190 LOGGING 



Roads. — On short hauls the only preparation made for roads 

 is to cut out a right-of-way through the brush. If the bottom 

 becomes heavy for travel a new route is selected. Where a 

 large quantity of logs must pass over a single route, a good dirt 

 road is built on high ground, streams bridged, wet places cor- 

 duroyed and sufficient repair work done to maintain it in good 

 condition. 



The best season for hauling is during the summer months, 

 when the ground is dry and hard, for logging trucks can then 

 handle maximum loads with the least amount of trouble. In 

 swampy sections and on bottom-land logging often has to be sus- 

 pended during the rainy period. 



Hauling. — A common practice among companies who own 

 their equipment and do their own logging is to work several 

 wagons to a crew. The logs, after being swamped, are skidded 

 with a bunch team to some place convenient to the wagons. 

 The wagon teamsters then are concerned only with loading and 

 hauling the logs. On small operations and where small con- 

 tractors may be operating, each wagon teamster does his own 

 swamping, bunching and loading. The former method is con- 

 sidered the more efficient. 



On a haul of one-fourth mile, one bunch team can skid logs 

 for two or three wagons, and for greater distances it can serve 

 more teams because of the fewer number of trips made. Each 

 wagon usually carries a pair of skidding tongs and, if the bunch 

 team gets behind, the wagon teamster unhooks his leaders or the 

 pole team and brings in a few logs. The number of swampers 

 required depends on the character of the timber and the under- 

 brush. 



Wagons are loaded by the teamsters, who use a cross-haul 



rig- 

 On short hauls large logs are not bound to the wagon, but on 

 long hauls or where the load consists of small logs it is customary 

 to pass a binding chain around the load and under the reach. 

 This chain is tightened by a hickory binding pole. The loading 

 chains are wrapped loosely around the logs, the loading skids 

 are placed on the reach, and the wagon is ready to start for the 



