Skagit Iron and Steel Works, Sedro Wooley, Washington

[trakloader]

Does anyone have the brochure on the Skagit SJ-2H Hydraulic Earwig loader? I have a few pics, but little else. I'd like to see the AT-13 Squirmin Vermin, too.

 

[075]

Heres our Skadill got parked 3years ago . The $17 a cube log costs were to high. Now no crew left to run it even if we wanted too. Came from Oregon 15 years ago.

 

[JeremyM70]

Did you get a serial # tag off this one 075?
Thanks
Jeremy

 

[075]

Some one came and took all the ser# number plates off it not a one left, but will check in the shop they should have record there.

 

[TorkelH]

Nice yarder and nice pictures 075 and nice for our 046 project Jeremy70! I guess (maybe a shoot in the wild) - this is 10027 or 10030, one of the last one built. On Madill 079 trailer?

 

[075]

I really could not tell you I only loaded put of it once in 15 years, so was never around it much, but I will look up what they have in the shop. Wish someone would buy it as it is in good shape and nothing has been striped off it yet, but the longer it sits the less it will have .The shop starts it up every couple of months just to keep it from seizing up.

 

[JeremyM70]

I really could not tell you I only loaded put of it once in 15 years, so was never around it much, but I will look up what they have in the shop. Wish someone would buy it as it is in good shape and nothing has been striped off it yet, but the longer it sits the less it will have .The shop starts it up every couple of months just to keep it from seizing up.

Thanks for checking, maybe CL knows which one went north?

 

[075]

Nice yarder and nice pictures 075 and nice for our 046 project Jeremy70! I guess (maybe a shoot in the wild) - this is 10027 or 10030, one of the last one built. On Madill 079 trailer?

Boy you are good SN10027-A35 built 1981

 

[Redwood Climber]

Big Machines.......Awsome Power!

Skagit BU199 Yarder.

By the late 1970's, the loggers were getting into the bigger old-growth and long-span sales. Skagit designed and built some big machines to attract this business. The BU199 was a large, self-contained and self-propelled 110' setup that would deal well with these conditions and requirements. 13 were built, and I believe all still exist today. I have personally had the opportinity to see, touch, and photograph 10 of them.

I have also added the original 1976 factory spec sheets for the hoist.
Jay Browning's Skagit 739 on Axe Men is a much smaller machine than this.
I'll scan some 739 spec sheets later, as well as a few pics of Jay's actual machine being built.

I worked on and around 2 BU 199s out of Klamath California in the 70's and 80's.
One was bought new in 1974 and the other in 1977. I started my real yarder logging career on the new 77 machine. It had a big Cat.......believe it was a D398?
Inch &1/2 Skyline 1 inch skidding line and 5000 feet of 1 inch haulback. Man would she pull! We were logging old growth Redwood and Doug Fir, 1 & 3/8 bull chokers by the truckloads until we finally learned the ropes. Alot of good memories.....

 

[Redwood Climber]

I graduated High School at 120 lbs...by the time I was working on the 199 I was up to 130.......man what a workout! My only other experience with yarders was about 15 days highleading with an old Washington TL 15 with an old Cummins. The learning curve was real steep. As was the ground.......sure miss those days...

 

[Redwood Climber]

So, I have a question about guyline knobs/screwy bells vs. eyes......is it just a preference? Or is it handier to just have eyes. You can splice an eye much easier than pouring new knobs. Eyes are probably easier to inspect than knobs when lookin for wear. Also, do you have special shackles for adding guyline extensions? All the machines I worked on had knobs & double enders for extensions except the old Washington TL 15. We just had a 20 foot section off the gantry we hooked to a D8 winchline...our mobile guyliing stump.

 

[KW850&T800H]

Another thing I found in Valemount BC, the interior, about 300KM's south of Prince George.

Now from what I remember it was an SY-3, but I couldn't get out and take any pictures, I will next time.

 

[tree farmer]

So, I have a question about guyline knobs/screwy bells vs. eyes......is it just a preference? Or is it handier to just have eyes. You can splice an eye much easier than pouring new knobs. Eyes are probably easier to inspect than knobs when lookin for wear. Also, do you have special shackles for adding guyline extensions? All the machines I worked on had knobs & double enders for extensions except the old Washington TL 15. We just had a 20 foot section off the gantry we hooked to a D8 winchline...our mobile guyliing stump.

In the NW, Weyco forbids screwy hooks on guylines. It is a safety concern relating to alignment of the bell to the yarder. The bell can cutoff the guywire at the stump if placed wrong. Integrity of the cast knobs is another concern. If they are done correctly and relubed to prevent rusting of the strands where they enter the casting metal in the knob then they are fine. Done correctly means that you do the following: clean 6 inches of the cable end where the knob will go with a solvent (like gasoline) and a paint brush. Also clean the knob and place it on the cable correctly. Next clamp the cable vertical in a vice so you can easily fray out the strands and the core for 3 inches or so. Remove from vice and clean the frayed ends of all cosmoline and oils again and allow to drip dry. Slide the knob up near it's final location and Submerge the end of the cable and knob in muriatic acid for 30 sec. Next you neutralize the acid by submerging the end in water and place it back in the vice without clamping completely. With a wide face hammer, tap the frayed ends into the knob until they are nearly even with the outer end of it. Raise the cable an inch or so and clamp the vice. Wrap plumbing oakum or fiber glass insulation around cable at base of knob, secured by small wire to prevent socket metal from running through knob and falling on your foot. Once the socket metal is freely molten in the crucible, preheat the knob and then the frayed wires contained within the tapered section of the knob. When you are sure that everything is just toasty, slowly pour a small amount into the knob. Let the small first pour solidify for a few moments, then fill it up slowly while tapping knob to prevent air pockets. Allow knob to cool, rinse in water, air dry with blow gun, soak with WD 40, dip in thin oil and smear with cosmoline.

Eyes are harder to drag around with the pokey/stab you strands protruding. I use both knobs and eyes with shackles and a combo of both sometimes on 1 1/8 guyline extensions

 

[HCF]

In the NW, Weyco forbids screwy hooks on guylines. It is a safety concern relating to alignment of the bell to the yarder. The bell can cutoff the guywire at the stump if placed wrong. Integrity of the cast knobs is another concern. If they are done correctly and relubed to prevent rusting of the strands where they enter the casting metal in the knob then they are fine. Done correctly means that you do the following: clean 6 inches of the cable end where the knob will go with a solvent (like gasoline) and a paint brush. Also clean the knob and place it on the cable correctly. Next clamp the cable vertical in a vice so you can easily fray out the strands and the core for 3 inches or so. Remove from vice and clean the frayed ends of all cosmoline and oils again and allow to drip dry. Slide the knob up near it's final location and Submerge the end of the cable and knob in muriatic acid for 30 sec. Next you neutralize the acid by submerging the end in water and place it back in the vice without clamping completely. With a wide face hammer, tap the frayed ends into the knob until they are nearly even with the outer end of it. Raise the cable an inch or so and clamp the vice. Wrap plumbing oakum or fiber glass insulation around cable at base of knob, secured by small wire to prevent socket metal from running through knob and falling on your foot. Once the socket metal is freely molten in the crucible, preheat the knob and then the frayed wires contained within the tapered section of the knob. When you are sure that everything is just toasty, slowly pour a small amount into the knob. Let the small first pour solidify for a few moments, then fill it up slowly while tapping knob to prevent air pockets. Allow knob to cool, rinse in water, air dry with blow gun, soak with WD 40, dip in thin oil and smear with cosmoline.

Eyes are harder to drag around with the pokey/stab you strands protruding. I use both knobs and eyes with shackles and a combo of both sometimes on 1 1/8 guyline extensions

You're exactly right about how the knobs go on. Ive worked at both rigging shops in the Eugene/ Springfield area and it's a long drawn out process. Quicker to throw the line in a vice and throw a three tuck in it.

 

[Hallback]

Couple pics of a Skagit GT3 owned by Teevin Bros in Knappa, Oregon.

That GT-3 was formerly owned bu Ladimer from Randle. I have cut wood for that yarder for both owners.

 

[Hallback]

That is Eddie Gould (Gould-Sunrise) that ownes it now but it was bought from Bill Gould (Gould & Sons). Space is rented to Billy Gould,Joe Inman and Justin Pitts also there.

 

[Hallback]

I worked under this tower in '93. "Spermin' Hermin" was the engineer and Howards son Beau was on that side also. Dennis Messner was hooking and Tom Ross was running that 229. Tom passed in 95 in an ATV accident near headquarters weyco camp. The last job this tower did was Donkey creek outside humptulips.

Canyon Creek Logging of Amboy Wash logged for Plum Creek Timber through the late 1980's until 1995 or so. Howard Rogers was the owner then, I think he moved to Idaho or someplace to retire now.

Anyway, here is their main yarder, a nice little BU-80C self propelled machine.
The Skagit T-90 SP carriers had 6 guylines, a little cab up front for driving/moving the machine, and a fixed, non-removeable gooseneck. to move over the highway, you just drop the steer tires, pull the drive axles, ans go. Pretty slick one-piece move.

These pics were taken in 1989 and the loading shovel was a shiny, new Cat 229 with Pierce boom and grapple. These were popular around that time.

Last pic shows Howard himself moving the yarder one Saturday near Elochamin Lake.

Logging was in the Germany Creek area West of Longview.

 

[Hallback]

This 737 was previously owned by the Grim brothers out of estacada oregon before Mile Pihl bought it in 2000. I think the pic is off of the scappose/vernonia highway on a private 160 acre piece bought by Fred Bender (Pihl's backer) that Jack Trimmer,Kevin Wisdom and myself cut. It was very steep (70+%) just off the landing and there was an old crown z road below it with houses across it. The timber was 38-50" on the stump and we were getting 3-4 long logs and a chunk out of it. After that private piece was finished we cut the fibre job that bordered it. That is when Fudge got their first feller buncher.

I rounded up some pics I took of this machine in the 1990's when Mike Pihl (yes, Axe Men) owned it. He ran this BU-737 (on a T-90 Trailer) for several years for Longview Fibre around Vernonia, Ore.

First 2 pics taken near Scapoose on Lv Fibre ground.
Last 3 pics were taken at Mike's yard outside Vernonia.

 

[Hallback]

Aaron weaver had this machine and logged for Olympic Resource managment in the harbor and morton areas. He fell off of his shovel and hiyt his head in 05 and wasn't found until the next day by his crew. He had to sell all of his iron except the yarder as he went thru rehab and doctors treatment. He is doing better as I cut with him in 07 and wasn't passing out randomly anymore.

This yarder was purchased and re-painted in 2001 by Parker-Pacific at Buckley, Washington- and I got some quick pics off before they moved it to the woods.

The tower is a T-100, 10' taller on this machine and it has the 7th guyline, as opposed to the T-90 (90' tower, 6-guylines) in the previous post.

Parkers sandblasted the machine prior to painting, and at one point Weyerhaeuser Cosmopolis was considering purchase of this machine, but opted not to because it was percieved that the sandblasting weakened or fatigued the metal.

Aaron Weaver of Cle Ellum owned it for awhile (logging near Hoquiam in 2005) and I lost track of it after that.

 

[trakloader]

You're exactly right about how the knobs go on. Ive worked at both rigging shops in the Eugene/ Springfield area and it's a long drawn out process. Quicker to throw the line in a vice and throw a three tuck in it.

Most of the towers I've seen had knobs on the ends of the guylines, and the stubs had a knob on one end with an eye in the other. The knob end connected to the guyline with a screwy hook, and the eye end went around the stump with a guyline sleeve shackle in the eye. They used to do knobs the old way here, as well as using them split spiral things that I'ANCO sold. They put the knob on the line, then spread the strands and put the spiral thing in, and hammered the knob over it. Can't remember what them things are called!