Hello All! I am brand new to the forums and brand new to the logging industry. I got my first job in logging yesterday operating a forwarder. To be specific, it is a Fabtec 6 wheel single bunk. My first day on the job was yesterday and it was horrendous. I have never operated before and I did an absolutely terrible job. My job is to pick up the sticks and sort them into Hard and Softwood Pulp, Bolts and Saw Logs. I am wondering if anyone has some tips and tricks that will help a noob like myself. Please fire away, ask questions, or tell me I am a dumb@ss. Thanks, Tom
If you're asking about strategy and procedure, I have no idea. Your boss probably has some ways of going about that. If you're asking about simply operating the loader smoothly and efficiently, then you have to get comfortable with it before you can expect to learn, ever tried to teach somebody to drive when they were afraid of the car? Will the boss let you stay after work, have a few and throw some logs around for fun? Seriously, you have to start slow and increase the speed as you're comfortable and you'll either get the hang of it or you'll find another job. If you can't idle it down to get used to it, it's a little tougher, because the worst thing you could do is try to "meter/inch" the controls around all day. That would be worse than having to fart at your own wedding with a full bladder and the runs. You want to be able to comfortably use the controls at full speed and time the controls so they stop where you need them.
That's the universal good advice for doing anything. Build muscle memory, speed will come later. As to the wedding bit, I know quite a few guys who might be a lot better off if that had actually happened to them.