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MONTH 2016 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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Vol. 46, No. 12

(Founded in 1972—Our 543rd Consecutive Issue)

F E AT U R E S

December 2017 A Hatton-Brown Publication

Phone: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525

www.southernloggintimes.com

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3 Rivers Logging Determination And Optimism

CBI Forum Customers Tour Factory

out front:

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Skyler Oliver, left, and his dad Tim, right, mark the 45th anniversary of Oliver Logging Co. this year. The fifth generation family business has expanded of late with a side crew cutting small tracts and contracting trucks to other loggers.

Story begins on Page 8.

(David Abbott photo)

Trax Plus Breaks New Ground

D E PA RT M E N T S Southern Stumpin’................................................................................................. 6 Bulletin Board....................................................................................................... 26 Industry News Roundup......................................................................................30 Machines-Supplies-Technology.......................................................................... 42 ForesTree Equipment Trader..............................................................................46 2017 Editorial Index............................................................................................. 53 Coming Events/Ad Index..................................................................................... 54

Co-Publisher Co-Publisher Chief Operating Officer Executive Editor Editor-in-Chief Western Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Art Director Ad Production Coordinator Circulation Director Marketing/Media

David H. Ramsey David (DK) Knight Dianne C. Sullivan David (DK) Knight Rich Donnell Dan Shell David Abbott Jessica Johnson Jay Donnell Cindy Segrest Patti Campbell Rhonda Thomas Jordan Anderson

ADVERTISING CONTACTS DISPLAY SALES Eastern U.S. Kathy Sternenberg Tel: 251-928-4962 • Fax: 334-834-4525 219 Royal Lane Fairhope, AL 36532 E-mail: ksternenberg@bellsouth.net Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons Tel: 905-666-0258 • Fax: 905-666-0778 32 Foster Cres.

Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com Western Canada, Western USA Tim Shaddick Tel: 604-910-1826 • Fax: 604-264-1367 4056 West 10th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6L 1Z1 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook Tel: 604-619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com International Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 Fax: +34 96 640 4331 Aldea de las Cuevas 66 Buzon 60 • 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

Bridget DeVane

Tel: 1-800-669-5613 • Tel 334-699-7837 Email: bdevane7@hotmail.com

Southern Loggin’ Times (ISSN 0744-2106) is published monthly by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—SLT is sent free to logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel in the U.S. South. See form elsewhere in this issue.

All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $65 annually; $75 in Canada; $120 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.southernloggintimes.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Southern Loggin’ Times magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Southern Loggin’ Times. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2017. 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

Looking Back I

n this column in December last year, I reprinted several of the best quotes from our stories throughout 2016. I intended to continue that tradition this year, but we ran out of room. So, here are a select few of the best quotes from 2017: “We log with our phones now.” —Wayne Sojourner, Crystal Springs, Miss. Page 10, January issue “It’s the world we live in; insurance dictates a lot of what you do everywhere. If the insurance dictates that I have to fire a driver over a mistake, that is what we have to do to survive as a company.” —Ray Sullivan, Abingdon, Va. Page 30, February issue “The world exists outside the tract you’re logging and if you don’t get involved in that world it will eat your lunch.” —Crad Jaynes, Lexington, SC. Page 6, March issue “There’s not another business that makes our level of investment for this low of a profit. No way would a Wall Street investor look at these numbers and make this investment.” —Jason Flora, Maben, Miss. Page 21, June issue “If you run it, it is going to break. If you don’t want it to break, park it.” —Randall Wolfe, Moorefield, W.Va. Page 12, October issue “Two things in life that are hard to get and quick to lose are your good name and your good credit.” —Wayne Bandy, Union Church, Miss.

Page 12, November issue

Remembering Betty Andrews The May/June 2014 issue of Timber Harvesting (another Hatton Brown publication) featured an article about North Carolina’s Anthony B. Andrews Logging, Inc. “It’s not that there are a few bumps in the road; life is just a Betty Andrews bumpy road,” Anthony told me during our interview, quoting a favorite sermon. In that article I wrote about Anthony’s wife Betty and her struggle with breast cancer, which had already claimed her mother’s life at age 40.

At the time, she was doing well, and had just gotten back some good test results from her oncologist. Sadly, Betty eventually lost that battle. Her family sent me the following, asking if I could publish it. I am happy to do so.

Betty Sue Stroud Andrews, 60, of Trenton, NC, 6

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passed away on September 28, 2017. She was the wife of ProLogger Anthony B. Andrews and mother of ProLoggers Garrett and Tyler Andrews, special mother-in-law to Candace and Katie Andrews, and grandma to Harris Andrews, age 1, and a baby boy Andrews due in April 2018.

Betty was a member of Twin Rivers Baptist Church in New Bern, NC. Her favorite verse was Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

She was a huge proponent of logger safety and frequently accompanied Anthony whenever he made a safety presentation as part of NCFA’s Pro Logger program. She was a huge part of Anthony B. Andrews Logging, Inc., which was named Forest Resources Assn.’s National Outstanding Logger 2014.

In her memory donations can be made to Twin Rivers Baptist Church, 804 US Highway 70 East, New Bern, NC 28560. Donations will be used for the Bus Ministry.

ber, as he wanted to see if Bobby would call and speak with Jeremy. I gave Ryan Bobby’s number and told him I’m sure Bobby would be glad to talk.

After a day or so, I called Ryan and told him I’d like to come to the job and meet Jeremy, plus make him a SCTPA honorary timber harvester member.

On August 9 I went to the job and met Jeremy. I was truly impressed with this fine young man. I asked him if Bobby Goodson did call him. He absolutely lit up, saying: “Oh yes Mr. Crad, Bobby called me Saturday morning.” Jeremy was thrilled to say the least. As we were standing by Ryan’s truck, I winked at Ryan to distract Jeremy and said I need to go to my truck to get something.

Good Deed The following was written by Crad Jaynes, President of the South Carolina Timber Producers Assn., and originally published in the July/August issue of SCTPA’s Timber Talk magazine.

Have you ever done a kind gesture for someone and got that wonderful feeling about what you did?

Well, SCTPA had that opportunity to do a good turn for a ‘special needs’ young man by the name of Jeremy Ponder.

I received a call from Ryan Walker, son of board member Billy Walker of Walker & Walker Logging, LLC in Laurens, SC. Ryan told me of a young man who loves logging, heavy equipment and most of all, adores Bobby Goodson and the television show Swamp Loggers, and he told me about Jeremy.

Jeremy, 23, completed studies at Spartanburg School for the Deaf & Blind. He is blind in one eye, wears special glasses, has a slight speech impediment and a slight walking handicap. But smart, oh my gosh, this young man is smart. He works part time in the Simpsonville Recreation Dept.’s shop, working on lawn mowers and such.

Ryan leads one of the company’s two crews and was working a tract across from Jeremy’s home outside of Simpsonville. He told me Jeremy came over every day to hang out on the jobsite. Of course, Ryan provided Jeremy with a hard hat and safety vest and supervised him while he visited.

Jeremy was in “hog heaven” with Ryan, whose son Daniel is now a great friend of Jeremy’s and Jeremy says Daniel is his best friend.

Ryan asked if I had Bobby Goodson’s cell num-

Ryan Walker, right, shares a special event in the life of Jeremy Ponder.

I walked back and presented Jeremy with a framed certificate as an honorary SCTPA logger member and read it to him. I presented him a hard hat with SCTPA and American Loggers Council logo stickers on the sides and a ‘Log On!’ sticker across the front. Jeremy broke down crying, then said, “Mr. Crad, no one has ever done anything like this for me.” He repeated that same line over and over. I hugged Jeremy and told him, “We love you and now you are a logger.” Ryan was grinning and he and I got a little emotional.

I shared more time with Jeremy as Ryan had to tend to a leaking hydraulic line on the loader grapple. We talked about the logging equipment and big trucks and about life and his growing up. It was a special time for me.

When I was walking to my truck to leave, Jeremy ran up and gave me a big bear hug and said again, “Thank you Mr. Crad, no one has done anything like you did today for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

What a wonderful young man Jeremy Ponder is.

He is not ‘special needs’ to me. He is simply a very special person to me. I had the most wonderful and fulfilling feeling as I drove back home, knowing that Ryan and I had made Jeremy’s life brighter SLT and happier.

DECEMBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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Growing Opportunities ■ Tim and Skyler Oliver have found unexpected ways to expand their long-running business.

By David Abbott WAYCROSS, Ga. lot of companies start out with a small crew cut★ ting small tracts with older machines. Gradually, they work up to a position to buy newer, bigger, more productive equipment and start cutting larger tracts. Oliver Logging Co, Inc. has already done that and come full circle again. The fifth generation family business has had a bigger, high-production crew running late model machinery for years. Recently, though, it expanded with a small side crew, bringing in some older machines to handle small, private tracts.

“There were just a lot of opportunities for it with these small tracts that are not feasible for the big crew to go to,” according to Skyler Oliver, 27, who owns the company with his father Tim, 54. Many loggers can attest that their friends and neighbors often ask them to come clear out a property that may not be worth moving onto for a larger crew. That request became even more common after Hurricane Irma hit Florida in September.

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“Right after the hurricane, people wanted me to cut these smaller tracts and they’d ask, what will you charge me? I don’t feel right charging, but we don’t have payments on those machines, so it’s not a big burden. It’s a nice niche.” Notably, he says, the smaller crew actually has a higher profit margin. “Because nobody wants to cut it, we don’t have to pay the landowner as much,” the son explains.

Skyler’s father adds that the Olivers have also found a side business hauling for other loggers. “We have

11 trucks and 25 or so trailers and lowboys,” Tim says. “We haul for our two crews and for three other crews.” They expect to get bigger into this contract hauling business.

“People call us because they don’t have the resources and don’t want to do it,” Skyler says. “Trucking insurance is a big issue for everybody now, but the smaller owner-operators have been just, for lack of a better word, torn up by it.”

They say there hasn’t been a major problem finding drivers. “They know what they have to have before they

even call me,” Skyler explains— meaning experience and a clean record. “People claim they can’t find good drivers, but we have found that keeping nicer trucks helps out a lot.

We have pretty good drivers.”

Skyler and his wife Megan have been a couple since they were 13 years old. They have a daughter, Blair, 8. Besides Skyler, Tim and his wife Maria have a daughter, Skyler’s sister Kandice, who is now married to John Mantiply. Maria’s father, 74, now works for Oliver Logging as a welder at the shop.

Machinery

The Olivers are big Tigercat fans, buying from Tidewater in Brunswick.

DECEMBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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The Olivers are big believers in Tigercat. Equipment on the big crew is almost all Tigercat: a 2014 234 loader with CSI 264 delimber, ’16 630E skidder and ’16 720G fellerbuncher, with a Chambers Delimbinator. The small crew uses a ’90 John Deere 640 skidder, ’00 model Tigercat 240B loader with CSI 264 delimber, and ’14 Tigercat 720E cutter.

Since adding the Chambers Delimbinator in 2011, the delimbing gate and pullthrough delimber have mostly sat idle on the main crew. Tim first considered it at the suggestion of a

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landowner, but he was highly skeptical. It soon won him over. “It increased production 8-10 tons per acre, with less waste overall,” he relates.

The father-son team estimates their equipment investment at $1 million, not counting trucks and trailers. For the last five years the Olivers have bought all of their equipment from salesman Van McLoon at Tidewater Equipment in Brunswick. They obtain financing through Wells Fargo, GE and a local bank, Prime South in Their main crew produced 104,000 tons last year.

Blackshear.

Firestone is the preferred tire brand: 35.5 for skidders and 30.5 on cutters. As an affordable replacement, though, the loggers sometimes use Primex, making use of a discount available through their membership in the Southeastern Wood Producers Assn.

The Olivers keep 11 trucks: eight Kenworths and three Internationals.

Due in part to the contract hauling the Olivers are increasingly doing, they are in the market to buy some new trucks soon; Skyler suggests another Kenworth or possibly a Peterbilt.

Left to right: Skyler Oliver, Tim Oliver, Everett (Bubba) Lee, Earl Driggers, Jr. (kneeling), They use several trailer brands: Pitts Will Catlett, Chris Love Load Payin’ series, Country Boy and Big John.

Skyler points out. “That helps at the company pays its drivers an extra Trucks have Cat C15 or Cummins trade-in time.” $50 a week to wash them. Another engines under the hood, 525HP and Oliver Logging employs a fullgood reason: DOT is less likely to set to 70MPH. They run mostly time mechanic, Mark Alderman, at its pull over clean trucks. A crew truck Eaton 10 and 13 speed transmissions, shop. They keep an inventory of with air compressor and 100-gallon with a few 18 speeds in the mix. spare parts, filters, alternators, fuel tank goes to the woods, along They use Network Fleet, a diagnostic starters, tires and brake drums. They with two 500-gallon tanks to refill GPS system available through Veribring machines in to the shop once equipment and trucks on-site. Southzon. It sends a text with a code and monthly for thorough cleaning and to east Petroleum services in Waycross description of any problem detected. wash belly pans. They change engine delivers bulk fuel to the woods and All but two trucks are so equipped. oil every 500 hours and hydraulic pallets of motor oil and hydraulic oil They also use JPRO professional fluid every 1000 hours, keeping track to the shop. commercial vehicle diagnostics softby writing hours down in a notebook.

They bought the 10-acre property ware by Noregon. The system plugs “That is a big thing with us,” Skyler with the shop and office in 2014. “I into the trucks’ computers and gives a says. To ensure rigs are well mainhad been looking for a place to build, more in-depth analysis than the GPS. tained and present a good public face, but that didn’t work out with the Oliver Logging has been using county,” Tim says. As a man of Maxi-Load scales since 2000. faith, he prayed about it, and “Tigercat machines have been believes that God answered him. better in our experience,” Skyler “God blessed us with it because asserts. “You pay a little more but the company that had it moved Oliver Logging Co., Inc. they seem to be tougher, and the and we were able to get it at a parts are not as expensive.” The real reasonable price. This is on Waycross, Ga. loggers exhibit a similar brand the main road, with good access Email: skyleroliver@hotmail.com or loyalty in their choice of trucks. and plenty of room.”

Tim.oliverlogging@gmail.com “Kenworth, in the woods, is bar none the best,” Skyler believes.

Fathers To Sons “It just gets around better Founded: 1972 Skyler is actually the fifth genbecause it is more built for the Owners: Tim and Skyler Oliver eration of his family to work in woods. And Internationals are the woods. Tim’s great grandfajust some good, solid old trucks.”

No. Crews: 2 ther started it all, with each sucSkyler says he has seen Equipment: 2 loaders, 2 skidders, 3 ceeding generation working with improved fuel efficiency in cutters, delimbinator, 11 trucks, and passing the business down to newer, tier 4f machines but that their sons. Tim’s father Dan Olivfuel savings is offset somewhat 25 trailers er moved from Green County to by the cost of DEF. Average Haul Distance: 70 miles Waycross in 1959. In the midTypically they trade machines Average Production Per Week: 72 ’60s, Dan was the first logger in every three years, but if a mathe area to use a Mack diesel chine is doing well, Skyler says loads truck to haul wood, Tim says. they are in no rush to get rid of it Tidbit: Oliver Logging contracts “People thought he was out of his just because it has passed an arbisome of its trucks out to haul mind, because everyone used trary mark. “We keep records of gasoline trucks.” any repairs done and we take oil for other loggers, a growing He continues, “Dad lived and samples, and if it is done at Tideside business for the company. breathed logging. He didn’t water they keep track of it too,”

SLT SNAPSHOT

In the office is a framed uniform and hat that belonged to company founder Dan Oliver, Tim's dad.

have time for recreation like we do now, and I thank God that we do.

But dad was brought up hard and that was all he knew. He was the foundation of the company, him and God.” Today, the Olivers have Dan’s company shirt and hat on framed display in the office.

Dan started Oliver Logging in its current iteration when he was 45.

“We started hauling shortwood to Brunswick Pulp and Paper in June 1972, so we are celebrating 45 years this year,” Tim says.

Tim helped clean chain saws at a young age and come on the payroll part time at age 15. He graduated high school in 1981 and skipped college to immediately go full-time in the woods. “Dad and I worked hand in hand most of the time,” Tim remembers. Dan died at age 70 in March 1997; he had turned Oliver Logging over to Tim and Maria in January that year.

Skyler helped out where he could as he was growing up, but after high school he attended college at ABAC (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College) in Tifton. He majored in diversified agriculture. He still helped out on the logging crew when he could.

Even so, following in the footsteps of his dad and granddad, and their dads and grandads, was not exactly in the plan. “When I started college in 2008, the timber business was terrible, so I didn’t foresee a future in logging,” the younger Oliver recalls. “My inlaws have a big blueberry operation and I considered doing that.” By the time he graduated in December of 2013, though, things had changed, and he ended up joining the family business after all.

Business Company secretary Debra Gilliard has been handling the administrative side of things since 2014; before that Maria oversaw the office work.

For the last seven years, Oliver Logging has worked for Timberland Products of Fitzgerald, Ga. Procurement forester Brandon Sims keeps the big crew busy, while Tim and Skyler generally buy tracts for the smaller crew. They generally have jobs planned about three tracts ahead.

Right now they have several large ones lined up for the next six months:

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they are currently on a 200-acre hurricane-cleanup job; the one after that is 150 acres, then a 100-acre job, and finally 400 acres. “It’s not always like that,” Skyler acknowledges. “In wet times you might be working tract to tract.”

The big crew thins 70% of the time. “We found a niche in thinning,” Skyler says. “We thin a lot of juvenile wood, and we are able to be productive with it. The tract we are on right now, they can load 18-20 a day pretty easily in 14-year-old loblolly.”

The crew added a Chambers Delimbinator in 2011.

Six months ago, Skyler says, he would have said mill quotas were the biggest issue his business was facing, but that hasn’t been a problem at all of late. Turnaround times have likewise been good enough. Still, things are never perfect. “Here in this area, your logging rates are kind of lower than you would like,” he says. “I have heard people say we are the most efficient loggers in the country…because we have to be.”

Skyler is optimistic that the export log market to China will prove to be a boon. It offers a good market for some of the bigger logs he can’t unload locally, and it pays better too. The side crew hauls almost 80% of its production to Brunswick for export. The Oliver home base is only 60 miles from the port in Brunswick.

Likewise, Georgia Biomass is barely more than a mile from the office. “That is a big part of where we are at right here,” Skyler says.

“It helps us a lot and they are running strong.” He also expects West Fraser’s acquisition of Gilman in Blackshear to be a positive development. “Everything they tell us sounds real good.”

Currently, their longest haul distance is 85 miles and the shortest is 25 miles. Half the pulpwood goes to Georgia Biomass pellet plant in Waycross, half to Georgia-Pacific in Brunswick. Chip-nsaw goes to West Fraser plants in Blackshear and Fitzgerald. Pine logs go to Langdale Forest Products in Valdosta or to Southern Veneer in Fitzgerald. Poles go to Beach Timber Co. in Alma and Gulf South Pole Co. in Sycamore.

The big crew hauled 104,000 tons last year, at a 28-ton per load average.

Crew On the big crew, foreman Everett Lee runs the loader, Earl Driggers drives the skidder, Will Catlett mans the cutter and Chris Love moves set out trailers with Army trucks. The small crew is just Tim and Skyler.

Except for Love, all the men in the woods are under 35. Truck drivers are Timmy Leggett, Hal Barnett, Steve Alderman, Michael Elliott, Gregory Higgs, Ronnie Hardee, Dan Carter, Reuben Hendrix, Jonathan Wilkinson and Larry Page.

The crew’s truck drivers attend quarterly safety training offered by the Georgia Dept. of Public Safety.

In addition, Oliver Logging hires Safety On Site to conduct monthly meetings in the woods. The crews keep first aid kits, spill kits and fire extinguishers in crew trucks.

Drivers are selected at random through the insurance program for periodic drug testing through a SLT local doctor.

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Leap Of Faith ■ Young Alabama logger Lance Abernathy counts his blessings.

By Jessica Johnson WETUMPKA, Ala. ance Abernathy, 31, wasn’t the son of a ★ logger, but he grew up pretty close to the business. He had an uncle who logged when he was a kid, but went out of business before Abernathy could really get his feet wet, and for as long as he can remember his father drove a log truck. He remembers spending days going to his uncle’s woods with his father, riding in the truck when youngsters could do that, and getting bitten by the logging bug.

When Abernathy got out of high

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school he didn’t really know anything about being a forester or running a logging business, but knew he wanted to work in the woods.

So, he approached a classmate’s father, who was a logger, asking if a man could make a living hauling wood. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” Abernathy said to the man. “I am young and I think there is opportunity for younger people.”

The classmate’s father—Ron Hilyer—told Abernathy to stay in touch, maybe something would come up on his crew and he could use a hand.

Abernathy says Hilyer did eventually call him, and put him on a piece of equipment. Abernathy would work on Hilyer’s crew for almost seven

years before Hilyer sold out.

Hilyer, owner of Clearwater Harvesters in Wetumpka, showed Abernathy not only how to run logging equipment, but the opportunity available in central Alabama for a logger willing to do the work. After Hilyer’s crew shut down a little less than five years ago, Abernathy bounced over to work for another contract forester based in Wetumpka while Abernathy put together a business plan and the financing for an operation and crew of his own: 3 Rivers Logging.

When Hilyer shut down his crew and Clearwater made some

internal changes, a hole needed to be filled and Abernathy was ready to fill it. “I was where I could do it, so that’s what we did. We’re too far in now,” he says laughing. It’s been almost three years.

“I just I think there are some people who are supposed to do this; who aren’t afraid to sign their name on the line and (take) the leap of faith to do it,” Abernathy believes. “The

The ’10 Barko with Rotobec grapple is one of three newer machines the young logger (Lance Abernathy, inset) has added since starting his crew less than three years ago.

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good Lord willing, we will do it for as long as the foresters will let us.”

Humble Beginning At first, Abernathy made do with some older equipment, all financed through First South Farm Credit in Montgomery. He ended up with a mixed bag of equipment, finding pieces that were within his budget and that he believed would be reliable, knowing full well he planned to upgrade over time. One such piece was a used 620 Tigercat skidder from South Carolina, which introduced him to the brand.

Now, the crew uses a 2017 610E Tigercat skidder, purchased from B&G Equipment in Moundville— Abernathy’s first brand-new purchase. Ultimately what sold him on the investment was the old skidder, which, when he bought it, had 20,000 frame hours on it. The engine had been replaced and other wear and tear addressed, but Abernathy was impressed with its longevity. “It cranked and ran every single day. It was just as good as a new one,” he recalls. “They are reliable and that’s what I wanted.”

3 Rivers uses a 2012 John Deere 643K feller-buncher purchased from Warrior Tractor in Montgomery and a 2010 Barko 495 Magnum loader, with the Barko standard Rotobec grapple.

The three-man crew, with Abernathy on the cutter, Donnie Lassiter on the skidder and Bernard Hines on the loader, stays fairly productive. Typically a thinning crew, at the time of Southern Loggin’ Times visit 3 Rivers was on a 90-acre clear-cut for Resource Management Service (RMS), a private timberland investment firm—the first clear-cut since 3 Rivers was formed, but not its first RMS tract.

A contractor with Clearwater, Abernathy says he mostly does thinnings for private landowners working with Clearwater foresters Michael Boone and Jason Wales— guys he’s grateful to be in business with. “They care about us and want us to be as healthy as they are,” he says. “It makes a big difference that someone cares.”

Making use of a GI set-out truck, the crew typically hits 8-10 loads per day in thinnings, and expects to make around 12-13 in the clear-cut using two contract trucks and five trailers. “That is if the mills cooperate,” Abernathy quips. Hauls are close (less than 60 miles), with pine pulpwood going to International Paper in Prattville, and chip-n-saw logs going to West Fraser in Opelika.

Abernathy says he’s had weeks when the crew has been able to push out 45-47 loads, but he is comfortable in the 40 load per week zone on thinnings. “I know guys who will

Impressive durability on an old Tigercat skidder that he used when starting out persuaded Abernathy to buy a new one this year.

SLT SNAPSHOT 3 Rivers Logging Wetumpka, Ala. Email: 3riversloggingllc@gmail.com

Abernathy purchased a '12 Deere 643K from Warrior Tractor in Montgomery.

From left: loader man Bernard Hines, owner/cutter driver Lance Abernathy, and skidder man Donnie Lassiter

Founded: March 2015 Owner: Lance Abernathy No. Crews: 1 Employees: 2 Equipment: One cutter, one skidder, one loader Trucks/Trailers: Contracted two trucks, five trailers Production: 40 loads per week Average Haul Distance: 70 miles or less Tidbit: The Abernathy family is busy! Lance is the father of five: two boys, 13 and 11 and three girls, 9, 5 and 1. He says he’s always got something to do and somewhere to be, so he’s enjoying time with his kids and will have his fun later—when his wife isn’t taking him and the family traveling (her favorite thing to do).

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and gets fuel ordered at regular intervals.

“Any time I need something done during the day that I am not able to do, she handles it. She handles a lot of the stuff I just can’t,” he gushes about his wife.

Abernathy handles coordinating with the contract trucking firm, as well as load reports and tickets for the forester, landowner and mill. Hawkins and Rawlinson handles workers’ comp as well as general liability.

Good Help

Contract hauler Dixie Boys Trucking in Prattville dedicates two trucks to 3 Rivers, hauling 20 loads each per week. Inset: Abernathy's father Eddie, a truck driver, is a major help.

come in and pile trucks on and your trucks don’t benefit from that. We keep our trucks efficient. If each truck can haul 20 loads a week, they are doing well,” he believes.

Staying productive during the week is critical to Abernathy. “We try not to work on Saturdays. I have a bunch of kids (five actually) that love seeing me, and my wife also,” he says. “But the crew will do whatever it calls for to keep everything going.”

All trucking is contracted through Dixie Boys Trucking in Prattville.

Two dedicated trucks are sent to 3 Rivers each day along with five trailers, but the company owns a total of seven, so more can be added if needed. Abernathy went the contract trucking route when he first started, and hasn’t thought a change is needed.

With DOT regulations, the push for electronic log books and the liability of the trucks on the road, Abernathy is comfortable with the contract agreement. “When you have trucking it adds a whole new job, with truck drivers calling at 3 a.m. because they are broke down somewhere. I’m sure one day we will have to do it. Hopefully not. We will contract as long as we can because it’s worked for us.”

grease. The shed keeps filters, grease and oil. Abernathy does keep some routine parts, but usually just buys as needed.

Depending on the ground, the feller-buncher will alternate between Quadco throwaway steel teeth (when it’s rocky) and Quadco carbide teeth (when it’s sandy). “The carbide teeth wouldn’t last a load of wood in this rocky ground, but will last forever in the sandy ground to the south,” Abernathy explains.

All oil and maintenance related items are purchased from Todd Hayes at Advanced Performance Services in Goodwater. Abernathy has been with him from the start and enjoys a good relationship, saying Hayes will often reach out to offer help. It makes it easy for Abernathy: “I’ll tell him what I need, he’ll leave an invoice and it’ll be waiting on me at my house.”

Fuel is purchased from Turner Oil

in Wetumpka and delivered to the tank. Abernathy prefers dealing with them as often he will reach out in the morning and have fuel delivered by the end of that same day. It is helpful, he says, compared to other outlets he’s worked with who can’t deliver for four or five days. “That’s not good for us. If I’m two days left on fuel and they are four or five days out, I can’t plan that,” he adds.

John Deere support comes from Warrior Tractor. B&G Equipment provides Tigercat support, though the new skidder has not yet needed anything. Mostly though, Abernathy prefers to use Paul Dart of Goodwater Auto Parts to source his parts.

“He’s one of the best around as far as finding a part. I had an older Hydro-Ax cutter when I started, and if something needed to be found Paul would find it.”

Kassi Abernathy handles bookwork, keeps paychecks on schedule

Maintenance, Office Abernathy tries to stick close to the house, working a six-seven county radius that’s about 75 miles from his home base. 3 Rivers does not have a shop in Wetumpka, yet, but there are plans for one soon.

Abernathy keeps a 5,000 gallon fuel tank and a small tool and parts shed on his land. All maintenance work is done in the woods. Delo 400 oil is changed every 250 hours and machines are greased every 20 loads with Delo Moly 3% EP 16

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The young logger knows the success of his business hinges on the quality of his men, and believes he has a team he can count on.

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Abernathy says his logging business wouldn’t be possible without the people who have blessed him along the way, including his wife Kassi and his father Eddie. “He’s 64 years old, and he’s been my saving grace out here,” Abernathy says. “He is here every day, hauling four to five loads a day. When other trucks wouldn’t show up, he was the one that was out here.” Kassi has extended him grace while he gets the business running and often has to be gone long hours or on Saturdays when it’s been a tough production week.

But Abernathy knows he can’t do the job without his men. Hines has been with Abernathy since he started, and says he’s probably “the best you could find.” If for some reason Abernathy has to leave the woods or can’t be there, he knows Hines will keep the loads prepped and the wheels on the trucks turning.

Lassiter is the newest addition to the crew, working for a little over a year, but has known Abernathy since they both worked on other crews with Clearwater. “He knows what to do,” Abernathy says of the skidder driver. “He’s one of those people who come to work and you don’t have to tell them what to do.

That helps.”

When asked if he’s figured out the secret to logging, Abernathy says he doesn’t know if there is a secret. He tries to stay on top of the books, knowing what is coming in and out of the business and not taking more than he makes, recognizing he’s been given a special opportunity and needs to make the most of it. “When the sun is shining, you need to work,” he adds.

“You can come out and nothing go right, everything tear up. But when it’s good, it can be a rewarding experience. I don’t know the secret. We’re still young, and we’re still trying to improve every day to make people happy and pay the bills. As far as the secret goes, you’ll have to ask someone else. I SLT still haven’t figured it out.”

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Factory Forum Hosted By CBI

By Jay Donnell NEWTON, NH ontinental Biomass Industries (CBI) held its 2017 Factory Forum October 3-5 at the ★ company’s headquarters in New Hampshire. Attendees came from all over the globe to check out the latest CBI chipping, grinding and raw material processing equipment.

Guests stayed in historic Portsmouth, NH and on the morning of October 4 two buses arrived to pick up attendees and take them to CBI headquarters for a tour of the company’s factory and a live demo that featured several machines.

One of the highlights was a look at the first ever CBI Road-Mill, which was first used for Hurricane Andrew cleanup in 1992. The massive machine has logged more than 60,000 hours. Mitch Ingerson of Ingerson Transportation brought the machine in from his operation in Jefferson, NH.

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Attendees got a close look at grinders being prepared for more recent post hurricane cleanup. CBI had already shipped several grinders and a shredder to Texas, Florida and St. Martin, and several more machines were being prepped for related duty.

Guests had the opportunity to take in a number of keynote presentations from CBI and Terex personnel. Neal Nowick, General Manager of Terex Environmental Equipment, welcomed the crowd and addressed the future of CBI product lines.

Other presentations addressed equipment financing and Tier 4f engine compliance.

After lunch, attendees made their way to the demo site for some live action. Shown were the 6800BT, 5800BT and 5400BT wood grinders, 7544 flail and disc chipper, TTS 620 drum screener, Phoenix 2100 trommel screen, and the AirMax material density separator.

A regional news broadcasting station team made their way to the

demo to feature the 6800BT because of its application in recent hurricane cleanup efforts.

Bill Thomson of Thomson Brothers Industries in North Andover, Mass. owns a CBI Grizzly Mill Annihilator and attended the event to support CBI. “I like CBI’s products because of the quality, price and service,” he said.

“I’ve owned my CBI machine for nine years and have never had any problems with it.”

Patrick Hayes made the trip on behalf of Southridge Farm and Nursery in Walpole, Mass. His company recently purchased a 5800 grinder. “It’s the best grinder we’ve seen and we came out here to see more of their products,” Hayes said. “We really like the grinder because it’s a lot quicker than other grinders we’ve tried.”

A-1 Sandrock of Greensboro, NC purchased its third machine from Terex Environmental Equipment during the Factory Forum, working with Powerscreen Mid-

In addition to the current product lineup, such as the Magnum Flail & Chipper, CBI displayed the original Road Mill grinder.

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Atlantic to add a 5800BT grinder.

After the demo, attendees went back to their hotels to get ready for a “Taste of the Coast” dinner, which included fresh lobster, clams and many other New England staples. Following the dinner, CBI’s guests were invited to a night out in historic Portsmouth where CBI provided an excellent rock n’ roll band for everyone to enjoy.

The final day of the forum featured a workshop on safety led by Aaron Murray, technical R&D lead at CBI, using the 6800BT; and a workshop on performance optimization led by CBI engineering specialists Mike Goutier and Nate Fuller. They gave live examples of best practices with a 5800BT grinder.

Joe Gallagher, marketing coordinator for CBI, played a vital role in organizing the event and made sure that everyone got a taste of all that CBI and New England SLT have to offer.

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Mississippi Trax ■ Chris Weems narrows his company’s focus to provide equipment and service to loggers.

By Jordan Anderson HICKORY, Miss. s you drive west on I20 between Meridian ★ and Jackson, Miss. you quickly pass through the small town of Hickory. Boasting a population of just over 500 people, the rural community is named after Andrew Jackson, who had the nickname “Old Hickory.” Jackson passed through the area on his way to fight the Battle Of New Orleans during the War Of 1812. Hickory almost covers one square mile. You get the picture; it’s a small southern town.

Something that might seem a bit out of place for a small town like Hickory is the 30 acres of forestry and construction equipment and 19,000 sq. ft. facility nestled among pine trees right on the side of I-20.

The property is home to Trax Plus, one of the largest used forestry and construction equipment dealers in the South.

The company got its start in 2005 when owner and President Chris Weems, 37, shifted his focus from construction projects to selling equipment. Today the company

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Chris Weems (left) and Micah Harmon (right) have built a diverse equipment company.

almost exclusively sells used forestry equipment and carries several OEM lines. Trax Plus recently became the full-service Barko dealer in Mississippi, a part of their business that Weems says is growing rapidly.

In March this year, Weems and his company began to transition the Barko line from Waters International, based in Columbus, Miss. “We’re very excited to be the new Barko dealer for Mississippi. Waters did a

great job with Barko for 29 years and took care of their customers well,” says Weems. He adds that Trax Plus and Waters have a great working relationship and that both companies have learned from each other throughout the process. As part of the transition, Trax Plus has taken on about 90% of the Barko parts inventory from Waters, according to Weems.

Weems says that Barko, which has been around since 1963, makes quali-

Trax Plus is situated on a 30-acre property right next to I-20 in Hickory.

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ty equipment that loggers trust. “We eat, sleep and breathe forestry equipment and Barko is a great fit for us,” he adds. Trax Plus has had an influx of new customers since taking on the Barko line and the move has opened avenues for them to sell other new product lines like Rotobec, CSI, Big John and Pitts trailers, and Quadco and Southstar heads.

The decision to start selling new equipment is beginning to tip the scales in terms of sales. Since taking on their first OEM line, SANY excavators, in 2015, Trax Plus has seen sales go from 95% used equipment down to about 65%, and Weems believes that Barko is playing a big role in that trend. He adds that new equipment sales have really picked up in the second half of this year.

Back Trax In late August, Southern Loggin’ Times met with Weems and Trax Plus Vice President Micah Harmon, 37. Harmon has been with the company since 2014, having spent 10 years with the USDA Farm Service Agency prior to that.

When arriving at the property, a

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visitor will likely notice an old house just inside the gated entrance.

The company was based out of this 150-year-old house when it first moved to the location in 2013.

Weems and Stephen Liggett, who was Trax Plus’ first employee and still works in the service department today, completely renovated the house and cleared three acres adjacent to it for their first few pieces of equipment.

Weems has an extensive background in both construction and logging. His grandfather, Johnny Floyd Weems, operated several wood yards and owned a logging business. Over time the operations transitioned from his grandfather to his father, uncle, brother and to Weems. Although the wood yards were sold years ago, the logging side, which was known as Timber Solutions, only shut down in January of this year. Timber Solutions, based in Hickory, operated with one crew and 11 employees including truck drivers. Shutting it down was

Trax Plus became the full-service Barko dealer in Mississippi this past spring.

SLT SNAPSHOT Trax Plus Hickory, Miss.

Email: chris@traxplus.net, micah@traxplus.net Founded: 2005 Owner: Chris Weems Tidbit: When tasked with creating a name for the company 12 years ago, owner and President Chris Weems and VP Micah Harmon reeled in the name Trax Plus while on an annual fishing trip with a group of friends. Weems says that 2017 marked their 20th annual trip.

Trax Plus’ 19,000 square foot facility is immaculate and well equipped to service customers.

Trax Plus emphasizes its growing parts business, stocking two floors in their shop.

Future expansion and new locations are strong possibilities for Trax Plus.

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a difficult decision, Weems says, adding that he’s always loved logging. “The equipment business has just grown so much and taken on a life of its own that it had to be done,” he adds.

In 2003 Weems started his company as Central Mississippi Engineering & Construction (CMEC).

At the same time, having an engineering degree from Mississippi State University, he worked as a civil engineer for the Mississippi Dept. of Transportation. As the opportunity arose Weems began selling used construction equipment on the side under the CMEC name.

Not long after this the state of Mississippi told him he’d have to stop selling equipment because he didn’t have the correct code for sales tax.

Faced with a decision, Weems set up a new entity that would allow him to continue selling equipment, and Trax Plus was born.

After recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Weems began operating Trax Plus out of his farm in Jasper County. He started by selling mostly used construction equipment and 3-point hitch tractor grapples.

As with almost any business, the early days were tough and every opportunity mattered. “We did

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Trax People “We did what everybody tells you not to do: hire your friends,” Harmon says.

“We were all buddies before we started working together, so it makes it enjoyable to come to work. You might be having a rough day but at least you’re surrounded by your friends.”

Trax Plus employees include: Shonda Campbell—Office & Finance Manager Greg Mitchell—CFO & Accountant Brandon Yarbrough—Service Manager Weems and Harmon attribute the company’s success to their team.

Chris Spence—Parts Manager Bubba Parker—Inventory Manager Technicians—Jeff Floyd; Stephen Liggett; Joseph Sullivan; Steve Floyd; Anthony Garrison Truck Drivers—James Harold Johnson; Jacob Mason

whatever we had to do to survive,” Weems shares. “Construction projects under the CMEC side, equipment under Trax Plus. We did site prep, sewage lines, house lots, driveways. We did anything that would put bread on the table.”

Trax Today Trax Plus now employs 15 and sells mostly forestry equipment with a small inventory of construction

equipment. “Our bread and butter is used forestry equipment,” Weems says. “With our background in logging, we got in where we fit in.”

A very diverse equipment inventory, typically about 65 pieces on hand, is made up of mostly loaders, skidders, feller-bunchers and dozers from a wide range of manufacturers. Weems also tries to keep five or six new Barko machines and three or four SANY excavators in their new inventory. New product lines

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also include Brazos trailers, DENIS CIMAF brushcutter and mulcher attachments, Fecon forestry attachments and Cummins engines. When it needs to move equipment, Trax Plus has three trucks, two Peterbilts and a Mack, equipped with lowboy trailers.

In terms of territory, Weems and Harmon consider Mississippi and the surrounding states their “local customers” because they regularly sell equipment all over the U.S. and even

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some internationally. Trax Plus has repeat customers as far north as Minnesota, Harmon says. The company has sold equipment in Africa, Australia, South America, Qatar, Russia, Mexico and Canada. Weems shares a story that several years ago they sold two skidders, a loader and a fellerbuncher to a company in Guatemala that was cutting eucalyptus trees with machetes. As part of the deal, Weems and local logger and personal friend Robbie Gregory spent a week in the Guatemalan jungle train-

ing them on the equipment.

Aside from equipment, Trax Plus also has a mulching business. This was started by Weems and Harmon in an effort to increase sales of the DENIS CIMAF mulching attachments. Jacob Mason works on the mulching jobs and drives a truck for the company. Mason is running a John Deere 843K equipped with a DENIS CIMAF attachment. Weems has also experimented with the attachment on Barko’s 930B and 937B units.

Something else unique at Trax Plus: it offers in-house financing.

Office and Finance Manager Shonda Campbell has 20 years of experience in the banking and finance industry and her ability to help customers find the right program to fit their needs is a “huge plus,” according to Weems.

Trax Service Trax Plus invested in a new 19,000 sq. ft. facility in November

of last year. An obvious emphasis was placed on the shop, which includes six service bays, a wash bay, two overhead cranes and a large parts area that covers two floors. Weems says that the service and parts business has grown tremendously over the past five years, due to the focus they give to listening to their customers’ needs and “always being available,” he says. “With our background in logging, we understand the urgency of having equipment up and running.”

The company has two fully equipped service trucks that are dispatched to work on equipment onsite. The technicians regularly attend manufacturer training events and are qualified to work on all different makes of equipment. Truck drivers attend annual training courses and seminars on safety and current regulations. Trax Plus has good working relationships with several equipment dealers including Stribling Equipment, Puckett Machinery, B&G Equipment and Waters International.

Both Weems and Harmon recognize the vital part that service and parts play in their business.

“Micah and I might sell the first machine, but it’s our shop and our service department that sell the rest. They’re what make repeat customers. They really drive our sales,” Weems asserts.

Trax Ahead As any logger knows, one of the keys to a healthy tree is a strong root system. When it comes to growing his business, Weems follows the same philosophy. “We try to not grow too fast,” he says.

“You can grow too fast and fall over, like a tree. We try to sustain what we have and grow smart, not fast.”

Weems says that he and Harmon are looking at the possibility of other Trax Plus locations and are focused now on expanding their customer base, especially with the Barko line.

When asked about their keys to success both Weems and Harmon said that while things like listening to their customers and being people of their word are important, they believe that it is their employees who are the real difference makers. “Trax Plus is our employees,” they agree. Harmon adds, “We value our employees first and foremost. We pray about every opportunity we get and Chris and I work together to make the best decisions for the company and our people here.”

Echoing Harmon’s words, Weems follows with, “We’re a family here and the Lord has blessed us beyond measure.” SLT 24

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A Special Bible For Mom Four brothers left home for college and all became successful doctors, lawyers and business owners.

One evening they chatted after having dinner together, discussing the Christmas gifts they were able to give their elderly mother, who had moved to Florida.

The first said, “You know I had a big house built for mama.”

The second said, “And I had a large theater built in the house.”

Said the third, “And I had my Mercedes dealer deliver an SL600 to her.”

The fourth said, “You know how mama loved reading the Bible, and you know she can’t read anymore because she can’t see very well. I met this preacher who told me about a parrot that could recite the entire Bible. It took 10 preachers almost 8 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $50,000 a year for five years to the church, but it was worth it. Mama only has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it.”

The other brothers were impressed.

After the holidays, mom sent out her thank you notes. She wrote, “Milton, the house you built is so huge that I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house. Thanks anyway.”

“Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home, I have my groceries delivered, so I never use the Mercedes. The thought was good. Thanks.”

“Michael, you gave me an expensive theater with Dolby sound, and it can hold 50 people, but all of my friends are dead, I’ve lost my hearing and I’m nearly blind. I’ll never use it. Thank you for the gesture just the same.”

“Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious. Thank you so much.”

Natural Born Citizens Put aside all the hand wringing about terrorist threats, mass shootings, nuclear threats, climate change and the great American political divide. The incident described below is our real problem.

In a Purdue University classroom students were discussing the qualifications for a person to seek the office of U.S. President, as set forth in the Constitution. It was pretty simple. The candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age.

However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how she felt the requirement to be a natural born citizen was not fair. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from seeking the office.

The class was taking it in and letting her rant, and not many jaws hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, “What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C-section?”

A Dedicated Nurse A male patient was lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose and still heavily sedated from a difficult four-hour surgical procedure.

A young student nurse came into his room to give him a partial sponge bath.

“Nurse,” he mumbled from behind the mask. “Are my testicles black?”

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Like Loggers, These Trees Are Determined

Embarrassed, the young nurse replied, “I don’t know. I’m only here to wash your upper body.”

He struggled to ask again: “Nurse, are my testicles black?”

Concerned that he might elevate his vitals from concern about his testicles, she overcame her embarrassment and sheepishly pulled back the covers. She raised his gown and lifted his penis in one hand and his testicles in the other, gently moving them around and around.

She said, “No sir, they aren’t. They look OK to me.”

The man pulled off the oxygen mask, smiled at her and said, very slowly, “Thank you very much. That was nice, but listen very, very closely…Are–my–test–results–back?”

Just For Seniors Seen on the T-shirt of an old man with no hair: AT MY AGE I’VE Seen It All Done It All Heard It All But I Can’t Remember IT ALL!

Just For Seniors II News Alert: Senior citizens are the nation’s leading carriers of aids: hearing aids, band aids, roll aids, walking aids, medical aids, government aids, and most of all, monetary aids to their kids!

Amish Humor While driving in Pennsylvania, a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor because attached to the back of the carriage was this hand-printed sign: “Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.”

Parents Who ‘Drugged’ Us A friend asked me, ‘Why didn’t we have a drug problem when we were growing up?’

I replied that I had a drug problem when I was young. I was ‘drug’ to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials.

I was drug by my ears when I didn’t respect adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the pastor or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds. I was drug to the homes of neighbors to help mow the yard, repair the clothesline, and if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, my dad would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, this world would be a better place.

God bless the parents who ‘drugged’ us!

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LOGGING LIFE AT HOME

Christmas Peace: Kindness, Attitude Deborah Smith has been married to Rome, Ga. logger Travis Smith for 34 years.

They have 10 children: seven by birth, three adopted from Africa, and two granddaughters. A college English major, she began home-schooling their children in 1991. Says Smith: “I love my family; I am passionate about encouraging others to keep the faith, to keep taking the next right step, no Travis and Deborah Smith matter how hard life gets.”

Visit her blog: buttercupsbloom here.blogspot.com

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orgeous Christmas stuff is for sale everywhere. It is the most wonderful time of the year, but it really doesn’t have a whole lot to do with shopping.

When I step back and look at what is really for sale and what people are really putting in their shopping carts, I think that everybody wants some place lovely and peaceful and welcoming to call home. It’s as if we are buying hope. We are buying something that we hope will make someone we love happy. We are buying things because we hope our love for others will be plain for them to see and feel and taste and know.

I’m going to be bold here and say that a real Christmas doesn’t take money at all.

I believe Christmas tugs at our heart because it makes us all think of home, or the home we wish we had had, or the home we wish we had right now. The sad truth is that buying things won’t change the atmosphere in our home. The happy truth is that we can start making our home peaceful right now, and that doesn’t take money. It takes time and effort and listening and being tuned in to our loved ones and their needs.

Adding more presents under the tree won’t assure your children that you love them or believe in them. Time does that. Attention does that.

Buy a football for your son, then throw it with him. Give your daughter a coloring book and color pencils, then sit down and color with her.

Sending your daddy a fruit basket won’t let him know you love him as much as a phone call. Your mama will appreciate a gift you can’t afford, but I suspect she’d rather have a hand-written letter thanking her for what she means to you. And for you husbands and wives, aren’t gifts sometimes just apologies for the stupid stuff we’ve said or done? Or not said or not done? Let our gifts to each other be the help and encouragement that is so badly needed in this day and time of stress.

Let’s look at that first Christmas, the reason we have Christmas now.

A young couple, not yet married, was about to have their first child.

They were in a crowded city, on business, and there was absolutely no place to stay. No family. No distant cousin offered a couch. A tired innkeeper offered a stable. That would be the equivalent today of being told that you could sleep in the garage.

Joseph delivered the baby boy and took care of Mary while cows lowed and sheep watched. Then unexpected company showed up to see the baby in the middle of the night. That was the first Christmas, and it was wonderful and good. Mary was strong and gentle. Jospeh was kind and brave. They were together and they loved each other and they loved the baby. They offered the shepherds acceptance.

We have the ability, inside our hearts, to fill our respective homes with what we long for: the peace of that first Christmas night. It can only be found in our hearts.

If budget allows, yes, buy the stuff. Buy the gifts. Send the cards and cook all the food. But remember, what we long for cannot be purchased.

The love and acceptance and peace that we so desperately long for, and that Christmas time makes us homesick for, can come only from our hearts, and must be shown by our kindness and attitude and deliberate action toward those around us. Peace in our homes can start today.

What made that first Christmas something we long to recreate is not magical or extravagant. It is simple. A family loved each other. No store can sell that.

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INDUSTRY NEWS ROUNDUP

As We See It: State Of ALC Report, 2017

By Danny Dructor In 2017 the American Loggers Council (ALC) flourished under the leadership of presidents Ken Martin and Mark Turner and the entire executive committee Dructor

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and Board of Directors. Our membership remains strong and many of our goals and targets have been met due to the hard work and diligence of the many volunteers who continue to work to not only promote the

organization but also the logging profession as a whole.

On the legislative front, we set a record attendance at the Spring Fly-In with 61 participants who made 160plus visits (another record) to Capitol Hill over a two-day period. We carried four primary issues—the Future

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Logging Careers Act, Resilient Federal Forests Act, Right to Haul Act, and Wildfire Funding Act—to members of Congress. We also discussed creating parity between wood biomass and other renewable energy sources to promote markets and create jobs for our industry, and were able to make inroads with other organizations as we moved all of these issues forward.

For the first time in 20 years, we received support from the Forest Resources Assn. for our truck weight language and we also assisted the Biomass Power Assn. in promoting markets for wood biomass.

We have seen movement in all four primary efforts, including the inclusion of the Future Logging Careers Act in the Resilient Federal Forests Act, which in late October cleared both the Natural Resources and Agriculture committees in the House.

The ALC has established excellent working relationships with many offices and agencies in Washington. This is a direct result of the commitment that many ALC officers and directors and state and regional logging association leaders make each spring during the journey to DC. We remain in close contact with the Federal Forest Resource Coalition as it pursues legislation to expedite and increase the pace and scale of the Federal Timber Sale program.

As well, the ALC is an integral part of TEAM Safe Trucking, an organization promoting driver training to help reduce accidents and lower CSA scores, and the Wood Supply Research Institute, which seeks ways to reduce costs and increase efficiencies across the wood supply chain.

Our membership continues to grow with the addition of individual logger memberships, our finances are strong, and we welcomed two new sponsors into the organization. Rebate opportunities for ALC members and affiliates should help our member state and regional organizations attract new members. Thanks to both Peterbilt and Western Star for making the programs available.

In July the ALC board agreed to fund a revitalization of the ALC Master Logger Certification program as proposed by the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forests and the PLC of Maine, and we are excited about the opportunities the program could bring in promoting the timber harvesting profession and helping gain public understanding of the role that loggers play in sustainable timber harvesting techniques.

Our communications network

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continues to expand through both our web site and social media outlets, and Nick Smith has done an excellent job of keeping the monthly electronic newsletters both timely and informative.

We met face-to-face with many loggers the ALC represents by attending various trade shows throughout the country, and in return expanded our newsletter outreach. To increase our branding and marketing efforts, we developed and distributed tri-fold leaflets, our 2016 annual report, and bumper stickers with the slogan “Loggers Working for Loggers.”

It was a great year for the ALC, but we will not sit back on our heels as we enter into another fiscal year. As an earlier As We See It editorial

alluded to, it would appear that the pendulum has stopped swinging in one direction, but now it is up to us to get it swinging in our direction. We are looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that 2018 will bring, and we sincerely appreciate all of the hard work and dedication of all of those who have helped the ALC remain the true ‘National Voice for Professional Timber Harvesters.’

We wish all of you and your families a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous 2018!

Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the ALC, a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters and log truckers in 32 states. Visit amloggers.com or phone 409-625-0206.

Potlatch, Deltic Timber Are Coming Together Potlatch Corp. and Deltic Timber Corp. announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge into a Timberland REIT with major production capacity. The combined company will be named PotlatchDeltic Corp., with Potlatch stockholders owning 65% of the new company, and Deltic stockholders owning 35%.

The combined company, which is expected to have a total enterprise value of more than $4 billion, will employ more than 1,500. It will have a timberland portfolio of approximately 2 million acres, with

1.1 million acres in the U.S. South, 600,000 acres in Idaho, and 150,000 acres in Minnesota.

The company will operate eight wood products manufacturing facilities, including six lumber facilities, one medium density fiberboard facility and one industrial plywood mill. The company will have lumber capacity of 1.2 billion BF, with over half of the company’s capacity being produced at its three southern yellow pine sawmills. The transaction also combines two complementary real estate businesses.

Corporate headquarters will be maintained in Spokane, Wash., with the Southern operations based in El Dorado, Ark. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018.

New Sawmills May Be In Store For South Two Canadian-based companies, both in recent years having purchased and now operating multiple sawmills in the U.S. South, are considering building greenfield sawmills in the South.

Interfor reports it has completed a detailed feasibility study and business case for a greenfield sawmill capable of producing in excess of 200MMBF annually and has identified a potential location in the Central Region of the U.S. South. A decision on the project is expected in early 2018.

Canfor is also conducting a study of building a greenfield sawmill in the South. The study will be completed in the first quarter of 2018, and a decision made thereafter.

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Softwood Lumber Decision Still Favors U.S. Side U.S. Dept. of Commerce announced the affirmative final determinations of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of softwood lumber from Canada.

The Commerce Dept. determined that exporters from Canada have sold softwood lumber to the U.S. at

3.20% to 8.89% less than fair value. Commerce also determined that Canada is providing unfair subsidies to its producers of softwood lumber at rates from 3.34% to 18.19%.

Commerce has instructed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to prepare to collect cash deposits from importers of softwood lumber from Canada based on the final rates.

The International Trade Commis-

sion must now make its final determination, scheduled in December. If ITC agrees with Commerce, the Commerce duties collection process will proceed; if ITC rules there is no injury, there will be no penalty or duties collection. In a preliminary ruling this summer ITC said it found a reasonable indication that softwood lumber products from Canada materially injured American producers due to subsidies and dumping.

In 2016, imports of softwood lumber from Canada were valued at an estimated $5.66 billion.

Memorial Service Held For Dennis (Blue) Harbor A memorial service for Dennis (Blue) Harbor, who owned and operated a logging and trucking business near Dennis (Blue) Harbor Hamilton, Ala., was held November 4 at the Hamilton Funeral Home chapel. Harbor died October 30. He was 62.

Well known in logging circles in both northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi, Harbor did business as Harbor Logging & Trucking, founding the company in 1975.

Later, his sons became involved.

For several years he served as a district chairman and/or representative on the Alabama Loggers Council and in the mid ’90s was one of several Deep South loggers to try multi-shift logging.

Survivors include his widow, mother, three sons, one daughter, seven grandchildren, two brothers, and one sister.

Rotochopper Hosts 7th Annual Demo About 120 customers and prospects from the U.S. and Canada attended Rotochopper, Inc.’s 7th annual Demo Day in St. Martin, Minn. on September 21. The

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theme of the event was “See Red Go Green.”

The day began with tours of the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, providing attendees the opportunity to see Rotochopper grinders in every stage of manufacture, from cutting to final inspection and testing. The facility tours also provided guests the opportunity to meet the teams who design, build and support their Rotochopper equipment.

The demonstrations started with the unveiling of Rotochopper’s prototype heavy duty B-66 track and dolly unit, with a 1050 HP engine and upgraded infeed features enabling it to devour logs and whole trees. The 765 and 950 HP B-66, FP-66, MC-266 and MP-2 demonstrated converting raw materials into finished products throughout the day.

Rotochopper customer service unveiled the new RotoLink system, which allows customers to connect with their machines and Rotochopper customer service to troubleshoot and track machine performance in real-time.

The newly redesigned 24 tooth replaceable mount rotor with increased impact resistance and

reduced side load during operation was on display.

The day ended with a side by side demonstration of a B-66 and an FP66 equipped with Rotochopper’s Generation 2 Colorizer.

Rotochopper showcased latest products at its Demo Day.

Southern Loggin’ Times

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Fifty Years In The Books For Vermeer Southeast Vermeer Southeast Sales and Service, Inc. is celebrating 50 years of

providing the Southeast with equipment, parts, service and solutions.

Officially incorporated on December 5, 1966 by co-founders Merle Den Besten and Mel Bokhoven, Vermeer

Southeast began operations as part of an emerging sales and service, dealer network intended to meet the needs of a growing industrial market for Vermeer Corp.

Vermeer Southeast hosted an anniversary party in Orlando.

The company, which started with a single location in Orlando, Fla., has grown to nine locations and nearly 160 employees across Alabama, Florida and Georgia, with Vermeer Alabama having been acquired in 2005.

The company recently commemorated this milestone with a celebration near its corporate office in Orlando. Those in attendance included employees and their families, vendors and partners. Both co-founders as well as the current owners, Kris Den Besten, Todd Ver Steeg and Jim Dees, made remarks reflecting on the company’s growth and success since it’s humble beginnings.

Event Raises Money For Cancer Research The 17th annual Truckers Parade Against Cancer (TPAC), held on October 14 in Charlotte County, Va., involved 224 trucks and raised $110,000 for the American Cancer Society. Truck drivers donated $250 for banners displayed on the front of their trucks in memory or in honor of friends and family whose lives have been impacted by cancer. This year’s event included 277 banners bearing the names of loved ones who have either survived cancer or died from the disease.

Sheila Jones started the event in 2000 after losing her mother to breast cancer in 1997. Wanting to create a unique fundraiser, Jones turned to her family’s background in trucking. Her husband Darrin is a truck driver and mechanic, his father owns a truck shop and his uncle is a salesman at Virginiabased Excel Truck Group.

Today the event is sponsored by more than 25 area businesses, including Excel Truck Group, Dodd’s Farm Supply (the Jones family’s business), Abilene Motor Express, Southside Electric Cooperative, Southworth Auto & Power Equipment, Spaulding Equipment Co., Beeline Transport and more. Many regional logging, forestry and mill companies sent trucks.

One of the event’s biggest supporters is Keysville-based Pulpwood & Logging. The company has been involved with TPAC since 2001 and had six of its trucks drive in this year’s parade.

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Cheryl Vassar, wife of owner Greg Vassar, is on the TPAC organizing committee.

“I’m a cancer survivor. To me, it’s always a bittersweet day. It’s amazing to see the support you

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have from the community. It’s an amazing feeling to see over 200 trucks lined up to do their part,” Vassar says.

Visit truckersparade.com for more information.

Alliance Tire Moves Southeast Regional Office Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. (ATA) has moved its Southeast Regional Office to a new address in the Birm-

DECEMBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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ingham, Ala, area—1976 Gadsden Highway, Suite 205, Trussville, AL 35235. Phone numbers for the office and its staff remain unchanged.

The new, larger office space accommodates ATA’s growing sales

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team and includes upgraded offices and conference space, according to Brian Sheehey, Vice President of Marketing.

The Southeast Regional Headquarters will continue to serve as the North American hub for Alliance Tire Americas’ forestry, solid tire and truck tire sales teams.

Morbark Acquires Rayco Manufacturing Morbark has acquired Rayco Manufacturing, Inc. in a continuing effort to broaden its range of tree care and industrial equipment. Rayco, founded in 1978 in Wooster, Oh., by John Bowling, manufactures stump cutters, crawler trucks, forestry mulchers, multi-tool carriers and attachments, brush chippers and the new AT71 aerial trimmer.

Morbark will operate Rayco as a new division maintaining its brand identity.

Equipment Linc Reps For Barko In Alabama Barko Hydraulics announces the addition of Equipment Linc, Inc. as its new dealer for logging and land

Alabama Loggers Council Recognizes Chris Langley The recognition continues for Chris and Elizabeth Langley, an Alabama couple well-schooled in timber and cattle operations. Their logging and timber company, Chris Langley Timber and Management Inc., was recently recognized as the 2017 Alabama Outstanding Logger by the Alabama Loggers Council.

Chris Potts, far left, Chairman of the Alabama Loggers Council, presented the 2017 In business for decades, the highly repOutstanding Logger of the Year Award to Chris Langley and his family: wife Elizabeth, utable company, based in Chambers sons Chandler and Christopher, and daughter Chelsea.

County, operates three high performance logging crews that stand out for their professionalism.

Expo in mid-October in Moultrie, Ga. Langley Farms Last spring the couple’s farming entity, Langley includes a 320-head commercial beef herd.

Farms, was singled out as the Alabama Farm of DistincThe Langleys own 2,650 acres of timber, hay and tion. The Langleys were awarded some $12,000 in cash grazing land. They are county and state leaders in the and prizes and became the Alabama representative in the Alabama Farmers Federation and Alabama Cattlemen’s Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Southeastern Farmer of the Assn. and were honored as the state’s Outstanding Year competition at the gigantic Sunbelt Agricultural Young Farm Family in 1996. clearing equipment in Alabama.

Located in Maplesville, Ala., Equipment Linc will handle sales and service of Barko knuckleboom loaders, industrial wheeled tractors, harvesters and feller-bunchers. The dealership boasts a new maintenance facility and personnel with decades of forestry experience in equipment sales and as timber producers.

“We are thrilled about this tremendous opportunity to promote the

Barko brand,” says Tommy Moore, president of Equipment Linc.

Proposed Pellet Mill Receives Air Permits Bord na Móna, an Ireland power generation provider and renewable raw material resource supplier, has received an Air Quality Permit from the Environmental Protection Div. of

the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resource for the construction and operation of an industrial wood pellet manufacturing facility in Washington (Wilkes County), Ga. The $80 million plant could be operational within two years.

Managing Director Mike Quinn says the Georgia site was been chosen due to the experienced labor force in the area and the availability of raw material.

Southern Loggin’ Times

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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY Deere Tier 4f Cutters

The John Deere 900M-Series tracked feller-bunchers and 900MH-Series harvesters are now

equipped with Tier 4f engines, offering fuel- and fluid-efficient machines without sacrificing power and performance. John Deere offers a diesel particulate filter (DPF) solution that is known for its ability to reduce the dependency of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

With the required emissions change, John Deere Tier 4f engines maintain power density,

torque and transient response. In addition to excellent fuel economy, the design of the engine aftertreatment system results in exceptionally low Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) usage.

John Deere has also made changes to the machine lineup, and improved the structure, design and horsepower on select machines.

John Deere offers three 900M-

Series tracked feller-buncher models, the 903M, 953M flat bottom and 959M leveling machines, as well as two 900MH-Series harvesters, the 953MH flat bottom and 959MH leveling machines. All of the 900M-Series and 900MH-Series machines feature a redesigned engine enclosure, improving structural strength while maintaining excellent serviceability. Visit johndeere.com.

Cat D Series Loader

Caterpillar launches Cat D Series knuckleboom loader with two models, the Cat 559D and 579D. The loaders, which meet U.S. EPA Tier 4f emission standards, provide increased reliability and durability along with greater customer value in performance, comfort and serviceability. The new models are manufactured in LaGrange, Ga. “We have built on the superior performance of the Cat C Series and taken the Cat D Series knuckleboom loader to a new level,” says Blake Vaughn, Caterpillar product specialist. “The D Series puts industry-leading hydraulic multi-functioning productivity in the hands of loggers.”

The Cat Tier 4f C4.4 ACERT engine provides equivalent horsepower as the previous series (rated at 173 HP) while minimizing overall fluid consumption. The engine is equipped with a combination of proven electronic, fuel, air and after-treatment components. An automatic idle feature with multiple settings minimizes fuel consumption when the loader is on standby.

The purpose-built negative flow hydraulic system is at the core of the D Series to provide continuous, responsive control. The operator can lift, swing and rotate the grapple simultaneously without sacrificing performance.

The new Cat GLK Series grapples are available in two models, the GLK55 and GLK48. Reliability improvements over the previous model include optimized hose routings and larger pins and bushings to increase durability.

Caterpillar offers a delimber/slasher package that is a complete factory-installed timber merchandising system featuring loader and grapple, trailer with trailer-mounted delimber, and 42

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MACHINES-SUPPLIES-TECHNOLOGY ground saw slasher connections.

The new Cat DLK426 four-knife delimber makes for easy loading of trees, fast delimbing, and producing clean stems.

Integrated safety features of the Cat D Series knuckleboom loader range from a robust step system with two handrails, heavy-duty front window guard, stabilizer movement alarm and pilot enable

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alarm, anti-skid plates, and more.

Product Link, the remote monitoring solution that enables efficient and effective fleet management, is standard. Visit cat.com/forestry.

Barko Processor The Barko 270B processor is purpose-built for its application and offers exceptional horsepower,

swing torque and tractive effort.

The 270B features a dangle head boom configuration for picking, delimbing, cut-to-length harvesting, and stacking.

Powered by a 225 HP Cummins Tier 4f diesel engine with SCR aftertreatment, the 270B offers excellent fuel economy and features large fuel and DEF tanks for longer job cycles between refills. A 36" diame-

DECEMBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

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ter auto reversing fan with automatic blade pitch control further optimizes engine efficiency.

The hydraulic system on the 270B is designed to keep power constantly available, allowing operators to instantaneously shift from function to function without any delayed reactions. Responsive IQAN controls are customized to provide programmable settings for individual operators, along with machine diagnostics and troubleshooting.

The processor features load sensing hydraulics to automatically adjust performance according to the load. High pressure and high flow contribute to delivering more hydraulic horsepower to the attachment, while a dedicated attachment pump runs the attachment without robbing power from the machine for other functions.

Dual swing drives provide continuous rotation and high swing torque. Bare pin maximum lift capacity is 31,150 lbs.

The 270B provides firm, stable footing thanks to long tracks measuring 15', 2”, along with a D7 undercarriage that offers ground clearance of 29.5", an overall width of 11', 5.5", and max travel speed of 2.9 MPH. The unit delivers exceptional drawbar pull of 66,700 foot-pounds to handle hills and rough terrain with ease.

A forward-sliding design allows the cab to move up to 36" for easier machine servicing. Additionally, a large, hydraulically operated gull swing door offers direct access to the engine compartment and hydraulic components. The gull wing serves as a convenient working platform and includes a slip-resistant walking surface.

An optional Proheat system is available to warm the engine, fuel tank and hydraulic tank in cold weather. Other performance and service options include a high pressure hydraulic filter for attachments, automatic fire suppression system, hydraulic tank vacuum pump, electric fill pump, boom lights, and various track shoe sizes and styles. Cab options include a rear-view camera with 7-inch display, CB radio, window reinforcement bars, oversized skylight, window shades and cab lights. Visit barko.com.

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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.

Click. Connect. Trade.

DEADLINES: Ad reservation must be received by 10th of month prior to month of publication. Material must be received no later than 12th of month prior to month of publication.

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CONTACT: Call Bridget DeVane at 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613, email bdevane7@hotmail.com or visit www.southernloggintimes.com

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FINAN C AVAILA ING BLE

5569

Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.

www.equipmentandparts.com

Office : 903-238-8700 • Jason Bruner: 903-452-5290 Bill Bruner: 903-235-2805 H REDUCED PRICES H

SKIDDERS

2011 John Deere 648H Skidder – 10,600 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! .................................. Reduced to $79,500

2008 John Deere 648H Skidder – 9,300 hours, Good 30.5 x 32 tires Cab with air, Winch, Ready to work! ...................................Reduced to $69,500

2014 Cat 553C Mulcher - NEW FAE 200/U225 mulching head, NEW high pressure pump and hoses, CAT 6.6 TIER 3 engine ,Cab with air, Good 30.5 x 32 tires, ready to work! 0 hours since the conversion from a Feller Buncher. Monthly rental available.... $185,000

2017 Barko 930B Mulcher – FAE 300/U225 smooth drum, 2 speed mulching head, 320 HP Cummins QSL9 engine, 28L tires, Monthly rental available............... $359,000

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2005 Cat 525B Skidder - Engine and transmission rebuilt around 1,000 hours ago, 30.5 x 32 tires, Winch............ $49,500

FELLER BUNCHERS

2005 Timberking TK350 Feller Buncher – 9,100 hours, Waratah FD22 Saw Head, 28L tires, Cat engine with new injectors, Ready to work!.............................. $52,500

2017 Kubota SVL 95-2S Mulcher – Equipped with a New FAE mulching head.

Rental available! Weekly / Monthly / Rent to own. ................................ Call for price!

LOADERS

2012 Tigercat 234 Log Loader - 8,000 hours, Mounted on hydraulic leg trailer with Riley Delimber, Cab with cold air, Tight pins, No leaks, Serviced and ready to work! .........................Reduced to $85,000

MULCHERS

2012 Deere 643K Feller Buncher STK# LT646029; 4246 hrs $69,000

2015 Deere 843K Feller Buncher STK# LT665204; 2656 hrs $135,000

2008 Deere 753J Feller Buncher STK# LT151267; 4395 hrs $129,000

2013 Deere 437D Knuckleboom Loader STK# LU239287; 6138 hrs $118,000

2012 Deere 848H Skidder STK# LT655945; 6734 hrs $131,000

2015 Deere 748H Skidder STK# LT665117; 4642 hrs $168,000

2015 Deere 648L Skidder STK# LT668593; 4102 hrs $185,000

2015 Deere 748L Skidder STK# LT670456; 3626 hrs $173,000

2016 Deere 648L Skidder STK# LT674682; 3262 hrs $183,000

2011 John Deere 437D Log Loader Mounted on Hydraulic leg trailer with Riley delimber, Cab with air.................... $49,500 2012 Cat 573C Mulcher – New FAE 200/U-225 Tx Smooth Drum, 2 Speed Mulching Head, New high pressure pump and hoses, 240 Hp Cat 7.1 Engine, Cab with air, Ready to work!

400 hours since conversion from a Feller Buncher. Monthly rental available........$185,000

Visa and Mastercard accepted

Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.

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Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.

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Washington, NC Email: easterneq@earthlink.net

Go to www.eebinc.com for details and pictures plus other equipment for sale

2016 Tigercat 822D, 1604 hrs., 5703 2011 JD 648H S/A, 9800 hrs., 30.5 tires saw with 110 rotation; ER Boom, war- ................................................. $60,000 ranty.................................... $350,000

2001 CAT D6M LGP, EROPS, U/C pins not turned, 6-way 12' 6" blade, FTC controls............................. $52,500

2014 Trelan 23WRC, C27 w/800hp, 2013 Tigercat 822C w/new Cummins 2009 Tigercat 718E, 5000 buncher 3000+ hrs............................$249,000 recon, 5703 sawhead w/110 degrees saw, Cummins QSB needs replacing, rotating................................... $269,500 30.5 tires............................... $45,000

2000 Tigercat 845B w/5401 sawhead, 2009 Tigercat T250B w/live heel, saw 2001 CAT 535B D/A grapple, tires & delimber hookup mill yard machine 44.00x32; pins are good and machine undercarriage @ 90%, 8690 hours .............................................. $65,000 ............................................ $145,000 is dry......................................$40,000

PRICE, CONDITION & AVAILABLE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

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Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.

2003 Timberjack 460D Skidder Tires 50% ................ $35,000

2010 Deere 848 Skidder Tigercat 620 Single arch grapple skidder, 2001 yr, strong tractor....................... $40,000

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We now have Babac single ring chains in stock

TED SMITH

5840 Hwy 36, Russellville, AL Home: 256-766-8179 • Office: 256-766-6491 Fax: 256-766-6962 • Cell: 256-810-3190

KEVIN MONTGOMERY 256-366-1425

843H John Deere, FD22 sawhead, steering wheel, nice machine, 2002 yr............ $50,000

RECONDITIONED DELIMBINATORS!!

In addition to new machines, CHAMBERS DELIMBINATOR, INC. now has factory reconditioned DeLimbinators. These units have Tigercat 240B Loader, CTR delimber, saw hyd, been inspected, repaired, and updated as good strong machine, 2003 yr........... $40,000 needed. Call us and we will help you select a DeLimbinator for your need.

Located in Maplesville, Alabama

Call or Text Zane 334-518-99373939

6209

WE ALSO BUY USED DELIMBINATORS Call: 662-285-2777 day, 662-285-6832 eves Email: info@chambersdelimbinator.com 1123

2687

Visit ForesTreeTrader.com for online listing opportunities.

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DECEMBER 2017 ● 51

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Ready To Place Your Classified Ad? Call 334-699-7837, 800-669-5613 or email class@southernloggintimes.com for print ads.

Hose, Fittings & Crimpers

FOR SALE 1999 Chambers Delimbinator, ready to work..............$20,000

8309

Contact: Chris Alligood 1-252-531-8812 email: chrisa.cavalierhose@gmail.com

FOR SALE

• 2010 Bandit 2290 chipper w/new engine w/2 1994 chip vans....$55,000 • 2001 Tigercat 250 loader w/CSI delimber, Cummins engine, 12,000 hrs ..............................................$40,000 • 2000 Tigercat 726B cutter w/67 x 34" tires @ 80%, 22" center post head ..............................................$30,000 • 1996 Pitts 4 bolster log trailer. $5,000

601-606-0426 5082

WANTED TO BUY

Cat 518 & Cat 518C skidders in TX, LA area Call Kent 936-699-4700 r_kentjones@yahoo.com

280

Helping Loggers Save Money For Over 20 Years

336-504-1714 or 336-514-0743 8254

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.

4433

770

Day 334-312-4136 Night 334-271-1475 or Email: johnwpynes@knology.net

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SLT1217-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 11/20/17 3:39 PM Page 53

2017 Editorial Index JANUARY Southern Stumpin’ “A Forested Wonderland”. Page 6.

Right Priorities Sojourner Timber, Inc., Crystal Springs, Miss.

Logger Wayne Sojourner cares first about doing right by his people. Page 8.

Welcome Back Barfield Timber, LLC, Union, SC. After a 15-year hiatus, Chad Barfield reassembled his old team and went back to the woods.

Page 14.

The Right Approach JH Knighton Lumber (JHKL) Co., Inc., Ruther Glen, Va. JH Knighton Lumber finds stability in diversification. Page 20.

Rolling On S&T Construction, LLC, Abingdon, Va. Former logger Ray Sullivan focuses his small trucking outfit S&T Construction on hauling for log yards. Page 30.

FEBRUARY Southern Stumpin’ In Love And Logging. Page 6.

Fifty-Fifty Woodland Logging, Inc., Beulaville, NC. Brothers-in-law Kornegay and Scholar carry on a family tradition.

Page 8.

The New Normal Little Logging, Inc., Oakboro, NC. Little Logging gets big results in North Carolina. Page 14.

Central Louisiana Timber Empire. Page 18.

Big Shoes Filled M.M. Wright, Inc., Gasburg, Va. M.M. Wright partners Stephen Wright and Frank Myers head a distinguished operation. Page 26.

MARCH Southern Stumpin’ The Man For The Job. Page 6.

Business Brothers Leach’s Timber Thinning (LTT) & K R Leach Trucking LLC (KRL), Pikeville, NC. Gerald and Kenneth Leach make an excellent team in North Carolina. Page 8.

Back In The Saddle Mike Gates Trucking, Inc., Whatley, Ala. Alabama’s Mike Gates successfully returns to logging after a 14year stint in trucking. Page 14.

Under Watchful Eyes Triple C Fiber, Georgetown, Tenn.

The Childs family operates Triple C Fiber in honor of the family patriarch, Jessy Childs. Page 22.

Where Are They Now? Posey Logging—1987. Page 30.

APRIL Southern Stumpin’ Young People. Page 6.

Focus On Safety Performance Logging, Philadelphia, Miss.

Drew Sullivan believes getting home to family each night is the most important part of the job.

Page 8.

All In The Family Nole Boys Logging, Jamestown, SC Nole Boys make it happen in the Palmetto state. Page 14.

A Different Path Tim Breland Logging, Inc., Philadelphia, Miss.

Tim Breland chose to pursue the logging life instead of continuing with his family business. Page 20.

Rising Tide Tidewater Equipment Co., Brunswick, Ga. Tidewater Equipment Co. celebrates 70 years of service to the Southern Logging community.

Page 26.

Going Once. Going Twice…

J.M. Wood Auction Co. held its 44th Annual Spring Auction March 14-17 in Montgomery, Ala. Page 34 Where Are They Now? Holton Sells Trucks, Stays In Woods. Page 40.

MAY Southern Stumpin’ A Woman’s Touch. Page 6.

Lending A Hand Lawrence P. Dugger Logging, Brodnax, Va. Palmer Dugger stepped up for his family and continues to do so.

Page 8.

Land Stewards Southeast Forest Industries, Inc., Blakely, Ga. Forest brothers Woodie and Toby Warr say making the woods look good is top priority. Page 14.

All For One Harrison Bros, Inc., Pulaski, Miss.

It’s (almost) all in the family for Harrison Bros., where nearly everyone shares the same last name. Page 22.

Where Are They Now? Alfords Now Run Pole Mill.

Page 30.

High Energy Colombo Energy, Greenwood, SC Portuguese pulp company Navigator has high hopes for Colombo Energy pellet plant. Page 36.

JUNE Southern Stumpin’ The Next Generation. Page 6.

Good Mix Sapp’s Land & Excavating, Cottandale, Fla. Sapp’s Land & Excavating turns out high production in the front yard of Enviva Biomass in Florida. Page 8.

Close To Home Mills Timber Harvesting, Inc., Abbeville, Ala. Alabama logger Robert Mills works so close to his house, he can sometimes hear the engines. Page 14.

Stepping Up Graham County Land Co., Robbinsville, NC. Graham County Land Co. accelerates production with CBI horizontal gender. Page 22.

One-Two Punch Flora Logging, LLC, Maben, Miss.

Foresight for opportunity has made the business-savvy Flora brothers a force to be reckoned with. Page 16.

Wide Reach Crouse Truck Parts & Equipment Co. Inc., Sheridan, Ark. Crouse Truck Parts & Equipment has established itself as an important presence in its region.

Page 20.

High Marks For SW Forest Products Expo. Page 24.

Long History Pulpwood Producers Co. Inc., Sheridan, Ark. It’s been 55 years since the Winston family started at Pulpwood Producers, the company it now owns. Page 24.

Grand Event Tidewater Equipment Co., Quitman, Ga. Tidewater marks 70th year with hospitable Demo Day in south Georgia. Page 34.

Adapting To Markets Callier Logging, Eastman, Ga. Callier Logging and Twin Rivers Land and Timber team up in Georgia. Page 36.

50-Year Celebration Warrior Tractor and Equipment, Northport, Ala. Alabama’s Warrior Tractor and Equipment marks milestone with Northport event. Page 44.

JULY Southern Stumpin’ The Big Show. Page 6.

The Right Touch Wilkerson Logging, Hickory Grove, SC Wilkerson Logging keeps rolling along after 50 years of business.

Page 8.

Can Do Attitude Crouse Logging Co. Inc., Sheridan, Ark. From one generation to the next, the Crouse family business has grown in the last 50 years. Page 14.

Tough Haul Trucking survey reveals a deeply troubled transportation sector.

Page 22.

On Target Highland Pellets, LLC, Pine Bluff, Ark. Highland Pellets is on line, under budget and ahead of schedule.

Page 26.

AUGUST Southern Stumpin’ Tree Huggers, Rock Lickers.

Page 6.

The Hills Have Eyes J.R. Partin Logging, Pineville, Ky. Wayland Partin navigates the hills of southeastern Kentucky with a watchful eye. Page 8.

Hit Hard Study examines effects of the Great Recession on the logging sector in the U.S. South. Page 26.

Tigercat Turns 25. Page 26.

Where Are They Now? Rowland Remains Mat Logging Specialist. Page 30.

SEPTEMBER Southern Stumpin’ Someone Special. Page 6.

Ch-ch-changes Tim Con Wood Products, Jamesville, NC. Forward thinking activist Billy Corey is doing something right at Tim Con Wood Products. Page 10.

Actions Speak Loader Nichols Logging, Inc., Huddleston, Va. Bobby and Bo Nichols have built a thriving three-generation family business from humble beginnings.

Page 16.

Steep Terrain Dewayne Rowe Logging, Williamsburg, Ky. Dewayne Rowe Logging is used to dealing with rough conditions on a daily basis. Page 26.

Mid-Atlantic Expo New location, lots of live action, plentiful static displays, children’s activities, more. Page 34.

Forward Thinkers Four loggers discuss the benefits of using telematics and machine monitoring technology. Page 42.

Urban Logger Fitzgerald Excavating and Construction, Inc., Covington, Va. Fitzgerald Excavating and Construction clears for residential development in congested metro areas. Page 50.

OCTOBER Southern Stumpin’ Water, Water… Page 6.

Doing It Right Wolfe & Porter Logging, Moorefield, W.Va. Childhood pals Randall Wolfe and Junior Parker wrestle quotas and the mountains of West Virginia.

Page 8.

Switching Gears Huffman and Son Logging, Purlear, NC. Huffman and Son has upgraded equipment, increased production and added an employee. Page 14.

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NOVEMBER Southern Stumpin’ Still Kicking. Page 6.

Branching Out Bandy Logging, Inc., Union Church, Miss.

Wayne Bandy and his sons split from another family company to forge their own path. Page 10.

(Micro) Chipping Pays Off Holmes Logging, Wallace, NC Holmes Logging takes advantage of a new opportunity. Page 18.

Morbark Demo Packs Them In Morbark, Winn, Mich.

Chipper manufacturer uses he occasion to celebrate 60 years in business. Page 24.

Big Event J.M. Wood Auction, Montgomery, Ala. J.M. Wood Auction held its 44th Annual Fall Forestry Auction September 19-21. Page 26.

All In For ALC American Loggers Council holds its annual meeting, welcomes new President. Page 30.

DECEMBER Southern Stumpin’ Looking Back. Page 6.

Growing Opportunities Oliver Logging Co., Inc., Waycross, Ga. Tim and Skyler Oliver have found unexpected ways to expand their long-running business.

Page 8.

Leap of Faith Three Rivers Logging, Wetumpka, Ala. Young Alabama logger Lance Abernathy counts his blessings.

Page 14.

Factory Forum Hosted By CBI Continental Biomass Industries, Newton, NH. Page 18.

Mississippi Trax Trax Plus, Hickory, Miss.

Chris Weems narrows his company’s focus to provide equipment and service to loggers. Page 20.

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A D L I N K ●

ADVERTISER American Logger’s Council American Truck Parts Bandit Industries Barko Hydraulics Big John Trailers BITCO Insurance BKT USA Carter Enterprises Caterpillar Dealer Promotion Chambers Delimbinator Continental Biomass Industries Doggett Machinery Service Eastern Equipment Brokerage Eastern Surplus Employer’s Underwriters Equipment & Parts Flint Equipment Forest Chain Forestry First Forestry Mutual Insurance G & W Equipment Hawkins & Rawlinson Industrial Cleaning Equipment Interstate Tire Service Ironmart Kaufman Trailers Mike Ledkins Insurance Agency LMI-Tennessee Magnolia Trailers Maxi-Load Scale Systems Moore Logging Supply Morbark Olofsfors Peterson Pacific Pitts Trailers Puckett Machinery Quadco Equipment Quality Equipment & Parts Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers River Ridge Equipment Southern Insurance Southern Loggers Cooperative Stribling Equipment Team Safe Trucking Thompson Tractor Tidewater Equipment Tigercat Industries Timberland Todd Dossett Chipping TraxPlus Tri-State Auction & Realty VPG Onboard Weighing W & W Truck & Tractor Wallingford’s J M Wood Auction

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409.625.0206 888.383.8884 800.952.0178 715.395.6700 800.771.4140 800.475.4477 888.660.0662 205.351.1461 919.550.1201 800.533.2385 603.382.0556 225.368.2224 252.946.9264 855.332.0500 256.341.0600 903.238.8700 404.691.9445 800.288.0887 803.708.0624 800.849.7788 800.284.9032 888.822.1173 910.231.4043 864.947.9208 888.561.1115 866.497.7803 800.766.8349 800.467.0944 800.738.2123 877.265.1486 888.754.5613 800.831.0042 519.754.2190 800.269.6520 800.321.8073 601.969.6000 800.668.3340 386.754.6186 778.331.5458 855.325.6465 601.932.4541 318.445.0750 800.682.6409 910.733.3300 800.547.0760 912.638.7726 519.753.2000 912.283.1060 903.824.3540 601.635.5543 800.334.4395 541.937.2070 800.845.6648 800.323.3708 334.264.3265

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DECEMBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times

COMING EVENTS January

May

9-10—Missouri Forest Products Assn. winter meeting, Capitol Plaza, Jefferson City, Mo. Call 573634-3252; visit moforest.org.

2-4—Virginia Forestry Assn. Summit, Richmond, Va. Call 804-2788733; visit vaforestry.org.

17-20—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, JW Marriott, Marco Island, Fla. Call 336-885-8315; visit appalachianwood.org.

February 9-11—South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. annual meeting, DoubleTree by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront, Myrtle Beach, SC. Call 803-957-9919; visit scloggers.com.

March 15-17—Southeastern Wood Producers Assn. annual meeting, Okefenokee Fairgrounds and Exchange Club, Waycross, Ga. Call 904-8457133; visit swpa.ag.

21-23—Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. National Conference & Expo, Hyatt Regency Greenville, Greenville, SC. Call 412-2440440; visit hmamembers.org.

April 16-18—Forest Resources Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, La. Call 202-2963937; visit forestresources.org.

18-19—Expo Richmond 2018, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.

Listings are submitted months in advance.

Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

SLT1217-bkj.qxp_SLTtemplate 11/20/17 3:03 PM Page 55

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