Kenny's Loggin – The Rigging Slinger

Jan 25, 2024 - one year ago

The rigging slinger was the guy who directed the rigging with the aid of remote control radio signals. He was in charge of hooking up the logs and sending them to the landing. It was a higher paying job than setting chokers; although that’s what you did along with the choker men. If you were flying two chokers, the choker man had the back choker and rigging slinger had the front. If you were flying three chokers, you usually had an additional choker man.

Kenny’s Loggin’ – The Rigging Slinger — *Doug York, steel spark hooktender. Photo: Gordie Lee Collection.*

The butt rigging joined the mainline and haul back together. The chokers went in the bull hooks. There were also swivels in the butt rigging. At the top of the spar, there are two shives. The smaller one on top was for the haul back. The larger bottom shive was for mainline. The haul back was seven-eighths in diameter and went from the drum on the machine up the tower through the top shive and out into the setting, where it went through two haul back blocks and back towards the machine. It was the hooker’s job to move these two blocks around the setting to yard the logs. The main line was an inch and three-eighths in diameter. It went up the pipe and through the bigger bottom shive and hooked to the butt rigging, which had the haul back attached. The operator pulled the haul back friction into gear, keeping his foot on the mainline brake to keep the rigging in the air to pull the butt rigging and mainline out to the logs. When the chokers are set and he gets the go ahead signal, the operator pulls the mainline friction on to yard the logs to the landing.

If there wasn’t any cushy third man, yarder operating, or landing bucking jobs, I mostly pulled rigging. Working on the rigging was a dirty job. You were dry until you got out of the crummy and put your rain gear on. Rain gear kept most of the rain off, but didn’t stop you from sweating! Three or four guys sitting in the crummy at lunch time could really fog up the windows — and thensomebody lights a smoke! The next time you were dry was when you got out of the shower at home and dried off. At times, my choker man and I were the only ones doing anything. The other guys were in a warm cab, in the bus, or standing by a fire.

The rigging crew consisted of one or two choker men, a chaser, a rigging slinger, a yarder operator, and the boss of the side — the hooker.

One of the first hook tenders I worked with was Doug York. Once he found out I knew what I was doing, he left me alone with the choker man to set the chokers and get the logs to the landing. When it came time to change roads, the choker man left to help him and I was told to take a break and head up to the front end to start a new road.

Dougie was always up to something. Working two yarders together, he would sneak over to the other tower, find their power saw, and put the chain on backwards! The power saw would end up at the power saw shop with a tag saying, “won’t cut.” The power saw mechanic would bring it over to the marshalling yard in the morning and show it in front of the crew. There was lots of embarrassment and snickering going on!

Another of Dougie’s favourite tricks was calling for me to send the rigging back to him at the back end. He would set a choker on a standing tree and blow the go ahead whistle. Stan Lowe, the yarder operator, would go ahead on it and pull the tree over. A long whistle would sound and Stan would shut the yarder off and ask what’s wrong. “You pulled the tail hold you bleepity bleepity bleep. Slack the haul back and go ahead on it.” Yarding a full length tree with the root still attached and slack haul back usually was a rough ride in the cab! When he got it to the landing he would ask if we wanted the straw line. “No, everything’s fine — skin her back.” There was usually a conversation about it at lunch time.

I was growing these big tomatoes in my green house. They were so big that one slice was bigger than the piece of bread you put it on. Dougie would bring a bread bag full of bacon, a chunk of cheese and with my tomato that would be his lunch.

Next: more shenanigans from the rigging crews.

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.