Berger Manufacturing- Logging Equipment Built in Seattle

[JTL]

Heres a link to an atricle I found about Dahlgren Logging in Forks, WA. Im sure that just about everyone has seen or heard about them flying the Cats out into the brush, but for those who havent-here ya go! There is also a link in the article to see the youtube video of it. If you do some searching on youtube, there is also a couple videos of them bringing the Cats back in.
http://www.forestnet.com/TWissues/Sept-Oct/FlyingTxt.html

 

[southview]

Some of the greatest pics I have seen in eons. Keep it coming contract logger! I remember boxes of pics and brochures of this stuff when I was a kid but it all seems to have been left behind. I'm going digging though!

 

[JeremyM70]

Berger from Debriae Logging in Cathlamet, WA last spring.

 

[Dusty Rustyford]

Berger Marc IV Builder's Plate

I bought at an antique store a heavy cast builder’s plate for a Berger Marc IV Teletower which I thought was kind of neat and probably somewhat uncommon. The builder’s plate is about 3/8-inch thick cast aluminum and measures about 10 inches high by about 19 inches wide. I was wondering if anyone knows how many Berger Marc IV logging yarders/towers were manufactured? Any information would be greatly appreciated, to learn about the industrial history of this neat artifact.

 

[TorkelH]

Berger M2

Here's a Berger M2 car logging somewhere out of Neah Bay, Wa

 

[TorkelH]

cont. M2

eye on skyline broke and damaged the skycar

 

[TorkelH]

M6

Here's some pic's of the M6 as well, even if it's not working at the moment. Comes with a nice 1 3/4 skyline.

 

[TorkelH]

M6 con't

one more..

 

[Contract Logger]

Now that there is a big yarder. It is the biggest tower/yarder ever built by an actual 'manufacturer'. Bigger hoists were built, and a few bigger tower/yarder combos were one-offed by Tillman and others, but not factory-designed like these Marc-6R's were.

Very cool pics.

 

[Contract Logger]

Berger MARC-6R

Here are a few more Berger Marc-6R pics. I took these at Dahlgren's in about 2002 I guess. They have 2 of these (twins), and the only 2 built. In these pics, one of them had just come in for winter storage, and is in moving mode.

 

[Contract Logger]

More Berger @ Dahlgrens.

 

[Contract Logger]

Moving the tower.

I just looked at the brochure and it shows the weight of the tower alone at 65,000 lbs, without lines and blocks. The Peterbilt logger has 10' bunks, and the tower makes a load, all the lines and blocks are on it here.

 

[Contract Logger]

Berger square-tube 2-piece tower graces the cover of Canada Lumberman magazine in May 1961. Shovel is an Insley, and logging truck is a Euclid.

 

[catdw21e]

Berger Hydraulic Log Loader

Ok CL, lets see if you have a brochure on this monster. In the late 70"s Lone Pine Log did a job for Burlington Northern near Skykomish. On a trip to the Berger shops in Seattle to inspect the new Marc 2R 120 Foot yarder being built for him my boss was offered a brand new Berger Loader at a price he couldnt refuse. I personally ran it for a time in the old growth DF and it was a monster. I remember loading 30k plus logs with ease. Some of the specs I remember are, 50 foot bom, 1 1/2 D7 Cat tracks on each side, a cab one could have a meeting in, atf fluid for hyd. oil 200 gals, huge hoses not tied down that jumped like snakes when operating, 14 ft width and heavy. Controls were air over hyd with a manual swing control and various other Rube Goldberg features. I cant remember the weight but seems like 140K. Clyde Sprague had one at Enumclaw and Wayne at Berger told us only 6 were ever built and that the person who designed it used Brtish WW2 Battleship Gun Turret technology for the basic design. So, I do have some pics and will post someday lol. Any brochures anywhere? Best regards, Allan

 

[Contract Logger]

Ok CL, lets see if you have a brochure on this monster. In the late 70"s Lone Pine Log did a job for Burlington Northern near Skykomish. On a trip to the Berger shops in Seattle to inspect the new Marc 2R 120 Foot yarder being built for him my boss was offered a brand new Berger Loader at a price he couldnt refuse. I personally ran it for a time in the old growth DF and it was a monster. I remember loading 30k plus logs with ease. Some of the specs I remember are, 50 foot bom, 1 1/2 D7 Cat tracks on each side, a cab one could have a meeting in, atf fluid for hyd. oil 200 gals, huge hoses not tied down that jumped like snakes when operating, 14 ft width and heavy. Controls were air over hyd with a manual swing control and various other Rube Goldberg features. I cant remember the weight but seems like 140K. Clyde Sprague had one at Enumclaw and Wayne at Berger told us only 6 were ever built and that the person who designed it used Brtish WW2 Battleship Gun Turret technology for the basic design. So, I do have some pics and will post someday lol. Any brochures anywhere? Best regards, Allan

This is great! Your Dave H. of Lone Pine was logging with THAT Berger Marc 2R near Mt St Helens when she blew in 1980. I have some great pictures of the Marc 2 AND the big Berger hyd loader you speak of covered in ash but mostly unscathed. The yarder was sold by Lone Pine (When Dave went down to the Soloman Islands to log) to Wayne Browning (Browning Timber) and is currently owned by Dahlgren Logging at Forks.

There are pics of THAT same yarder in this thread, Posts #45 and #46, still with Browning Timber on the door. I had breakfast with Wayne Browning 3 weeks ago and he still considers that machine to be the best yarder ever built.

Thos pics are in a box in Longview Wash at a home I have there (closer to you than to me, lol), but will se what I can find in the meantime.

PS- I had no idea they built 6, I wouldnt have guessed that. They were huge and lots of iron. I remeber holes cut out of the boom and stick to reduce weight??

 

[Contract Logger]

I just dug through my 'Berger' box here in Alaska, and dont find anything on that beast. I know I have seen a brochure on it someplace, might have been a a friend of mine's place. He lives in Winlock, and has files/literature on EVERYTHING logging.

We are considering putting together a website where the public can go and download color PDF's of all the old sales literature, advertisements, etc. Berger, Skagit, Washington, Madill, Thunderbird, stuff, etc. Between about 10 people I know we have about everything I think, trick is finding the time to scan it all.......


One of these days there WILL be that website, but not today I suspect.

PS- If you go to Modern Machinery, there's a spot on the Madill section where you can download PDF brochres of all the last stuff Madill built.

 

[catdw21e]

More Berger news

Amazing CL, Dave gave me and 2 other men the job of removing the the 2 Bergers, D8H, FMC Fire Truck and other odds and ends in July of 1980. But let me digress to 1978 when the yarder was new. One friday in 1978 when the yarder was a few weeks old I ran it for a 11 hour shift near Roy Fillas shop on Weyco property. Weyco had shut us down and on friday of that week we sent 53 loads to the Weyerhauser lgvw yard and had logs left over. To quote Dave, Lets teach them a lesson. They were all loaded by Charley Stornetta with one of the then newer Liebherr 961 loaders. I later got that loader, D8H, Edco yarder and other odds and ends as a patrner with Dave and worked for Weyco at Aberdeen for Kelly Stanley for 5 years in the early 80"s. That Marc2R yarder was an absolute animal and would shotgun 2 DF meatblocks and 2 bigger bunklogs at a whack with ease. I have 2 albums of pics of the salvage operation and count it as one of most dangerous and foolhardy things i have done, however as I was told if you want to eat this winter it needs to get done. I have a brochure from Lloyds of London telling about the event and saw a check for 969K for the loss which in turn Dave bought the entire lot back for 100K. It cost about 100K to remove the iron and it was a memorable event, lol. I think you and I CL are going to sit down some day and compare notes. Sorry for the ramble but when one opens worm cans stuff ccomes out. Thanks for the info on the M2R. I can still hear that Cat roar as it pulled with a big turn. More later, lol, Allan

 

[Contract Logger]

Amazing CL, Dave gave me and 2 other men the job of removing the the 2 Bergers, D8H, FMC Fire Truck and other odds and ends in July of 1980. But let me digress to 1978 when the yarder was new. One friday in 1978 when the yarder was a few weeks old I ran it for a 11 hour shift near Roy Fillas shop on Weyco property. Weyco had shut us down and on friday of that week we sent 53 loads to the Weyerhauser lgvw yard and had logs left over. To quote Dave, Lets teach them a lesson. They were all loaded by Charley Stornetta with one of the then newer Liebherr 961 loaders. I later got that loader, D8H, Edco yarder and other odds and ends as a patrner with Dave and worked for Weyco at Aberdeen for Kelly Stanley for 5 years in the early 80"s. That Marc2R yarder was an absolute animal and would shotgun 2 DF meatblocks and 2 bigger bunklogs at a whack with ease. I have 2 albums of pics of the salvage operation and count it as one of most dangerous and foolhardy things i have done, however as I was told if you want to eat this winter it needs to get done. I have a brochure from Lloyds of London telling about the event and saw a check for 969K for the loss which in turn Dave bought the entire lot back for 100K. It cost about 100K to remove the iron and it was a memorable event, lol. I think you and I CL are going to sit down some day and compare notes. Sorry for the ramble but when one opens worm cans stuff ccomes out. Thanks for the info on the M2R. I can still hear that Cat roar as it pulled with a big turn. More later, lol, Allan

PS- I am enjoying your Loggers Worlds and extras, lol. I'd love to buy you lunch one of these days. I have a bunch of Liberty Logging pics to post one of these days, from Ostrander to Ryderwood from the Skagit/Tillman to the 171. I have a great pic of the Liebherr you speak of taken near Ryderwood (I think around 83' or 84'). I always took pics.......glad I did now!

 

[I AM IRONMAN]

Anyone have much experience with Log Loaders with grapples working in the Millyards?
I'm looking for a good log grapple to handle 16' logs being loaded into the Sawmill. The loader is a 980G. Anyone have much info?

 

[catdw21e]

Millyard Grapple

Here are 2 places you should try. Cascade Trader at 360 748 1182 and Zender Equipment Co at 360 319 7973. These are both in Wa state. Contract Logger on this site also may be able to help. Good luck, Allan