18 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



November 25, iy2() 



The Versatility of Tractors 



When tractors were first used iu conncctiou with logging opera- 

 tions, it was thought that their usefulness started and ended witli 

 the work of hauling logs, and it was not until recently that any 

 great attempt has been made to apph' them in snaking, bunching 

 and loading. 



As a hauling unit there can be but little question of their merit, 

 and the only factor to consider is, the proper size and speed of sucli 

 a machine. In the photograph below is shown a ten-ton Holt 

 machine which is operating on a fairly good road. The S. A. E. 

 rating of this machine is 60-40, which means that it is credited with 

 40 mechanical horse-power at the drawbar, or, with a replacement 

 power equivalent to that of twenty-two mules. 



When a long haul (most tractor men consider five to eiglit miles a 

 long haul) is encountered, this type of tractor has been found suc- 

 cessful and extremely economical. Having a speed of three miles 

 per hour, it can travel faster than either mules or cattle and on such 

 :i road as pictured above, it will haul, approximately, from twenty- 

 six to thirty gross tons, which is, of course, more than could be 

 expected of stock. 



Many sawmill owners and tractor experts agree that for a short 

 haul (% to 1 mile) a smaller unit is more advantageous. This is a 

 point open to de- 

 bate, with argu- 

 ments on both sides. 

 The advocates o f 

 smaller units on 

 short hauls, point to 

 the increased flexi- 

 bility and greater 

 speed (for return- 

 ing empty) as tlie 

 more essential fac- 

 tors, as well as the 

 lesser operating 

 costs of the five-ton 

 tractor. It is very 

 true that some five- 

 t n tractors, when 

 operating on short 

 one-half-mile hauls, 

 side by side with 

 the ten-ton tractors, 

 the former, have 

 been able to make a 

 much more favorable sliowing at the end of the day wlien operating 

 costs and tonnage were compared. The reason for this may be found 

 in the fact that the five-ton, although capable of liandling only one- 

 lialf the load that is credited to the ten-ton, has a fuel consumption 

 of approximately one-half less. And as most of these types are 

 equipped with a high speed of six miles an hour, the small five-ton 

 unit can return much faster than the ten-ton. From these facts, it 

 will be seen that when a short haul is considered, the small machine 

 will undoubtedly prove the better unit. 



Photo. No. 1 shows a "mud boat" heavily loaded with good green 

 logs. This operation is but a few miles out of Memphis, Tenn., and 

 in one of the worst swamps in that section. The job and outfit is 

 satisfactory, yet, we wonder what the results might be if these same 

 logs were handled with a unit such as is pictured in Photo No. 2? 

 This machine, which is equipped with a winch, and is doing practi- 

 cally the same work, has the "mud boat" rig, but without the wear 

 and tear on the tractor — hence, lower upkeep and less depreciation. 

 The rig, as pictured in the third photograph, is a smaller and lighter 

 machine than either No. 1 or No. 2, yet the work which it has before 

 it is identical, or, if anything, a little less severe. Without comment 



Ten-ton "Holt" Haulinir Train of Timber Trailers 



or advice the author will only ask that sane, common sense be ap- 

 plied to this problem, and in making the request, bear in mind that 

 his only interest is seeing tractors adopted universally in the woods 

 in the interest of BETTER and CHEAPER LOGS. 



The last. Photo. No. 3, shown with this article pictures a five-ton 

 macliinc at work in a very severe and unusual operation. Although 

 the results are all that, and even more than, would be expected, and 

 greater tlian the owner had reason to anticipate, there is some ques- 

 tion in the minds of practical sawmill men and tractor experts 

 whether or not the full value of the tractor is being received when 

 such machine is used exclusively for work as shown. Would it not 

 have been a great deal better to have used a similar model but have 

 such equipped witli a winch and I'ather tlian drive the tractor into 

 the swamp, a cable would be sent out with the tractor anchored 

 firmly on solid, high ground? A winch and cable on such a machine 

 could easily handle a log similar to the one which it is now dragging 

 in. A great deal of breakage on the tractor would then be elimi- 

 nated and the operating cost materially reduced. In all fairness to 

 the manufacturers of these various tractors, operations using them 

 should realize that a mechanical appliance is limited and can not do 

 tlic impossible. Tractor manufacturers have agreed and are ready 



to co-operate in a 

 friendly spirit to 

 serve the sawmill 

 operators with the 

 best measures pos- 

 sible. There are 

 many jobs which 

 certain tractors can 

 not fill, yet which 

 are entirely in line 

 of d u t y of others. 

 It is a very unfair 

 deduction to assume 

 that because a cer- 

 tain popular tractor 

 is extremely success- 

 ful hauling logs on 

 a pike, or fairly 

 good road, to expect 

 the same model to 

 show equally pleas- 

 ing results if sub- 

 jected to the severe 

 and unusual work such as snaking gum out of an apparently bottom- 

 less swamp. 



In conclusion, the author advises all to "Know their Tractor," 

 and any fair-minded sales manager or executive tractor manufac- 

 turer will agree that it is to the best interest of all concerned that 

 the tractor be purchased to fill the requirements, rather than alter 

 the requirements to coincide with the tractor's possibilities. 



A carefully conducted investigation of the many diversified opera- 

 tions seems to show that the larger units are most successful in the 

 long hauls, or over extremely bad roads on short hauls, while smaller 

 units of the five-ton class, appear to be favorites for short hauling 

 and snaking, if the latter is not too severe. Swamp logging is too 

 recent work for the tractor to permit any authentic conclusions, but 

 experience leads many to believe that the tractor which is equipped 

 with a winch and which not only replaces cattle but works like an 

 overhead skidder, is much more desirable than any other type. 



Tractors have come to stay. They are, undoubtedly, one of the 

 greatest time, labor and money savers ever placed in a logging camp. 

 But in determining the proper one for any particular job, upkeep, 

 depreciation, etc., must be figured. 



