Cable Skidders

chris_girard

Treehouser
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,535
Location
Gilmanton, N.H.
When I was a teenager back in the early '80s, I had plenty of work as a logger in the hill country around NH. There were numerous cable skidder loggers around and I was able to cut my teeth working for these independent old timers, setting chokers and learning the finer points of selective cutting and how to fell trees properly. All this work helped me to become a better tree climber and arborist in later years.

Now a days, all I see around NH is feller bunchers and grapple skidders and the small independent logger is all but lost. Maybe I'm being old fashioned, but God I wish for the old times when a logger with a just a cable skidder and a few saws could hack out a living in this mountainous region in NH. AND on top of this, 90% of ALL our saw logs go to Canada!

Sorry guys for the rant, but I guess I'm just frustrated with the way our timber industry is being run these days.
 
My buddy in Plymouth is doing rather well with his 2 Clark triple 6's and a chainsaw cutting pulp. He's getting a grand a tri axle load these days.
 
Logging around here has sure changed. Bigtime. Handfallling is a rare and hard to find job. I've gone on at length many times over the years about big machinery and big mill business being the end of the small outfit and handfaller around here.
 
A good friend of mine and his father used to log with horses. There's an elderly gentleman not far from me who just got out of it about 10 years ago. A good horse is something to see working in the woods.
 
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  • #11
Up towards the White Mountains here in N.H., we still have some independent horse-loggers. Thank God!

Back in 1977, my parents had an old timer by the name of Charley Neely who lived in northern N.H., cut, skid (with BIG Percheron horses), AND mill logs for their log home. Boy, did he do a great job. Charley was a giant! He stood 6'-7" and weighed over 300lbs, but thank goodness he was a gentle man. I met him twice when I was just a kid and I thought that HE was a real Paul Bunyan!


Truly an incredible logger! And, his sons are carrying on the horse-logging tradition from what I hear.
 
Up towards the White Mountains here in N.H., we still have some independent horse-loggers. Thank God!

Back in 1977, my parents had an old timer by the name of Charley Neely who lived in northern N.H., cut, skid (with BIG Percheron horses), AND mill logs for their log home. Boy, did he do a great job. Charley was a giant! He stood 6'-7" and weighed over 300lbs, but thank goodness he was a gentle man. I met him twice when I was just a kid and I thought that HE was a real Paul Bunyan!


Truly an incredible logger! And, his sons are carrying on the horse-logging tradition from what I hear.
How far are you from North Conway? I was there once when I was a kid and bought my first harness, biner, and fig 8 from IME back in I wanna say in 88'. We took the Kangamangas (?) PAss over the mountains coming up from Boston and man what a view!
 
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  • #14
How far are you from North Conway? I was there once when I was a kid and bought my first harness, biner, and fig 8 from IME back in I wanna say in 88'. We took the Kangamangas (?) PAss over the mountains coming up from Boston and man what a view!

We live pretty close to North Conway and go up there whenever we can to go hiking and climbing. Just got a new rock harness and shoes from IME as a matter of fact. Those guys are some incredible climbers and if you ever need a rescue up in the White Mountains (which hopefully will never happen), they are some of the best in the world!

Driving up on the "Kanc" Highway is always great as well.
 
We live pretty close to North Conway and go up there whenever we can to go hiking and climbing. Just got a new rock harness and shoes from IME as a matter of fact. Those guys are some incredible climbers and if you ever need a rescue up in the White Mountains (which hopefully will never happen), they are some of the best in the world!

Driving up on the "Kanc" Highway is always great as well.


I live on the tail end of the White Mountains in Ma. Hiked Chapel Brook to D.A.R 2 days ago, hard go with the snow. Chapel ledge is a good face to start rock climbing.

My grandfather logged with horses in the 60's before buying the first tractor, a John Deere model M which was replaced with a Hesston DT680 which also powered a 48 inch David Bradley hand mill. He taught me selective logging on a low impact scale and high line cable skidding all around the White Mountains and true cut boards with the mill. My job, being so young was spotter, brush clearing and cable choker. I will miss the scream of the old Homelite saw and smells of fresh cut wood.

The Culvers in Ashfield, Ma were the last holdouts regarding stock drawn equipment, the son Dave bought the farm's first tractor in the late 80's, a Massy no less. Dave put down the last two Clydesdale in early 2000, regrettably the farm burned to the ground I think in 2008 along with all of the tack, equipment and wagons. The grandson, with whom I went to school with lives in town now.
 
Wow reading this brought back a ton of memories, laughable now but at the moment not so much the boys pulling me spart with lasso's. Ahhh youth! Charlie was one nice guy he taught my mom much of her logging with horses skill set. Somthing about it I loved and still do. Fond memories!
 
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