New gig today

[starmac]

Well I am officionally a brand new, half arsed log truck driver. I got my first load all the way out of the hills without crashing. lol

30 miles back in on a logging road, and the weather got warm enouth there was water on the ice on every hill the sun was hitting. 30 mile superslide, roller coaster combined, way better than any amusement park. lol I did not see any game, except for several grouse begging to get on the dinner table.

[Outer Rondacker]

Congrats

[MrWolf]

Congratulations! Sounds like it won't be dull. Be careful out there.

[Bad Water Bill]

Now tell us how many hours it took for your nerves to settle back down?

Definitely not a job for an amateur.

[w5pv]

I was wondering if he needs to iron the seat covers to get the wrinkles out?

[Wayne Smith]

So, when will we be seeing you on TV??!!

[starmac]

TV, not a chance. The road is not that bad or won't be as soon as it cools off and we get some more snow. It is a lot worse than the road they folmed on, but a lot slower paced and much less traffic.

The logging co is new and ust in the beginning stages, so everything is in slooow mode right now. I always wanted to do this, but unles it speeds up some I will go back to the so called ice road, at least one trip a week. It is fun to be out in the woods, but It has to pay the bills. lol

[Bzcraig]

Congrats Star, but can't say I envy that job! Lol

[starmac]

Hey, I BOUGHT this job because I always wanted to do it. lol

[jeepyj]

Congratulations, Just the sound of it makes me thankful for my maintenance gig!
Jeepyj

[waksupi]

I consider logging truck drivers to be some of the best drivers in the world. Seeing them come out of the mountains on pure ice roads pulling tandem makes my butt hole pucker, just watching them.

[runfiverun]

gotta love driving an 18 wheeler down a mountain.
one good thing is, you won't fall asleep behind the wheel.

[xman777]

This sounds really terrifying! I couldn't imagine riding along. Good for you though. Congrats on the new gig.

[Pb2au]

I consider logging truck drivers to be some of the best drivers in the world. Seeing them come out of the mountains on pure ice roads pulling tandem makes my butt hole pucker, just watching them.

I agree 100% The boys that pull lumber out of the hills on the east side of Ohio are excellent. How they keep it together with the worn out trucks the companies give them on the worn out roads is pure skill.

[backhoe]

And I thought keeping heavy equipment afloat in the Mississippi gumbo was a challenge.You go dude!

[LUBEDUDE]

Congrats Starmac!

If you get tired of the weather up there, there's lots of logg'n here in East Texas.

[smokeywolf]

Be careful that your pucker factor doesn't become permanent.

smokeywolf

[MaryB]

Does not sound like fun! My days of doing things that are dangerous are over, paying for it now too!

[starmac]

Congrats Starmac!

If you get tired of the weather up there, there's lots of logg'n here in East Texas.

No thanks, I was raised in East Texas, and would be tired of your weather by the time I got there. lol Besides that driving in an ice storm in Texas is DANGEROUS.
I came within 15 to 20 feet of crashing head on with a dog team today, you just can't do that in Texas. lol

[geargnasher]

Most exciting thing I did today was pull an ancient twin-stick Mack into the shop from our back lot for one of the new guys to service...glad he wasn't with me because it took me ten minutes to remember the combination for reverse. Real truck drivers have my deepest respect, it's dangerous enough just working on the rigs much less driving them places I wouldn't take a HMMWV.

Gear

[Bad Water Bill]

I also have done many things that folks just shake their heads in disbelief or amazement.

Yes I feel the pain every day but the great memories are worth way more than the pain.

[starmac]

Bill I told my family years back, when they find me dead, have one heck of a party, cuz I've had more fun than any 3 people I have ever known. lol

Gear this truck has the 15 with the reverse shift pattern. It has been 25 years since I have driven one. I remembered the shift pattern, but am constantly having to think about what I am doing, which isn't good. I am hopeing it gets natural at least before I have to drive my other truck. lol

[Idaho Mule]

starmac, congrats on the new job. Good log truck drivers are to truck drivers, kinda like what Navy carrier pilots are to other pilots. Lots more to pay attention to. JW

[MaryB]

Oh yeah I have had my share of fun, laying upside down when we went over backwards off the rock wall we were climbing in a friends truck, but what is getting me the worst is all the hours I spent sitting in a small fishing boat in all kinds of weather. Got beat around pretty bad by waves in that over grown canoe I fished from(Alumacraft T14, 10hp Johnson, I loaded the boat by myself into the back of my pickup).

[Idaho Mule]

Most exciting thing I did today was pull an ancient twin-stick Mack into the shop from our back lot for one of the new guys to service...glad he wasn't with me because it took me ten minutes to remember the combination for reverse. Real truck drivers have my deepest respect, it's dangerous enough just working on the rigs much less driving them places I wouldn't take a HMMWV.

Gear Gear, reminds me of a time I in-framed an old Cummins in an old KW grain hauler. The driver was chomping at the bit when I fired it up, he was a good guy, but didn't think that I could drive "his" truck because it was a twin-sticker (5 and 4). I politely told him I did my own test drives for certain reasons and invited him to ride along. After a 20 mile shakedown cruise he lamented that I shifted "his" truck smoother than he did. I always got a chuckle out of that. JW

[TXGunNut]

Hope the new gig is more than just a change of scenery, then again sometimes that's enough. Traded my big, roomy office for a cramped cubbyhole today and so far it's looking pretty good to me. If ya'll think driving those old trucks is hard try finding parts for them. Heavy truck parts guys today get pretty quiet when you call about anything over 20 yrs old.

[starmac]

If a truck is tagged and titled in Texas you have to have a Texas safety inspection sticker. I was at a shop getting a sticker once, and when the guy finished he climbed in my truck. I assumed to put the sticker in the windshield, but he got back out and ask why it had two shifters. I told him to shift both trannies, then he told me I needed to show him how to shift it because he had to drive it to complete the test. Yea right.

[smoked turkey]

I remember being on vacation out west in the Rocky mountains. We saw a train running through those beautiful mountain peaks and passes. I said to my wife what a beautiful place to work, and just think he gets paid to do this job while seeing this beauty every day. I hope you never get tired of the beauty in Alaska. I think it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Enjoy it and be careful. I am sure those run-a-way truck ramps are not always fun!

[waksupi]

I remember being on vacation out west in the Rocky mountains. We saw a train running through those beautiful mountain peaks and passes. I said to my wife what a beautiful place to work, and just think he gets paid to do this job while seeing this beauty every day. I hope you never get tired of the beauty in Alaska. I think it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Enjoy it and be careful. I am sure those run-a-way truck ramps are not always fun!


There are no runaway ramps where you haul logs! All there is, is a long drop!

[starmac]

I don't know of any run away ramps anywhere in Alaska. lol

The road I'm on right now is actually pretty tame as far as logging roads go. A few dropoffs, but nothing like some roads I've been on.

[geargnasher]

Hope the new gig is more than just a change of scenery, then again sometimes that's enough. Traded my big, roomy office for a cramped cubbyhole today and so far it's looking pretty good to me. If ya'll think driving those old trucks is hard try finding parts for them. Heavy truck parts guys today get pretty quiet when you call about anything over 20 yrs old.

That's sure enough the truth, especially at the dealerships.

I'm the parts dept. manager of an independent heavy truck and equipment repair shop. 90% of the parts we source are for our own use, not retail. The counter guys at the dealerships these days couldn't find their butts with both hands, much less the ancient and obsolete stuff we seem to work on most. My counter is one of the few left around here with guys that won't give you the stupid, glazed look if you walk in and ask for something like a king pin set for an IH 1700, a Lucas Girling brake pod, or a water pump drive coupler for a 6V71 Detroit. As time goes on, more and more of the really knowledgeable parts people retire or pass on and are replaced by "what's the last eight of the VIN" guys who couldn't look up a master cylinder casting number or cross a Stemco seal number if their lives depended on it, so when we need parts we have to get it down to a current part number and search nation-wide for someone who has it. My Rolodex has over 600 phone numbers in it just for suppliers, and our inventory would be the stuff of an American Pickers episode if those fellows ever came to town. It's a headache but someone has to still be able to do it or this part of our world would just stop turning.

Gear

[smokeywolf]

Company I drove for back in '73 had a '58 or '60 (can't remember which) Pete conventional. Had a 5 and 4 Spicer in it. We called the truck Lucretia.

smokeywolf

[elk hunter]

Brings back memories from fifty years ago when I first threw a wrapper over a load of logs on a 46 White self loader with five speed main and three speed non synchromesh transmissions and arm strong steering. I had some interesting moments and after about five years I got a job hauling propane which involved driving over the Cascade Mountains in the winter. Not sure which had the greatest pucker factor.

[starmac]

I have driven every kind of old truck you can imagine at one time or other. Hauled just about everything, but this is my first goatrope with logs.
If I had to go back to the old trucks for anything more than driving one in a parade on smooth pavement, I would find something else to do. lol

This old log truck is old and a throwback in time, but it is 312 wheelbase and air ride, actually rides pretty good.

[cbrick]

If I had to go back to the old trucks for anything more than driving one in a parade on smooth pavement, I would find something else to do. lol

No kiddin, when I first went to work at Paramount Studios they had a 1947 Mac. Nightmare to drive that thing, couldn't turn a corner on a football field and slow as molasses. The first place they sent me with it was down town Los Angeles, made for a long, long day. That truck made me realize why whenever ya watched old movies with truck drivers they had arms bigger around than most peoples legs, they had to so they could steer the things. No, it didn't have chain drive it had a real drive shaft. :mrgreen: Happy day when they got rid of it.

Rick

[Superfly]

PICS you know the rules ******

[TXGunNut]

As time goes on, more and more of the really knowledgeable parts people retire or pass on and are replaced by "what's the last eight of the VIN" guys who couldn't look up a master cylinder casting number or cross a Stemco seal number if their lives depended on it, so when we need parts we have to get it down to a current part number and search nation-wide for someone who has it. -Gearnasher

Todays OE mfr catalogs are nearly impossible to use for modern vehicles without the last eight of the VIN or an engine serial number but that is mostly due to the caliber of folks writing the catalog. They don't take the time to put in a meaningful description, often cryptic or misleading. Pretty amazing in some ways, very disappointing in others. I know how to do the old-school stuff but limited availability of old stuff causes me to avoid it for the most part. Ventured into the office where we hide the microfiche machine last week, found myself reaching for the mouse and had to laugh a little.

[starmac]

We are very limited here for truck parts outlets. Most of my buying is from dealers, here in fairbanks the KW dealer has a gal (an extremely good looking gal) that is the best in town as far as parts knowledge. She was raised in the trucking parts industry and it shows. I have gotten to where if she is not there for some reason, I just don't need the part bad enough to deal with the other countermen.
In Anchorage the parts manager at the international dealer is one of the best in the country, I used to deal through him even when I was living and running out of New Mexico. He would order parts for me (the right parts) have them shipped to Alaska, and I would pick them up when I made a trip up CHEAPER than local dealers down south would do, it really made no sense, and I let my local dealers know it too.

[TXGunNut]

There's a girl that works for a local indy heavy truck parts/service shop that really knows her stuff. She's not the only good counterperson there but most folks won't give her much credit. International parts are a bit difficult, to say the least. It pays to stick with someone with decades of experience, if you can find one. Most really good dealer parts guys are my age (54) or older and it won't be long until we're out of the business and parts consumers are stuck with the "point & click" counterman. Won't really matter much, most mfrs not interested in serving the needs of owners of older vehicles anyway.

[starmac]

I agree that most (nearly all) dealers are not interested in servicing older models. The guys at KW in Amarillo absolutely were not interested in one of my Kw's just because it was powered by a detroit and they couldn't run detroits anymore. lol
The KW dealer here is an odd duck, as it keeps a couple of new trucks on the lot, but they CAN"T sell them at all. They will tell you right quick that they can't and don't care one bit if they ever sell. You have to go through a salesman at the parent dealer to even talk about them.

The new trucks, with all the new fangled technology are not holding up too well in this enviroment anyway, I don't see me ever buying a new one, and if I do it will be in kit form.

[geargnasher]

French Ellison KW dealers are a nightmare for parts, there's a big cluster of them here and somewhere up north, I think Illinois. Almost as bad as Waukesha Pearce for Komatsu parts. I avoid them and get my KW parts from other dealsers outside of Texas. Santex truck center has just one guy remaining who can look up an IH part without the VIN, or ANY part prior to 1999. He's 68. There's a girl on the counter about my age at Santex who's straight out of California and if she can't find it with a mouse, forget it, and she'll be the first to tell you. Tough to beat her accuracy and speed on modern stuff, though. As long as they both work there our lives are easier, but we're sure going to miss old Joe when he's gone.

The times they are a'changin', and not for the better. Several of our local fleets are running trucks newer than 2011, and they're constantly going down with stupid stuff related to emissions. Urea heaters, DPF backpressure sensors, and the like. The repair and maintenance costs of these overly-complex, poorly thought-out systems are astronomical. The other issue is these owners don't know HOW to maintain a modern, high-pressure common rail or electronic injection system. The old stuff would run on used engine oil, but 1ml of water will trash a $30K engine nowdays, and the old "change the fuel filter when it starts running bad" philosophy of fleet maintenance simply doesn't cut it anymore.

Gear

[starmac]

I always change my fuel filters at every oil change, but a lot don't for whatever reason. I also still change my oil at 10,000 mile intervals. I just have not bought into the extended oil change periods, but most of my trucking is considered severe duty too. The newer isx powered trucks are struggling to hit 400,000 miles in this climate, and what I mean very few of them do, a friends just went belly up at 80,000. Quite a few has pulled the motors out of their new trucks and went back to E model cats, without all the emissions, they might not be able to get by with that in the lower 48, I know they couldn't run into Cali.

[TXGunNut]

Fuel filters are cheap insurance for today's fuel systems and were never a bad idea with the old systems. Haven't dealt with the HD diesel emissions stuff much but it's killing the LD diesel market. Fleet after fleet is changing over to gas motors. Some of the latest generation of LD engines seem to be doing better but they are very pricey to buy and can only imagine what repair costs will be 10-15 yrs down the line. I don't think the EPA will be happy til they all run on water and emit sunshine. Some emissions measures were needed but I think we're way past that point.

[Mtnfolk75]

Starmac,

I envy you & your occupation ..... :bigsmyl2: Between the Canoe Club & SO, I jammed a few gears. Spent 4 years in a cab, mostly tankers interspersed with Reefers, Vans & Flat racks. Did everything from oilrig moves to spreading molasses on strawberries for dust control. Ran a 59' B-Model with a 250 Maxi-Dyne & a 4&4 spreading that molasses, a 63' White COE with a VT903 & a 4&4 pumping crude leases, a 62' KW Conventional with a 335 and a 4&4 for clean petro & a 57' Autocar with a 220 and a 4&5 doing rig moves ( actually my last driving gig before the SO). Everything else was more modern and didn't involve looping my arm through the wheel ..... ;o) My better half just didn't enjoy it as much as I did, so I got a Retirement Job at the SO. Still miss bangin' them gears.


Stay safe out there, Dusty

[starmac]

There is probably north of 4,000 fleet pickups just on the slope, and they are changeing them out for gas pickups now.

[MaryB]

Parts look up is lost in other industries too. I am restoring an antique radio and needed a copy of the schematic to ID a part. I knew the last surviving TV shop had them(I worked there back in the 90's, they have Sam's Photofacts starting with #1 I told them if they ever go to toss this call me and I will take it all). went in and told the girl who handles parts etc what I needed and she gave me a look of *** are you even talking about. Then asked how do I find it on the computer. I told her you look in that book to find the Photofact number then go dig in those filing cabinets. After 30 minutes of her turning pages with a deer in the headlights look I asked her if I could look it up. 5 minutes later I was digging in the file cabinet and 10 minutes after that I was making a copy of the schematic and parts list. Went to pay her and she said it was free because I taught her something new... umm not new, try old fashioned!

[starmac]

For some reason international kept the floor dimmer switch long after other trucks moved it to the turn signal. Mine burnt out when the truck was only about 3 years old on a run to cali. The best place to get a truck in was the freightliner dealer on the west side of Albq, and I had to unload in Cali the next morning. The lady behind the counter wouldn't even try to look up a dimmer switch, first she tried to tell me that freightliners had never had one mounted on the floor. I set her straight on that count, but she said that they would not have any part for any truck old enough to have it on the floor. I lost patience without ever even getting her to try and look one up, hard wired it on low beam and went to Cali. Got a guy hanging around fontana the next day to run me to a napa the next day. lol

Mtnfolk My wife doesn't care to drive them (she can when she has to) but loves to ride. Even in the dead of winter she wants to make a trip or two north if she can get off.

[Mtnfolk75]

Ive done that hardwire fix on the floor dimmer a couple of times. Once in the canyon between Santa Maria & Cuyama on Hwy 166, it was spooky dark & the only thing that kept me on the road until I could get stopped was the Beaver Light hanging on my mirror ...... [smilie=s:

[starmac]

I was on a little 2 lane backroad, going through the woods in lowsiana sneaking around a scale before daylight one morning, and meeting a set of brightlights and my light switch burnt up. I couldn't see anything except for those lights, and the problem with that was they were probably 2o feet apart. lol Not having a clue what that was and having to split the difference between the lights, was a real serious bad feeling. It was funny when I went by except for I syill couldn't see. On the right shoulder was an old grain truck broke down, with a pickup parked on the wrong side of the road with his bright lights on, but I could only see one headlight, on the other shoulder was a pickup parked with his bright lights on, but one head light was burn't out. It sure gave me a scare, but it turned out funny. lol

[Superfly]

I agree the new stuff is almost not fixable I think I will be keeping my old 2000 shaker and a n 14. It Is slower and not all Shine and glitter but damn it does a good job.




I agree that most (nearly all) dealers are not interested in servicing older models. The guys at KW in Amarillo absolutely were not interested in one of my Kw's just because it was powered by a detroit and they couldn't run detroits anymore. lol
The KW dealer here is an odd duck, as it keeps a couple of new trucks on the lot, but they CAN"T sell them at all. They will tell you right quick that they can't and don't care one bit if they ever sell. You have to go through a salesman at the parent dealer to even talk about them.

The new trucks, with all the new fangled technology are not holding up too well in this enviroment anyway, I don't see me ever buying a new one, and if I do it will be in kit form.

[starmac]

Well my 96 Kwhomper is bumping a million miles, with probably 700,000 of them on the roughest road in the country. If I replaced it, an ISX with urea and all the emission garbage, regen exhaust etc, that has serious problems working in cold weather. The engines are famous for grenading before hitting the 400,000 mile mark. A new bare truck speced like mine is selling now for 175,000 bucks, then another 8 to 20,000 to rig it out for the haul road, so were bumping 200 grand for one less desirable than what I've got, except for maybe the new truck smell, which goes away quick enough. I will run mine till I crash it, if it isn't rebuildable and I really want another one, look into a kit.
Several of the companies have been kitting trucks here, since kw and pete made them available again.

[MaryB]

Kit trucks bring back memories... in 1982 I was doing some software stuff for a trucking company and they were building 2 kits a year. One year they drew lottery tickets of every employee and I won the lease of that truck free for a year. Leased it back to one of the drivers for a small profit and got to see how a trucking company really works with finding loads, breakdowns etc. End of the year it went back to the company or one of the owner operators that worked for them. I did a couple trips in it, drove it some on the interstates and even got to back it into the 1/4 mile road into one of the grain drops at camp Cargill. Made about $10k that year for myself and learned a bunch. Best profit loads were running grain into the Twin Cities(Savage) because a good driver could make 3 loads a day and be home for a little family time at night. I was licensed and on weekends is when i would pull a load or two to keep the truck moving and making money. One thing I learned fast, a parked truck loses cash.

[jmort]

There are a bunch of trucks available here in california. No rust and cheap. One of the auction companies has a sign, "California doesn't want your truck, but we do"

[Superfly]

Do u have a link to the trucks for sale

[starmac]

As many trucks as CAli outlawed, they should be giving them away. lol
Cali trucks do not make very good Alaska trucks either.

[starmac]

One thing I learned fast, a parked truck loses cash.

Tell me about it. I have four of them and can only drive one at a time. lol

[AkMike]

`Yer too old to be playing back in the woods and not to mention hanging jewellery. Yup both uphill and down the other side.

[AkMike]

One thing I learned fast, a parked truck loses cash.


Jest park em for the winter like I do.. :bigsmyl2: They don't wear out that way.

[starmac]

This woods deal,is more of a hobby, and it pays like one too. lol
I am having fun so far, if I could just get them to close the scales.
First load spent an hour getting inspected
second load 30 minutes getting an overweight trophy
Haven't done the third one yet. lol
And the jewelry sucks, every load so far, but I think if we get some more snow, and it cools down, I can get by without it.

[runfiverun]

pshaw throwin chains is a 10 minute deal, it's getting them off when the mud is froze that's the trick.

I hate the new trucks.
especially the kenworths, whoever put that fuel pedal in there needs to be locked in one of them with the cruise control switch removed for a couple of day's.
just try and get one of them to burn the exhaust filter off in the winter.
the truck won't heat up enough to burn the filter clean then the truck goes into stage 4 and locks everything up.
good luck pulling a hill [any hill] with an over weight load trying to get to town when that happens.
luckily cat has the codes on their computers and will happily send out a technician.... eventually.

[bear67]

Milton. I am late reading this thread, but I am sure you are way overqualified to drive a log truck in my part of Texas. The drivers around here must pay to get a CDL as they are sure 'nough country boys--unwashed and cross eyed. Most of the log tractors look somewhat like demolition derby candidates.

I have two friends, neighbors who are brothers run a little logging operation with the reputation for leaving the woods looking better that some of the completion. They have 4 older Mack tractors that look rough and were bought used. But the drive trains are well cared for and they usually have an older Cummins in the shop for a out frame overhaul. But both brothers spent the first half of their working lives turning wrenches on heavy trucks. I have owned haul trucks and dump tandems and trailer dumps for years before retiring, but would be confident that one of these boys trucks would deliver logs to Detroit (Michigan, not Texas) and get me home.

Enjoy your sojourn in the loggin' woods.

[AkMike]

And the jewelry sucks, every load so far, but I think if we get some more snow, and it cools down, I can get by without it.

Time to hibernate and do with out all that sort of fun..

[John Allen]

Congrats Starmac, at least you have some good scenery.

[TXGunNut]

For some reason international kept the floor dimmer switch long after other trucks moved it to the turn signal. Mine burnt out when the truck was only about 3 years old on a run to cali. The best place to get a truck in was the freightliner dealer on the west side of Albq, and I had to unload in Cali the next morning. The lady behind the counter wouldn't even try to look up a dimmer switch, first she tried to tell me that freightliners had never had one mounted on the floor. I set her straight on that count, but she said that they would not have any part for any truck old enough to have it on the floor.-Starmac

As you probably know your friendly neighborhood Ford dealer or most any parts house had that switch, Ford used it up to 1979 IIRC. Freightliner used it even longer, Classics used them long after the Century Class and FLD changed over.

[starmac]

Any regular parts house has them, but when you are running cross country in a big rig, you don't just whip in anywhere. lol
I actually put them in all my vehicles, so I can kill all my big lights, hands free. It is just not cool to meet someone in a curve and be fumbling for switches while they have a face full of hid lights. lol

[TXGunNut]

I am late reading this thread, but I am sure you are way overqualified to drive a log truck in my part of Texas. The drivers around here must pay to get a CDL as they are sure 'nough country boys--unwashed and cross eyed. Most of the log tractors look somewhat like demolition derby candidates.
-bear67


More like demolition derby veterans. I hunted those E Texas woods for years and I doubt very seriously many of those logging trucks would pass a roadside inspection, many were doing good to have headlights. They were, however, stout and well-shod. I think gravel was illegal in some of those counties as well since it was seldom seen once you left the highway.

[Bullshop Junior]

And I Thought running a excavator over a icy trench was bad.

[starmac]

That East Texas red clay can be purty slick. lol
I used to know a guy that ran pulp wood trucks in East Texas. When he bought a new truck, he would jerk the front frnders off before they ever hit the woods. lol
When he got ready to get rid of a truck and put the new fenders back on, they would look out of place on a beat up truck. lol