Vintage Logging – Tractors

Each Saturday morning I review 10 vintage logging, forestry and saw milling photos. This week’s review of vintage logging is about tractors, like the crawlers that seem to be able to go anywhere!

Figure 94. A Caterpillar tractor skidding a very large log with a Hyster steel arch, also on tracked wheels. This view, from the C.O. Clark collection, probably dates from the 1930s.

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1930s Comox Logging Company using a Caterpillar tractor to log.

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Photograph of a photograph of logs being hauled along ground by tractor. Lower right corner reads “J.H. Eastman.”

Rights Information: Feb 28 2019 Special permission granted by the owning institution, California State University, Chico, CA, US, to WoodchuckCanuck.com, for use of this image for historical logging special collection review. Source https://cdlib.org

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Cat tractor logging.

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Bringing a load in to Cold Deck.

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In a sense, it replaced the horse. In turn, the disappearance of the horse signals the extinction of the blacksmith, cartwright and wheelwright professions.

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Photograph of a photograph of steam engine pulling seven cars stacked with lumber with forest in background. Caption on cellophane reads “Best Engine Hauling 42,000 feet of lumber near Viola, Shasta Co., Calif.”

Rights Information: Feb 28 2019 Special permission granted by the owning institution, California State University, Chico, CA, US, to WoodchuckCanuck.com, for use of this image for historical logging special collection review. Source: https://cdlib.org

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Log being pulled by logging equipment in foreground with forest in background.

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Winch anchored by buttshore alone, no anchorage wires needed. Skidding effected by using one drum, or a double drum, or two drums with an additional wire to build closed circle. Tractive power about 4,410 lb (2,000 kg); tractive speed 3V4 ft/sec (1 m/see); tractive rope 2 x 656 ft, diam. 3/8 in (2 X 200 m, diam. 10 mm); weight about 1, 102 lb (500 kg); 2 traction drums, diam. 1 ½ in (40 mm). Drums equipped with brakes. Winch suitable for all tractors with hydraulic lifting device.

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Deep in the woods.

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