight permit is required from Arkansas DOT. Accordingly, Fly purchased a 55-ton Pitts lowboy from Crouse Truck Parts & Equipment in Sheridan, Ark. “There was definitely a learning curve in load-
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
ing and moving it but we’ve got it down now,” he shares. The ambitious logger notes he’d eventually like to have a machine equipped with a processing head for his other three crews. “Logging is evolving to get men off the ground. Using the processor cuts back on the number of people required and gets men off the ground, which makes everything safer. The processor is saving me money on both labor and insurance,” he says.
Westward Expansion Fly started his company, Jason Fly Logging, LLC, in 2010 after working in procurement and timberland management for 12 years. “I always wanted to get into logging and the timing was just right for me to start. I feel like all the places I worked before starting my company gave me a lot of knowledge and
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 3:51 PM Page 25
experience that’s really helped me be a better logger,” he says. He started with three John Deere machines he bought from Warrior Tractor & Equipment in Athens, Ala. His brother, Ricky Fly, who has logging and sawmill interests in Mississippi, assisted in financing his initial purchase. When asked what drew him into logging, Fly responds, “I always liked the equipment, the big machines, and I enjoy merchandising the timber, especially big hardwood.” In 2014 Fly was faced with a decision: shut down or move elsewhere. “When the IP mill in Courtland, Ala. shut down it got to where we couldn’t hardly work, so I knew I was going to have to branch out and do something different. That’s how I got into logging in Arkansas,” he explains. He set up a shop and offices in Clarendon, Ark., a base from which he typically works within a 150-mile radius, spanning east from the White River in Arkansas to the I-55 corridor in Mississippi. A typical hardwood tract for Fly is select-cut with a diameter limit for different species or trees that have been marked. In pine he mostly clear-cuts but does perform some occasional first and second thinnings. During the summer and fall both hardwood and pine tracts he works can reach 400 acres, with smaller tracts more common in the winter. His crews do a good deal of work on the Mississippi, White and Cache Rivers, where they cut timber for hunting clubs or harvest in wildlife refuges. Fly has begun buying some of his own timber in recent months. The move west has proved to be a profitable one. Since entering Arkansas Fly added a second crew in 2015, a third in 2016 and a fourth this year. He also started an OTR trucking company last year, Fly & Sons Trucking, LLC. When asked about future growth Fly says that his plate is full enough for now. “I’ve got plenty to handle right now. I’m not thinking about adding anything else, at least until another pulpwood mill opens in my markets,” he says.
Fly’s markets remain strong and keep him in a diverse mix of timber.
SLT SNAPSHOT Jason Fly Logging, LLC Clarendon, Ark. Email: jflylogging@gmail.com
Top row, left to right, Josh Johnson, Ronnie Pittman, James B. Smith; bottom row, L to R, Steve Wilson, Jason Fly, Mark Welch
Good Markets When Southern Loggin’ Times visited Fly last summer, his crew running “The Hulk” was on a 150-acre hardwood tract in the Saline River bottom near Benton, Ark. The site supported some oaks almost three feet in diameter near the ground. Logs were going to Taylor & Sons (T&S) Sawmill, owner of the tract, in Clarendon; pulpwood to Evergreen Packaging in Pine Bluff. As of early November “The Hulk” crew was
Steve Wilson trained for months to operate “The Hulk”.
select and clear cutting hardwood on a 500-acre tract owned by the Crain Company in Hughes, Ark. Fly’s second crew was in Magnolia, Ark. clear-cutting a 36-acre tract of pine and hardwood owned by Union County Timber. From there pine and hardwood pulpwood was going to International Paper in Domino, Tex., pine logs to Georgia-Pacific in Gurdon and pine chip-n-saw to West Fraser in Leola. The third crew was in Batesville, Miss. select cutting a 118-acre hardwood tract owned by T&S Sawmill, with products going to Evergreen Packaging and T&S Sawmill. Fly recently started hauling hardwood logs to Dragon Woodland Corp. in Memphis, Tenn., who
Founded: 2010 Owner: Jason Fly Tidbit: Jason’s older brother Ricky Fly, the owner of Fly Timber Co. and Fly Tie & Lumber in Grenada, Miss., was featured in a July 2016 article in Southern Loggin’ Times. exports the wood to China, and some hardwood pulpwood to Clearwater Paper Corp. in Arkansas City. Like many loggers Fly says that the weather seems to be his worst enemy. “My markets are good, it’s the weather that’s my issue,” he says. Since the beginning of the year Fly’s crews have averaged only two days a week, which he says is due to poor weather conditions and high river levels. He believes his markets will remain strong and that new mills coming to Arkansas, such as the Shandong Sun Paper pulp and bio products plant expected to open in Arkadelphia in 2020, will allow him to increase production again. When operating at full capacity
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 25
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 3:51 PM Page 26
Fly operates a variety of equipment and works with suppliers across three states.
Fly’s crews are capable of extracting up to 300 loads a week. Production goes down to about 175 loads a week during the winter. Fly says he’s currently not on any quotas and running at about 60% of his capacity, getting out about 170 loads a week. His company cuts an average of 5,000 acres of timber each year.
Operations & Trucking Fly has 41 employees including an operations manager and safety coordinator in Chris McMullen and a truck dispatcher and shop manager in Jason Wimberly. McMullen holds monthly safety
26
●
meetings with each crew. He keeps write-up sheets on hand for employee safety violations and documents as much as possible for insurance and OSHA audits. Wimberly regularly holds truck driver training classes in Clarendon with a certified instructor. McMullen and Wimberly together handle all DOT and OSHA matters, including annual inspections and regular maintenance and repairs for equipment and trucks. Fly’s 40x80 ft. shop houses a 10,000 gallon tank for diesel supplied by Mid-South Sales out of Little Rock, as well as facilities, including showers and beds, for truck drivers and mechanics. There
The Fly family: top row, L to R, Paul, Ben and Jason; bottom row, L to R, Andrew, Mason and Beth
Jason Fly Logging operations manager and safety coordinator Chris “Possum” McMullen
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
are two full-time mechanics at the shop and a third that floats between job sites. Crew members and mechanics handle all equipment and truck maintenance and repairs “up to the point of plugging it into the computer,” says Fly. There are currently 20 trucks on Fly’s roster, with 15 working in the woods and five over the road. Fly says he hasn’t had any issues so far with trucking insurance but has experienced a lot of driver turnover. “Good, qualified truck drivers are getting harder and harder to find,” he laments. He’s never had a truck accident with injury reported and is strongly considering putting dash
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 27
cameras in his trucks as a defense mechanism and to help with insurance costs. “I’m really thinking hard and heavy about it. Dash cams would really help a lot when there’s an accident. We’re probably going to end up getting them,” Fly says. When needed he contracts with
C&K McMullen out of Olive Branch, Miss.
Suppliers Fly likes to run newer equipment, typically nothing over two years old. For any needs that arise with
his Deere equipment he has two Stribling locations to supply service and parts depending on the location of the job site. “The good thing about Stribling is that they have locations in Mississippi and Arkansas, which makes it easy to get what I need,” Fly relates. He
utilizes JD Link technology in all of his Deere equipment. For Tigercat equipment Fly works with Johnny Burton of B&G Equipment out of Iuka, Miss. For Caterpillar equipment he works with Wade Burrows of Thompson Machinery in Memphis, Tenn. He also has a ➤ 44
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 27
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 28
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 29
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 30
Putting Sports In Perspective The following is not intended to offend fans of hockey, tennis, basketball, football or baseball. Rather, it is an attempt to put everything in perspective. Ever wonder why golf is growing in popularity and why people who don’t even play go to tournaments or watch it on TV? The following truisms may shed some light. —Golfers don’t have some of their players in jail most every week. —Golfers don’t kick dirt on or throw bottles at other people. —They are paid in direct proportion to how well they play. —Golfers don’t hold out for more money, or demand new contracts, because of another player’s deal. —These pros don’t demand that taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play. —When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them. —The PGA raises more money for charity in one year than the NFL does in two. —You can watch the best golfers in the world, up close, at any tournament, including the majors, all day every day, for $25 to $30. Even in the nose bleed section of a stadium a ticket to the Super Bowl will cost over $300—more from a scalper. —In golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make $9 million a season, like the best baseball hitters do. —Golfers keep their clothes on while they are being interviewed. —Golf doesn’t have free agency. In their prime, Palmer, Norman and other stars would shake your hand and say they were happy to meet you. In his prime, baseball’s Jose Canseco wrote T shirts that read “Leave Me Alone.” —You can hear birds chirping on the golf course during a tournament. At a golf tournament, you won’t hear a steady stream of four-letter words and nasty name calling while you’re hoping that no one spills a drink on you. —Golf courses don’t ruin the neighborhood. And now for some golf history. Why do courses have 18 holes, not 20, 16, or 10? During a discussion among the club’s membership board at St. Andrews, Scotland in 1858, a senior member pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch. By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the Scot figured a round of golf was finished when the Scotch ran out.
Thoughts For The New Year In my defense, I was left unsupervised. I just did a weeks’ worth of cardio after walking into a spider web. Be careful when you follow the masses, for sometimes the M is silent. No, I don't need anger management, you need to stop ticking me off. I would like to thank my middle finger for always sticking up for me when I need it. When I was a kid, I wanted to be older, but this crap is not what I expected. Does anyone else get road rage while pushing a shopping cart through the store? Being cremated is my last hope for a smoking hot body. You know the little thing inside your head that keeps you from saying things you shouldn't? I don't have one of those. Never laugh at your wife’s choices. Remember, you are one of them. I tried being nice to people. I didn't like it. I turn beer into pee. What's your superpower? I have stopped listening, so why are you still talking? I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you. I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain this to you. If you're offended, I'll help you pack. In order to insult me, I must first value your opinion. Nice try though. I can't believe how old people my age are. Nobody listens to me until I pass gas. No need to repeat yourself. I ignored you just fine the first time. I can't be responsible for what my face does when you talk. And yet, 30
●
despite the look on my face, you are still talking. I hate being late, but I'm so good at it. I saw people through the window today. That's enough social interaction. I mean to be good, but there are too many other options. I'm up. If you're looking for bright-eyed and bushy tailed, go find a freakin’ squirrel. If I say "I will do it,” I will do it. No need to remind me every 6 months. You couldn't handle me even if I came with instructions. I can't make everyone happy. I'm not bacon. I should be given an award for keeping my mouth shut when there's so much that needs to be said. The words listen and silent have the same number of letters. Coincidence? If I was a bird, I know who I'd poop on. I'm beginning to think that for some of you, the wheels on your bus do not go round and round.
Welcome To Google Pizza “Hello! Is this Gordon's Pizza?” “No sir, it's Google Pizza. Google bought Gordon’s Pizza last month.” “OK. I'd like to order a pizza.” “Do you want your usual, sir?” “My usual? You know me?” “According to our caller ID data, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with cheese, sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms, on a thick crust.” “OK! That’s what I want.” “May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sundried tomatoes and olives on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust?” “No, you may not! I don't like vegetables.” “Your cholesterol needs help, sir.” “How the hell do you know?” “We cross-referenced your home phone number with your medical records. We have the result of your blood tests for the last seven years.” “Listen, I don't want your vegetable pizza, and I take medication for my cholesterol.” “Excuse me sir, but you don't take your medication regularly. Our database indicates that you only filled a prescription for 30 cholesterol tablets once, at Drugsale Network, four months ago.” “I bought the rest at another drug store.” “Not according to your credit card statement.” “I paid in cash.” “Sir, you didn't withdraw enough cash, according to your bank statement.” “I have other sources of cash.” “That doesn’t show on your last tax return, unless you bought them using an undeclared income source, which is against the law.” “WHAT THE HELL?!” “I'm sorry, sir, we use such information with the sole intention of helping you.” “Goodbye! Cancel that order! I'm sick of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and all this crap. I'm moving to an island without internet, cable TV, cell phone service and jerks watching and spying on me.” “I understand sir, but you need to renew your passport first. It expired six weeks ago.”
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 31
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 12:29 PM Page 32
Collier Museum Worth The Looooong Road Trip ■ Southern Oregon offers remarkably well-preserved antique logging equipment.
By Dan Shell
Almost prehistoric road grader
EDITOR’S NOTE: When you’re on the road with a logger, spending several hours in a truck cab, the conversation naturally meanders and covers all sorts of things. Loggers will occasionally talk up their local attractions—everything from hunting opportunities to barbecue joints. In late summer, while visiting the Wampler family and their logging operation that dates to the early 1900s, headquartered in the Klamath Lake basin in southern Oregon, Mike Wampler mentioned I might want to go by Collier Memorial State Park on my way out of town. It’s got a neat logging equipment museum, he said. Talk about an understatement! overing 146 acres on both sides of U.S. Hwy. 97 about 30 miles north of Klamath Falls, the park and museum are located along the banks of the beautiful Williamson River and include camping, hiking and other recreation opportunities. The facility was established by brothers Alfred and Andrew Collier, who donated the land to the State of Oregon in 1945 to create a park in honor of their parents. Two years later, they donated a collection of antique logging equipment that dated to the horse-drawn and early locomotive era. Alfred added to the collection until his death in 1988, and dozens of local businesses and individuals over the years
C
Western Editor Dan Shell had a Matchbox version—with thread and grapple!—of this Michigan T-24 loader.
32
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 12:30 PM Page 33
Mechanization on display covers dozens of early cable machines, above, and the newest machine at right, a Beloit Tree Harvester, an early feller-buncher.
Displays include early mill equipment like these lumber carriers.
This 1940s era Dodge log hauler still has California plates and International Paper logo.
Trucks like the Mack above await ghostly loads from early skidder-loader winch machines straight out of an OSHA man’s nightmare.
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 33
SLT0118-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 12:30 PM Page 34
The museum includes buildings and a general store.
34
●
have also added equipment and machines that now cover milling as well. The Wamplers donated several trucks. The logging museum portion of the park traces the evolution of logging, from axes and two-man saws to railroad logging and on to trucking and the modern hydraulic area. The setup includes actual logging camp buildings that were moved to the site as well as 12 authentic Oregon homestead cabins arranged as a pioneer village. Authentic logging
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
camp buildings include sleeping quarters and a cookhouse. There’s even a tugboat that towed log rafts on a 22-mile trip up and down Klamath Lake from 1937-43. The museum itself covers several acres in a beautiful ponderosa pine forest. Unlike the South where everything eventually melts or rusts away in the humidity, southern Oregon’s high desert arid climate has left equipment in remarkable condition. A 2005 renovation also included some major rebuilds and updates, leaving the museum in great shape. Starting with the early horsedrawn high wheel skidding arches and then steam-powered donkey engines that used cables to move logs and into railroadbased systems, the museum has some true rarities such as a Baldwin logging locomotive, 1923 Clyde track-laying machine and a self-powered McGiffert log loader. The equipment lineup includes multiple dozer-grader type machines that date back almost 100 years, and several Cat 30 and 60 dozers share space with antique Mack and Case dozers. The newest piece? A Beloit Tree Harvester that dates from the 1970s-80s, with its bulky boom, cable-activated delimbing knives and s-shaped shear jaws. A variety of truck-mounted loaders and cable skidding machines show early innovation and daredevil designs. The coolest is no doubt the Michigan T-24 truck-mounted log loader, poised to place a ghost log on a Mack truck with four-bolster short log trailer and rebar headache rack. Well-worn log trucks dating to the post-War era are arranged near the loaders, and looking at the machines and their various stages of use and abuse, one can imagine a story in every scratch, a barroom tall tale that goes with every dent and busted light. Walking throughout the museum grounds, looking at the machines and artifacts that cover so many decades, one can’t also help but imagine the fortunes made and lost, and the people and lives affected by the equipment on display, some shattered and maimed, some bolstered and enriched in solid livelihoods, others bankrupt and moving down the line. Overall, Collier Memorial State Park Logging Museum is a fascinating look at logging history and development in the U.S. West. It’s quite a long road trip from most of SLT’s readership area, but it’s a great visit for anyone willing to SLT make the time.
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 35
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 36
INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP
As We See It–Recruiting: Millennials Seek Financial Security By Mark Turner I have had numerous conversations over this past year regarding the lack of young people being attracted to the logging business. Everyone seems
36
●
Turner
to have their own opinions about why the problem exists and persists. I recently talked with a mill representative about this problem. He suggested that the solution is education. He said that “we need
to reach out to not only students but also to teachers…since they are the ones that advise the students.” My reply was “oh, you mean like we have been doing for the last 25 years?” I went on to explain that we have been doing that with very limited success. He was convinced that
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
“education is the answer to the problem” and didn’t really want to hear any more about it. It is my contention that the problem is much more complicated than that. I have a logger friend who has three sons involved in the business. From the outside, his company looks like the perfect example of a logging company with an effective transition plan. However, this logger confided to me that one of his sons had recently asked him if he thought there was “a future in logging?” He said that the best answer he could tell his son was “I don’t know.” When you think about it, that’s a very damning statement. But, in a nutshell, it describes where we are. If we can’t, as loggers ourselves, say with confidence that there is not only a future, but a bright future, then we are in serious trouble. I had to get a new phone a few months ago and the young guy helping me started asking questions about my logging company. It was obvious that he knew a little about logging. He asked, “How much he could expect to get paid, if he decided to go logging?” I explained what the average starting wage was, for someone with no experience. He immediately responded with “double that and I’d think about it.” I must admit I was a little shocked by that statement. However, he was just stating what was on his mind. His job at the phone store didn’t pay much less than a beginning logging job; however, it was a lot easier. I felt a little embarrassed to explain that the profit margins are so low in logging that we can hardly afford to pay the going rate. Then there was the young guy, with his family, that I met in a restaurant. As we were waiting to be seated we started up a conversation. When he learned that I had a logging operation, he told me that he had logged for a while. He told me that he liked logging, but continued to explain that he could hardly pay his bills, much less get ahead. He explained that he works for a construction company now and makes the kind of money he needs. His last words to me were “logging is way too hard of work for way too little money.” When I talked to a forestry professor, at Oregon State University, he explained to me that “beginning wages in the logging business have traditionally been three times the minimum wage.” Unfortunately, things have gotten really out of whack over the last 25 years. Now the minimum wage is only slightly
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 37
below the starting wage for loggers. I keep hearing about how millennials think completely differently than we did when we were young and that it will take a new approach to get them interested in logging. I don’t think they are really that different at all. I think there are a lot more opportunities for them than there were for us, when we were young. But I think they really want the same basic things that we wanted. They want to feel like they are appreciated and that there is a future in what they are doing. They want to be able to make enough money to be able to buy a house and raise a family, and even be able to buy some of the finer things in life. In my opinion, until we can provide those things for young people, anything else we do to try to recruit them into our industry will fall flat on its face. Turner is president of the American Loggers Council. He and his brother Greg operate Turner Logging, Banks, Ore. Mark is also an active leader with Associated Oregon Loggers. The American Loggers Council is a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters and log truckers in 32 states. Visit amloggers.org or call 409-625-0206,
LOGGING LIFE AT HOME
The Symbolic Lunch Boxes Deborah Smith has been married to Rome, Ga. logger Travis Smith for 34 years. They have 10 children: seven by birth, three adopted from Africa, and two granddaughters. A college English major, she began Travis and Deborah Smith home-schooling their children in 1991. Says Smith: “I love my family; I am passionate about encouraging others to keep the faith, to keep taking the next right step, no matter how hard life gets.” Visit her blog: buttercupsbloom here.blogspot.com
I
tap my phone to stop the alarm that tells me it’s time to get up and get the day started. I turn on the coffee pot and get ready for the day. Then I turn on the kitchen light which shines into our room—the very last wake up call for Travis. Then it’s time to fix my loggers’ lunches. I grab the blue and red coolers with flat lids that make perfect table tops for job-site dining. My log-
gers and their crew sit in a circle on upturned five gallon buckets when they stop for lunch. Every workday stops at about 11:30, for one hour, and the crew sits, eats and talks together. If weather is super cold or wet, they sit in the cabs of the work trucks, but otherwise they sit in their bucket circle. I’m no business specialist, but I think this hour brings more profit to Smith Brothers Logging than any ROI scale can measure. So, even though my mother-in-law told me that I needed to sleep a little longer and let Travis fix his own lunch, I like to fix the lunch boxes. I remember being told by Clara Cordle, wife to JC, who gave Travis his start in logging, to always, always, even if I was mad at him, tell Travis that I love him before he heads to the woods. She spared no sentiment or words when she said that he might not come home; the job is dangerous. I forget what I did yesterday, but I remember those words, and the look on her face when she said them. And I fix those lunch boxes, for my husband and now for my son, for just that reason. Those lunches are the one thing that they can take into the woods that is from home, from me. I try to keep up some kind of variety in the sandwiches and chips and snack stuff, but mostly my loggers like the same things each week. They say thank you as the grab their lunch boxes off the kitchen bar and head to the back door. I watch them saunter off to their respective work trucks, and wonder if they know how much I love them, and how proud I am of them. They have their lunch box in hand, and that is one small way that they know I care.
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 37
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 38
Bandit Celebrates 35th Anniversary in 2018 Bandit Industries, Remus, Mich., will spend all of 2018 celebrating its 35th anniversary. “Thirty-five years is a long time to be in business,” says Bandit President and co-owner Jerry Morey. “That’s why we’re going to take some time in 2018 to appreciate where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, and how we want to keep innovating and
38
●
evolving—for our employees, for our customers, and for our industry.” Bandit Industries started out as Foremost Fabrications in a small one-room shop by Mike Morey Sr. and Diane Morey. The first chipper was a Model 100 Brush Bandit. That chipper caught on in the industry and became so popular that most people knew Foremost Fabrications as “Bandit,” so in 1986, the company took the name officially as Bandit Industries.
Today, more than 60,000 Bandit machines are in use worldwide, and more than 200 dealer locations serve customers on six continents. Morey adds, “For the last 35 years, we’ve worked tirelessly to build the best equipment, and in 2018 we reaffirm our commitment to our industry.”
Forest-Residue Based Biorefinery Planned Velocys Plc reports it has signed a site option agreement with Adams County in Mississippi for its first U.S. forest-residue based biorefinery to be located in Natchez. Velocys has been offered economic development incentives from Adams County valued at $42 million. The project expects to qualify for additional incentives up to $15 million, provided by Mississippi’s Advantage Jobs Act and other statutory tax incentives. Velocys has also received commitments from Adams County worth $4 million (relating to the land and upgrades to the site) and $1 million site upgrade commitments from local utility suppliers. The 100-acre Natchez site was confirmed after the company analyzed a broad set of operational and tax considerations at 12 possible sites in four states in the Southeast. Velocys is maintaining its list of other attractive sites in the region, which could host plants with capacities totaling 100 million gallons over the next 10 years. Velocys remains in close contact with the economic development officials in these other states regarding the locations and timing of future renewable fuels facilities.
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
Bandit Names Dealer For Texas, Oklahoma Bandit Industries named Custom Truck and Equipment, a Utility One Source company, as an authorized Bandit dealer serving Texas and Oklahoma. Utility Source One will carry a full line of Bandit hand-fed chippers and stump grinders, as well as provide sales, service and support. Utility One Source will serve Bandit needs in three Texas locations—Midland, Fort Worth and Houston; and one location in Oklahoma City, Okla. In addition to carrying Bandit’s lineup of small equipment, Utility One Source also carries a complete lineup of trucks and utility equipment from a variety of manufacturers. Visit utility1source.com.
Canadian Sawmill Companies Take Hit United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that the U.S. softwood lumber industry is materially injured by reason of imports of softwood lumber from Canada. This determination confirms earlier rulings by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce that Canadian softwood lumber is subsidized and sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. “The U.S. Lumber Coalition fully supports the enforcement of America’s trade laws. The evidence presented to the ITC was clear—the massive subsidies that the Canadian government provides to its lumber industry and the dumping of lumber products into the U.S. market by Canadian companies cause real
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 39
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 40
harm to U.S. producers and workers,” says U.S. Lumber Coalition Co-Chair and Co-President of Pleasant River Lumber Co., Jason Brochu. “Now, with a level playing
field, the U.S. lumber industry, and the 350,000 hardworking men and women who support it, can have the chance to compete fairly.” In November 2016, the Commit-
tee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations (COALITION) petitioned the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the U.S. International
Trade Commission to restore the conditions of fair trade in softwood lumber between the U.S. and Canada. In November 2017, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce announced its final determination that Canada subsidizes softwood lumber production and that exporters from Canada have sold softwood lumber to the U.S. at less than fair value, referred to as “dumping,” distorting the U.S. softwood lumber market. The combined (subsidization and dumping) duty rates that Canadian companies must now pay are: Canfor, 22.13%; Resolute, 17.9%; Tolko 22.07%; West Fraser, 23.76%; Irving, 9.92%; all others 20.83%. Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, comments, “Punitive U.S. countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber are unwarranted and troubling. They are harmful to Canada and to lumber consumers in the United States. In recent weeks, Canada has begun legal challenges against the U.S. duties on Canadian softwood under NAFTA and before the WTO. We will continue to consult with the provinces, the territories and Canadian industry and workers on a durable solution to this vital issue.” The U.S. government has instructed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to prepare to collect cash deposits from these importers based on the final rates. In 2016, imports of softwood lumber from Canada were valued at an estimated $5.66 billion. The petition was filed on behalf of the COALITION, whose members include: U.S. Lumber Coalition, Inc. (DC), Collum’s Lumber Products, L.L.C. (SC), Hankins, Inc. (MS), Potlatch Corporation (WA), Rex Lumber Company (FL), Seneca Sawmill Co. (OR), Sierra Pacific Industries (CA), Stimson Lumber Co. (OR), Swanson Group (OR), Weyerhaeuser Co. (WA), Carpenters Industrial Council (OR), Giustina Land and Timber Co. (OR), and Sullivan Forestry Consultants, Inc. (GA).
Husqvarna Breaks Ground On New Warehouse Husqvarna Group is expanding its operations in Nashville, Ark. with the construction of a 350,300 sq. ft. distribution center and materials warehouse facility. Groundbreaking occurred Nov. 8. The center is projected to be operational by the end of 2018. The facility will be be located 40
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 41
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:54 AM Page 42
adjacent current manufacturing facilities in Nashville where chain saws and a line of lawn and garden equipment are built. The addition of the distribution center will significantly impact operational efficiencies primarily by localizing distribution operations and automating the transfer of finished product from the assembly line to the warehouse. Once the new facility is operational, the company’s manufacturing, warehousing and distribution footprint in Nashville will exceed 874,000 sq. ft.
John Deere Opens Center in Miami The new 115,000 sq. ft. John Deere parts and services distribution center in Miami will serve all Latin America countries, except Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, which already have in-country centers. “Latin America is a key market for John Deere, and this new facility will improve logistics cycle time and ordering consistency for our dealer network in the region,” says David Thorne, senior vice president, sales & marketing, Worldwide Construction & Forestry Div.
42
●
Last Rites Held For Tommy Burch Last rites were held December 12 for Brookeland, Texas logging leader Tommy Burch, 73, who died Tommy Burch December 8 from injuries sustained in a fall unrelated to the logging business. In a relationship that lasted for 20 years, Burch began his logging career with partner Don Wood in the early ’70s. Burch and Wood amicably ended their business ties when Burch wanted to ease back from daily responsibilities and spend more time with his family, to
Latin America dealers were previously serviced from the North America Parts Distribution Center in Milan, Ill., and the South America Parts Distribution Center in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Positioning inventory in Miami to support the Latin America market will improve cycle times.
speak out on behalf of Texas loggers, and to promote the positive benefits of logging. In the spirit of giving back to an industry that helped him become the person he was, the outgoing Burch became an ardent logger advocate, often visiting with state legislators in Austin. He was active in the Texas Forestry Assn. and helped form the Texas Logging Council, serving as its first president. He and his wife, Velma, published a pro-logging book titled My Little Corner of the World and distributed more than 40,000 free copies to various groups. They did it in large measure to honor the memory of their late daughter, Beth Burch Smith, who wrote the book when she was a college student. Burch, with the support of his
Rex Lumber Plans To Build Sawmill Rex Lumber, headquartered in Graceville, Fla., plans to invest $110 million in building a greenfield sawmill in the Southeast soon. Several potential sites have been identified for the mill, which will have a mini-
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
wife and son, Jerry, and a competent crew, was a pioneer in whole tree chipping in east Texas, refining his well-managed business that eventually became capable of producing up to 30 loads of chips per day. In recognition of his business success, overall professionalism, and industry activism, Timber Harvesting selected Burch’s business, B&W Contractors, as its 2002 National Logging Business of the Year. Years later he became the first logger ever inducted into the Texas Forestry Assn. Hall of Fame. Burch was also a member of Brookeland Masonic Lodge #935 for over 40 years. The lodge is accepting donations in his memory. Contact Brookeland Masonic Lodge #935, P.O. Box 10, Brookeland, TX, 75931.
mum annual production of 240MMBF of southern yellow pine. Rex currently operates three sawmills, two in the Florida Panhandle at Graceville and Bristol, Fla. and one in Brookhaven, Miss., producing a combined 575MMBF annually. More than 110 new direct jobs are expected to be created with this new
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:33 AM Page 43
location. A final decision on location is expected in early 2018 with construction launching shortly after. Rex Lumber, founded in the 1920s by W.D. McRae, continues to be owned and operated by the Finley McRae family of Graceville. “The family looks forward to bringing a southern yellow pine sawmill to a new community in the South,” the company states. Timber Processing magazine, an affiliate of Southern Loggin’ Times, named Finley McRae as its 25th annual Person of the Year in 2013.
have been ongoing at the plant since the acquisition. The asset was a strategic investment considering LaSalle BioEnergy’s proximity to an abundant wood basket and its production capacity that supports Drax’s strategy of increasing self-supply. LaSalle BioEnergy will employee 78 and is the third pellet plant in the Drax Biomass portfolio including Morehouse BioEnergy in Bastrop, La. and Amite BioEnergy in Gloster, Miss., both of which Drax built from
scratch. The LaSalle wood pellet manufacturing facility, which is 160 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, can produce 450,000 metric tons of wood pellets per year. The Morehouse and Gloster facilities, both commissioned in 2015, can each produce 450,000 metric tons annually as well. Drax Biomass had previously signaled its intent to pursue the acquisition of financially distressed pellet manufacturing assets. The company’s
strategy is to self-supply 20-30% the wood pellets required by its Drax Power Station in the United Kingdom. Drax generates 7% of the UK’s electricity, and 70% of the electricity Drax produces is made using compressed wood pellets, having converted three 660 MW generating units from coal fired to biomass. It is considering converting its remaining three coal fired units to gas and/or biomass as Britain plans to phase out coal by 2025.
Komatsu Southwest Offers Sennebogen Komatsu Southwest, the new Komatsu dealership serving New Mexico and west Texas, has added Sennebogen purpose-built material handlers to its flagship line. Grant Adams is President of Komatsu Southwest. He says the dealership plans to build its business in scrap, recycling and waste facilities, quarries, log yards and sawmills, demolition, as well as in pipe-handling applications for the oil and gas industry.
Drax Biomass Starts Up Urania Pellet Plant Drax Biomass Inc., a leading producer of industrial wood pellets in the Southeast, started production at its newest facility, LaSalle BioEnergy in Urania, La., in late November. The facility, which was built in 2015 by German Pellets, was purchased by Drax at auction last April. A series of upgrades and repairs
Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 43
SLTjan18pgs_cs.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 9:58 AM Page 44
27 ➤ Barko loader purchased from Crouse Truck Parts & Equipment. Fly’s Peterbilt needs are met by the dealerships in both Memphis and Little Rock. On an unfortunate side note, Fly’s Peterbilt salesman, Todd Sieber, was recently shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Little Rock. Drew Williams with MHC Kenworth and Robert Blake with Tri-State Truck Center, both based in Memphis, supplied Fly’s Kenworth and Mack trucks. In addition to the PACCAR diagnostic software that comes built into his Peterbilts, Fly also uses the TeleTrac GPS Tracker app-based software to track his truck’s locations and monitor their speed. Trailers have been supplied by LMI-Tennessee in Waverly,
Crouse Truck Parts & Equipment, B&G Equipment, and some have come direct from manufacturers. Bobby Henard Tire Service out of Brinkley, Ark. handles most equipment and truck tires. He prefers to use Firestone on equipment and Yokohama on his trucks. Truck parts are sourced from TruckPro with locations in Memphis and Little Rock. Fly likes to find new local suppliers based on where his crews will be working. “Chris will scope out a new area that we’re moving into to find suppliers, places to stay, that sort of thing. Buying locally helps build relationships with people in the area,” he says. Charlie Perkins with HUB International Gulf South in Oxford,
Miss. handles all of Fly’s insurance needs. He relies on Joe Black, an independent CPA in Water Valley, Miss., to keep his finances in order.
Family & Faith Fly, the youngest of five siblings, has a pretty big family himself. He and his wife of 16 years, Beth, have four sons: Paul, 15, Ben, 12, Andrew, 10, and Mason, 8. Out of their four boys two of them, Paul and Mason, want to follow in their father’s footsteps. Careers in the timber industry run in the Fly family. After earning a forestry degree from Mississippi State University in 1998, Fly went to work as a procurement forester for his brother, Ricky.
As to getting more young people interested in logging, Fly says there’s a big need for better training and more schools for those wanting to enter the ranks. “Nobody gets into logging these days unless it’s in your blood,” he asserts. Fly is a current member of the Arkansas Timber Producers Assn. and strongly supports educational and training opportunities through the organization. When he’s not at work Fly enjoys spending time with his family, cooking on the grill, duck and deer hunting, and college football. He and his family attend First Baptist Church in Batesville, Miss. and regularly make charitable donations to organizations like Log-ALoad For Kids and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fly has also spent some time volunteering. “I’ve been to a homeless shelter in Memphis several times helping feed folks. It’s really eye opening,” he shares. At the end of the day Fly credits his success to date to his faith and employees. “I’ve been blessed with some good employees. We’re only as good as our employees. You have to put God first and treat everybody right to the best of your ability. If you treat people right, it always comes back to you,” he says with SLT a smile.
Personnel & Equipment Other crew members as of early July included Troy Johnson, Joe Flowers, Vester Justice, Brent Anderson, Michael Long, William Elmore, Jimmie Barbee, Henry Reed. Mechanics are William Busby, Anthony Kenyon, Kristopher Drew Steward. Truck drivers are David Morris, David Reich, James Marty Doubleday, William Smith, Harvey Byars, Malcom Dillinghan, Jason Cleveland, Senacs Bradshaw, Daniel Sherman, Vince Self, James Morris, David Maxwell, Justin Moneymaker, Ethan Tutor, Brandon Cosby, Dennis Hudson, Kris Wiggins, David Carlock, Larry Shaw, David Clarke. Other equipment: John Deere—2 feller-bunchers, 2 dozers, 1 skidder, 1 loader; Tigercat—4 skidders, 2 fellerbunchers, 2 loaders; Caterpillar—3 dozers, 1 skidder, 1 loader, 1 excavator; Barko—1 loader; CSI—2 slashers, 2 delimbers; Champion—1 road grader; trucks—16 Peterbilt, 2 Mack, 2 Kenworth; trailers—8 Magnolia, 6 Pitts, 4 McClendon, 3 Manac, 3 Sun, 1 Kaufman 44
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:21 AM Page 45
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:51 PM Page 46
PRINT CLASSIFIED AD RATES: Print advertising rates are $50 per inch. Space is available by column inch only, one inch minimum.
Click. Connect. Trade.
DEADLINES: Ad reservation must be received by 10th of month prior to month of publication. Material must be received no later than 12th of month prior to month of publication.
www.ForesTreeTrader.com
CONTACT: Call Bridget DeVane at 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613, email bdevane7@hotmail.com or visit www.southernloggintimes.com
Logo indicates that equipment in the ad also appears on www.ForesTreeTrader.com
1845
Logo indicates that equipment in the ad also appears on
CHIP VANS FOR SALE
www.ForesTreeTrader.com
2 left. Inspected & excellent shape.
804-586-7198
Call or email: Charles Woolard
562
213
252-946-9264 office 252-945-0942 cell
Washington, NC Email: easterneq@earthlink.net
Go to www.eebinc.com for details and pictures plus other equipment for sale
2016 Tigercat 822D, 1604 hrs., 5703 2011 JD 648H S/A, 9800 hrs., 30.5 tires saw with 110 rotation; ER Boom, war- ................................................. $60,000 ranty.................................... $350,000
2001 CAT D6M LGP, EROPS, U/C pins not turned, 6-way 12' 6" blade, FTC controls............................. $52,500
2014 Trelan 23WRC, C27 w/800hp, 2013 Tigercat 822C w/new Cummins 2001 CAT 535B D/A grapple, tires 3000+ hrs............................$229,500 recon, 5703 sawhead w/110 degrees 44.00x32; pins are good and machine rotating................................... $269,500 is dry......................................$40,000
2012 Morbark 5500 3-Flail w/JD 2004 Timberjack 608S w/FS22 saw, 7341 1999 Tigercat 640 Clambunk, Cum600HP, 5478 hrs., 3360 hrs grind time; hours, replaced John Deere 6081 engine; mins power, good running condition remote control, 5th wheel............$Call good 36" undercarriage............$115,000 .............................................. $88,000
PRICE, CONDITION & AVAILABLE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
46
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
4022
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:49 PM Page 47
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.
7951
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 47
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:49 PM Page 48
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.
• 2005 Tigercat 718 Fellerbuncher, 90% Front Tires, 40% rear Tires, Good/Clean running machine REMAN ENGINE 2800 HRS, MACHINE HRS 9,800...................................................................$52,000 • 2005 Four bolster Big John Trailer (ready for woods)................................................................ $9,500 • 2000 Peterson Chipper 5000G..................................................................................CALL FOR PRICE • 2005 Peterson Chipper 5000G..................................................................................CALL FOR PRICE • 2011 535C Tigercat, 30.5 tires, 10,000 hrs............................................................................... $60,000 • 2011 Tigercat 822C with 110 degree head, 70%bottom, Recon Engine............................ $170,000 • 2004 TIGERCAT 822 10,000 HRS NEW BOTTON, RECON ENGINE..................................... $110,000 • 635C BOGGIE SKIDDER NEW ENGINE, NEW HYDRAULICS, NICE RUNNING MACHINE... $135,000 • 170 franklin pre hauler................................................................................................ CALL FOR PRICE • Ardco Rehauler.............................................................................................. CALL FOR INFO & PRICE • 2010 PRENTICE LOADER WITH CTR DELIMBER 9,000 HRS................................................. $65,000 • 2005 Kenworth T800 (ONE OWNER) CAT ENGINE (Ready for work) • 2000 Kenworth T800 (ONE OWNER) CAT ENGINE (ready for work) ............................................................................................................................ Call for Price on T800s • 2015 Tigercat 822, 2600hrs................................................................................................... $330,0000 • 2006 Tigercat 630C, new engine, new hydrostats, & 35.5 tires.................................................$65,000 13467
2891
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
48
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:49 PM Page 49
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads. 6288
2687
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 49
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:49 PM Page 50
1461
FINAN C AVAILA ING BLE
5569
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.
www.equipmentandparts.com
Office : 903-238-8700 • Jason Bruner: 903-452-5290 Bill Bruner: 903-235-2805 H REDUCED PRICES H
SKIDDERS
2008 John Deere 648H Skidder – 9,300 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! ...................................Reduced to $69,500
2005 Cat 525B Skidder - Engine and transmission rebuilt around 1,000 hours ago, 30.5 x 32 tires, Winch............ $49,500
FELLER BUNCHERS
2011 Cat 563 Feller Buncher – 7,400 hours, SC-57 Saw Head, 28L tires, Cab with air, Ready to work! .................$69,500
2014 Cat 553C Mulcher - NEW FAE 200/U225 mulching head, NEW high pressure pump and hoses, CAT 6.6 TIER 3 engine ,Cab with air, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, ready to work! 0 hours since the conversion from a Feller Buncher. Monthly rental available.... $185,000
2017 Barko 930B Mulcher – FAE 300/U225 smooth drum, 2 speed mulching head, 320 HP Cummins QSL9 engine, 28L tires, Monthly rental available............... $359,000
2017 Kubota SVL 95-2S Mulcher – Equipped with a New FAE mulching head. Rental available! Weekly / Monthly / Rent to own.................................. Call for price!
LOADERS
2005 Timberking TK350 Feller Buncher – 9,100 hours, Waratah FD22 Saw Head, 28L tires, Cat engine with new injectors, Ready to work!...............................$52,500
MULCHERS
2011 John Deere 437D Log Loader Mounted on Hydraulic leg trailer with Riley delimber, Cab with air.................... $45,000
Late model used Saw Heads – Good used take offs that came off of Cat 553C, Cat 563C, Cat 573C..............Call for price 2012 Cat 573C Mulcher – New FAE 200/U-225 Tx Smooth Drum, 2 Speed Mulching Head, New high pressure pump and hoses, 240 Hp Cat 7.1 Engine, Cab with air, Ready to work! 400 hours since conversion from a Feller Buncher. Monthly rental available........$185,000
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
50
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
Visa and Mastercard accepted
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:50 PM Page 51
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.
2290
13189
2012 Deere 643K Feller Buncher STK# LT639732; 5174 hrs $64,500
2013 Deere 643K Feller Buncher STK# LU650417; 6661 hrs $89,000
2011 Deere 437D Knuckleboom Loader STK# LV208627; 8302 hrs $78,000
2015 Morbark 40/36 NCL Drum Chipper STK# LU781158; 939 hrs $370,000
2015 Deere 948L Skidder STK# LT668850; 3241 hrs $190,000
2015 Deere 748L Skidder STK# LT669326; 2936 hrs $202,000
2013 Deere 748H Skidder STK# LU650322; 6601 hrs $145,000
2015 Deere 648H Skidder STK# LU664092; 5634 hrs $159,000
2012 Tjack 648H Skidder STK# LR649591; 8074 hrs $190,000
13267
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 51
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:50 PM Page 52
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.
OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
FOR SALE
2013 John Deere 437D Log Loader
N
7180
We can save you money on Saw Teeth. Hundreds of satisfied ACC OW EP customers. Rebuilt Exchange or New. We specialize in rebuild- CRE TING DIT ing Koehring 2000, Hurricana, Hydro Ax split teeth and all CARDS other brands. Call Jimmy or Niel Mitchell. Quantity Discounts!
EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC.
4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185
good condition, tires @ 50%...... $110,000
2011 Tigercat 724E
2015- Tigercat 610E Grapple skidder, dual arch, winch, 30.5x32 tires, NICE! 4900 HRS....................................... $ 142,500 3939
Call or Text Zane 334-518-9937
Hose, Fittings & Crimpers 8309
Contact: Chris Alligood 1-252-531-8812 email: chrisa.cavalierhose@gmail.com
WANTED TO BUY
4433
280
Cat 518 & Cat 518C skidders in TX, LA area Call Kent 936-699-4700 r_kentjones@yahoo.com
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities. ●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
Excellent condition, New Cummins QSB 6.7L Tier IV, Encompass eng. warranty exp 1/8/18, 18 tooth 560 Tigercat saw head, 28L tires @ 50%............................................................... $88,000
We now have Babac single ring chains in stock 28L x 26 3/4" ring chains........................... $2,550 3.5 x 32 3/4" ring chains............................ $2,875 35.5 x 32 3/4" ring chains.......................... $3,100 67 x 34 5/8" ring chains............................. $2,000 FREE FREIGHT when 2 pair bought together
TED SMITH
Helping Loggers Save Money For Over 20 Years
52
13288
EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA!
5840 Hwy 36, Russellville, AL Home: 256-766-8179 • Office: 256-766-6491 Fax: 256-766-6962 • Cell: 256-810-3190
KEVIN MONTGOMERY 256-366-1425
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/20/17 4:50 PM Page 53
Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.
RECONDITIONED DELIMBINATORS!! In addition to new machines, CHAMBERS DELIMBINATOR, INC. now has factory reconditioned DeLimbinators. These units have been inspected, repaired, and updated as needed. Call us and we will help you select a DeLimbinator for your need.
6209
WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com 1123
IF YOU NEED
To buy or sell forestry, construction, utility or truck equipment, or if you just need an appraisal, contact me, Johnny Pynes with JM Wood Auction. Over 25 years experience. 770
Day 334-312-4136 Night 334-271-1475 or Email: johnwpynes@knology.net
Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.
Mechanic Injured While Repairing Tracked Feller-Buncher BACKGROUND: On a cool, rainy, fall day in the South, a mechanic was replacing hydraulic lines on a tracked feller-buncher.
platform, and due to water and oil residue, the surface was slippery. ACCIDENT: The mechanic had reattached the hose when he slipped off the bucket and fell to the ground.
PERSONAL CHRACTERISTICS: The mechanic was in his early 50s and had been a mechanic for over 13 years. He had worked for this employer for two months prior to the incident. He was experienced in the task at hand, and he was wearing a hard hat, safety glasses, high-visibility vest and steel-toed boots. UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITION: The hose was deep inside the hydraulic compartment of the feller-buncher, and the track only
INJURY: His left arm caught the track on his way down, and he dislocated his shoulder.
offered limited room for access to the area. The mechanic decided to work from the ground while another individual helped while lying on the track. When the mechanic realized
he could not reach the hose from the ground, he decided to stand on a 5-gallon bucket of hydraulic fluid to gain extra height to reach the hose. The bucket was an unstable work
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: l Use proper tools for the job. A stepladder or work platform should have been used. l All work surfaces should be free of fluids or loose particles. Supplied by Forest Resources Assn.
Southern Loggin’ Times CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
●
JANUARY 2018 ● 53
SLT_0118_ASM.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 12:58 PM Page 54
A D L I N K ●
●
ADVERTISER American Truck Parts Bandit Industries BITCO Insurance Carter Enterprises Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Chambers Delimbinator John Deere Forestry Doggett Machinery Service Eastern Equipment Brokerage Employer’s Underwriters Equipment & Parts Flint Equipment Forest Chain Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment Hawkins & Rawlinson Industrial Cleaning Equipment Interstate Tire Service Ironmart J M Forestry Kaufman Trailers Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Louisiana Machinery Magnolia Trailers Maxi-Load Scale Systems Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show Moore Logging Supply Morbark Olofsfors Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Prolenc Manufacturing Puckett Machinery Quadco Equipment Quality Equipment & Parts River Ridge Equipment S E C O Parts & Equipment Southern Loggers Cooperative Stribling Equipment Thompson Tractor Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries Timberblade Timberland Todd Dossett Chipping TraxPlus VPG Onboard Weighing W & W Truck & Tractor Waratah Forestry Attachments J M Wood Auction
●
●
●
PG. NO.
PHONE NO.
43 5 40 27 31 40 55 51 46 43 50 26 38 49 3 43 18 34 51 47 48 11 16 23 13 45 36 39 27 28-29 22 12 56 44 50 38 52 35 44 37 48 19 49 1,7 41 51 46 17 27 42 2 37
888.383.8884 800.952.0178 800.475.4477 205.351.1461 919.550.1201 800.533.2385 800.503.3373 225.368.2224 252.946.9264 256.341.0600 903.238.8700 404.859.5790 800.288.0887 803.708.0624 800.849.7788 800.284.9032 888.822.1173 910.231.4043 864.947.9208 888.561.1115 912.367.5249 866.497.7803 800.766.8349 800.467.0944 866.843.7440 800.738.2123 877.265.1486 662.325.2191 888.754.5613 800.831.0042 519.754.2190 800.269.6520 800.321.8073 877.563.8899 601.969.6000 800.668.3340 386.754.6186 855.325.6465 800.733.7326 318.445.0750 800.682.6409 800.547.0760 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 519.532.3283 912.283.1060 903.824.3540 601.635.5543 541.937.2070 800.845.6648 770.692.0380 334.264.3265
ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
COMING EVENTS January 9-10—Missouri Forest Products Assn. winter meeting, Capitol Plaza, Jefferson City, Mo. Call 573634-3252; visit moforest.org. 17-20—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, JW Marriott, Marco Island, Fla. Call 336885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org.
February 9-11—South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. annual meeting, DoubleTree by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront, Myrtle Beach, SC. Call 803-957-9919; visit scloggers.com. 23-25—Carolina Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Hilton Wilmington Riverside, Wilmington, NC. Call 828-421-8444; visit ncloggers.com.
March
Association annual meeting, Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 502-6953979; visit kfia.org. 16-18—Forest Resources Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, La. Call 202-2963937; visit forestresources.org.
May 2-4—Virginia Forestry Assn. Summit, Richmond, Va. Call 804-2788733; visit vaforestry.org. 18-19—Expo Richmond 2018, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.
July 16-18—Georgia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Westin Resort & Spa, Hilton Head, SC. Call 912-635-6400; visit gfagrow.org.
15-17—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. annual meeting, Okefenokee Fairgrounds and Exchange Club, Waycross, Ga. Call 904-8457133; visit swpa.ag.
20-22—Missouri Forest Products Assn./Missouri Loggers Council annual meeting, Old Kinderhook, Camdenton, Mo. Call 816-6305500; visit moforest.org.
21-23—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. National Conference & Expo, Hyatt Regency Greenville, Greenville, SC. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org.
29-31—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Summer Conference, The Homestead, Hot Springs, Fla. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org.
April
August
10-12—Kentucky Forest Industries
23-26—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Colonial Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Va. Call 804-677-4290; visit valoggers.org. 24-25—Arkansas Timber Producers Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Hot Springs, Ark. Call 501224-2232; visit arkloggers.com.
September 9-11—Alabama Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 334-265-8733; visit alaforestry.org. 21-22—Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show, Starkville, Miss. Call 800-669-5613; visit midsouth forestry.org. 28-30—Florida Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Omni Amelia Island, Amelia Island, Fla. Call 850222-5646; visit floridaforest.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
54
●
JANUARY 2018 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:22 AM Page 55
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!
SLTjan18pgs_SS.qxp_SLTtemplate 12/19/17 11:22 AM Page 56
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!