Hundred dollar trucks hauling wood!

Best Practices for Hundred dollar trucks hauling wood!

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This summer an overloaded tri-axle had an accident in town. Word is the truck wasn't inspected, wasn't insured, and wasn't even registered. I know of another local truck that was driven for years by a guy who didn't have a CDL.I feel for you guys trying to do it the right way.

Yet somehow it's the guys doing it right that seem to be the target of the DOT.

I feel for ya woodhauler  we have the same thing here there is guy that has a truck (on the road :-\) that I wouldn't use for a landing truck in a 500a field     he runs late at night  but is the first one to cry to the DOT cops so they look for some one else and he goes scott free  its getting to the point it doesn't pay to do it the right way   if ya cant beat them join them   but my pride gets in the way

Quote from: Corley5 on December 17, 2014, 05:46:48 PMYet somehow it's the guys doing it right that seem to be the target of the DOT.Only because you have the money to pay the fine. And remember, it's not about safety It's about money.

Yup,  you can't get blood out of a stone.

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It's not just in trucking, it's in everything. If it looks like you're staying a little bit busy and making a little money, then every Tom, Dick, and Harry will go and buy that particular piece of equipment. When I bought my chipper I was the only one with a chipper in a 40 mile radius. The next year there were 6, and now it seems there's an old worn out chipper in every other driveway.  :DI went to a meeting the other day, and one of our officials was asking what could be done to make the "contractors" without equipment more competitive, and more able to complete these thinning projects.  smiley_dizzy I just shook my head and muttered "you can't fix stupid".

everyone needs to start somewhere, but ya can't be screwing the other guys out of work for long...There are a lot of new gypo's around here, as well as tree services, the only difference between me and them is a couple of years and I have my own equipment.  If they can make a go at it low balling and still manage to pay their bills great, I just have to figure out a way to compete with em or go out of business.Luckily most of these morons are well... morons. No equipment, or barely running equipment, cobbled together junk and no experience... let them bid low let the mouths wag, yer still in business, and soam I, Hel I get busier every year!

Well, if you do come down to Virginia in the spring at least you will won't be shocked by the trucks you see running around.  We all start somewhere and there was a time I was turning heads, and not for the right reasons, but some of the gypos rigs and contracted semi's around here are down right scary.  Seems bald tires on trailers are pretty common.

The commercial inspectors are kept busy here too. The worst offenders seem to be the dump trucks but it goes across the board. A shiny well kept rig usually gets a quick once over but a plain, dirty truck with rust and dents is going to get the third degree.I work in an industrial park with lots of trucks lining the roads. I shake my head at the mismatched tires, (I saw one with three different treads on the same axle) bald tires, missing mud flaps and just dirty and unkempt. A certain group runs beaters until they get caught, pay the fines and keep going. If it gets condemned they shrug and put another junkyard refugee on the road. They view it as part of the cost of doing business.It is not limited to trucking. Nearly every industry has it's share of gypo operators. I went with a friend who hauled wood on the side for a small logging contractor, some of the stuff we saw scared the bejabbers out of us. The bucker almost had a load dropped on him due to lack of communication and his own carelessness.

I had to get the Jeep towed last summer. I was talking to the tow truck driver about a certain landscaping/excavating company in the area. He said that he had one of his trucks on the hook at least once a week, if not more. The driver had had jury duty recently, and the owner of the business was in court. He had so many fines and moving violations that he hadn't had a license in over a year.He was trying to get a working license of some sort so he could actually do something.

We refuse to load the junk trucks coming into the pit. Had a couple tailgates open on trucks heading up the road and that ended it. They cant stay in business to long when you cant buy material.  ;)I feel your pain, but around here the worst offender i see is a few local mills, constantly loaded beyond max, so the little guys with a good truck get the eye all the time.

I use to see many old dump trucks hauling logs. Most would have been iffy as site trucks. lol They would haul mostly after dark. Now it seems everyone is a tractor trailer driver/owner. The chip business boom has all kinds of these trucks on the road. Most look reliable but some I wouldn't trust. No matter what you do, someone is going to try to cut your throat. Maple syrup is a good example. For years only those who loved doing it would work that hard in the spring. Then the price started going up. People saw this and anything that would boil was bought and set up. I had many customers leave to buy so and so's syrup because he was cheaper only to have them come back that same year looking to buy my syrup or came back the following year. These get rich quick guys don't seem to last long but they are a pain while here.

So if my truck cost less than 10k it is junk. I guess my trucks are rolling wrecks then I only gave $2500 for one and $1800 for the other one I have put money in to them though making them safe and dependable. I like the older trucks simple to work on and alot cheaper. I only haul my own logs on occasion when I can't get a contract hauler to haul. I don't see a problem with someone hauling with a older cheaper truck if it is safe and legal every one has to start out some way and some would prefer not to have that big payment on a new truck.

I used to be a logging foreman for many years.  We had five to seven tree length trucks hauling every day making three to five loads a day from the landings to the mill - depending on how far they were hauling.  I hated the shiny new trucks cuz the drivers always complained about everything from the gravel on the roads to the branches sticking out on the landings.  The older trucks were the best - they never complained and never lost time.  If i had my choice it would be older trucks hauling for me !!  Keep the chrome somewhere else !!!  And if you can't climb into your cab without changing your shoes you may as well be driving a taxi !

No one said less than 10k was junk, but historically a 70's truck is a magnet for DOT. Lets face it, the older stuff was good, but 20+ yrs of use and fatigue and it brings issues. We have an LTL tandem at home thats being replaced for that reason, good truck but getting up there in age. I think around 45k in ours, thats doing the work ourselves, and thats a CHEAP truck for around here.  ;)  We have 6 trucks, 4 dumps, tractor and log truck and the maintenance just on them is alot. The guy who hauls my pulp tells me what hes spending and i shake my head, i think replacement value on his truck and pup is well over 200k.

QuoteI don't see a problem with someone hauling with a older cheaper truck if it is safe and legalThat's the main issue. An older truck isn't an issue, it's the rolling wrecks that no one want on the road.But pretty much all the trucks you see on the local roads are late model. Main reason? They are reliable. You don't make money if the truck is off the road, and you don't keep contracts if your aren't reliable. The HP, aircon, auto gearboxes,. traction control, adjustable tire pressure, on-board weight scales etc just make like easier.As an aside, when my buddy was driving log trucks I passed him carrying a log truck and trailer of green sawn wood. Thought that was a bit odd so I asked him about it next time we caught up. Was 2 truck and trailer loads of Rimu hauled out from a remote sawing site under a logging permit. The load of wood was worth more than the trucks! ! !

It's going to get tough here on the older rigs after January 1, tier one (pre 2000 diesels) equipped on and off road are going to be gradually phased out  due to emission regulations. Those older rigs also won't meet safety regs without expensive upgrades.It's a tough call. Do the operators work with a low dollar rig that spends time in the shop or go all out and make big payments so they can keep working?

Quote from: Birchwood Logging on December 18, 2014, 09:23:49 PMSo if my truck cost less than 10k it is junk. I guess my trucks are rolling wrecks then I only gave $2500 for one and $1800 for the other one I have put money in to them though making them safe and dependable. I like the older trucks simple to work on and alot cheaper. I only haul my own logs on occasion when I can't get a contract hauler to haul. I don't see a problem with someone hauling with a older cheaper truck if it is safe and legal every one has to start out some way and some would prefer not to have that big payment on a new truck.And once again, the Yankees would DIE if they came to E. Ky, or SW Va, or E. Tn............. They would stroke the heck out..... I will try to get some pics at the mill today..... ;)

Quote from: Birchwood Logging on December 18, 2014, 09:23:49 PMSo if my truck cost less than 10k it is junk. I guess my trucks are rolling wrecks then I only gave $2500 for one and $1800 for the other one I have put money in to them though making them safe and dependable. I like the older trucks simple to work on and alot cheaper. I only haul my own logs on occasion when I can't get a contract hauler to haul. I don't see a problem with someone hauling with a older cheaper truck if it is safe and legal every one has to start out some way and some would prefer not to have that big payment on a new truck.NO i didn't say yourbtruck was junk, Its the guys that buy the hundred dollar trucks, then start cutthroating the guys that are in it forever!!!  I no a guy that has a 1994 ltl ford with a 120 prentice on it that i would give my first born kid for! Looks better then it did new , inside and out!

My problem is the old truck go slow(at lease mine) and new cars go fast really fast! I pull over or wave them by if its safe and I can. We also try to keep them clean and looking nice and safe.

Quote from: KyLogger on December 19, 2014, 04:29:36 AMQuote from: Birchwood Logging on December 18, 2014, 09:23:49 PMSo if my truck cost less than 10k it is junk. I guess my trucks are rolling wrecks then I only gave $2500 for one and $1800 for the other one I have put money in to them though making them safe and dependable. I like the older trucks simple to work on and alot cheaper. I only haul my own logs on occasion when I can't get a contract hauler to haul. I don't see a problem with someone hauling with a older cheaper truck if it is safe and legal every one has to start out some way and some would prefer not to have that big payment on a new truck.And once again, the Yankees would DIE if they came to E. Ky, or SW Va, or E. Tn............. They would stroke the heck out..... I will try to get some pics at the mill today..... ;)This yankee wouldn't die, i worked in Burning springs west virginia one spring/ early summer... seen about everything!!!!

The owner/operator can get by with an older rig if hes just hauling his own wood. The contract haulers hauling for four or five outfits  pretty much got to have a fairly new ,up to date truck. They also got to love being behind the wheel many hours a day.!!!!!! ;D

Quote from: loggah on December 19, 2014, 05:19:40 PMThe owner/operator can get by with an older rig if hes just hauling his own wood. The contract haulers hauling for four or five outfits  pretty much got to have a fairly new ,up to date truck. They also got to love being behind the wheel many hours a day.!!!!!! ;Dgood point loggah.........wish i'd thought of it lol.we ran a 72 KW up untill a few years ago, we got a 95 ford 9000. guess what........but for the engine, the 72 was better. we always kept new brakes and tires and kept up on lines and chambers. most the newer company trucks around here have no brakes and nearly slick tires...........and newby drivers.

Very few old beaters on the road here now.  There are also fewer small production loggers so the loggers left require a trucker that is punctual and reliable.  Keep providing a good service, keep the truckers whine to a minimum and you will continue to have work.

Along the same lines... What is the loggers liability if one of these $100 dollar trucks is involved in an accident with your logs on his truck? I refused to do business with one guy until he got a better truck, but even now I have serious concerns about his mechanical abilities, or worse, his give a #!*. I would like to get completely out of the trucking side, but haulers are hard to come by.

Quote from: Ken on December 20, 2014, 05:11:33 AMVery few old beaters on the road here now.  There are also fewer small production loggers so the loggers left require a trucker that is punctual and reliable.  Keep providing a good service, keep the truckers whine to a minimum and you will continue to have work.Anyone you cuts wood should also have the privilgde of hauling wood! When you pull up to a pile that looks like a bomb went off you might whine alittle! My better wood pile come from guys that have drove/owned log trucks!

No such thing as a cheap truck. Around here we're running 11 axle and 164,000 lbs. "cheap" is $100-150,000 new is $400,000. I see your point and yes it hurts your business or just makes everyone in that particular business look bad but those 100 dollar trucks have all the same exspencss as a $400,000 dollar truck. Except the payment. If your a good business you will still be around when they aren't and it'll make you even better in the long run.

Timberlinetree Do not wave anybody past you if you are moving. If a deer jumps out of the ditch and they hit it it is your fault. Don't ever signal anybody to pass.

I've driven a lot of miles on tractors and backhoes. I just chug along as fast as I can, and don't worry about holding anybody up. If they can find a passing zone, good for them, but I am just as entitled to the road as they are. ;)

I think Idaho has a law (and a good one IMO) that if a vehicle (truck, tractor, farm machine, whatever...) is holding up more than 4 vehicles that they have to pull over and let them pass.These days around here, there is more farming going on at long distances (large dairy herds) and large honey wagons, combines, grain hauling rigs, etc. plugging along on busy roads with lots of hills and long stretches with no-passing. Most of these slow rigs do NOT pay road taxes so..I appreciate a wave to pass, as often cannot see what is ahead and the driver going slow can see. And also, can understand with the crazy sue-happy, and court system we have, that it is a risk to wave someone ahead. I do wave and also get out of the way if possible.

Quote from: Woodhauler on December 20, 2014, 06:42:28 AMQuote from: Ken on December 20, 2014, 05:11:33 AMVery few old beaters on the road here now.  There are also fewer small production loggers so the loggers left require a trucker that is punctual and reliable.  Keep providing a good service, keep the truckers whine to a minimum and you will continue to have work.Anyone you cuts wood should also have the privilgde of hauling wood! When you pull up to a pile that looks like a bomb went off you might whine alittle! My better wood pile come from guys that have drove/owned log trucks!This here is why I do my best to make a solid and clear landing logs are always at least pointing mostly  one direction and close enough the loader can reach them... I don't produce much more then a load or two a week and the last thing I need is the few self loaders around deciding they don't need my loads.Granted there have been a few that where not the prettiest in the word and one that was a game of pick up sticks (from the tractor days... bucket quit working and could no longer stack logs...)But if I know there is going to be an issue I make sure I'm there to fix or help as much as possible.

Last night I drove off the scale in the mill and there was one of those trucks with all the chrome and lights sitting right smack in the middle of the road along the chip pile waiting to scale out. So I had to drive on the shoulder around the outside to get around him and it's a good thing it was frozen. I should have pulled up in front of him and made him go around me but the loader operator was waiting for me and then the trucker probably would have whined for an hour before moving.DanG'ed truck drivers.  ::D :D

Quote from: Firewoodjoe on December 20, 2014, 07:34:45 AMNo such thing as a cheap truck. Around here we're running 11 axle and 164,000 lbs. "cheap" is $100-150,000 new is $400,000. I see your point and yes it hurts your business or just makes everyone in that particular business look bad but those 100 dollar trucks have all the same exspencss as a $400,000 dollar truck. Except the payment. If your a good business you will still be around when they aren't and it'll make you even better in the long run.That is true to a point. Fuel, insurance, tires all cost the same but that new truck with the big payment should still be rolling while the 89 Kenworth with a million miles will be in the shop again waiting for an engine rebuild or a new transmission, rear ends etc. The other issue is emissions, the older trucks will need to be upgraded or forced off the road. A local hauler is running a beautifully restored 57 KW with a 335 and 5&4, he can't haul commercially after January 1.

a 1957? i like to see that

X 2But if he's making a living hauling logs, he probably has another two or three more trucks and the 57 is just a toy  ;D

No matter what the business, with the lack of jobs, some one is always around to undercut you. Just to try to make some money to survive.

I know in my county, if you pass a farm tractor on the road, and he didnt pull over to let you pass your in a world of trouble if an accident occurs, its clearly stated in the "right to farm law" in NY. We avoid moving our discbine alone because of idiot drivers, had a good screaming match 2yrs ago with a guy from the city, troopers gave the guy a "failure to keep right ticket", and wreckless driving, after he passed and caused a fender bender.  :D

Quote from: treeslayer2003 on December 21, 2014, 09:58:55 AMa 1957? i like to see thatHere ya goLet's try that again. That one is a little out of focus

Now that's a showpiece.

Quote from: sawguy21 on December 21, 2014, 12:29:29 PMQuote from: treeslayer2003 on December 21, 2014, 09:58:55 AMa 1957? i like to see thatHere ya goLet's try that again. That one is a little out of focusi bet that truck is in better shape than most 5 year old trucks on the road.

SWEET truck. 8)

That is a nice truck. To bad they have to take it off the road.

That truck is some sharp! My grandad had an old Diamond T that I wanted to restore, it had those same classic body lines. He sold it last summer, the guy that bought it has a better chance of actually getting it done. I wouldn't have had time until I'm about 70, if even then :

Here's one for the older truck fans  ;Dhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzWroYex3tMAnd from the same guy, one of their newer trucks. You can see where they are hauling out of, so the 600+ hp and fancy gadgets do get used.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zvnjM9xq0

Quote from: thenorthman on December 20, 2014, 11:18:40 AMQuote from: Woodhauler on December 20, 2014, 06:42:28 AMQuote from: Ken on December 20, 2014, 05:11:33 AMVery few old beaters on the road here now.  There are also fewer small production loggers so the loggers left require a trucker that is punctual and reliable.  Keep providing a good service, keep the truckers whine to a minimum and you will continue to have work.Anyone you cuts wood should also have the privilgde of hauling wood! When you pull up to a pile that looks like a bomb went off you might whine alittle! My better wood pile come from guys that have drove/owned log trucks!Sure wasn't trying to insult you in any way.   Just making the point that the good reliable guys always have work.  However, that being said I am at the point now where our truck is nothing more than a very expensive convenience.  Much easier to have somebody else focused on keeping my landings cleared.

What are those guards across the windshields in that vid. of the old trucks?

I know of a concrete/rock quarry company that has several of their trucks on blocks because they have to steal tires, brakes etc... I truely love to see the "Little man" with so much work he can't keep up!

Quote from: Firewood dealer on December 21, 2014, 06:19:57 PMWhat are those guards across the windshields in that vid. of the old trucks?The stone guards?A lot of back country roads are still coarse gravel, so if you are hauling logs / cattle / fertiliser it's hard on windscreens. See the 2nd clip and you get the idea.

Quote from: Ken on December 21, 2014, 04:40:30 PMQuote from: thenorthman on December 20, 2014, 11:18:40 AMQuote from: Woodhauler on December 20, 2014, 06:42:28 AMQuote from: Ken on December 20, 2014, 05:11:33 AMVery few old beaters on the road here now.  There are also fewer small production loggers so the loggers left require a trucker that is punctual and reliable.  Keep providing a good service, keep the truckers whine to a minimum and you will continue to have work.Anyone you cuts wood should also have the privilgde of hauling wood! When you pull up to a pile that looks like a bomb went off you might whine alittle! My better wood pile come from guys that have drove/owned log trucks!Sure wasn't trying to insult you in any way.   Just making the point that the good reliable guys always have work.  However, that being said I am at the point now where our truck is nothing more than a very expensive convenience.  Much easier to have somebody else focused on keeping my landings cleared.Maybe i should have worded my post different! Sick of the guys that think i'm getting rich! zThey get a 10-20 thousand dollar truck, start cutthoarting and only last 6-12 months!

Yikes! Didn't know I could get in trouble for being nice! :-\. That is a nice rig. Woodhauler I hope your job gets less stressful soon and stay safe on the road! It dangerous!

Maybe woodhauler needs to haul something else,or change career's all together. Nothing ever seems to be good with his trucking business?

Has anyone ever heard of a trucking business that wasn't full of hassles? :D

Quote from: sawguy21 on December 21, 2014, 12:29:29 PMQuote from: treeslayer2003 on December 21, 2014, 09:58:55 AMa 1957? i like to see thatHere ya goLet's try that again. That one is a little out of focusFor being a 57 the body lines looks surprisingly modern.

Quote from: bozzaa69 on December 23, 2014, 10:02:49 AMMaybe woodhauler needs to haul something else,or change career's all together. Nothing ever seems to be good with his trucking business???????

Quote from: bozzaa69 on December 23, 2014, 10:02:49 AMMaybe woodhauler needs to haul something else,or change career's all together. Nothing ever seems to be good with his trucking business?Maybe i should get a portable saw mill ! I'm sure i can saw 30-50 dollars a thoushand cheaper then you guys ;D :D

Quote from: Dave Shepard on December 23, 2014, 10:51:40 AMHas anyone ever heard of a trucking business that wasn't full of hassles? :DHaha. I bet if you looked up the word hassles in a dictionary, it would say;...see trucking.  :D

All business is the same. Ups, downs, profits, losses and in those good times there's new  competition. Like I said earlier if your doing it right you'll still be there when the boom drys up and you'll still get work.

Bought my first truck when i was 20. 85,000$$ and yes it was in my name! My dad let me put up a spare skidder he had for collaterall! Glad they didn't come look at it! It was a pilfeirer parts machine! I had 10 grand of my own money saved and bank still needed more. Thank god for a dealer that got me finanaced. So i guess i have found work enough. I don't look for work it looks for me.Heading for 33 yrs in this deal now! Seen it all!

"I don't look for work it looks for me."  Sounds like the problem I got, only with women.

Not touching that one, a subject for anther day. :D

Quote from: sawguy21 on December 24, 2014, 06:27:27 PMNot touching that one, a subject for anther day. :DYou and me both! ...but it does crack me up!  :D

bozzaa69, you seem like a very humble individual

I didn't say good looking women?

Quote from: bozzaa69 on December 25, 2014, 05:13:01 PMI didn't say good looking women?:D :D :D thats a good one!!Since my divorce i am kind on a roll too! smiley_gorgeous

It's hard to necessarily pin this on "old trucks." Granted with the emissions BS, the gov't will try to weed out a lot of them. Before I got into this and found a desire to potentially make a career in the woods, I was planning on driving truck. My father and uncle were both truckers (my dad was an O/O and uncle owned a company) so I wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the company driving BS. I just had to find a truck. I looked at a bunch of trucks that were older. Mostly R model Macks, some 359 Petes and a lot of old cabovers. As a 23 year old kid, I just cant waltz into a Peterbilt dealership and sign my name to a new 389 and pay the bills. What I'm getting at, is we all have to start somewhere. Looking back, we've all had a saw, truck or piece of equipment that we wouldn't think about touching now. I know a lot of these guys are the "let's buy the cheapest thing we can get and make a few bucks this year" type, but some are just trying to make it. A lot of the older trucks nowadays have been "let go" and with anything, if you let it go, it will either need someone to restore it, or someone to scrap it. If I had a company, I'd have a fleet of (well maintained) R model Macks. Yeah, they're obsolete, but they're the best work truck you can get. My dad bought a '72 R model (the Big Red Mid-life Crisis Machine), oil-field style winch truck that had a blown motor. It came out of WV and it's got a very tiny rust spot. Other than that, solid truck. He paid $3,500 for it and now that it has the motor, I'd drive it around the world and not think twice.What I'm getting at, is that I sympathize for the guys that are trying to make it, the ones that are just trying to make a buck, not so much. It might not be today or tomorrow, but the DOT will wipe these guys out, but they'll wipe out the little guys that are just trying to "make it" as well. It's just the nature of the beast. Like someone else said, the DOT goes after you guys because they know if the guy with the nice truck has the money to pay for it, he'll pay the fines to keep it. They don't seem like they're going after these guys but as soon as they slip up, they'll go over that rig with a fine-tooth comb

The problem is, you can keep dumping money into them and fixing them and youve still got a 20yr old + truck. We ran our old R-model mack log truck till she wouldnt take anymore, when we pulled the bunks the double frame fell apart. Trucks are cheap, you can find stuff 10-12yrs old decent shape for good money. What the original post was about, and i feel his pain is the dirtbags running complete junk, undercutting guys with newer stuff and and doing it with an unsafe truck. Around here, newer trucks and equipment avoid headaches, but im not knocking the guys starting out. Im not thrilled seeing pictures of single axles with 3200bdft stacked over the bunks, but hey if you can get away with it why not.

Nothings illegal until you get caught right?  :

Quote from: KyLogger on December 19, 2014, 04:29:36 AMQuote from: Birchwood Logging on December 18, 2014, 09:23:49 PMSo if my truck cost less than 10k it is junk. I guess my trucks are rolling wrecks then I only gave $2500 for one and $1800 for the other one I have put money in to them though making them safe and dependable. I like the older trucks simple to work on and alot cheaper. I only haul my own logs on occasion when I can't get a contract hauler to haul. I don't see a problem with someone hauling with a older cheaper truck if it is safe and legal every one has to start out some way and some would prefer not to have that big payment on a new truck.Dude, you'd mess your nappies if you drove on the East Coast (Ruatoria) New Zealand. Google Map it.And once again, the Yankees would DIE if they came to E. Ky, or SW Va, or E. Tn............. They would stroke the heck out..... I will try to get some pics at the mill today..... ;)

My old man said to me you can either buy an old machine, fix it up and still have an old machine, OR pay off a new machine and end up with a new machine.I live in Gisborne, New Zealand. Its a farming/forestry small city and we have logs trucked 200km from the forest to the  export port. There is NO room for old gear as it will slowly but surely send the owner broke.

Quote from: Thewoodman on December 27, 2014, 04:52:29 AMMy old man said to me you can either buy an old machine, fix it up and still have an old machine, OR pay off a new machine and end up with a new machine.I live in Gisborne, New Zealand. Its a farming/forestry small city and we have logs trucked 200km from the forest to the  export port. There is NO room for old gear as it will slowly but surely send the owner broke.don't you mean pay off a new machine and end up with a old machine   ;D

You believe you have a new machine when it is paid off? When you by a new piece of logging machinery or truck, how much value does it loose when you sign the papers?  A $600,000 harvester may depreciate $150,000 the first year. I have bought 2 new machines in 42 years of logging, and I admit they were nice, performed well. They became used machines very quickly. I am now in a comfortable situation with my logging business, 13,000 hours on the processor,12,000 hours on the forwarder, and haul with a 1993 Pete recently pulled over by DOT, inspected and no violations other than trailer vin#.  I place the value of equipment on a situation that my wife would face if I died or became disabled and she had 90 days to sell it, Dylan was right we all serve somebody, may be the devil may be the lord, may be your bright pretty painted piece of metal. We all make our own choices. A respected logger here once said you are not your own boss unless you can tell the mills to stick it and park your machines for at least 6 months. I have worked along time to finally own my metal, it does not own me.

The useful service life of a logging truck seems to be 5 years, just about the time it takes to pay it off. After that it starts to become a money pit spending more time in the shop and less making money. The smart money would trade it on a new one as long as the work is steady enough and pays well enough to make it worthwhile, the fleet operators do this as they can write off a good portion of the lease payments.The independent does not always have the luxury of this option. However if his payments are low enough he does not have to work as hard to stay afloat and has the flexibility to find other jobs if logging gets slow. Still, he has to remain competitive with safe reliable equipment. The larger B.C. mills that pay the most and keep the trucks moving won't hire your 93 Pete regardless of condition, they know it requires more down time.There are exceptions. There are still Hayes HDX (how many of you remember those) and Pacifics running off highway loads here on the coast. Nobody currently builds a truck to take the weight these guys move. 14' bunks piled as high as the loader will reach and cooling water pouring off the brakes, 600+ HP and 20 speeds. I wish I had some pictures.

Quote from: sawguy21 on December 27, 2014, 12:49:41 PMThe useful service life of a logging truck seems to be 5 years, just about the time it takes to pay it off. After that it starts to become a money pit spending more time in the shop and less making money. The smart money would trade it on a new one as long as the work is steady enough and pays well enough to make it worthwhile, the fleet operators do this as they can write off a good portion of the lease payments.The independent does not always have the luxury of this option. However if his payments are low enough he does not have to work as hard to stay afloat and has the flexibility to find other jobs if logging gets slow. Still, he has to remain competitive with safe reliable equipment. The larger B.C. mills that pay the most and keep the trucks moving won't hire your 93 Pete regardless of condition, they know it requires more down time.There are exceptions. There are still Hayes HDX (how many of you remember those) and Pacifics running off highway loads here on the coast. Nobody currently builds a truck to take the weight these guys move. 14' bunks piled as high as the loader will reach and cooling water pouring off the brakes, 600+ HP and 20 speeds. I wish I had some pictures.Heavey equipment .com has a thread about these trucks!!

Sawguy, there's not many logging trucks in northern MN that are less than 5 years old.

I  think there is nothing wrong with a " one man show " with a " older " truck which is kept up well, doing the same job for the same money, even a bit slower.Under cutting to get work is another thing. Just my 2 cents.

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