[Jim Ostergard]

Near Horse is spot on with the danger. Last year here in Maine a fellow was releasing a blowdown and his young grandson was in the hole. Of course the tragic outcome was of course the death of the grandson.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

Well, I am no expert on the D-ring but I sure love it. Seems that they come through with too long a tug from the hames to the D-ring though. I’m sure John Plowden, Brad Johnson or Carl can give more advice than I can but my understanding is that the D-ring should rest just behind the fore leg at the slight indentation just before the rib cage. Hope this helps. Mine are nylon and I really like them as I change the draft all the time when logging as well as different equipment I have the draft is different.
Jim O

[Jim Ostergard]

I mentioned before going to Windy Ridge (think I called it Windy River before) in Tamworth, New Hampshire for a decent non consumer safety chain. 603.323.2323. They mail it and you have it the next day. I have not found them in my part of Maine. Get the correct file also as I had a dealer give me a larger one and I just used it and between the safety chain that came with the saw and the file I couldn’t cut a thing. Keeping it sharp and the rakers filed it really works great. I use an 18″ bar.

[Jim Ostergard]

l like the 3/8 chain and years ago changed my smaller saw over to it. I thought the decrease in power needed to run the larger saw was a disadvantage. So I have stayed with the smaller chain on these saws and really cannot complain.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

George,
I used pine for my runners with 3″ yellow birch shoes pegged. I have had the same pine runners for 3 years now with no inside storage. Still going strong. It is set up for a single horse so the runners are only 9′ long but I can handle it all by myself broken down which was part of the criteria. Can easily put a half cord on it. Then there is my little plywood (7 year old piece) that fits over the bunks with stake sides for my fitted wood so altogether a versatile rig. As Mitch mentions I have my bunk pins counter sunk for washers and cotter pins. Takes about 10 minuets to break down through in the truck and go.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

I use a jonsered 2152C for limbing as I get really tired if I use the Stihls all day. The newer ones have a compression release and a gas bulb to push fuel into it. I have beat one up for 3 years and it still works well. I have a problem here in Maine getting an agressive chain but Brad Johnson put me onto Windy River supply in New Hampshire and I just ask for the most agressive chain they have and it arrives the next day. I keep a spare. Also make sure you get the correct file with it and I would recommend getting the preferd roller sharping guide as it is easy to file the small chain so it hooks. I love this saw although it doesn’t seem to bore cut as well as the more powerful saw.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

Tim and Mitch,
A scoot is a great thing as Mitch points out. Almost three years ago I had Jason G. saw some pine runners just under 8′ for a single horse scoot. Pine bunks and I had the irons. Its on the second set of shoes of yellow birch. I busted one of the pine bunks on a job and just dropped a small spruce, more of less squared it off drilled two holes and added my hardware and was back in business. I love it. There are some pictures of it here with the “pick-up” body I can put over the bunks to haul my own already fitted firewood from the wood lot to the wood shed.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

I worked with Carl and Jason on several jobs and I bet that is him because I know he went some where just a bit west of us. He sure wasn’t thin when he left Jason’s. I almost took him as I felt at the time with putting him in the barn each night and working on the scratches we might have been able to control them to some extent. I really liked his looks and the way he worked. Jason is still up at the LIF workshop at MOFGA but I will talk to him tonight and make sure he gets on this thread.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

George,
I will get it out of the truck tomorrow or over the week-end and put together a list. The warm fire has me settled in until chore time.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

Thanks folks. Always nice to know questions about pretty much everything gets answered here.
JO

[Jim Ostergard]

George,
A really good question to pose on here I think. Here in Maine as part of our certification we are required to have a cell phone. We then have a contact number that we call when, “the rubber hits the road” on the way out of the yard each day. They actually recommend two calls a day which I must say I rarely do. The contact person should have your number and any other numbers that can get a rescue going if needed. Also we have posted in the yard and in the truck, an Emergency Action Sheet which has personal info, allergies to meds and numbers to call for rescue if somebody comes in and happens to find you. This also has the location and lat and long of the yard. And instruction such as when talking to emergency responders do not hang up until told to do so.I try and remember to keep the truck turned around and ready to drive out. We have med-flight here which has saved lots of lives in the woods especially up north where the guys are far into the woods. Weird thing with cell phones though is you often get an operator somewhere distant in our state and they have no idea where you are so my instructions are to call our med-flight directly and they make the decision whether it is faster for them or land Emt’s to come in.
I have a pretty extensive first aid kit that has more stuff in it than the loggers kit from Bailey’s or Labonville. Recommended to carry at least 4 triangle bandages and an epi-pen in case of reaction to bee stings.
I think though the ability to contact somebody is the critical thing. I was backing the horse up to hook up to a log one spring and the bare pole loaded with sap that I stepped up on was liked grease. Down went and just before passing out briefly I got a hold of another worker not far away and they called the EMT’s and got the horse back to the trailer. Off I went for a $500 ambulance ride and it turned out to be a very very bad sprain thank goodness. I managed after I got back from the hospital to drive home using the other foot but was laid up for a while.
Hope this helps
Jim O

[Jim Ostergard]

Mitch and Tom,
Yes it is the same Dougie still working at 81 just a wee bit slower. At just about 10 years behind him I hope I can do anything when I get to that age. He is a fine example of a tough old bird and a good friend to have. I operate his Pettibone when he is not around and it sure is a sweet little machine. Beats the Farm/farm tractory set up if one is working full time in the woods I will say hello for you. And Tom, you said it well. All the knicks in my chaps come along towards days end. Work safe the both of you.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

Mitch,
Glad to hear you and the hoss are ok. Wonder if Penny is going to let you out of the house for a few days. Interesting observations about what we may have to contend with and wonder if we have anything but our experience to really help us out in a bad situation. A few winters ago up to MOFGA Rusty went off the packed snow trail at the same time he hung the butt of the log we were twitching hung on a stump and rolled with his back down a steep hill. I don’t know if I could have gotten him up alone and thankfully there were four other folks working nearby and with lines on the hames we got him rolled up and he got up. He fell twice more that winter and each time I was able to get his head up over his front feet and he was able to get up. Looking back that was most likely the start of his decline which manifested itself in loss of control of the hind end. Today I went down to Boothbay to pick up a set of heave runners for a sled and stopped in to check on the skidder gang I work with. Found all the machinery in the yard, doors open but no engines running. A cell phone call to one of them and found they were on there way to Togus. The old timer, a chopper and skidder driver who is 81 and only has one arm (forgot to mention he as a plate in his head and schrapnel in his leg from Korea) was on his way to getting 10 stitches in his hand. Seems as he was felling the weight of the saw pushed his hand onto a small sharp stub and punctured a vein. He wrapped it with a handkerchief and drove to the landing in his skidder. There Erik put the CLP first aid training into use and fixed him up enough to get him to the hospital. Sort of thing could happen to anyone or at least I can see myself in the same situation. Just goes to show how it pays to try and be slow and deliberate as we go about our work. Again glad it turned out as it did for the both of you.
Jim

[Jim Ostergard]

I use my small single scoot sometimes to lug stuff. I have a plywood platform with stake sides (Picture somewhere in my gallery on here although I am hauling fitted wood to the house in it) and it works well. When two choppers are going to lug every thing in it really makes sense. In the British horse loggers newsletter there is a picture of an even smaller thing they call a pick up. Looks like it has the platform fastened solid so is not really a baby scoot, with a box to sit on and small sides on the back to hold stuff. Bet it could be built with much narrower runners and kept pretty light.
Jim Ostergard

[Jim Ostergard]

Thanks for the thoughts on electric Carl. I pretty much figured it was better to go with gasoline especially if the wagon stayed on the job. Lugging batteries is not my idea of an evening chore.

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