Monday 2 July 2012

Lost treasure trove of Abandoned Logging Machines....Part One

Canada Day 2012, what better way to celebrate than to go into the Canadian rain forest in search of lost mechanized treasures. The growth of the alder trees and underbrush was fairly intimidating, We only had hand tools, but faced a solid wall of green where we wanted to get into.

We threw ourselves into the task for about half an hour and started to see good progress. That lead to hours more cutting,. pruning and dragging debris away. The results were definitely worth the effort, the hulking old logging gear was ready for it's close-up shot.

Videos of the this site are here..

Press on the "YouTube" logo to get a bigger image.
When you get to the YouTube site...then you can press the icon for "full screen"

When you are done looking at these photos, and have a few minutes to spare...here is a link to a story that was on the front page of the Province newspaper on May 13 2012. It's a tale about a tragic workplace death of a friend of mine at Toba Inlet in 2009...a guy that I used to work with.
Some times the risks we take to keep our jobs are too big.
http://adventuresinmikeslife.blogspot.ca/2012/05/from-province-papersam-fitzpatricks.html


Old Kenworth logging truck left in the BC forest. It took quite a bit of bushwacking to even get close to it...and then more work to be able to get a clear shot

Heavy duty off-highway logging truck converted to a dump truck...one of the essential tools of logging road construction. It's so ugly that it has become beautiful.

Another off-highway dump truck...in the background is the carcass of a Chapman tank drill.

The one actual log hauling truck in this line-up...extra wide mirror mounts, so that the driver can see past the ridiculously large loads of logs that these things pack

Good looking pair of old work horses...I guess I'll have to go back and trim a few more alder trees to get better photos...more bribes to the kids ..

Passenger side detail of the off-highway logging truck....everything has a purpose...and needs to be able to absorb a ton of daily punishment

Cool looking broken windshield on the dump truck..When I was a kid..these were always referred  to as "gravel trucks"....I guess it sounded better in logger world

The gray thing in the background is the torn up steel canopy of the Chapman rock drill
e

That darn tree has to go on the next visit...


Chapman "Drillmobile"...open cab..smaller than the M-4 tank drill...I never worked around one of these...don't know much about them. I'll ask around and see if I can get any info. I know that Jackson Bros used to have one  decades ago...and there was a private property owner in Pender Harbour that used one to develop his land




The time spent on bushwacking was worth it to get images like these..


Birds-eye view of the Kenworth off-highway dump truck

Tough old Kenworth with  the Chapman rock drill on the left side, and the off-highway log hauler on the right side

At the other end of the line-up...a crusty old gravel truck parked beside a tank drill


Heavy duty radiator protection...I'm guessing that's the bones of a log-yarder in the background

Poster child for "Derelict Texture"

I though that I'd try out a little "artistic tuning" for a few images


That's all treasure in my eyes...a hidden grove of historic logging equipment...

I must say...that one tree that I left there is really starting to irritate me..( he says as he files his saw to razor sharpness )

The machine on the left...in the background is some sort of cable log loader or "super-snorkel" machine..rubber mounted

.I'll get it cleared out next time...




Drill function controls on a tank drill. The boom and mast swing away from the front position for long moves...or for low-bed transport

Interior of the tank drill. Boom controls, compressor on/off, parking brake and drive clutch lever

Looking past the rock drill controls and over the hood of one of the gravel trucks


A few more alder trees out of the way, and I will be charging admission to the new park

M-4 tank drill beside a Traxxon rock drill machine

Bottom of the drill mast on the Traxxon tank drill

The "knuckle" on the Traxxon tank drill...the predecessor of the system used on Traxxon's hoe-drill setup

Traxxon tank drill cab

Traxxon tank drill




17 comments:

  1. totally awesome Mike, damn wish I was with you on that ride

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  2. Heavy duty scrap mental remnants of a fading era. If let to rust in peace, it'll take centuries for nature to inexorably reclaim all those atoms...
    Good work, Mike!

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  3. Hey Rob...send a note one day when you feel the need to get away.

    Bring a big Bowie knife , so that we can do the blood oath on keeping the location super-secret.

    If I was joking, I'd say so, right after this sentence.

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  4. Thanks for the comment Phil. That stuff was built tough...and built to last.

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  5. Since I moved to Michigan from northern Ontario I don't get home much. Your videos and photos make me want to get back there and explore like I did when I was a kid.

    Thanks for making me homesick. Tom

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  6. Hey Tom...thanks for the comment...there must be boneyards of all sorts in Michigan..maybe a treasure hunt is in order.

    Try searching "Flickr" images or some other type of photo bank with location tags

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  7. hey Mike just ran across your vid and blog great work your doing documenting old logging equip. In your searches do you ever run across any old abandoned steam donkeys still out in the woods ? Big Willamette or Washington steam yarders

    Would you happen to know if there is anyone activity searching the west coast woods of California for old logging equipment

    Thanks Mike

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  8. hey Anon...go to YouTube..."Skadill" is a guy who has a ton of footage of interesting old iron finds. He put one up recently of an old steam shovel that was left in the bush decades ago. He and I have been on a few road trips together in search of rusty things

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  9. Thanks for the wonderful clarity in your writing. I will instantly grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates.

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  10. Your blog was the coolest of all. Thanks a lot, it is really useful to me.

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  11. I'm lucky to come across your webpages and show off forward to more fulfilling units looking through right here.

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  13. Great photos and videos, I love exploring around Vancouver Island (normally by mountain bike) I don't get nearly as far in the bush, but I love finding old mining and logging stuff. Keep it up!

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    1. hey there bcbirdwatch...I'll be back at that site on Sunday with a chainsaw and clippers to uncover a few more relics

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  14. hi i am a log trucker in western canada me personally i drive a 67' HDX-45 with a 600hp cat motor i was attracted to this page when i saw that someone was digging out a hayes HDX thats the "actual log truck" you referenced that is number H7 or hayes number 7 so it is an early hayes ehh 7th one ever built i cant exactly point out the motor on it from your pics but my money is on a detroit

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  15. Makes me want to haul out the tools, Mike. lol. Spent enough time fixing some of this stuff. This looks a lot like some of Sandy's best equipment... jk. Nice to see someone cares enough to record it before it disappears forever. Must be off a road I've missed...

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  16. i am always looking for some free stuffs over the internet. there are also some companies which gives free samples. rent a boom lift

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