Logging, Tires, and a Bit of Nonsense. :)

     Hello, lovelies!       These past few days have been rather rainy, so I haven't been able to really go outside.  But!  I've got some pictures for you from about a week ago that are pretty cool. :)
     As you know, (or may not have known but you do now!) my family is in the logging business.  This means that we cut down trees for a living.

[ Via Pinterest ]

     In the woods, we have to use lots of different, really big, and really loud equipment.  One, called the fellerbuncher, cuts down the trees with a huge rotating saw blade.  Another, the skidder, grabs the cut down trees and pulls them to the ramp, where the trucks get loaded by the knuckle-boom-loader.  The other day, one of our loaders messed up, and we needed to repair it, so it was sitting in our field for a while. 

 This is a loader.  Yes, it is rather old, which is why it needs repaired.  We'll probably sell it soon.

 And, yes, there's another loader behind this one.  It's a different brand, it's even older, and it's already sold.

What I didn't show you (no, I didn't think of it at the moment...) was the grapple on the end of the boom.  It is a kind of tong-like thing that grabs the trees to put on the log trucks. :)

 This is a massive pile of log truck tires.  I don't know why, but whenever any truck driver changes tires, they always leave the old ones in a pile in our field.  Don't know why.  They just do.  It's like we want their old tires that we have nothing to do with!

 These tires are skidder tires.  Remember that machine that goes to get the logs that are cut down?  Yeah, that one. :)  They have to have sort of huge tires (yes, they're as tall as I am - some are taller - I'm 5 foot.) because they sometimes go where the ground isn't hard, and the fact that they need bigger tires in order to pull the trees from in the woods to the ramp.

 Some of this pile of tires are also fellerbuncher (aka cutter) tires - they also have to have huge tires.

 I just thought this picture was pretty cool - it's the inside of about four new regular pick-up truck tires.

And here's the outside of them... Don't ask me what that red-wheel looking thing is on top - I have NO idea. :)  I can't remember what was behind the tires at the time.

 This is another thing we use sometimes called a sheep foot packer.  When we build ponds (yes, we do both logging and land clearing) sometimes the water won't hold like it should.  So if we run this around the bottom of the pond a lot (the two drums with the spikey things rotate when pulled by a tractor), the ground will pack and hold water better. 

 Just thought y'all might want to know this pretty funny story of how these skid-marks came to be. :) 

The other day, one of our employees was turning in our driveway.  Now, our driveway is on a bit of a hill one way, and after a curve the other way - definitely NOT in a good spot.  Well, he was waiting on a car to drive past so he could turn in the driveway.  Two other cars were behind him, stopped, waiting for him to turn left so they could go.  This other man in a truck comes over the hill doing probably 60, when he tops the hill and sees the line of three cars backed up, waiting.  He has no choice but to either hit the cars, or go into the ditch!  Picking the smart decision, he slams on brakes and hits the ditch.  Yes, it tore up his truck a lot - the man was okay (still stupid, but okay.)  But, lessons learned, I bet he never tops that hill so fast anymore, huh?! :)

And, just to leave you cheerful on this Tuesday morning, here's a picture of a bucket of water - I thought it looked cool when I kicked it and the water rippled. :)

     Have a great day and rest of the week, everyone!

     ~Kellee