Between Showers

We had a window of opportunity this week where the forecasted rain held off temporarily. Our log hauler, Dennis Weller with his self-loader log truck, called as he was on the road from delivering logs to the Weyerhaeuser yard in Longview. He said it was raining in Vernonia and wondered how our dirt roads were looking.

It had been mild with threatening clouds all day but we had not seen more than a drop or two since the day before. The decision was made to try and get a load out. Dennis arrived at the farm from his hour and a half drive from the log yard.

Within minutes of getting to the farm, the truck was set up and the two large logs from that huge tree that was felled a couple of weeks ago was loaded first.

It took some good maneuvering by leaving the truck only semi stretched out and lifting the back end of the log onto the reach before pulling the front of the truck forward and lifting the rest of the log inside the bunk (the metal spikes that hold the logs in place).

It was a masterful display of brute strength combined with knowledge of moving weight efficiently in order to get the butt cut, heaviest piece of those logs onto the truck.

After the biggest two logs were loaded the truck was driven 150 feet forward to the actual log deck and again the padded feet located below the boom arm were set to keep the load from tipping, while nine more (smaller) logs were added to the load.

Shortly after this load headed to the mill, the rain began and the road muddied up. An hour difference would have made the road impossible to drive with this load. It was a good decision to get the load hauled out when they did.