Hey guys. I am from New England so my idea of logging is a chainsaw and a skidder lol, so I'm not expert on the PNW versions lol. So my question is what is Shovel Logging? Thanks, John Gibson
In my part of the world we call it Hoe Chucking You use a hydraulic log loader to walkout into the setting and forward the wood to the road. Grab the log and swing it to the road, might take several swings to do it. We use it anyplace where the ground is not too steep. Not to many skidders in this part of the world so will use this method instead, we don't have very much flat ground either, so it works. Go to you tube and enter in hoe chucking logging, there should be a few vids
In the swamps the feller bunchers lay the wood crosswise in a row like the corduroy roads of old times. The skidders drive on the trees to stay up. When skidding the shovel logger picks the wood up and swings it around bunching it for the skidders. In essence they start at the back of each pass and work there way out driving on the trees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpBQczS57es#aid=P-6xdJh5jP8
This is a typical shovel side in the states. 1 larger log loader (or shovel) for working the wood up, a processor (either danglehead or stroker) for processing the wood into logs, and a smaller log loader (shovel) for loading trucks. Effective yarding distance is ~400 ft and only works well in clearcut type harvests. Very low impact and very versatile, that is why you see so much logging this way in the PNW.