Table of Contents

September 2010 Classifieds

Download the Southern Loggin' Times September 2010 IronWorks classifieds here!

Our best leisure reading from our not-so-sharp minds

Beauty is only a light switch away. (Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, NC)

If life is a waste of time, and time is a waste of life, then let’s all get wasted together and have the time of our lives. (Armand’s Pizza, Washington, DC)

No matter how good she looks, some other guy is sick and tired of putting up with her crap. (Men’s Room, Linda’s Bar and Grill, Chapel Hill, NC)

Adjustments by Jennifer McCary

ForesTech LLC, a full service land management company, downsized in early 2009, eliminating one of two company-owned logging crews and reducing its subcontract logging force from four contractors to one.

In the last three years, partners Mark Hampton, 47, and Kenith Hetmer, 44, have seen several of their large markets close, either temporarily or permanently. The latest was Anthony Forest Products in Atlanta, Tex., which was shuttered because of a fire and has no plans to reopen until the markets turn around.

Nameless Texas Towns

Commissaries were another focus point for community recreational life. Although only a few of them served as launching places for packs of foxhounds, as at Emporia, all did double duty as social centers for their communities, and some provided the only recreational gathering point.

Manning, a relatively large company town possessing a movie house, nevertheless lacked a true “community hall;” consequently, the Manning commissary served as the center for social activity. At Carmona, Kilraven, and Ewing, the commissary was the only gathering place. Ewing resident Chester Treadaway recalled that women and children met there during the day, and men packed the place just before work and at the noon hour. As at Ewing, commissaries provided large front porches and numerous benches and chairs, and these attracted many idlers.

Opportunity Knocks

Loggers and their families and employees will head to Stark­ville, Miss. September 17-18 to take in the family-friendly Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show. They will join ranks with timber dealers, foresters, landowners and equipment personnel from near and far.

Awaiting their inspection/observation at the John W. Starr Memorial Forest, located along state route 25 a few miles south of town, will be a wide array of equipment, supplies and services valued in the millions of dollars. The gear will range from half million dollar chippers to drive belts, from felling and pruning attachments to insurance services, from trucks to flail delimbers.

Smooth Transition by David Abbott

With the retirement of his father, Ryland, last year, Brad Rice, 37, is now in his first year running the family logging business alone. Prior to that, Brad and Ryland had functioned as partners for much of the last two decades. When Ryland decided it was time to get out of the woods, they divided the company assets and Brad bought his father’s half. Ryland still owns Rice Excavating, a landscaping company, and is still part-owner with Brad of Rice Trucking LLC. But the logging division, Rice Timber Solutions, is now Brad’s baby.

That isn’t to say that Brad doesn’t still feel his father’s presence. He indicates that his every decision is influenced by the wisdom and practical knowledge imparted to him by his father over their many years together. In particular, he al­ways keeps in mind the family motto. “My dad impressed on us to be honest and fair in all our dealings,” Rice says. “That way you can lay your head down at night and go to sleep.”

As I See It: Forest Management Is Falling Short

The difference between success and failure is a razor’s edge. It is an obvious conclusion that effort is the tipping point in determining whether an endeavor is going to have a positive outcome. After all, everyone knows that the harder you work, the harder you work, when in actuality it is planning that determines success.

Trees are not mushrooms, they don’t just pop out of the ground in the middle of the night ready to be harvested.

Prolonging Batter

Excess vibration is the leading cause of premature battery failure in off-road equipment. Vibration from loose mounts, missing battery hold-downs, etc., can loosen plate material and cause the battery to short out. Other factors that reduce life include extreme heat, freezing temperatures, overcharging, undercharging and an undersized battery.

Under normal use and charging conditions, premium high output or heavy-duty batteries in colder climates can last 48 to 54 months. In hotter conditions it may be only 18 to 23 months. The ideal operating temperature range for most batteries is 68˚ to 77˚F. With every 15˚ increase above that, the life of lead-acid batteries is cut in half.

New Product Information

Komatsu Forest’s 259 HP 931 harvester is the newest of the Valmet harvester lineup, joined by the smaller 911.4 and larger 941.1. Stronger structures, a new higher performance crane and all new 365 harvesting head are key features of this model.

The new 32’10” (10 m) reach CRH22 crane has greater lift capacity and improved structure. Its parallel movement design provides level travel and fast extension. The CRH22 easily handles the new Valmet three roller drive 365 harvesting head, as well as the Valmet 370.2 and 360.2 heads. Increased lift capacity improves harvesting performance at full reach.

545 People

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. 

Have you ever wondered, if both Democrats and Republicans are against deficits, why do we have deficits? 

Have you ever wondered, if all politicians are against inflation and high taxes, why do we have inflation and high taxes?