Vancouver Island, BC. Logging at its Best!

[caycusion]

 

[HDX]

One of our members--Penhill--runs our hydraulic loader in the Sarita Dryland. This last week he was out performing his duties sorting logs when all hell broke loose. One of the truck drivers called him on the radio and told him his machine was on fire. By the time he turned around to look out the door, everything was fully engulfed. He managed to squeeze out the door, drop down onto the top of the engine compartment, down onto the tracks and then onto the ground.
The sheet metal was already hot so he burned his hands but otherwise he was unscathed. He asked me to post these pictures. Unbelievable how fast the fire spread. His cell phone and lunch bucket don't work very well anymore.

 

[HDX]

A couple more.

 

[Bumpsteer]

WOW! Glad he got out with only minor injuries.

Ed

 

[hvy 1ton]

Wow, that brewed up big. I guess that's one disadvantage of rear entry cabs.

 

[dirty4fun]

Glad he got away with only some burns to his hands, he was lucky a driver saw the fire. Had to be darn exciting to exit into the fire, for him.

 

[HDX]

The sad thing was it was a really good machine Very well dialed in and Penti had her set up really well. Even the air conditioner worked, and in todays environment that is rare. He told me they are going to take the tracks off the burned machine and put them on the replacement loader. Like you said Jim He dodged a big one there

 

[Blk prince]

Even sadder is that you guys did not need this right now

 

[winterax]

Very lucky. Any idea how it started to share/ heads up for others ?

 

[HDX]

winterax The insurance adjuster was here on monday. He is still scoping it out and as soon as we can find out what happened penhil will post the results

 

[drillrigdoc]

holy sh**t man, lucky...

 

[HDX]

Reg, you and Jim were wondering...this is what we're up to. H-119 was sent back on loan as a push truck very short term.

 

[Blk prince]

I see you have been busy. Like the cheater step?What is the story on the loader. You are using a long boom for loading?

 

[diamondtguy]

Nice to see them getting their tires dirty again.......

 

[dirty4fun]

Thanks Steve, good to see that part of the guys are back working, if only till the trees that are cut are at the mill. Well I assume they are going to the mill, if the bugs haven't destroyed them and turned them into chips or mulch material. Hopefully the government will make WFP pay for damages to the quality wood, then let someone responsible come in and put everyone back to work doing what they enjoy, and love doing. Very tough times for a troubled timber industry! Thanks for the pictures, thou it does make me miss it all the more!

 

[HDX]

Blk prince This one is a Grapple yarder going from Looper 200 to Klanawa 1200 Lots of moves right now due to the "clean-up mode" we are in. The fallers never got the opportunity to finish their settings, Only 4 fallers were brought back to go around to each area and just sguare off the quarters and walk away. 40 guys working No Grade No fallers other that the 4 I mentioned. The remaining 100 plus will sit at home for the entire year because this is western at their finest. As for the wood Yes Jim you are right on the money. There is a pile of once beautiful Fir and cedar sitting in the Sarita Dryland sort that WFP is going to give to the natives for firewood (don't give it to the Franklin guys sitting at home with nothing) The wood coming in in dribbles everyday has been down graded so much it makes you wonder why it goes un-noticed by government. DBDLS and a lot of scalers that come on here will verify the damage the bugs do. When western shut us down on Dec 18 there was a good amount of fir and cedar being hauled out the back way to Chemainus Really top grade stuff! Since we came back not one load has been taken that way, HHHMMM, We offered to haul some of the NFG logs up to Cameron for the guys for firewood but were told NO! it is going to the natives, Don't complicate the situation, Never saw such nonsense before where a company like WESTERN FOREST PRODUCTS that can make people bleed for entertainment. Its a tough one no matter how you cut it. With no grade building roads and no fallers opening settings up one cant help but wonder how long (if at all) before the crew even comes back. There will be a long lag time between when the wood is licked up and the "NEW REPLACEMENT" contractors come in to replace IPL. Was told we are now the "Tim-Bit Crew" This is because now the natives have all TFL 44 given to them by our government, and we have a small circle in the middle. A company called PORBYN buys the timber on the stump and hires the non union contractors to come in and log it for them. Every day they haul in unbelievable amounts of second growth logs that western is buying from them and our trucks just sit. The priority is they have to dump first. We wait WTF!!!

 

[dirty4fun]

HDX, once again thanks on the update. I knew things were bad last winter when WFP shut down IPL and started demanding more. Then things seemed to get worse, with the logs laying there down grading everyday. Now it sounds like it has turned to pure $hit. What WFP is up to only they know but sounds like some real dirty crap, that only a big company can get away with, at least for a while. They demand IPL get on road trucks to haul direct to the mill, poor Lyle did that then they start adding more hoops to jump through. Now he has trucks that aren't sold and trucks that aren't working, along with all the men sitting around. One has to wonder why WFP wants to break IPL, as that is what WFP is sure trying to do. This has to be very hard on the men who have known nothing but work all their lives, to be home everyday. Everyone enjoys a couple weeks off, knowing they are going back to work and making money to live. This has to be very hard on them and the whole area! Can't the government see what is happening? Wish the TV crew would film the down graded lumber, and how WFP is not having to pay for the damages they have created. I sure am hoping that the great working men of IPL have things go there way real soon!!

 

[diamondtguy]

I bought these prints two years ago at the Alberni truck show and Mary just had them all mounted and framed for me...Cant wait to hang them up in my Library...

BC trucks at their finest......

 

[camptramp]

The Pacific is a BCFP Renfrew Div. P16 #6-260 not sure what year , it might be a 1978 . Tony Weber got the truck new and was driving it when picture was taken crossing the Gordon River Bridge shortly before he retired . Truck had recently been repowered with a twin turbo V12-71 Detroit replacing natural V12-71 and repainted . To the best of my knowledge , it was the last truck painted in BCFP colour's as Fletcher Challenge had recently taken over BCFP just prior to this picture being taken . Tony has long left us , but his family has the original painting .
The HDX Hayes is the last Hayes owned by our late friend from Victoria Bill Neil . The late Carl Carlson was diving it when the picture was taken crossing the Bridge at the bottom of TR. 11 before it joins the Gordon River M/L . Picture was taken between 1983 -1985 . I have the original painting . Will probably donate it to the Sooke Museum someday , where Bill Neil was a legendary trucker in his own time , with a fleet of Off Highway logging trucks hauling for Butler Brothers .

 

[diamondtguy]

Thanks for the history on the pics.I will write it down on the back of them.Nice to know the Pacific was built during my time there..
I also have the big poster Allied Concrete had in there head office of their tandem steer Pacific.(s)It is being hard mounted and will post a pic of it when I get it back..