Kenny's Loggin' – Running Yarders

Dec 20, 2023 - 2 years ago

It was at Dougan Logging in Jackson Bay where I first ran yarder.

Kennys Loggin - Running Yarder — *Madill tower and loader at M&B. Ken Wilson photo.*

The regular operator had some business in town on the first day of the shift. George Uzzell was going to run it. After the first turn, he called me up into the cab and told me to sit in the operators seat. He showed me what the levers did and then Arnold Berg the rigging slinger blew three whistles to “go ahead on the rigging.” I started off slowly, George said open her up, I widened on the Cat engine and the logs came in. Slack the haul back, so I did and “wham” into the bottom of the tower slammed a fair sized hemlock log. I forgot about the haul back and George reached over and pulled the hand brake for the haul back. Then he helped me to re-spool the haul back.

A couple of years later working for Sam Telosky at Norie Bros. Logging at Elk Bay, Gary Young the regular operator was sick. Two crews and one operator, I mentioned to Sam that I could run one of the towers, “can you” he said big smile on his face he could keep both towers going. He liked it so much that when Gary came back he put him on the third logging truck and I ran yarder for the rest of the summer. When it came time to move the yarder he just swapped operators so he didn’t have to train me to tower up or down.

One day at Menzies Bay, Chester the regular operator was sick. They were running four Madill towers mounted on truck chassis. The foremen were looking for another operator and I think my brother said I could run yarder. They sent me out with the J-48 crew which just happened to be the guys I worked with on my first day at Menzies. Roger Wright hook tender, Lorne Carson rigging slinger, Rick Tuttle chaser and Ron Shultz choker man. I was happy, wouldn’t need my caulk boots this day and yarder operator rate was lots more than choker mans rate.

We got to Memekay 300 where we were logging. I got out and started the machine and climbed up into the cab. There was no air pressure building up, some one closed the valves on the air tanks for me and we were ready. Rigging slinger blew “skin her back” and I started slowly got the rigging moving and widened on the throttle, wide open back to the crew went the rigging and stopped abruptly when the stop whistle blew. The crew were impressed so much that they wanted to trade Chester in for me.

I’m sitting in the cab, it’s a rainy, foggy, and windy day. The rigging slinger blows the go ahead whistle. I flip the air brake switches off, pull the mainline friction into gear and step on the haul back brake at about 40 pounds. Starting slowly waiting for every thing to come tight and then open up the throttle full bore. It starts to come up the hill, it’s really pulling hard, “what did they hook up” I’m thinking. It’s moving but barely, then it stops, I slack off the haul back, maybe that’s holding it back. It has stopped, the rigging slinger blows “shin her back.” I flip the haul back friction on and pull back on the turn. Don’t pull too hard might pull the tail hold. The rigging slinger blows the go ahead whistle, I change the frictions and widen on the throttle. Things are moving, its coming up to the hang up spot and it stops, yarder is wide open and then pow, it feels like the choker broke!! I brought the rigging into the landing and got the chaser to put on the bigger choker. The rigging crew re-hooked the log and blew the go ahead whistle. After what seemed like a long time I could see the rigging coming up through the fog. Closer to the landing I could see it, it’s a thirty foot log with the root still attached!!! And it was just a piece of pulp. Could have left it in the bush!

Running tower was challenging and a lot of fun. Sometimes there wasn’t a loader in the landing so you had to pile the logs safely and make it easy for the chaser to unhook the chokers. It was always a bonus when you unhooked a choker for the chaser. I think only once did the situation come up where I would have had to tower down. We finished yarding late in the day so the next day I switched machines with Carl Parker. Of course the best thing was the pay rate was better than choker mans rate.

Ken Wilson worked in the logging industry in B.C. for over 50 years. Ken is a regular contributor to Supply Post newspaper with his column “Kenny’s Loggin’”, and resides on Vancouver Island, B.C.