Table of Contents

April 2010 Classifieds

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

Our best leisure from our not-so-sharp minds

This is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that’s in sends players out one at a time to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn’t count. If they get in before they get out it does count.

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that’s out comes in. And the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out. When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over.

"Livin' My Dream"

Shiny equipment, not family history, is what lured Lance Griffin into logging. Right after high school the McCall teenager worked with a couple of loggers and got to see the fancy pick-up trucks they had. He wanted one.

So, does he have that fancy pick-up truck now that he’s had his own business for 13 years? His curt answer says a lot about how he has grown in the business and found he has bigger priorities. “It used to be,” he says.

Nameless Texas Towns

Lantern firmly in hand, Diboll night watchman Jim Richards walked the dimly lit expanses of the Southern Pine sawmill and planer mill in the hours after midnight. The huge mill machinery lay silent; like most mills, Diboll rarely ran at night. Only the big boilers remained alive, their pressure partially up in anticipation of the workday to come.

New England To NASCAR by May Donnell

Bob Lussier Jr. will gladly admit he moved his 28-year-old logging operation from Connecticut to South Carolina for the climate. The business climate, that is.

In August 2009, Lussier, owner of Great Woods Co., in Pomfret Center, up and left the area with his good name, his equipment (including a 1994 Tigercat cutter), two members of his crew and his fiancé and started a new venture in Darlington, South Carolina.

Current Industry News

As the U.S. and the world economy struggle to overcome their self-induced trauma, the role of government on all levels is called into question. Extremists on both sides rail for alternatives of “let the economy run its course” to “government control is the only solution.” Pragmatists on both sides eloquently defend their posi­tions, leaving little room for compromise.

If decision makers would get their fingers out of their ears and listen to the real emissaries of the economy, the small business owners that make tough compromising decisions every day, they would hear an entirely different scenario than the blather they hear from their personal yes-men.

AC Care by Barry O'Leary

Now is the time to make sure the air conditioning systems in your equipment are ready for the long, hot summer. Here are tips on what to check and how to maintain the AC.

Air Filters—Clean air filters are the most important aspect of keep­ing AC in working order. Cab fresh air and recirculation filters are designed to provide clean air to the system and keep the cab pressurized. Clogged filters reduce airflow to the operator and reduce cab pressurization, which allows dirt to infiltrate the cab. If filters are not properly maintained, the evaporator coil will be coated with dirt, retarding cooling.

New Products & Technologies

Upgrades to the hydraulic system and other enhancements have improved the productivity and reliability of the 173 HP Cat 553, 197 HP Cat 563 and the 225 HP Cat 573 wheel feller-bunchers. Multi-functioning has been enhanced with improvements to the front control valve. Simultaneous lift-tilt and lift-steer functions are over 60% faster. The saw pump flow capacity in the feller-bunchers has been increased, resulting in a 15% improvement in saw recovery time on the Cat 563 and a 6% improvement in the Cat 573. Additional adjustments provide better acceleration and faster ground speed. Operators will notice more power on hills, wet ground and rough terrain.

John McMillan: A Giving Leader

Alabama’s John McMillan is spending lots of time on the state’s highways these days. The former executive director of the Alabama Forestry Assn. (AFA) is campaigning for Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries on the Republican ticket and faces two opponents in the June 1 primary.

A tight economy has kept donations scant and the campaign staff is mostly a volunteer group, so McMillan is forging pretty much a one-person campaign. Kathryn, his devoted wife of 44 years and his greatest ally, does what she can when she can but works full time as a tour guide at the state capitol. Besides, William, their second child, born with Down Syndrome, remains at home and requires care, which she generously and lovingly dispenses, he says, adding: “Kathryn has pretty much devoted her life to meeting William’s needs and supporting my varied commitments."