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Vol. 49, No. 7
(Founded in 1972—Our 574th Consecutive Issue)
F E AT U R E S
July 2020 A Hatton-Brown Publication
Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525
www.southernloggintimes.com Publisher David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief Senior Editor Managing Editor Senior Associate Editor Associate Editor
Rich Donnell Dan Shell David Abbott Jessica Johnson Patrick Dunning
Publisher/Editor Emeritus David (DK) Knight
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J&L Trucking Husband/Wife Team
out front:
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Oklahoma logger Bucky McGee, right, balances life with work by keeping his crew intentionally small, keeping well-maintained older machines to limit his debt load so he’s under no one’s thumb. His son Luke, left, and other family members make up the crew. Story begins on Page 8. (Photo by David Abbott)
TH Survey Loggers Speak Out
Art Director Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director Online Content/Marketing
Cindy Segrest Patti Campbell Rhonda Thomas Jacqlyn Kirkland
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
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Special Focus: Feller Heads, Etc.
Southern Stumpin’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Industry News Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Machines-Supplies-Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 ForesTree Equipment Trader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 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 +34 96 640 4048 58 Aldea de las Cuevas • 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 ® 2020. 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
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SOUTHERN STUMPIN’ By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com
No Ordinary Logger labama logger William “Bill” Sanders, Jr. has died. Montgomery area news agencies reported that he was pronounced dead at the scene of a car accident on May 23 near his home town of Prattville. He received a military graveside service at Ashland City Cemetery in Ashland, Ala. on May 29. Sanders, who was 60, left behind his mother, Alta Mary Sanders, two brothers, Kirk and Andrew, two daughters and three grandchildren. His father, William Sanders, Sr., died less than a year earlier, in August 2019. Sanders’ obituary recalls him thus: “He was a silent benefactor and quietly helped many without ever confessing his assistance to others. He was an avid reader of history and the Bible. Known for his gregarious nature, his sense of humor, his boisterous laugh, his playfulness, his honesty and his intelligence, he exuded confidence in his affairs, excelled in his business and had a giving and warm heart. To those who knew him, they understood he lived his life on his own terms and without fear. He had an unbridled passion for life, the outdoors, hunting, art, his family and his Christian faith. He had a ‘trademark style’ and he could always be recognized by his Carhart overalls, and black Army Ranger T-shirt.” I remember speaking with Mr. Sanders once by phone last fall, but I can’t recall that we ever met in person. It’s not unlikely that we might have crossed paths at some point. He lived in Prattville, part of the area where I grew up and lived most of my life, and where I still frequently visit. We’re also both graduates of Montgomery’s Huntingdon College, where he earned a BA in history. And my dad, Bill Abbott, knew him. They saw each other often in the Prattville office of timber dealer Ed Sellers in the ’80s and ’90s. “He was a real high roller, I tell you,” dad says. If I met him, I don’t remember it, and I’m sorry for that, because by all accounts, he was quite a character. From what I understand, Sanders was far from the typical logger. For one thing, he didn’t come from a logging family. His dad was a doctor who practiced family medicine in Prattville for 25 years. Dr. Sanders graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1957, got his M.D. from the Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham (now UAB) in 1961 and completed his post-medical school training in psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic. Direct commissioned as a Captain in the United States Air Force in 1963, he was stationed at Maxwell Air Force base in Montgomery and served in the USAF Medical Corps from ’63-’65. Bill’s parents got together in junior high and were married for 63 years, until Dr. Sanders died last year at age 83. For another thing, before he was a logger, Bill, Jr., was an artist. “He was an incredible artist,” according to a third Bill, Bill Jones, a long time
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fixture in the Alabama timber industry who also attended the same church as Sanders for a time. After Huntingdon, Sanders attended the Pratt Institute Art School in New York City for two years. He also spent two summers studying classical art in Les Cerqueux-sous-Passavant in Maine-et-Loire, France. But the people he met there, it seems, just weren’t his kind of people. Some of his artwork is on permanent display at the Arts Students League Gallery in New York City. His most notable piece there is “An Old Woman With Pearls.” His first successful artwork and limited print edition was an egg tempera painting of an Alabama wild turkey. Titled “Emmet’s Gobbler,” it was in wildlife magazines in the ’80s and was selected as the first “wildlife stamp” for the State of Alabama. Sanders could have made a good living as an artist, Jones suspects, but he wasn’t driven that direction.Like his father, Sanders served his country in the military, but in a very different capacity. He had a distinguished career as an Army Ranger and “Triple Canopied” Green Beret in the U.S. Army Reserves (20th Special Forces Group), reaching the rank of Captain. “I don’t know what he did in Special Forces,” Jones admits. “But when he came out, he wasn’t a normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill logger.” It’s not exactly clear to me how Sanders…a doctor’s son, a Paris/New York trained artist, a Green Beret and Army Ranger…found his way into logging, but it seems it was his true calling. But even here, he took a cue from Sinatra and did it his way. “He was a unique individual who did unique jobs nobody else wanted to wrestle with,” Jones recollects. “When I first met him, he was using C4 to blow a ditch in Bear Creek Swamp to get the water level down low enough so he could get out big pine logs.” My dad tells a similar story. “I went in the Minnow Bucket, a country store in Autaugaville, to get a Coke one time, and saw him in there. He was wearing those overalls, and he had his pockets filled with dynamite. He was gonna blow up a beaver dam or something. Well, I forgot about the Coke and got out of there,” he laughs. “After that I called him Dynamite.” That wasn’t the only time, Jones says, that he found Sanders doing a job nobody in his right mind would take. “It didn’t bother him. He was an out-of-the-box kind of guy, open to opportunities to get to stuff others wouldn’t fool with. He didn’t mind stretching the envelope. He had that flair about him. The bigger the challenge, the more he liked it.” Jones says Sanders worked in swamps and steep slopes, and tried cut-to-length machines, sometimes partnering with his brother Kirk, who was also a logger.
He wasn’t above a little practical joke. One story goes that he once had some logs that had been underwater and had sprouted some unusually large lily pads. He didn’t think he was getting enough for the wood so he decided to leave a bunch of those lily pads on several logs and stuff them in the middle of a load to increase the weight, mostly just for a laugh. “He did his own thing,” Jones reiterates. “He was not a go-along-to-get-along sort of guy. He didn’t suffer fools and you never had to question where he stood on the issues. He was very conservative. And he wasn’t afraid of a challenge. I think he got that from being a Ranger. He always figured out a way to get it done and to come out ahead on it. Finally, Jones laments, “There won’t ever be another one like him.”
Logan’s Wisdom You’ve seen the news: police brutality, black lives matter, racial tension, peaceful protests, riots, debate over Confederate monuments. I’ve not only seen this movie before, I think I’ve been forced to watch it my whole life. It wasn’t a very good movie the first time, and it hasn’t aged well. I won’t comment on all that stuff. This isn’t the place, I don’t have the answers, and there’s plenty of it elsewhere. Instead, I just want to tell you about how my younger son Logan reacted to all of this. When Logan saw the news about George Floyd’s murder, he was upset. You see, his best friend in the world, Jeremiah, is black. So when I put him to bed that night, Logan asked, “Daddy, what if that happens to Jeremiah?” I assured him it wouldn’t because most police officers are the good guys and deserve our gratitude and respect for doing a difficult and necessary job. Logan has a passionate and innate sense of right and wrong, fairness and justice. It makes him really angry—righteously indignant, I would say—when he sees movies or shows depicting any group of people, black or Jewish or whatever, being mistreated. Whenever he sees or reads anything about slavery, or the Civil Rights movement, or the Holocaust, he always says, “All people are people!” It’s his way of expressing a beautiful concept that sounds so obvious but is so profound. Strange that a kid can instinctively see a simple truth that eludes so many adults. I guess that’s why Jesus told us to come to Him the way children do. We can learn from Logan. I’m proud of my son for the way he sees the world, and I agree with him. All people are people. Red and yellow, black and white, we are all precious in His sight—remember that? That shouldn’t be controversial. All people are people. Simple as that. SLT
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A Better Life ■ Using older machines, Bucky McGee chooses quality of life over quantity of production.
By David Abbott HEAVENER, Okla. hen I first heard Bucky McGee’s voice on the phone close to a year ago, I recall that the cadence of his speech patterns and the depth of his voice reminded me a little bit of the way John Wayne talked. Because of that, in my mind I was imagining and expecting a much older man than the one I met when I arrived in Oklahoma early this March, not someone nearly my own age. At 43 in August, the owner of Bucky McGee Logging says he feels young in spirit. McGee may still be young, or young enough at least, but he runs older machines, mid-late ’90s models, not because he has to but
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because he wants to. “I prefer it that way for cost efficiency,” he reasons. “The way I look at it, if you can stay small, and keep older equipment up, you can make a living through hard times. I feel like if ★ you’re independent you don’t have anyone’s thumb on you.” He tells a tale of a time when one of International Paper’s procurement people tried to persuade him to buy all new equipment, claiming a no-quota guarantee. “I didn’t even consider the thought of it,” McGee says. “I told him no, we wouldn’t, because I wanted to be independent and in control of what we do, and not have to worry about big payments.” McGee says he’s tried high production logging and decided it wasn’t for him. “Your minimum, with being able to service equipment, you’re looking at working seven
days a week. It’s never been in my interest to work that much. I want to enjoy life. The older equipment allows us to do that.” It’s a question of quality of life to him. “We love to hunt and fish. I have coached all three of my boys for nine years of little league football. I tournament fish.” He doesn’t have that pressure on him to produce big numbers—he and his crew generally shoot for 25 loads a week, or in that neighborhood. “Hey, it can rain us out for a month; nobody can come get my stuff. It will be right here. And then crank back up as soon as it dries.”
Golden Oldies Even newer machines will suffer breakdowns sooner and later, but with older ones, you can count on it being in the “sooner” column. “We
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don’t have a lot of breakdowns, believe it or not,” McGee affirms. “We just don’t.” However, if and when it does happen, maybe once or twice a year, he figures he can make repairs for less than the cost of newer iron. “If one payment is, say, $6,000 a month, well I can put a new motor in for less than that,” he reasons. “What major breakdown are you going to have more than that? I can fix it all every year for the cost of one month’s payment.” Growing up, McGee recalls that his dream was to have a skidder with an air conditioned cab and CB radio. “Well, I made that dream come true,” he smiles. “I have two of them. Some say ‘But you have old equipment.’ Well you know what? It’s mine. It’s old, but it’s mine, it’s paid for, and that makes me more proud than anything.” Of course, he stresses, it’s also
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good equipment. It’s not like he’s running worn-out junk. “We just try to take care of the older equipment and run it. I’ve had good luck on it; it’s not been something that has hampered me.” Maintenance, of course, is critical, so the crew pressure washes everything once a month—that keeps fire hazard in check and makes it easier to work on. They grease everything at least weekly and change oil and replace filters every 250 hours. “As long as you do maintenance and do it right, and you have a decent machine, then you are going to make more money,” McGee is convinced. “If you let it go to the point that you are pouring in four or five buckets of oil or hydraulic fluid a day, then it is about done anyway in my opinion.” He also stresses how important it is to operate a machine with care and respect, not recklessly. “One of my pet peeves is somebody being mean to my stuff,” he admits. “In the morning we check the oil and hydraulics and we let it warm up. If we run it in the big hardwood tops, we don’t want to bend the side plate. Some people say it’s a skidder and that’s what it’s for, but I have always been weird about stuff like that.” Other than that, he says, if it breaks, they fix it and they fix it right. “We put the right parts in.” McGee owns a shop, M&M Tire and Automotive in Heavener. His oldest son Quinten, 25, runs it. But most repairs he can handle in the woods. “If a rear end goes out, you have to have something to lift it,” the logger points out. “I have the machines out here to deal with it—the knuckleboom can pick it up.” McGee has a ’97 Tigercat 726B feller-buncher and a pair of ‘97 John Deere 648G skidders that he bought used from his old boss, Keith LeForce. He sets up a ’95 Prentice 180B at one landing and a ’91 Peerless loader at a separate landing further into the woods. He keeps backups for every piece, including a ’95
McGee still runs his machines from the '90s, back when John Deere was yellow.
Hydro-Ax 611E so that down time is never all the way down. Instead of pullthroughs or strokes, Stihl 362 chain saws handle most delimbing, and he keeps a 460 for the bigger hardwoods they find when working in the bottoms. “There is a machine to do it but it costs more in the end, and there is never enough money in it to merchandize,” he believes. “The more you handle that timber, the less you make from it. When you are like what we are, you try to find the most cost efficient ways. It is all about efficiency. That’s the reason we don’t run a delimber. There is no substitute for hard work.” He recently bought a ’05 Cat D5N dozer for building and maintaining landings and roads. “It is probably one of the best investments I have made in logging,” he says. “Had I had any idea that it would do what it has done for me I would have owned one a long time ago.” He did have a ’70s model D4 with a straight blade, but it was limited. The D5 really helps during the
Bucky McGee, right, with his father-in-law Coy Morrison, left
McGee buys timber only from private landowners. “I do no government land, never have worked a government tract,” he says. “And I stay busy doing that. So it’s been good to me. I have been in the business long enough that I know everyone around
here, everyone knows me, and they want me to cut their timber. So I have a pretty good gig going with that, and reputation obviously helps.” Before the coronavirus pandemic and accompanying response temporarily shut down our editorial travels in mid-March, the problem Southern Loggin’ Times editors had been having with getting out to see loggers was rain. When I travelled west for a week in early March, I found rain nearly everywhere I went in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, dodging it just long enough to see a few loggers able to work here and there between storms. It had been raining in Oklahoma that week, too, but McGee was able to work on dry ground on a mountain over a coal mine. After they mined the coal from it 30 years ago, Farrell Cooper Mining reclaimed the top of the mountain by replanting it with pine, then gave the 1,000 acres to Le Flore County, according to McGee. The timber has been thinned once. “Now we are trying to take out the bad trees and some
Bucky's son Luke McGee
Bucky's son Ross McGee
winter. “It is the difference between working versus not working. I wouldn’t have believed that before but I believe it now.” McGee also owns a second crew with a 410 loader, ’93 John Deere 648E skidder and 570 Hydro-Ax. The small operation cuts small tracts, turning out about 10 loads a week. “I buy enough timber around here, a lot of these smaller tracts, and I have everybody wanting me there tomorrow, immediately.” McGee’s cousin is the foreman overseeing the second crew. “He needed to be home more and near his family, so I put him to work doing these small tracts for me. So he’s helping me and I’m helping him.”
Tract
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of the logs and let the good logs and the younger trees grow more,” he says. “I would like to get two more cuts off of it.” He is doing an informal and unofficial management plan as a service for his county. “I am doing it on my own, to my specs, to what I think needs to happen for a future rotation. I’d like to do it every 8-10 years.” It’s practically in his backyard—scarcely four miles from his house as the crow flies. “I could drive a four wheeler to work if it wasn’t too cold,” he said in early March. Working pine on the hilltop is not the norm for McGee. “It is different here than down south in a flat plantation. This pine on this hill is a rare find. Usually we are in hilly terrain, rough ground logging.” And that’s his preference. He likes working in hardwood as much as he can. It’s his niche, as he explains: “You can get hardwood in this country and you do not have a lot of competition for it; everyone wants the pine. If we can find the bottoms we get them in the summer.” McGee thought hanging on to this tract for the cool, wet months this past winter was his best option. It wouldn’t sink here due to solid rock and shale under the surface. “It can rain 10 inches tomorrow, I might lay off a day and be right back at it,” he said in March. “So this job is solid. As a logger you have to look ahead in case it does get wet and make a plan for a winter job. I always try to have one to hold back just in case.”
Markets Since SLT’s visit in March, McGee acknowledges that the coronavirus did finally impact his markets. “They had to shut down some mills down in Arkansas and Texas, so all those
McGee uses only contract haulers, saying he's a logger, not a trucker.
Truck driver Eddie Smith
trucks came up here, and that killed our pine fiber market,” he says. “They had to put us on quota, and one place was down for two weeks.” Now, he says, they’ll buy pine pulp, but at a reduced rate. Pine logs and hardwood markets are doing fine, he reports. The crew averages 25-30 loads a week, a pace that leaves them time for maintenance. Saw logs go to West Fraser in Mansfield, Ark. Pulp, both pine and hardwood, goes to International Paper in Valiant, Okla. McGee sells hardwood saw logs and tie cuts to Wood Lumber Co. in Idabel. McGee owns a 1986 International
truck/lowboy combo for moving equipment from tract to tract, but he contracts out all his log trucking needs. “I quit hauling,” he says. He had two trucks at one time but after one of them was totaled, he decided it wasn’t worth the headache and hassle. “With the liability and the nerves, and you can’t find people to work anymore, I decided contract is the way to go. Those guys need to make a living and it’s out of my hair. I am a logger; I am not a trucker. I thought as a kid I’d want 10 of them with my name on them going up and down the highway, but I don’t want that now.” He hires three contractors: Eddie Smith, Brad Bruce and Charlie Coleman, who has a fleet of trucks in dispatch, hauling off both of McGee’s crews.
One Piece At A Time McGee is fourth generation. His dad, uncles and grandparents
The McGee family crew averages around 25 loads a week.
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worked with mules and adapted from there. “My uncle ran one of the first skidders in this country, a Franklin, in the ’60s,” he says. “And they didn’t believe it was going to work in the terrain, but it did.” When he came along and was old enough to get in the woods, McGee grew up with two-ton pulpwood trucks hand loading short wood. “Basically we went through every level of logging stages to where we are today.” It’s been 17 years since he started his own company. “It was really an opportunity that I wanted, but it seemed so far-fetched at the time,” he recalls. “Growing up, we weren’t blessed with the most money. The area is kind of poverty-stricken. Unless you have your own business and are willing to work hard, you won’t have much.” Before starting his own company, McGee worked for five years as a foreman for logger Keith LeForce. When he went on his own, McGee bought his machines from LeForce. “He’s a great man,” LeForce’s former foreman says. “He gave me the opportunity to get started in life and it was a big start. I am very thankful to him and his wife Cody for helping me get that start.” Initially he bought one skidder and the ’91 Peerless loader. He had them both paid off in six months. “My whole career has been mostly without debt,” he says. A few weeks after paying the first two off, he bought the other machines, and from there he branched out and bought more. “I’d buy one piece at a time, pay for it, then buy another. I have built to where I am today by buying one piece at a time.” McGee gets his insurance through Stephanie Miller at Miller Insurance in Antlers, Okla. and workers’ comp from CompSource Mutual Insurance Co. in Oklahoma City. He is a member of the Arkansas Timber Producers Assn. Oklahoma doesn’t have a logging
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council—the state’s timber industry is concentrated mainly in its eastern and southeastern counties—and he does haul to and log in Arkansas, which is only 20-30 miles from his home base.
Family Business The crew is very family-centered, with three generations working together. He has two sons and both of his sons’ grandfathers out there with him. McGee himself can fill in
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running whatever machine he needs to run. He has no other employees outside the family. His father-in-law, Coy Morrison, handles chain saw trimming. Dad Mike McGee usually mans the skidder and helps with moving equipment. Son Luke, 22, spends most of his time on the cutter. “I called him my little ace in the hole for years,” the proud dad recalls. “Growing up he has always been by my side.” Youngest son Ross, 19, finished high school this spring; due to coro-
navirus, he had a virtual graduation, but is set to have a traditional graduation at the end of June. He has already joined the family business, running a skidder. McGee has been married to his wife Kari for 26 years. Besides their three sons, they have a daughter, Gracie, 17, who is about to enter her senior year of high school. McGee and Kari welcomed their first grandchild just over 18 months ago, thanks to Luke and his wife Elyssa, who had a daughter, Raylee.
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Passions Fiercely competitive, McGee loves sports as much as he does the outdoors. He also loves working with and mentoring youth. “I have been in sports my whole life. I coached football for my boys for nine years. I loved baseball as a kid and I really thought I’d coach that. But I realized when I started coaching football that baseball takes a special talent, really talented athletes, while in football, if you have kids with some talent but a little bit of mean to them, you can make a pretty good football team without super talent. So I really liked coaching football better.” When it comes to his outdoor pursuits, it would be fair to say that McGee likes hunting, but he loves fishing. “It is one of my favorite things. It is kind of a therapy I guess; I go out there, I don’t worry about anything, just figure the fish out and enjoy it.” He pulls his 2007 Triton with his 2007 Chevy Duramax pickup. “I don’t care what my truck looks like as long as I can get my boat to the water,” he laughs. Sounds like a country song. He bought them both the same year and both are still in really good shape. He applies the same reasoning here as with woods equipment: “I don’t see the sense in replacing them. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Fishing also allows him to combine his love for the outdoors with two of his other favorite things. The first is coaching kids. He’s been taking high school boys fishing as part of a school program. “They have started high school fishing teams around here,” he explains. “We’re teaching them a little. These are good young boys and we want to keep them out of trouble and introduce them to tournament fishing early in life. I wish I had started earlier. I had no idea and they didn’t offer it then.” That brings up the other thing he can combine with fishing: his competitive streak. “I love to compete,” he acknowledges. “And tournament fishing is one of the most competitive things I have ever done. Tournament fishing is really my passion, in all honesty. That and working in the woods.” Speaking of the woods, he says, “I have really enjoyed it and hope it will last long enough for my sons to get through it. I think it is going to last, but I think it is going to be more for people like what we are, the small loggers, because you can be flexible and adapt to change. If I was going to give somebody advice, that would be it. Stay small so you can be flexible and adapt, because there will always be a demand for a SLT small logger.”
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Power Couple ■ Married couple James and Lucille Pennington work hard in the Cheat Mountain hardwoods.
By Patrick Dunning BARTOW, W. Va. ynamic hus★ band-wife duo James and Lucille Pennington are a team at home and on the job. Working together in the woods, they have maintained an outstanding reputation in the logging community for years. Their approach to hardwood harvesting incorporates environmental awareness, tailored safety protocols and adherence to the landowner’s wishes. Their company, J&L Trucking, LLC, is known as one of the most reliable in West Virginia. Both of them come from families with rich histories in agriculture. Often referred to as “Sis,” Lucille, 53, grew up in a logging family, felling for her dad. James, 52, was raised in a cattle farming family. They had heard of one another growing up, living just a few miles apart. The two first crossed paths when one of James’s coworkers on the farm hauled a load of timber for Lucille’s father. They started dating
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young and got married when she was 19 and he was 18. After they decided to purchase a log truck, the couple began hauling for the family business in the early 2000s under J&L Trucking. They
officially registered their company as an LLC in 2012. “When we first started and it was just me and her, I would fell and she’d skid until about 2 p.m.,” James reflects. “Then I’d come to the landing and
get caught up on loading the truck. We never had a quitting time, just quit when we were finished.” They have since brought Lucille’s brother, Rodney Dean, 51, into the fray to help shoulder the workload.
Cheat
The power couple of James and Lucille redefine logging stereotypes.
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Southern Loggin’ Times found J&L Trucking in late February at the base of Cheat Mountain, a steep ridge situated in the Alleghany Mountains of eastern West Virginia. They were harvesting a 24-acre tract under several inches of snow. Being so deep in the country, spotty phone service puts cellphones second to CB radios as the main form of communication throughout the day. Cheat Mountain has some historical significance. The Battle of Cheat Mountain, or the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, was the first battle in which Robert E. Lee led troops into combat in the Civil War. Part of the Western Virginia Campaign, it happened September 12-15, 1861, in Pocahontas County and Randolph County, land that was then still part of Virginia. Lee planned to surround
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Trees above 14 in. diameter are targeted.
The landing is situated on the firmest and most level ground on the tract.
Union Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynold’s garrison at the Cheat Mountain summit. Orders weren’t carried out and Lee withdrew forces. However, the mountain proved to be a reliable staging ground for future battles. Nearly 160 years later, men (and women) wage battles of a different
A blanket of snow doesn’t hinder a productive day in the woods.
Lucille handles skidder responsibilities with ease.
sort here. “We’re in some rough country so topography is tough,” James acknowledges. “These hollows are small and sides are steep so you’re always working near some water.” The landing is strategically placed as far from streams as possible to avoid becoming
Bear Paw chains on the front tires provide additional tread on skid roads.
washed out in rain. Timber mats lay along the road leading up to the landing for additional traction. Lucille usually runs the cable skidder while James scales the mountainside looking for marked trees to take down with his Stihl. James’ method of felling trees starts
with diameter breast height. When consulting with private landowners, he advises them not to allow cuts under 14 in. DBH. Instead, he prefers to target 18 in. DBH and higher, leaving smaller trees room to grow to maturity. “We do whatever the landowner
Their ’06 Tigercat loader is mounted onto a trailer for easy transport between jobs.
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wants to do on a percentage cut,” James says. “They make more money this way. If you buy a tract upfront they’ll estimate the value of each tree and that process is quicker, but if you want to be paid for every log coming off your property, percentage cuts are better.”
Market Pulse Major species harvested include poplar, cherry, hard and soft maple, red and white oak, red maple, beech, and chestnut oak. Between individual buyers and sawmills, James likes to make the most money for the landowner. J&L hauls poplar and soft maple to InterState Hardwoods Co. in Bartow, while hard maple, red oak and other species go to J C Lumber Co., Elkins. Pine and black locust are taken to Hayes Scott Fence & Lumber, Inc., Mill Creek, and Weyerhaeuser in Dailey takes pulpwood. James says when they leave a tract, everything from the tree is salvaged for additional uses. He also buys firewood from landowners and resells it during the winter. Christopher Cartwright, owner of TLM Management LLC, a timberland management firm in Buckhannon, helps J&L Trucking ensure that
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From left: Richard Wernicke, Rodney Dean, James Pennington, Lucille Pennington (front), Christopher Cartwright, Terry Jones
its procedures abide by the landowner’s prescription and state laws. Between the Chinese tariff war and the onslaught of COVID-19, hardwood export markets have suffered in 2020. Cartwright believes there
aren’t many export markets for several species right now. “Red oak is moving but it’s slow and the price isn’t where we’d like to see it,” he says. “COVID-19 has a lot of people hesitant to do anything right now so
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supply is high.” One of the main mills in their region, Inter-State Hardwoods, was forced to shut down for three weeks after a positive coronavirus test result. They have since reopened. While export markets skate by, Cartwright says white oak and chestnut are among a few species doing well in domestic markets currently. Other species taking a hit are maple and poplar. “With mill closures it’s hard to move wood anywhere,” he adds. “We’re hopeful for a good fourth quarter but it’s all speculation at this point. Nobody knows how it will pan out. Everybody is just hanging on by the skin of their teeth at this point, hoping for a better fall and winter.” James and Lucille make it a point to deal honestly with landowners. They don’t believe in making an extra dollar at the owner’s expense. “I always tell the landowner, you will get paid for every log I take off your stand,” James says. “That’s where they get the extra money because if a sawmill purchases the stand they’ll just pay you for what they cruise. I don’t believe in beating people. I’d rather tell them everything upfront.” As a forester, Terry Jones, owner of Rich Mountain Forestry, LLC,
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says his main concern is residual trees, and he notes that J&L is especially careful not to damage trees left behind. “You couldn’t make them cheat somebody,” he testifies of the Penningtons. “The landowner always benefits more by merchandising the logs instead of lump sum sales. Generally speaking, it’s almost always percentage basis. Everyone used to go off stump height but it’s easier to measure at the breast of a tree.”
Equipment The Penningtons run one cable skidder, a 2000 John Deere 540GIII, and one dozer, a ’01 Deere 750C. All tires are equipped with Bear Paw skidder series tire chains. A ’06 Tigercat loader at the landing stacks different sorts. They fell with two Stihl chain saws, a 462 series and 461 series. Along with cutting and loading, James hauls an average 20 loads a week driving a 1999 tri-axle International Paystar 5000. He also has a ’95 Ford LTL 9000 road tractor and uses two Pitts trailers, ’96 and ’98 models, for hauling wood. Maintenance is done mainly inhouse at their garage in Huttonsville.
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They change oil after every job, or sometimes twice during larger jobs, using Mobil Delvac. Trucks receive an oil change after every 10,000 miles and are greased weekly. For sales and additional service, the Penningtons look to Leslie Equipment in Norton for John Deere. Newlons International in Elkins provides truck parts. Progressive Insurance has taken care of J&L for the past 15 years. James and Lucille feel closest to their son, Will James Pennington, in the woods.
J&L averages 20 loads weekly and sells to a number of customers.
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BMPs Richard Wernicke, service forester for the West Virginia Division of Forestry, believes West Virginia has the best BMPs in the eastern United States. “There may be a couple days throughout the year you have to stay out of the woods, but with solid BMPs you’re going to be working almost all the time,” he states. The night before SLT visited J&L, the temperature dropped below 20º while a blanket of snow created firm ground for easy access to and from the tract. Wernicke says it’s too bad the weather can’t cooperate like that all winter. One rule of thumb Wernicke suggests: any skid road within 100 ft.
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Stave logs are used for manufacturing whiskey barrels.
of a stream must be seeded, mulched, and silt fenced as soon as the soil is disturbed. “If you’re going to rework an old spot, put up your silt fence and hay bells, culverts, truck mats, ditching, rock, water bars, just every tactic you can,” he explains. Wernicke enforces BMP regulations that started in 1992 and works with about 60 active loggers in Randolph County. He hears the landowner’s stance but is not involved in the timber contract. His only concern is seeing that BMPs are enforced and the logger is licensed. James says they try to treat properties like they’d want their own treated. “If you stir up too much mud it’s a hassle at the end of the job and takes time to reclaim everything, so it’s best to clean as you go.”
Decorations Though a small operation, J&L Trucking has left a big footprint in the state. In 2017 they were named the West Virginia Forestry Assn. Logger of the Year. In 2018 they competed with 10 other states and won the Forest Resources Assn. (FRA) Appalachian Region Outstanding Logger of the Year. “It meant the world to us,” James says. “It’s something you don’t take for granted. We’re just dedicated to our craft.”
The Penningtons remain humble after receiving several awards over the years.
The Penningtons also sponsor two tee-ball teams in the Tygart Valley Little League in Huttonsville. James says they also donated a load of wood to Harman Elementary School during a fundraiser to construct a new playground. And they participate in an annual cakewalk auction for the local FFA and 4H clubs by donating firewood that’s then auctioned off. James and Lucille have a deeprooted love for logging that, in part, stems from the loss of their son, Will James Pennington. He loved to spend time with his parents in the woods. “We feel closer to him and talk to him when we’re in the woods because this is what he loved to do,” Lucille says. SLT 20
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Don’t Mess With A Hornet
Interesting Stone, Inscription
13. Believe you can and you’re halfway there.—Theodore Roosevelt 14. We all have the ability to design our own lives.—Bob Proctor 15. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. —Og Mandino 16. People inspire you, or they drain you. Pick them wisely.—Hans F Hansen 17. Your attitude belongs to you and it’s your choice if you want to have a good one.—Joyce Meyer 18. The time is now. Stop hitting the snooze button on your life.—Mel Robbins 19. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.—Jim Rohn 20. People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.—Earl Nightingale 21. Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.—Plato 22. Decide what you want. Believe you can have it. Believe that you deserve it, and believe it’s possible for you.—Jack Canfield 23. Success in life is becoming what you want to be.—Napoleon Hill 24. Your personality creates your personal reality. Your personality is made up of how you act, how you think and how you feel.—Joe Dispenza 25. What appears to be the end of the road may simply be a bend in the road.—Robert H. Schuller
The story goes that a Texas highway patrol officer was conducting speeding enforcement on U.S. highway 77, just south of Kingsville, using a handheld radar device. He was stunned when the radar gun began reading 300 MPH and climbing. The officer attempted to reset the radar gun, but it would not reset and then went dead as he heard a deafening roar. He had in fact locked on to a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet, which was engaged in a low-flying exercise near the Kingsville Naval Air Station. Back at the area highway patrol headquarters in Corpus Christi, a highway patrol captain fired off a complaint to the base commander for shutting down his officer’s equipment. The Like the people they identify, tombstones come in all sorts response came back in true USMC style: of types, sizes, ages, colors and so on. This one, erected in You may be interested to know that the tactian old, rural cemetery located in east central Alabama, cal computer in the Hornet had detected the stands apart for its unusual two-sided inscription and the presence of, and subsequently locked on to, fact that it stands alone. There is no adjacent grave for another Ingram or for Blake Robinson or Sam Johnston. your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it, which is why it shut down. Furthermore, an air-to-ground missile aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also automatically locked on to your equipment’s location. Fortunately, the Marine pilot recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched to destroy the hostile radar position on the side of highway 77, south of Kingsville. While waiting for life to get back to normal consider this info found floatThe pilot suggests your officer cover his mouth when cursing since the ing around on the Internet: detection systems on these jets are extremely high-tech and sensitive. SerIf you could fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting geant Johnson, the officer holding the radar gun, should have his dentist of 100 people, and maintain the proportions of all the people now living check his left rear molar. It appears that a filling is loose. Also, the snap is on Earth, that village would consist of 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 Ameribroken on his holster. cans (North, Central and South), and eight Africans. There would be 52 women and 48 men, 30 Caucasians and 70 non-Caucasians, 30 Christians and 70 non-Christians, and 89 heterosexuals and 11 1. Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.—Aristotle homosexuals. 2. Do something to move yourself toward your major goal every day. Six people would possess 59% of the wealth and they would all come from —Brian Tracy the USA. Eighty would live in poverty, 70 would be illiterate, 50 would suffer 3. All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue from hunger and malnutrition, and one each would be dying, be being born, them.—Walt Disney own a computer and have a university degree. 4. Life isn’t always about doing the things we like to do. It’s about If we looked at the world in this way, the need for acceptance and underdoing things we have to do.—David Goggins standing would be obvious. But, consider again the following: 5. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree If you can read, you’re fortunate, because there are some 2 billion who cana long time ago.—Warren Buffett not. If you enjoy good health, you are blessed more than one million people 6. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the who won’t live through the week. If you have never experienced the horror of biggest step in your life.—Steve Maraboli war, the solitude of prison, the pain of torture, were not close to death 7. I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think. from starvation, then you are better off than 500 million people. —Socrates If you can go to your place of worship without fear that someone will 8. Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I assault or kill you, then you are more fortunate than 3 billion react to it.—John Maxwell people. 9. People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing If you have a full fridge, plenty of clothing, a roof over what they dream of.—Paulo Coelho your head and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than 75% of 10. Change the way you look at things and the things the world’s population. you look at change.—Wayne Dyer If your parents are still alive and still married, you’re a rare 11. Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what individual. you can do.—John Wooden If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and a few 12. You already have within you everything you need to coins in your purse, you are one of eight of the privileged turn your dreams into reality.—Wallace D. Wattles few among the 100 people in the world.
Some Thoughts To Ponder
25 Inspirational Quotes
Sign Of The Month
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Survey Says... ■ Results are in from the 2020 TH Logging Business Outlook Survey. EDITOR’S NOTE: Timber Harvesting (another Hatton-Brown publication) conducted its 2020 Business Outlook & Viral Impact Survey this spring; 311 loggers participated.
By Dan Shell
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cross the nation loggers face reduced economic activity thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. For loggers, the biggest impact by far has been reduced mill operations in all segments of the industry. Almost two-thirds of all loggers have been hit with mill downtime that’s led to quotas and lost revenue, and a third of contractors have seen logging rates reduced by mills. One Arkansas contractor notes greatly reduced pulp-paper markets, a pine mill closure and operating mills going to one shift in late April. He adds that large landowners in the region have reduced hauling rates. “The problem is all this has happened to these mills, and yet we have the same number of loggers trying to log,” he says. “The math just does not work.”
By The Numbers Asked to rate their top three business concerns, 82% of respondents indicated maintaining markets and uncertain mill operations topped the list. Next biggest concern, according to 48%: logging rates and cut/haul contracts. The third biggest concern is a virtual dead heat between two issues: 41% of loggers said insurance cost, particularly for trucking, is their third biggest concern, followed closely by weather conditions, cited by 40% of loggers. For trucking, 41% of loggers mix their own log trucks with contract haulers and landowner-arranged trucking regularly when needed. A full 32% run only their own trucks. The remaining 27% rely completely on outside contract haulers. The first comment on the question is one SLT/TH editors hear frequently: “I want that truck here when I need it.” Another logger commented that he tried to use contract haulers “but couldn’t afford it.” Other comments noted difficulty finding contract haulers in their area. Looking at trucking, 34% of loggers say driver availability is their 24
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biggest concern, followed by 28% who cite insurance costs. The thirdbiggest trucking concern: driver quality, noted by 18% of loggers. Regulations were noted as a top concern by 16% of drivers. One silver lining in the pandemic has been fuel costs. Though they’ve risen recently with resumed economic activity, fuel costs were mentioned as a top trucking concern by only 3% of loggers. “It’s really hard to find qualified drivers,” one logger commented. “About the time you get one trained, they buy their own truck and become your competition.” Another logger noted the inability to attract good drivers due to low logging rates: “Market compensation for drivers still lags levels where it is competitive with similar local options (paving, construction, etc.)—$1822/hour is the level where a significant step up in driver quality/availability would be seen. However, those rates add more cost to an already unprofitable trucking business given current (logging) rates.” Even with the sentiment noted above, almost two-thirds (64%) of loggers say they are happy with their current trucking setup. Of the remainder, 19% say they are looking at adding more of their own log trucks, while 11% are looking to add more contract hauling capacity to their trucking mix. Another 5% of loggers say they are looking to get out of hauling and go to all contract and outside hauling in the near future. Looking at loggers’ overall capital investment needs in five equipment categories, 32% report skidders are the equipment aging and needing to be replaced the soonest. That’s followed by loaders (30%), feller-bunchers (14%) and processors (11%) and delimbers (7%). Multiple loggers said they were trending toward rebuilding equipment, citing new equipment costs. One logger said, “We try to rotate equipment every three to four years in the woods and every four to five years with trucks.” Asked to list all the ways the coronavirus has affected their oper-
ations, 71% cited mill quotas, followed by lost revenues (61%) and mill downtime (59%). More than a third (34%) of loggers have seen lowered logging rates, and 27% have delayed equipment purchases as a result. Additional impacts include employee layoffs (11%) and downsizing one or more crews (7%). Longer hauls are in the mix for 13% of loggers, and 22% have had logger certification or safety training sessions delayed. “Mills taking advantage of the pandemic and decreasing prices is killing us,” said one logger. “We’re having to cut way cheaper at a loss just to keep employees, wheels rolling and make payments. It’s disgraceful!” To adapt, loggers are working to find alternative wood markets
(38%). A third say they are leaving at least one truck fully loaded each night for an early haul the next day to beat quotas at the mill. A significant number (45%) say they are actively searching for other lines of work to leverage their equipment and employees. Land clearing was the top option that 23% of loggers are considering, followed by firewood (14%), roadbuilding (13%), excavation/ site prep (11%), non-forest trucking (10%) and farming (8%). The question included a large “Other” response; some of the other business activities loggers are pursuing include maple syrup production, lawn care, real estate, cattle and “sub-merchantable” thinning. More than half of loggers (51%) report they have had discussions with vendors, suppliers and creditors concerning payment delays or
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other arrangements to work though the downturn. Another 54% of loggers surveyed said they had applied for one of the economic assistance programs available through federal recovery legislation. A solid 75% of loggers simply hope to maintain their current operations. Only 7% of loggers say they are looking to invest and expand right now. Just under 10% of loggers say they are looking to exit the industry, and another 9% say they are looking to downsize operations. Added together, almost 20% of respondents plan to reduce or eliminate logging capacity.
Their Own Words “Where I am we have four local mills that are still going strong and two mills within 125 miles oneway if we need them. I sell to local so my company is doing ok. We are on quotas, but I own 95% of my equipment and fuel prices are down, so it could be worse.—NC logger “We are very concerned about the coronavirus effects coming on top of the previous two years of China trade war and very wet weather. It has also been frustrating to watch how our industry has been affected but never receives national recognition or thanks from the public even though we provide a lot of essential products that people rely upon. We are small enough that we think we can sustain, but it is hard to struggle for consecutive years in a row, and now it is unknown what we will be looking at going forward.”— Arkansas logger “I own excavation equipment and there is no way we can make as much with our logging equipment, which is more expensive to buy and run. Stumpage prices in our area have not risen but declined over the last 20 years. Doing business with the Chinese has helped markets but I believe it will be slow suicide for American mills. I have told long-time customers we are on our way out, and many are asking us to cut for them one more time.”—NC logger “In my area rates have not gone up at all in the last 15 years. It absolutely will not work, I don’t care how you configure it. The only saving grace that I have had is that I had another source of income and that is buying wood. I track every penny and the last three years I have lost money by owning equipment. Logging is a dead end if rates do not go SLT up.”—Missouri logger
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Spotlight On:
Felling, Processing, etc. SLT invited manufacturers of feller-bunchers and harvesters, saw heads, processors and related components, to submit material regarding what they have to offer. Here are all submissions we received, edited only for style consistency and space constraints.
Barko
tinted polycarbonate windows, powerful climate control system, built-in storage space and ample legroom. A comfortable heated & vented air-ride seat with 4-point seat belt harness is standard along with a pneumatic air knife that helps prevent debris accumulation on the front window. An optional rearview and skylight dual camera system with 10" monitor is available to provide a full field of vision around the machine. Daily maintenance checks and service work is made simple through well thought out component placement, remote grease points, hinged access doors and removable bolt-on access panels. For more information on the Barko 830B Wheeled Feller Buncher, or any other Barko product, please visit barko.com. Get the job done with Barko.
DelFab Tough. Dependable. Powerful. The Barko 830B Wheeled Feller Buncher was designed with performance in mind and built for serious work. We consulted experienced forestry professionals on every design feature during the development process to create an intuitive, operator-focused feller buncher that increases efficiency and production. The 830B is powered by a 300-horsepower Cummins QSL 9-liter Tier 4 Final engine that delivers the highest engine horsepower available in a wheeled feller buncher on the market today. Barko exclusively uses Cummins engines in all current production models because they provide reliable performance, good fuel economy, and have a broad customer support network. This high horsepower engine, along with a precisely designed and tuned hydraulic system featuring Danfoss and Parker components, delivers maximized attachment performance and fast saw recovery intervals that allow the operator to put more wood on the ground each shift. Designed with a robust center joint and improved weight distribution, these machines are built for maximum stability even when handling large loads. A shorter wheelbase provides a tighter turning radius, which allows this machine to be more maneuverable in the woods. When it came to selecting attachments for the 830B, it was an easy decision to work with Quadco because of their long-standing history, experience, and reputation in the forestry industry. The Quadco 24CP Felling Saw Head and 7224 Bunching Saw Head were the perfect fit for the 830B and provide a choice of attachments that are well suited for different species and sizes of wood. Safety, comfort, and visibility were key focus areas during the operator environment design process. Our spacious ROPS/FOPS/OPS certified operator cab features a simple ergonomic control layout with a 7" Parker MD4 touchscreen display, 30
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processing heads, directional-felling heads, shear heads, or wide mulching attachments. The superior hydraulic flow allows the DF703 to outperform skid steer machines across the board fitted with mulching heads. The Phoenix is purpose built for felling, but also excels in challenging land-clearing jobs. Productivity, serviceability, and comfort are central to the DF703 design. Visibility is excellent through large tinted, scratch, and shatterresistant windows. The modern and spacious forestry cab is FOPS, ROPS and OPS certified, creating an efficient work environment designed around the operator. The Phoenix is a pleasure to operate. Its controls are highly responsive and easy to learn and can also be modified to individual preferences. The cab is sound insulated, spacious, and remarkably comfortable. Foot pedals are positioned for ample legroom and there are thoughtful amenities such as a cup holder, cell phone holder, USB port and FM stereo (satellite optional). It also has high-efficiency heat and air conditioning, adjustable air-suspension seat, and ergonomically positioned controls to round out a state-of-the-art cab. Workers remain comfortable and productive all day. The Phoenix also has digital screen control, a brilliant LED lighting package for night operation, optional back-up camera, and a redesigned fuel tank providing 8+ hours of operation. Videos/brochure at DelFab.com
Gator Teeth The DelFab DF703 Phoenix Feller Buncher has a fuel efficient 130HP Cummins QSB4.5 Tier-4 final liquid-cooled engine with ample hydraulic flow to achieve big buncher performance and low operating costs. The updated DF703 Phoenix 3-wheeled machine handles forestry and land-clearing markets and its versatility opens new revenue streams to forestry contractors. Providing excellent maneuverability, durability and serviceability; low fuel consumption (approx. 4.5-gallons per hour); ease-of-transport; and substantially lower operating costs compared to 4-wheel and track units, the DF703 offers competitive advantages that allow you to win in today’s demanding markets. Contractors familiar with the powerful and versatile 3-wheel unit know its “zero-turn” maneuverability, multi-stem felling capability, and soft footprint combine to minimize residual stand damage and make it the most productive and cost efficient solution for plantation thinning. Landowners love it. The carrier comes standard with DelFab’s own DF718 Hi-Speed 18" disc saw. The hydraulic system is built for extended operation in hot climates. It accepts multiple attachments including
For over 10 years Gator Teeth have been recognized for their superior performance due to their patented extra cutting tip designs. Gator Teeth are the only saw teeth in the world with extra cutting tips that share the cutting and last significantly longer. In addition to lasting longer, Gator Teeth cut more efficiently and keep the saw speed up. This is especially important in large timber where stalling the saw part way through the tree can be costly. The latest innovation of Gator Teeth is the X Series, which is the only self-sharpening saw tooth in the world. The X Series patented design puts more carbide at the cutting tips where conventional saw teeth tend to round off and become dull. The X Series self-sharpening design channels the saw chips in between the cutting tips, thereby wearing down the middle of the tooth as the cutting tips wear, keeping the cutting wider than the
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middle of the tooth. This keeps the saw tooth sharp or self-sharpens it, allowing it to cut more efficiently and longer. Gator Teeth are now available in all popular sizes in both carbide and steel. For more information or to locate a dealer near you visit timberblade.com.
John Deere
The FS50 and FR50 Felling Heads build upon the successful qualities of previous models for increased productivity, range and visibility. The felling heads are compatible with the 800M- and 900M-Series tracked feller bunchers, including the 803M, 853M, 859M, 903M, 953M and 959M models. Designed to offer the quality and reliability customers expect from John Deere equipment, the models offer increased accumulating capacities, improved range of motion and excellent visibility. Additionally, the FS50 and FR50 models feature 30º and 310º wrist configurations respectively. These felling heads help to make the hardest tasks easier and more efficient for customers. The FS50 and FR50 models have a cutting capacity of
20", and an accumulation capacity of 6.9 sq. ft. “The high accumulation FR50 felling head on [the 853M Tracked Feller Buncher] has made a big difference,” says Thomas Johnson of Thomas Johnson Logging. The FS50 and FR50 Felling Heads feature superior alignment of bunched timber to allow for optimal logging and harvesting. The felling heads provide a taller horn that works together with the pocket and arms to collect larger, tighter bunches. The horn delivers excellent handling of tall trees, which improves skidder productivity during tree removal. Both FS50 and FR50 models also include arm cylinders mounted high for impressive wear protection of the saw housing, and can easily hold up to 15 six-inch trees. The FR50 configuration maximizes versatility when positioning bunches in both plantation and thinning conditions due to the increased rotation. “I always try to work more efficient, smarter, more precise. Nothing else on the market holds the timber that this one holds,” says Thomas. “My production has [gone] up using this bunching head.” Additionally, the FS50 and FR50 Felling Head models provide excellent visibility to the cutting area and superior wear protection of saw housing. A full coverage option is available for both models, and for the FR50 model, sealed bushings in all clamp arm pivot joints are available.
Komatsu Komatsu America Corp. offers a complete line of Tracked Feller Bunchers, Wheeled Harvesters and Harvesting Heads to meet a broad range of logging needs. The totally
New Komatsu XT-5 Series features a more powerful engine, gull-wing style engine hood service work platform, increased lift capacities, relocated cab, rugged new undercarriages and a KOMTRAX® telematics system (photo may include optional equipment).
new Komatsu XT-5 Series of Tracked Feller Bunchers includes the XT430-5 (non-leveling), XT445L-5 and XT465L-5 models. A 331 peak HP engine provides more horsepower and torque with lower fuel consumption. A gullwing style engine hood folds down to provide an elevated service work platform. Four (4) other service doors swing open wide to provide excellent overall service access. The rear-mounted cooling system features a larger radiator, charge air cooler and a single hydraulic cooler. XT-5 lift capacities at full reach have been significantly increased for improved productivity. A full range of Quadco disc saws are offered including 24" diameter models for the XT465L-5. The state-of-the-art forestry cab has been relocated to the left of the boom and cab design changes provide superior lines-ofsight to each track. New more rugged undercarriages provide significantly longer service life with
improved track chain links, track roller and idler bushings, and final drives. Komatsu’s exclusive KOMTRAX remote equipment monitoring and management telematics system transmits valuable machine information such as location, utilization and maintenance records to a PC via an internet website. The market-leading Komatsu 901, 901XC, 911, 931, 931XC and 951 Wheeled Harvester models feature powerful fuel-efficient engines, modern cabs, 360º cab/crane rotation, 4-way cab crane leveling, and an innovative 3PS hydraulic system that allows the operator to simultaneously slew, feed and maneuver. The 901XC and 931XC (Xtreme Conditions) models feature a revolutionary unique double Komatsu Comfort Bogie Axle 8WD System in which both axles have left/right and uphill/downhill oscillation. This allows the machine to more closely follow even the roughest of terrain with very low ground pressure. All models offer a full suite of MaxiXplorer/MaxiXT machine control software which provides for easier operation and increased productivity. The Komatsu “C-Series” carrystyle family of Harvesting Heads includes the C93, C124 and C144 models. These rugged heads can handle a wide range of thinning, clear-cutting, crooked stem and multi-stem harvesting applications with ideal working ranges of from 6" to 20" DBH (29.5" max cut). Visit KomatsuForest.us for more info.
Log Max
The Multilingual Log Mate 510 is the market's most powerful production reporting system with multi-stemming reports, monitoring and optimization of the machine's performance, production per operator details, and average stem volume. It works together with the StanForD 2010 v.2 and v.3 forest standards and has online support. Running features such as Active Friction Control and Four Point Measuring natively on Log Mate or having the ability to test and control all I/O are just some of a long list of features Log Mate 510 offers. Built using rugged hardware, the Log Mate 510 will withstand rough outdoor environments. The 10 inch screen computer is IP65 standard compliant and has a Solid State Drive eliminating 32
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moving parts. The brand new communication modules are all built according to the tough IP standards. One module is mounted on the head, one in the cabin to transfer and receive data and power to the harvesting head. They all feature standard M12 and Deutsch contacts. All communications are made over a two channel CANbus system. The computer is Windows 10 based, which makes it easier to administrate and update/upgrade the Log Mate 510 system. Log Max offers a wide range of products from the small 928A for first commercial thinning all the way up to the Log Max XtremeXTSeries and the 12000XT for final harvesting/processing solutions. All Log Max Harvesting Heads are heavy duty and made for the most extreme forest operations. The 7000XT with its large, high-torque feed motors, gives up to 45kN / 11,600-lb. of feed force and delimbing power. High-flow hydraulics provide increased performance in any application and the toughest conditions. For more, visit logmax.com or call 360-6997300.
Oregon
Oregon’s SpeedMax XL.404 cutting system for timber harvesters is designed with greater cutting speed, strength and durability. The system delivers maximum uptime through advanced designs across the bar, chain and sprocket. The 19HX saw chain is a chamfer chisel chain built for faster more aggressive cutting. The tall chamfer chisel cutters combine durability with improved chip clearance for faster and more consistent cuts in all types of wood. By reducing vibration to the guide bar, it is designed to minimize time between cuts. It has been widened to improve chain retention. The bar is also stiffer and stronger to increase cutting speed and reduce costly downtime. A tail contour decreases friction making it less likely to throw chain. The larger 14-tooth replaceable sprocket nose features high alloy industrial bearings and requires fewer rotations to accomplish the same work with less heat build-up, extending the life of the nose. The rim sprocket is precision balanced and machined from durable solid-billet steel and is equipped with a raised-tooth design to red cue chain stretch and incorporates improved debris ejection with tapered side ports.
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For more, visit oregonproducts.com or call 800223-5168.
Quadco Quadco has a broad range of harvesting-processing heads including the Bseries disc saw heads ranging from 20 to 28 models designed for heavy and tall timber. They feature four independent arms with the Arms Down design, for increased leverage and greater holding power in tall timber. Two cylinders per set of arms (instead of one cylinder with linkage) contribute to maximum holding power. All cylinders are cushioned to reduce wear and tear. Optional patented 360 wrist system uses Quadco’s field proven double reduction gear box and two motors for maximum feller buncher versatility. Model 360˚ High Torque fits most applications. The Extreme service model 360VI uses twin pinion to reduce gear tooth loading and improve pinion life. The tilt bearing design using replaceable wear resistant steel plates hardened to maximum Rockwell rating to resist high axial and bending loads. Large saw base has throat openings with up to 59 and up to 6.4 sq.ft. accumulating area. Saw disc is available in either one-piece or segmented style with four-sided rotatable QuadTooth system. Visit quadco.com for more.
Southstar
Southstar Equipment QS Series (QS500, QS600 and QS650) is a full line of 4-roller processors with industry leading multi-stemming capabilities offering contractors up to 70% increase in production without affecting length quality when processing in smaller diameter tree stands. Also, with its robust design and high feed speeds, it is just as productive in the toughest processing environments. Southstar’s operator friendly DASA Control Systems provide one of the most advanced control and
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measuring systems available, recording and delivering detailed production reports and GPS tagging of wood that can be emailed directly to home base computers from the machine. Other unique Southstar features include hydraulic traction control for feeding large diameter trees; side steeping, allowing operators to independently feed one tree while holding others when multistemming; and hose- through design from stick to head, helping prevent snagging exposed or hanging hoses. The wide frame design for multistemming capabilities gives added strength to the head, which features an extreme duty 3-4" main saw with a saw limiting option and 2-year structural warranty. Visit southstarequipment.com for more.
transmission is optional on the 720G and 724G Tigercat drive-to-tree feller bunchers are often equipped with bunching saws and shears for plantation applications with smaller diameter timber. In high cycle, multi-stem bunching applications, Tigercat bunching saws and shears contribute to significant productivity gains by increasing the number of stems per cycle. The 5702-26 felling head is now available on 726G feller bunchers. The 5702-26 is designed to fell large diameter timber with a single cut capacity of 585 mm (26 in). In larger sized timber, the wider housing reduces the requirement for double cuts, improving overall feller buncher efficiency. Visit tigercat.com for more info.
Tigercat
TimberPro
The new 718G plantation thinning in Texas
Tigercat builds four models of drive-to-tree feller buncher models for the full range of thinning and final felling duties. The quick and agile 718G is best suited to plantation thinning. The 720G and 724G are designed for thinning and clear fell applications and the large capacity 726G fells large diameter timber in tough terrain. The G-series machine cabs are designed for productivity and operator comfort. Visibility is enhanced with a larger front window and larger rear quarter windows. The view over the back tires is the best in the industry – an asset in thinning applications. Only Tigercat offers WideRange, the infinitely variable transmission for drive-to-tree feller bunchers. Drive-to-tree feller bunchers spend a great percentage of the total duty cycle driving – to the next tree or to and from the bunch pile. WideRange allows the operator to travel more quickly than conventional two-speed transmission equipped feller bunchers. Quicker travel boosts productivity and reduces cost per ton in high production thinning and final fell applications. Tigercat’s unique WideRange drive system is standard on all Gseries feller bunchers. A two-speed
Today’s loggers demand more efficient and reliable equipment to remain profitable and TimberPro’s D-series feller bunchers are the answer. At the heart of every Dseries is a Cummins L9 (9 liter) Performance Series Stage 5 engine, an advanced, yet proven hydraulic system and it’s all controlled by a
state-of-the-art energy saving control system. TimberPro is the first to bring many of these technologically advanced components into the forest market, pushing the performance envelope model after model. Timberpro’s D-series bunchers offer more engine power while also being more fuel efficient. Not only does TimberPro lead the market with the Stage 5 engine, but also with their legendary closed loop hydrostatic track drives, a technology TimberPro has used for nearly 30 years. Up top, in the operator cab, you will find it to be spacious with oversized windows that allow for fantastic visibility. A few other technologies offered in the D-series cabs are the high output LED lighting system and Bluetooth stereo with hands-free calling. In addition, you will find two different operator seats, both utilizing internal heating grids and ventilation fans. Underneath the machine you will find a meticulously designed and robust car body; optional four-way leveling that is simple, yet strong; and a forestry-proven undercarriage. TimberPro’s advanced equipment stems from a lineage that spans 50 years, from logging contractor to logging equipment manufacturer. Visit TimberPro on Instagram (@timberpro1) or Facebook to see the latest news and developments.
Wallingford’s: GB and Orbit Harvester Products
Orbit saw chain is manufactured with high quality alloy steel and offers professionals the best balance of quality and value in the industry. The Orbit ¾” pitch saw
chain has micro radius semi-chisel cutters and increase kerf width similar to Orbit .404 pitch chain. Both Orbit lines of harvester chain are engineered for maximum performance and fast cutting speed. All Orbit saw chain is manufactured with enhanced multi-layered chrome plating providing excellent durability and wear resistance. It is notable that this will complement well our lineup of Titanium Tough GB harvester bars. Don’t be deceived by other “Orange Bars.” Since 1959 GB has built a solid reputation by manufacturing products that set new industry standards, playing an active role in the development of the forestry equipment industry. Now with a modern, stateof-the-art production line, utilizing laser cutting technology, CNC machines and computer-controlled processors, GB manufactures a product that excels, quite literally, at the cutting edge of timber harvesting. A unique blend of titanium and alloy steel yields the ultra-high strength material with uniform metal hardness throughout the bar and because the rail is non-tempered this reduces rail flexing and cracking. This alloy steel is extremely durable, resulting in fewer bends and better “memory,” allowing it to return to original shape, which increases run time for operators. GB® Professional Harvester Bars are available in both .404" & 3/4" pitch and are designed with mounting configurations to fit
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most mechanical harvesting equipment. The .404" XV line has a patented 15-tooth sprocket that reduces RPMs, resulting in less friction and wear. This, combined with the patented “Lube Direct” channels to directly feed the bearings lubrication, improves overall performance and life. The new ¾" BC tip has the “Lube Direct” system and a machined edge to control chipping. Please visit wallingfords.com for more information on Orbit and GB products, or call 1-800-323-3708.
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Waratah Waratah Forestry Equipment released the new felling head model, the FL100. The large directional felling head, designed for 30+ metric ton carriers, improves productivity, increases durability and extends uptime for steep slope, shoveling and traditional felling applications. The FL100 also features extralong, continuously curved opposing arms for enhanced grapple capacity
and picking capability and a 1,470mm (57.8") opening and 0.78m2 (8.4 ft.2) payload capacity. “The high-capacity Waratah
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FL100 gives our customers the benefit of added productivity in a very capable head,” says Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah. “It has high-capacity grapple arms engineered for improving operational picking and holding force of logs – this provides exceptional operational capabilities in traditional felling and steep slope shoveling applications. It also includes a valve-in-head design and our new TimberRiteTM X-20 control system, simplifying installation.” The FL100’s forward placed saw unit allows for easier cutting of larger timber. For power in small or large capacity loads, the FL100 has one cylinder per arm plus a synchronizing link for maximum grapple holding force and control. The new head also leverages Waratah’s TimberRiteTM measuring and control system. The TimberRiteTM X-20 stand-alone controller provides configurable settings for improved head performance, productivity and measuring accuracy. Features include a stem counter, sawcut/home indication, production reports and individual operator settings. Together, the new features allow enhanced flexibility in operation that improve overall productivity by allowing operators more capabilities to properly position timber. As an added bonus, the FL100’s grapple force remains high even with its arms at capacity. Its fixed saw box design also contributes toward increased durability in a variety of applications. The FL100 utilizes proven Waratah saw system components, some rotate components and electrical and oiler systems while providing extended uptime with a variety of new features. The new machine also can adapt to any carrier and provides efficient pump control, hydraulic system protection and required safety/service lock-outs for added uptime and efficient serviceability. “We are always looking for opportunities that improve our customers’ productivity,” Fisher said. “The FL100 does exactly that. We’re excited for our customers to enjoy the benefits of this new machine.” The Waratah FL100 is available to customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, Latin America and New Zealand. For more information about Waratah, please visit Waratah.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP As We See It: Action Alert—Time To Get Involved By Daniel Dructor As more financial impacts are being felt around the country as both a direct and indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dructor the members of the American Loggers Council have coa-
lesced around a proposal to present to members of Congress that would provide financial assistance directly to both professional timber harvesting businesses and log trucking businesses. While the U.S. House of Representatives has already passed
its version of the next round of stimulus funding, the U.S. Senate has put a hold on future funding until it has the opportunity to see some of the results of those appropriations that have already gone out. Many logging and trucking businesses have been able to apply and receive Payroll Protection Program
funding as well as bridge loans that are being made available through the Small Business Administration. Another program being offered is the Business and Industry Cares Act program being administered through USDA Rural Development, which allows rural businesses to receive working capital loans from lenders at negotiated rates with financial institutions. What the leadership of the American Loggers Council is proposing is a low interest loan to both logging and log hauling businesses for operating expenses that is based on lost production or revenue due to lost markets, curtailed production and other events related to the COVID-19 pandemic that would not duplicate those benefits received through the Payroll Protection Program. We have a very short time frame in which to try and push this program into the next stimulus package, and with your help, we believe that we can make this happen. If we are successful, this will be the first time that both logging businesses and log hauling businesses have become available for low interest and perhaps forgivable loans that would ensure that contractors can have the opportunity to remain in business over the next 12 months and to adjust their operations as markets begin to stabilize. This effort is a great example of what we can accomplish when we are all working together toward a common goal, but we still need your help. We need to contact as many members of Congress as possible and we have simplified that process for you by providing a link that will only require that you enter your name and mailing address and hit the “send” button to get our request to your U.S. Congressman or Congresswoman as well as the two U.S. Senators who are representing your State in Washington, DC. Here is the link: https://www.amloggers. com/news/support-the-logger-reliefpackage Please take the five minutes required to have your voice heard in Washington. This is truly a joint effort between the 34 States that the American Loggers Council represents and the individual logger members of each of those States taking the opportunity to keep our industry strong. We are, “Loggers Working for Loggers.” The American Loggers Council is a 501(c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters and log haulers across the United States. For more information visit www.amloggers.com. Daniel Dructor is the executive vice president.
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Loggers Seek Aid From Congress On behalf of its members throughout the country, American Loggers Council (ALC) is requesting $2.5 billion from Congress to directly support American loggers whose businesses have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. ALC Executive Director Danny Dructor was working with a
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lobbying/PR firm in early June to introduce a “COVID 19 Economic Damage Relief Package for Logging and Trucking Companies in the Forest Products Industry” bill, or “Logger Relief Fund” for short. Joining the ALC in this effort are associations representing Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Caroli-
na, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington and the Northeastern Loggers Assn. Congress has already granted financial aid to assist farmers, fishermen and other producers of agricultural commodities through this crisis. America needs loggers, too, and as providers of another essential commodity, loggers also need America’s help. As wood fiber consumption has been reduced due to the market
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impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s small, family-owned logging and log trucking businesses have not escaped the fallout. Matthew Pellki, Professor at the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, says that housing starts have fallen 22% with the COVID-19 pandemic, the fastest one-month fall since March 1984. Pellki adds, “The Assn. of General Contractors (AGC) has reported that 40% of the construction workforce in the United States has been laid off due to project delays and cancellations. No construction means orders for lumber fall, mills saw fewer logs, and less standing timber is bought and harvested.” Pellki predicts that, even if the reopening of the economy is successful this summer, followed by a consistent relatively normal economy, it will still be two years before pine timber markets strengthen. It would be a significant challenge for logging and log trucking businesses to survive such a long recovery, and the nation’s essential wood fiber supply chain could be severely disrupted. In order to sustain the supply chain, the proposed Logger Relief Package would provide a loan program for contractors through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist them in keeping business operational for the next 12 months while their markets attempt to recover. Loan funds could be used for business operating expenses such as equipment loan payments, maintenance costs, fuel and oil expenses, insurance payments and other fixed and variable costs not already covered in existing federal
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payment programs (the Payroll Protection Program and other Pandemic Unemployment Assistance). To receive the loan, a contracting company would have to provide evidence of gross revenue and/or volume produced in 2019, through payment statements or a copy of 2019 business tax return forms that have been submitted to the Internal Revenue Service. A company can receive up to 10% of its gross revenue for operations in 2019 in the form of a loan. Over the next year, as long as the company can prove that revenues or volume delivered were down 10% or more from 2019, the funds will be treated as a grant and will be forgiven. If, however, the company revenues are
down less than 10%, the funds will become a low interest loan not to exceed 5% and will need to be repaid. In its announcement, the ALC states, “This is not a state or regional issue, but a national issue that needs to be addressed to sustain the essential service providers of the timber harvesting and hauling industry. Members of the American Loggers Council stand ready and able to assist members of Congress and the Department of Agriculture as they consider all available options in helping to assist the small family-owned businesses that consist of timber harvesters and haulers that are critical to timber dependent rural economies across the United
States and provide the fiber that has proven to be a critical resource for all U.S. citizens during the current pandemic.” Log on to the ALC web site: amloggers.com/news/supportthe-logger-relief-package and fill out the form that will automatically generate an email to your three Congressional representatives for your state and district in support of such a bill.
Drax Wants Biomass Carbon Calculator Drax is seeking views from a wide range of experts, including academics, non-governmental
organizations and the biomass energy industry in a consultation on a Biomass Carbon Calculator. Drax has announced a worldleading ambition to become carbon negative by 2030 by pioneering negative emissions technology through carbon capture and storage. Drax is also ensuring that the supply chain for the sustainable biomass pellets it uses to generate renewable electricity is as low carbon as possible. To do that, it’s vital that Drax and the rest of the biomass industry has the clearest picture possible of emissions in the production and transportation of the pellets by using actual supply chain data to help raise the quality of carbon accounting for biomass. Drax’s Biomass Carbon Calculator has already been independently reviewed and following a six-week consultation, Drax will undertake further third-party verification to ensure the new calculator remains in compliance with regulatory requirements.
Wallingford’s Brings On Europe’s Veriga Wallingford’s Inc. announced a partnership with Veriga, a large global manufacturers of tire chains and forestry tracks. Established in 1922, Veriga, based in Slovenia, has an expansive production program and is a prominent European presence in the forestry industry. Wallingford’s is looking forward to marketing Veriga’s broad range of products across North America, and adding new products with European design and quality. New products include: a full line of bogie and wheel tracks; forestry chains for skidders and CTL machinery; snow/traction tire chains for trucks, tractors and heavy machinery; tire protection chains for heavy machinery. Mitja Peterlin, CEO of Veriga, states “We have been trying for quite some time to find the right partner to introduce our products to the North American market. We have enormous trust in Wallingford’s, which has tradition and is a true specialist in the required field.” Wallingford’s Inc., with its head office in Oakland, Maine, has distribution facilities in New Hampshire and Edmonton, Alberta. Founded in 1975, Wallingford’s is the largest wholesale distributor of logging supplies in North America serving nearly 3,000 OEMs, distributors, and dealers. John Wallingford, President of Wallingford’s Inc., states, “We are very excited with this new rela42
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tionship with Veriga and look forward to bringing this great brand across the Atlantic. Together we will make sure that we will give customers the best possible service that they deserve.” Visit www.wallingfords.com, www.veriga-lesce.com or call 1800-323-3708.
Hardwood Lumbermen Confront Pandemic Hardwood lumbermen in the U.S. have been scrambling to keep their businesses treading water since the onslaught of the coronavirus crisis. One of the questions in Timber Processing’s annual Sawmill Operations & Capital Expenditure Survey in April listed 10 items for hardwood lumbermen to choose any or all as to the impact of the virus on their businesses and actions they’ve taken. “Have enhanced employee safety measures,” said 61% of the lumbermen, though that figure is probably higher by now as the first mailing of the survey went out when the virus had just surfaced. It was followed closely by “applied for government payment protection loan” with 58%.
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Seventy (70) hardwood lumber company ownership and management personnel completed the online survey during the latter half of April. They represented approximately 120 mills. The U.S. hardwood lumber sector wasn’t necessarily going like gangbusters before the virus, but the trade war with China had settled somewhat. Consequently, before the virus, 68% of the hardwood lumbermen forecasted their business situation as good (61%) or excellent (7%) and 30% said fair for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. Only 2% said it would be poor. But those numbers have nosedived since the virus has come on. Now only 18% are forecasting good (15%) or excellent (3%), with 37% saying fair, and a staggering 33% anticipating poor. “As difficult as some of our market conditions are now already, I’m assuming we are only at the tip of the iceberg,” comments Anthony Wagler, plant manager, Wagler and Sons Sawmill, Cottage Grove, Tenn. Before the virus hit, hardwood lumbermen had some capital expenditure plans. Fourteen (14) percent were going to spend at least $1 million this year and into next year; 6%
were looking at $500,000 to $1 million, 11% at $300,000-$500,000, 16% in the $100,000-$300,000 range, and 17% from $50,000$100,000. How has the onslaught of the coronavirus impacted those plans? Thirty-nine (39) percent said it hasn’t affected their plans and they’re moving forward, though 26% said it has totally wiped out their capital expenditure plans for now; another 17% said they’re reducing capital expenditure up to 25%, while 18% are cutting back from 25-75%. “I believe the virus will slow the economy down until a cure is found. As to the lumber market, China is not our friend. We need to bring back at
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least 60% of our manufacturing of furniture to this country, if not more,” says Chuck Lloyd, owner, Braxton Lumber, Heaters, W. Va.
Doosan Announces Top Dealers For 2019 Doosan Infracore North America, LLC revealed its top-performing dealers of 2019. Doosan annually recognizes its dealers that have demonstrated high quality customer service by providing exceptional sales, parts and service to their customers. Annual dealer performance reviews are also a factor in the dealer’s score. Representing the south is Coastal Machinery of Pensacola, Fla.
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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY Tigercat Enhances 220E Loader With Upgrades
button. Active Crane is based on Ponsse’s Sensor Module technology machine leveling systems and the Active Frame system. Visit www.ponsse.com
Tigercat Completes 718 Drive-To F-B Lineup
Tigercat has released the 220E loader with notable improvements, including an upgraded operator’s station and the addition of the Tigercat FPT power plant. Conforming to Tier 2 and Tier 4 emission requirements, the quick and lightweight 220E is powered by the Tigercat FPT N45 Tier 4f or the Tigercat FPT N67 Tier 2 engine, delivering 168 HP. The totally redesigned operator’s station has a significantly improved climate control system along with a number of additional features to improve the operator experience. The new heavy-duty suspension seat is wider and standard equipped with heating and cooling. The seat has improved adjustability and many of the frequently used rocker switches have been repositioned into the armrest mounted joystick pod for enhanced ergonomics. The climate control system is further enhanced by the addition of window blinds for the front windshield and skylight. Acoustical engineering along with the quiet Tigercat FPT engine contributes to extremely low in-cab noise levels, while the new sound system with Bluetooth audio allows for hands-free calling. A new main pump and larger hoses to the boom cylinders provide faster boom and swing functions. Hydraulic component layout remains unchanged with hydraulic valves easily accessible underneath the deck plate cover, allowing for clean, easy service access. The updated electrical system incorporates hydraulic pressure sensors that can be monitored on the display in the cab as well as improving fuel economy with an automatic engine idle down feature. Visit tigercat.com
Ponsse Webinar Debuts Bison Forwarder
During a North America webinar June 12, Ponsse officially launched its new Bison forwarder, which the company claims is the “fastest forwarder in the world.” According to Ponsse officials, the Bison offers unprecedented new technology, from the front to the rear. The fuel economy and emissions of its Mercedes-Benz/MTU engine have been optimized to meet the strictest require-
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ments. At the same time, it consumes very low amounts of fuel. In place of a conventional hydrostatic transmission, Bison’s engine is extended by the CVT transmission. Just hit the throttle and the stepless transmission selects the most ideal gear ratio. As a result, high speeds do not increase fuel consumption at the same ratio as in hydrostatic systems. CVT includes the stepless changing of gear ratios, and thus the conventional switching between the slow and fast gear is no longer necessary. In a machine equipped with CVT, the conventional hydrostatic transmission has been replaced with a separate CVT gear system. This enables a higher fuel economy and tractive force. The advantages of a high tractive force materialize, in particular, when driving on steep slopes, in soft terrain and in deep snow. When it is no longer necessary to stop when switching to the fast range from the slow range, working in all types of terrain is much faster. Making the Bison much smoother to operate at any speed is Ponsse’s innovative Active Frame System, which also helps the driver stay alert and more productive. The Active Frame features robust frame structures. Easy maintenance has been taken into account in the positioning of the components and maintenance targets. In addition to this, the machine’s extremely long maintenance intervals increase effective operating hours and reduce maintenance costs. Even at increased speeds, excellent driver comfort and machine handling are maintained. Ponsse’s Active Frame cabin suspension system ensures that lateral swings affecting the driver are eliminated in an efficient and unnoticeable manner. The driver’s body is subject to significantly less stress than before. The Active Frame system helps the driver keep alert and productive for hours on end, even at high speeds The Bison also has Ponsse’s Active Crane—a new way of controlling the loader and boosting efficiency. Active Crane is easily controlled using two levers, one of which controls the grapple height from the ground and the other controls the direction of movement—the operator does not need to control all the functions simultaneously. Once the appropriate grapple location has been given to the machine, it will perform the lift and use the boom and extension automatically. The operator can easily switch between Active Crane and conventional loader control with a push of a
Tigercat recently completed its drive-to-tree feller-buncher lineup with the release of the 718G. One of the last Tigercat machines to receive a Tigercat FPT Tier 4 engine, it was a challenge to package the additional after treatment componentry required for Tier 4 compliance, while still retaining the nimble size of the thinning machine. The designers have succeeded, incorporating all of the features of the larger G-series family members, as well as additional enhancements, while maintaining the approximate size of the previous E-series machine. The 718G gets its power from the Tigercat FPT N45 Tier 4f engine which provides 170 HP at 2,200 rpm. The completely redesigned engine compartment allows for a high capacity cross-flow cooling setup with a hydraulic driven, automatic variable speed fan and an automatic reversing cycle. The new compartmentalized layout keeps the cooling system, hydraulic components, and engine in three separate areas. The new accumulation mode allows the operator to choose between normal and auto-accumulate for bunching head arm operation. Simultaneous open and close of the clamp and accumulator arms can also be programmed on a joystick button. A saw interrupt trigger on the joystick turns off saw power temporarily when extra horsepower is required. This is particularly useful in hilly terrain once the saw head is full and the operator is backing up to dump the accumulated bunch. The G-series cab is quiet and well-equipped and affords excellent visibility. LED lights improve reliability and brightness. A more even light pattern provides better coverage around the machine. The front window area is nearly 10% larger. The rear quarter windows are over 20% larger improving the view over the back tires— an asset in thinning applications. Additional new features include a rear camera system, programmable joystick buttons, electric hydraulic fill pump, and ground-level fueling. Enhanced differential lock controls are timed to turn off after a pre-set duration to save axle wear.
JULY 2020 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
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PRINT CLASSIFIED AD RATES: Print advertising rates are $50 per inch. Space is available by column inch only, one inch minimum. 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.
Click. Connect. Trade.
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
FOR SALE
Logo indicates that equipment in the ad also appears on
Call or Text Zane 334-518-9937
3939
2013 John Deere 648H, dual arch & winch, good rubber, tight & nice! ...$80,000
I’M STILL IN BUSINESS straightening and repairing feller buncher cutter disks.
Contact me for your needs.
www.ForesTreeTrader.com
252.945.2358
566
Carver Saw Disk Repair 543 Havens Street Washington, NC 27889
2687
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EUREKA! EUREKA! EUREKA! OWNERS HAVE OVER 30 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
N
EUREKA SAW TOOTH CO., INC.
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!
4275 Moores Ferry Rd. • Skippers, Virginia 23879 PH./FAX (day) 1-434-634-9836 or Night/Weekends • 1-434-634-9185
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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.
FOR SALE
770
Day 334-312-4136 Night 334-271-1475 or Email: johnwpynes@knology.net
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.
2006 Tigercat 640C, 8000 original hours, boggie and machine in excellent condition • 2008 Tigercat 630C, recent recon engine .......................................$42,000 • 2003 Tigercat 250 Loader, runs good, recent engine and main swivel replaced .................................................$31,000 • 2006 635C good running machine .................................................$49,000
Located in South Alabama Call 251-513-7001
Timbco/Timberpro Parts Available • Final Drives–Used Lohman GFT 50, 60, 80s & Older Cat Finals in stock. Drive Motors, Implement Pumps, Valve Parts, Cabs, Funk Drives, undercarriages, Booms, Cylinders and more! • JDeere E-G GII & GIII 548, 648 & 748 Axles, Transmissions, Engines, Rims, Valve Parts, Cabs Cylinders, Blades & more! • Special–Quadco 360 Hotsaw. Very Nice Unit ...............................................................$29,500 • Quadco Parts head available, let us know what hotsaw parts you need. • Timberjack 560 & 660 Transmissions • 2000 Timbco 425D w/hotsaw, Nice! .......$68,500 • FIX YOUR BROKEN TRACKS Eco Track links and link sections available • 2003 Timberjack 460DA-SA, winch .......$26,000 • LogMax 750 and 7000 Parts heads being dismantled .............................Call for parts pricing • Rolly Processing Head–1999 Model with computer available for parts • Volvo L90 WHeel Loader–Forks/Bucket .$24,000
Shipping Available And Credit Cards Accepted.
945
614-439-6115 or 740-541-4405 13666
WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com
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LOGGER’S BEST FRIEND!
8309
Repair Hoses in the Log Woods Crimper Start-up Kit Less than $5,000 Contact: Chris Alligood 1-252-531-8812 email: www.chrisa.cavalierhose@gmail.com
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Sawhead Projects Wood Splinter Into Vehicle Tire BACKGROUND: On a clear, summer morning in the Appalachians, a logging crew was harvesting hardwood timber in rolling terrain. The logging crew had parked a service truck on the edge of the log deck as usual when they arrived in the morning. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The crew members were experienced, and the main person involved in this incident was the logging business owner, who was operating a feller-buncher equipped with a rotating disc saw (“sawhead”). The 58year-old owner had been working in logging for 35 years, was fully trained, had no physical disabilities or previous accident history, and was wearing personal protective equipment appropriate for the job. UNSAFE ACT AND CONDITION: The service truck was parked
close to the active work zone. During the day, the sawhead operator cut a group of trees approximately 25 to 35 feet away from the service truck and did not account for the potential hazards to the nearby vehicle. ACCIDENT: At some point, the sawhead faced the service truck and forcefully discharged some wood splinters in that direction when felling those close-by trees. When the logging crew went to leave that evening,
they discovered that the passengerside front tire was flat. INJURY: The crew found a splinter of wood lodged into the sidewall of the tire. Fortunately, no one was hurt when the splinter was projected forcefully into the tire. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: Operators of disc saw-equipped felling machines must avoid cutting when people, domestic animals, buildings, or easily damaged
property are located on the discharge side of the saw. Reposition the felling machine as necessary to avoid discharging cutting debris toward people, objects, equipment, and animals. Logging contractors should design their cutting sequences and cutting work areas so disc saw felling machines are directed away from high-traffic areas. Never work on the discharge side of disc saw felling heads. Always maintain a 300-foot separation between high-speed disc saws and ground workers. Follow all safe operation and maintenance procedures and heed all cautions and warnings described in operator and service manuals when inspecting, maintaining, and operating feller-bunchers with sawheads. Supplied by Forest Resources Assn.
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A D L I N K ●
ADVERTISER American Logger’s Council American Truck Parts Around The World Salvage Bandit Industries Barko Hydraulics Big John Trailers BITCO Insurance Carter Enterprises Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Cleanfix North America John Deere Forestry Eastern Surplus Flint Equipment FMI Trailers Forest Chain Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment G&R Manufactured Solutions Granger Equipment Hawkins & Rawlinson Hitachi America Interstate Tire Service John Woodie Enterprises Kaufman Trailers Komatsu Forestry Division Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Magnolia Trailers Maxam Tire North America Maxi-Load Scale Systems Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Moore Logging Supply Morbark Pitts Trailers Puckett Machinery Quality Equipment & Parts River Ridge Equipment Southern Loggers Cooperative Stribling Equipment Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries Tracked Slasher TraxPlus Vermeer Manufacturing W & W Truck & Tractor Wallingford’s Waratah Forestry Attachments Waters International Trucks J M Wood Auction
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409.625.0206 888.383.8884 936.634.7210 800.952.0178 715.395.6700 800.771.4140 800.475.4477 205.217.1644 919.550.1201 855.738.3267 800.503.3373 855.332.0500 229.888.1212 601.508.3333 800.288.0887 803.708.0624 800.849.7788 800.284.9032 870.510.6580 318.548.5977 888.822.1173 914.332.1031 864.947.9208 704.878.2941 336.790.6807 888.285.7478 800.766.8349 800.467.0944 800.738.2123 1.844.MAXAM.NA 877.265.1486 919.271.9050 888.754.5613 800.831.0042 800.321.8073 601.969.6000 386.754.6186 855.325.6465 318.445.0750 855.781.9408 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 989.627.6258 601.635.5543 641.628.3141 800.845.6648 800.323.3708 770.692.0380 601.693.4807 334.264.3265
COMING EVENTS July
September
17-18—West Virginia Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Cannan Valley Resort & Conference Center, Davis, W.Va. Call 681-265-5019; visit wvfa.org.
10-12—Great Lakes Logging & Heavy Equipment Expo, UP State Fairgrounds, Escanaba, Mich. Call 715-282-5828; visit gltpa.org.
27-30—American Forestry Conference Virtual Event. Call 478-9928110; visit americanforestry conference.com. 25-28—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Summer Conference, Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianhardwood.org.
August 12-13—Virginia Forestry Assn. Virtual 2020 Forestry Summit, Call 804278-8733; visit vaforestry.org.
13-15—Alabama Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, Ala. Call 334-265-8733; visit alaforestry.org. 18-20—Virginia Forest Products Assn. Annual Conference, Virginia Beach Hilton Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, Va. Call 804-7375625; visit vfpa.net. 23—TEAM Safe Trucking Semi annual meeting, Branson Convention Center, Branson, Mo. Call 207-841-0250; visit teamsafetrucking.com.
20-23—Virginia Loggers Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, Va. Call 804-677-4290; visit valoggers.org.
23-25—National Hardwood Lumber Assn. Convention & Exhibit Showcase, Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 901-377-1818; visit nhla.com.
25-27—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org.
24—TEAM Safe Trucking Training Day, Branson Convention Center, Branson, Mo. Call 207-841-0250; visit teamsafetrucking.com.
25-27—Florida Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Fla. Call 850-222-5646; visit floridaforest.org.
24-26—American Loggers Council annual meeting, Hilton Branson Convention Center, Branson, Mo. Call 409-625-0206; visit amloggers.com.
southernloggintimes.com
ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
29-October 1—Arkansas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Doubletree Hotel, Little Rock, Ark. Call 501374-2441; visit arkforests.org.
October 7-9—North Carolina Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC. Call 800-231-7723; visit ncforestry.org. 9-10—Expo Richmond 2020, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com. 19-11—Tennessee Forestry Assn. annual meeting, Westin Hotel, Chattanooga, Tenn. Call 615-883-3832; visit tnforestry.com. 6-18—Texas Forestry Assn. annual meeting, TBD, Texarkana, Tex. Call 936-632-8733; visit texasforestry.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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