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and Unusual Employment of Motor Vehicles for Rough Timber Haulage.

6th November 1913
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Page 4, 6th November 1913 — and Unusual Employment of Motor Vehicles for Rough Timber Haulage.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

We are fortunate in having at hand particulars of two interesting examples of the employment of modern motor vehicles for the proeess which is known as "logging," that is to say, the transport of roughly and freshly-cut timber from the place of its growth to the lumber mills. This necessitates the dragging out of the logs from the forest ground on which the trees have grown.,In such surroundings, of course;'there are no roads of which advantage may be taken, and any power device that is employed to recover the timber obviously has to be adaptable to conditions of the roughest kind. It is an interesting commentary on the adaptability of the modern commercial vehicle to be able to record two of many examples where this "logging," as it is called, is performed by means of self-propelled chassis. In one case the machine in question is fitted with a caterpillar type of driving gear ; in the other the vehicle—a White—is in many respects of standard type.

U.S.A. Unusual Uses.

It must. be admitted by those who keep themselves constantly in touch with American business methods that our cousins across the herring-pond have an innate love of the sensational. In this direction, the ability to adapt machinery to some purpose, which, to less enterprising minds, would seem most unsuitable, contains an appeal which is irresistible to many American engineers. As a result of this state of affairs, we find American truck builders more inclined than we are, in spite of the American passion for standardization, to attempt the solution of special problems in the matter of goods and similar haulage. Their efforts are interesting. The two examples we quote are instances which have their lessons for many of us.

Loads for Oxen.

Now, as to " logging," a few preliminary words may not be out of place. In years gone by the ox team was the principal means of transporting logs from forest to stream or milt Oxen, of course, are slow, but, like barges, they are cheap. These cattle can only travel about two miles an hour, and yet they can haul big loads. When roads were good, four sturdy oxen could haul from 10,000 to 12,000 ft. of green logs to the load, and the timber would weigh on an average about 8 lb. per ft. log scale, which allows for sap, sawdust, slabs, etc.

a6 After oxen, we find that horses have been used, and this was naturally an improvement in method in so far as speed of work accomplished was concerned. They could tackle no bigger load. As timber felling proceeded and the roads from the mills to the scenes of operations became longer, temporary railroads began to be laid down in most places, excepting those where the country was exceptionally rough, and where railway engineering, even on a temporary scale, was a matter of great difficulty. In many places, too, the timber was not thick enough to warrant this new expense.

Steam Tractors for "Logging."

The nex t,step in the Canadian and American logging industry was to experiment with steam tractors, and these, it may be said, were very successful. Where Fairly level roads could be had, and where water was plentiful, so that good iced surfaces could be secured, these steamers were found to be able to handle normally as many logs,per day as the railroad. While the latter means, of course, enabled better times to be made during actual haulage, yet the logs have to be taken to the track and to be loaded. As against this, the steam tractors can go right into the timber, get their loads, and start for the landings or mills, making but one hauling and handling, and travelling about four miles per hour with tows of the weight of from 10 to 20 sleds, and with 8000 to 10,000 ft. of green logs to the sled, according to the conditions.

The Weight of the Steamer.

The only real disadvantage of the steam tractor was found to be its weight, and to get round this difficulty much ingenuity has been expended. A notable example which has been brought to our notice was the caterpillar type of steam tractor, which was introduced by the Pheenix Co., of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and this was soon superseded by a petrol-driven machine, fitted with the caterpillar type of driving gear, a device which the American lumbermen seem to think solves their principal problems.

An Improved Caterpillar.

In the usual form of caterpillar drive, which many of our readers will recall, the use of links, pins and plates has proved a drawback, even where manganese steel has been employed for them ; these details have proved in practice to wear out at an alarming rate. In the Phcenix, however, the outside or tread chain is made of separate pieces of steel casting, bolted to two steel bands, so that there are no links or pins to wear out. The rollers are of tempered steel strung on steel bands also, and are about 6 ins, above the ground, so that they are, at any rate to a certain extent, out of the way of much of the dirt.

The steel bands on the outer and the inner chain need not be in one continuous piece, but can be constructed in as many lengths as desired, in order to make it an easy and inexpensive lob to repair them in case of breakage. Vanadium steel has proved to be most suitable for this purpose. There are no sharp kinks in the bands, as they run around sprockets 32 ins. in diameter ; they move slowly, and the load is distributed over quite a large area. This machine, of which we are happy to be able to reproduce a photograph, has an engine which develops about 50 hp. on the brake. It has a four-cylinder, four-cycle motor, of which the bore is 54 ins, and the stroke 7 ins. There are three speeds forward and a single reverse.

A Modified White.

Our second example concerns, as we have said, the employment of a more or less standard five-ton White truck. Our illustration serves admirably to show the class of vehicle in question. It would appear, from information that is in our possession, that the White fivetwiner, and even the three-tonner, is not infrequently employed by lumbermen and log rollers. Mr. Frederick Coleman, who represents the White interests in this country, has kindly been of assistance to us in respect of information for this article. He has placed a series of remarkable pictures at our disposal, and of these the one reproduced is a good example. The truck here shown was built for Mr. Theodore Kundtz, of Cleveland, who is a log merchant in the great lumber tracts located in Northern Ohio.

Very Low Geared.

The machine is a standard fivetonner, but it has a six-cylinder motor. In all other respects, with the exception of its steel rims with special " soft ground " treads, it is a standard machine. The hind wheels have a 22 in. straked tread, and Mr. Kundtz finds that the machine equipped in this way can get over almost all the lumber-ground with its full load at practically all times of the year, even when the ground is snow covered. It should be added that the gearbox provides for an exceptionally low gear, much below that in use on the ordinary trucks. To facilitate the hauling of the logs up on to the body, a power winch, located at the back of the driver'e seat and driven

by special gearing from the transmission set, is used for hauling on a chain or rope suitably accommodated by fair leads and pulleys.

Recovering Valuable Logs.

It may be well to add that the owner of this particular truck finds that it yields him exceptional facilities in respect of the recovery of valuable logs, which from some cause or other have become stranded, and which in the ordinary way would need the help of a portable power unit if they were to be rescued from ravines or other situations where they have been left for the time being. The power-driven winch on this truck has saved its owner a great deal of money in this respect. The average load carried is about five tons between lumber-land and railway depot.

There is no claim made that this

particular five-tanner, in spite of its remarkably satisfactory service in such rough conditions as those indicated, can challenge the capacity of the light railway or other -accepted means of conveying timber. There is, however, much to be said in favour of this method of,Jog transit : the general mobility of the tractors, and the fact that exposure during prospecting or working are inconsiderable factors, being obvious advantages. By their use, the merchant is in a position to work a series of lumber sites over extensive areas, using the tractors for inter-communication as occasions demand, and this without having to lay rail-tracks. In conclusion, we learn that there are 47 lumber dealers and milling concerns in the U.S.A. which at the present. time find satisfactory employment for not fewer than SO White vehicles.


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